Several years ago, Art Linkletter had a TV show where he would interview children about various subjects, and those children would say “some of the darndest things,” as the name of the show suggested. There was humor in their statements and sometimes quite a bit of wisdom. Well, this last week, I came across some of that childish wisdom that I thought we all could appreciate together. First, there is…
• Patrick, age 10, who said, “Never trust a dog to watch your food.”
• Michael, 14, said, “When your dad is mad and asks you, ‘Do I look stupid?’ don’t answer him.”
• Michael, wise man that he is also said, “Never tell your mom her diet’s not working.”
• Randy, 9 years of age said, “Stay away from prunes.” One wonders how he discovered that bit of wisdom.
• Kyoyo, age 9, said, “Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time.”
• Naomi, 15 said, “If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse.”
• Lauren, age 9 said, “Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick.”
• Joel, 10 years old, said, “Don’t pick on your sister when she’s holding a baseball bat.” &
• Eileen, age 8 said, “Never try to baptize a cat.” (Rick Stacy; www.SermonCentral.com)
Now, when you think about it, this is good, basic, practical advice that can save a person from a lot of trouble, and there are times when we Christians and our churches need this kind of advice to save us from trouble. There are times when we get off track, and we just need a reminder of some of the basics to keep us from destroying ourselves.
If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Timothy 4, 1 Timothy 4, where we get some of this basic, practical advice.
1 Timothy 4:9-11 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. (NIV)
If we’re going to save ourselves from moral ruin, which will kill the testimony of our church, then we must…
COMMAND AND TEACH GOD’S WORD.
We must direct and instruct people to obey the Bible. Literally, in the words of the original Greek, we must give orders. We must charge people to do what God tells us to do.
So far in this chapter, we’ve feasted at the table of God’s grace (vs.1-6); we’ve exercised in the gym of godliness (vs.7-8); now, we’re fighting on the battlefield of truth (vs.9-15). And God says to the pastors, the commanding officers in His army, “Give orders. Command the people under your charge to obey Me.”
Let me make it clear, if you’re having sex with someone you’re not married to, STOP IT TODAY! It’s wrong. Businessman, if you are overcharging and cheating your customers, QUIT IT RIGHT NOW! Friends, if you are harboring bitterness and resentment in your heart towards anyone, DEAL WITH IT BEFORE THE SUN GOES DOWN!
Don’t commit adultery. Don’t lie. Don’t kill. Flee immorality! Lay aside falsehood! Forgive one another! God’s commands are clear! & On the battlefield of truth, we better make sure we’re just as clear in passing those commands on.
They’re not the 10 suggestions; they’re the 10 commandments. And our families, our churches, and our communities need to realize that. If we are going to save our churches and our communities from moral slaughter on the battlefield of truth, then we must give clear and direct orders. We must proclaim the moral absolutes of God’s Law, and we must call one another to an uncompromising commitment to God’s Word.
Hear me, please: We don’t make our own rules. I know that’s not what everybody says. They tell you, “You have a choice.” Well, I’m here to tell you, “No, you don’t have a choice. God makes the rules, and we cannot break God’s rules. Oh, we may try, but if we do, God’s rules end up breaking us.
That’s the way it is with the law of gravity. You may decide, “I’m going to break the law of gravity and jump off the top of this building.” Well let me tell you, after we pick your body pieces off the sidewalk, you’ll discover you can’t break God’s law. It breaks you. So it is with God’s moral law. We cannot break it; but if we try, it will break us.
That’s why there are so many broken people, broken families, and broken communities today. We have neglected the clear precepts of God’s Word. So we need to call people back to the Bible. We need to open this Book again and show people what it says. That’s Paul’s advice to a young pastor here in 1 Timothy 4.
1 Timothy 4:13-14 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. (NIV)
Preaching was Timothy’s spiritual gift, and Paul says, “Don’t neglect it.” It’s the only way the church can stay strong and have a positive impact on its surrounding community. If we’re going to save people from moral ruin, then we must preach the Word.
A former park ranger at Yellowstone National Park tells the story of another ranger leading a group of hikers to a fire lookout. That ranger was so intent on telling the hikers about the flowers and animals that he considered the messages on his two-way radio distracting, so he switched it off. Nearing the tower, the ranger was met by a nearly breathless lookout, who asked why he hadn’t responded to the messages on his radio. A grizzly bear had been seen stalking the group, and the authorities were trying to warn them of the danger. (Harold M. Wiest, Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada; Bible Illustrator #414-434)
My friends, if we tune out God’s Word, then we put ourselves at great risk. If we ignore the Bible, because we find it too distracting from what we want to do, then we’re dead. The Bible warns us of danger and tells us how to be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. But if we switch it off, then nobody can be saved.
If we’re going to save our church and people from moral ruin, then we must prescribe God’s Word; we must proclaim it clearly and forthrightly. More than that, we must…
PRACTICE GOD’S WORD.
It’s not enough just to preach it, we must do it. We must set the example for others to follow.
1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. (NIV)
Be a pattern for others to follow. Skip down to vs.15
1 Timothy 4:15 “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them” – Literally, be in them. In other words, live, eat, breathe and sleep these things. Let them be your all-consuming passion. Why? “So that everyone may see your progress.” (NIV)
That word “progress” is a military term and it means “pioneer advance.” Remember, we’re on the battlefield of truth where sometimes a soldier has to advance ahead of the troops. He has to clear the way of obstacles and make it possible for others to follow.
