Sermon for 8/22/2010
Introduction:
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. So I asked, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!” This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck.” He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piled up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.
WBTU:
A. How can we have a positive outlook? It is a choice. God a lot of this material from Marvin Phillips- “How to Take a Licking and Keep on Ticking.”
B. (Phil 4:8) Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
C. Paul was in prison and while in prison he made two lists: On one side was all the bad things, on the other side were all the good things. He cut the bad list and threw it away.
Thesis: Beyond this, what can we do to maintain a positive outlook? We have to be a believer in 5 things.
For instances:
1. Be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
A. Not the person that came forward, was baptized and now just sits in a pew on Sunday mornings. They rarely open the Bible during the week and they will never get involved in activities at the church. They have there ticket stamped and going to heaven.
B. For many of us, when bad times came upon us, we either ran to Jesus Christ or we ran away from him. Are we going to believe in the promises of God when things get tough?
D. (1 Pet 1:7 NIV) These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
2. Be a believer in our country
A. I avoid a lot of the political TV shows. Always focus on the negative.
B. On CBS News “The American Spirit” had a story about Lalita Booth. Raised in Asheville, NC, Lalita’s problems began when her parents divorced and she was sexually abused by a family acquaintance. “That led to substance abuse, staying out all night long, and running away,” Booth said. By the time she was 18, she’d been legally emancipated from her parents, married and had a baby. “When my ex joined the army, I was responsible for taking care of myself with only a GED and no relevant job skills,” Booth said. Penniless and living out of a car, she gave up her son to some family members. “I would cry myself to sleep because I missed him so much,” Booth said. That’s when she grew up. She enrolled in a community college, and then transferred to a 4 year university. She graduated as an honors student. After this, she learned to really dream big and another door opened. Booth was accepted to Harvard University. The 29 year old Booth is earning a Master’s Degree in business and public policy. “It’s an amazing feeling,” Booth said. She financed her education through 20 scholarships totaling more than half a million dollars. Now she spends her time on Capitol Hill, where she lobbies for single mothers. Lalita is remarried and has her son back. Only in America is this possible.
C. We are still the most blessed nation in the world. Paul Harvey reported seeing a bumper sticker in the Philippines that said, “Go home Yankee! (and take me with you)”
D. There have been studies done with computers to discover the best place to live, the best housing, the best personal freedoms, the best jobs with the most benefits, the best place to raise our children, the best place to live a long and healthy life, and we are living right in the middle of it, it’s called the United States of America.
E. (Psa 33:12 NIV) Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.
3. Be a believer in the church
A. The newspaper always contains things out of the norm. That is why it is in the newspaper. The rewards and good deeds are in the back if they make the paper at all.
B. The mean, ugly, dirty, untrustworthy, godless, vile, and violent things that happen in our world are in the newspaper. This means that they are many in our world are not that way. If everyone was that way the mean, ugly, dirty, godless, vile and violent things wouldn’t make it in the newspaper. Why? Because everyone is doing it.
C. It is the same way in the church. Many times we hear about the preacher who has run off with the secretary. We hear about the treasurer who took all of the churches money and now lives in Tahiti. We hear about that church that is so legalistic. We hear about those churches that don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We keep hearing about these things. Why? Because it is against the norm.
D. Many churches are preaching and teaching and obeying the words of the Bible. Why don’t we hear more about that? Because that’s boring, it’s not juicy gossip. Many churches are making a difference in their community. Many times these things are in small ways and unnoticed to the larger Christian community.
E. Sign in Milford, TX: “Milford, TX, A city of 750 friendly people and three of four old grouches.” That is the church of my Lord!
F. Rubel Shelly wrote some studies on the book of Acts. He called it, “Falling in Love with Jesus’ People.”
F. (1 Pet 2:17 NIV) Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
4. Be a believer in yourself.
A. The reason many people don’t have love, patience and forgiveness with others is that we don’t have it for ourselves.
B. Deep down we have this feeling that we don’t have what it takes. Most of us feel like we are too good to go to hell but we are not quite good enough to go to heaven. We better make up our minds because these are the only two places we can go.
C. (Mat 22:35-39 NIV) One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
D. Stand up and hug yourself and say: “I love you, you sweet old thing. I love you, you sweet old thing.” That’s the gospel truth.
E. The Godhead knows all about us. (Heb 4:13 NIV) Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
F. Yet, this is how much they love us individually. John 3:16. For God so loved. That so should have 17 o’s on it because that is how much God loves us.
5. Be a believer in the outcome
B. Get tired of all of the negative talk. I’ve read the back of the book and we win.
C. Richard Rodgers put together a commentary on Revelation that was never published during his lifetime. The title was, “Hallelujah Anyway!” I don’t care what beast comes, or dragon, or harlot because when the smoke clears and Gabriel blows his horn, we win because the Bible says we are the children of God.
D. In a major city in a large public park, there was a beggar who held out his cup. A businessman enjoying a break was in that same park and watched that beggar. He was a distance behind the beggar and he noticed that everyone passing by put at least a few coins in his cup. Interested in how this beggar was so successful, the businessman came and viewed that beggar from the front. The beggar had a sign next to him, “It’s May and I’m blind.” It was a beautiful May day. The flowers were blooming and the blue birds and red birds were singing, and the sky was a clear blue, and the grass was green, but that beggar didn’t see any of it and so people had pity on him and gave a few coins. Brother and sisters, it is always May to the child of God, and the grass is always green and the sky is always blue and God is always there. One day we are going to be there with him and so we do win and it is Hallelujah Anyway.
E. Talk about the situation of my leaving. Believer in the outcome.
E. (2 Cor 4:16-18 NIV) Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