Well, that’s exactly what we need to do if we’re going to save our families, our church, and our country from moral ruin. We need to go before them. We need to set the example. We need to show the way so others can see our progress and follow us in it.
In 1990 Harvard University conducted a rather extensive study to determine the most effective way to change lives. Do you know what they found? They found something that surprised even those doing the study. Amidst the high tech sophistication and advanced techniques of our world, the number one way to change lives was modeling. When it is all said and done, the best way to impact another life is to demonstrate, to practice what one teaches. (In a letter from Tim Hansel to Charles Swindoll as shared on Insight for Living Broadcast, 6-22-90; Bible Illustrator #4173; 9/1990.21)
That’s because our actions speak so much louder than our words. People respond to what we do, not so much to what we say.
Clark Cothern, a pastor in Ypsilanti, Michigan, talks about his college days when he traveled one summer throughout Europe with a Christian music group. After their first concert in Stockholm, Sweden, he and his roommate, a guy named Colin, were introduced to their host parents. They were a gracious couple in their early 60’s who didn’t speak a word of English.
Well, as they rode together on a tram to their host’s home about 10 miles away, Colin decided to have a little fun with the language barrier. While smiling and nodding politely in their direction, he said aloud, “These nice people are probably serial killers.” They nodded back, smiling. Then Colin said, “They are probably taking us to a deserted warehouse just outside of town.” They smiled and nodded again.
After they arrived at the couple’s apartment, their host mom served them tea, crackers, and some really stinky white cheese. Colin took a bite, smiled, nodded, and said, “This is the worst cheese I have ever eaten.” Nonetheless, he rubbed his stomach as though he was truly enjoying a wonderful Swedish treat.
The host mom nodded and smiled, pointing to the cheese. Colin nodded and said, “If I have to eat another bite, I’m sure I’ll be sick.” But once again he patted his stomach, smiling contentedly. So the lady cut an extra large slice of the cheese and placed it lovingly on the plate next to Colin’s crackers. (Clark Cothern, Hope That Overcomes Our Culture, Living Water Community Church, Ypsilanti, Michigan; www.Preaching Today.com)
Words and actions can often tell different stories, but it is the actions which speak the loudest.
Edgar Guest, in the Christian Reader, once wrote, “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day; I’d rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.” (Edgar A. Guest, Christian Reader, Vol. 33, no. 2; www.PreachingToday.com)
Many years ago, at an international Christian gathering, young people were discussing various ways of sharing the good news about Jesus Christ. They turned to the girl from Africa. “Maria,” they asked, “What do you do in your country?”
“Oh,” said Maria, “we don’t have missions or give pamphlets away. We just send one or two Christian families to live and work in a village, and when people see what Christians are like, then they want to be Christians too.” (Cecil Northcott, A Modern Epiphany; Bible Illustrator #3599-3605)
That’s the way to impact a community, and a country for Christ. If we’re going to save our families, our church and our community from moral ruin, then #1) we must preach God’s Word; #2) we must practice God’s Word; and #3) we must…
PERSEVERE IN GOD’S WORD.
We cannot give up. We must not quit.
1 Timothy 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
You will save them from moral and spiritual ruin. In this context, specifically, you will save the church from dying, but only if we persevere in preaching and practicing the Word of God.
Long ago on the great western cattle ranches, they had an interesting way of breaking the wildest of horses. They would harness a little burro to a wild steed, and then turn them loose into the desert.
As they disappeared over the horizon, one could see the wild steed dragging that little burro along and tossing him around like a bag of cream puffs. The burro and the steed would be gone for days, but when they returned, the little burro led the way, just trotting along with the sorriest looking steed you ever saw in tow.
Somewhere, in the desert, the steed became exhausted trying to get rid of the burro. It was then that the burro broke the steed. (Leadership, Summer 1989, p.43)
Sometimes we feel like that little burro against the enemies we face, against those that would destroy our values, our children, our homes, and our churches. But if we would just stick it out, if we would just not give up, if we would just persevere, then we will break our enemies, and who knows, we might even lead them to Jesus Christ someday.
If we’re going to save our families, our church, and our country from moral ruin, then we must prescribe God’s Word; we must practice God’s Word; & we must persevere in God’s Word. The Bible is the key!
As newsman Clarence W. Hall followed American troops through Okinawa in 1945, he and his jeep driver came upon a small town that stood out among all the rest. He wrote, “We had seen other Okinawan villages… down at the heels and despairing; by contrast, this one shone like a diamond in a dung heap. Everywhere we were greeted by smiles and dignified bows. Proudly the old men showed us their spotless homes, their terraced fields… their storehouses and granaries, their prized sugar mill.”
Hall said that he saw no jails and no drunkenness, and that divorce was unknown in this village. The villagers told him that an American missionary had come there some 30 years earlier. He didn’t stay long, but while he was there, he led two elderly men to faith in Christ and left them with a Japanese Bible. These new believers studied the Scriptures, lived it, and then started leading their fellow villagers to Jesus. (Bible Illustrator #622; 7/1988.7)
It’s amazing what a Bible and two guys committed to sharing and living it can do. We over 50 here this morning. Imagine the impact we could have if we ALL got serious about sharing and living God’s Word today.
