MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
TEXT: 2 Timothy 2:8; Isaiah 53:5 (NCV); Romans 1:16
I don't know just how much you are aware of some of the turmoil that is going on in our nation, particularly this past week. No, I'm not talking about political turmoil. You have probably heard more than enough of that.
I'm talking instead about things that oftentimes don't get more than just a passing mention, if at all, depending upon what news channel you have on.
ILL. Did you notice the story last week about a veteran living in a retirement village? His mailbox is decorated with a wrap-around decal of an American flag, & the village officers are afraid that might offend someone. So they have ordered him to remove that mailbox, & they are threatening to sue him if he doesn't.
How about the college which banned & removed all American flags from their campus, including cars that display decals portraying an American flag? They believe that seeing such a flag on their campus might offend someone.
And it is not just flags that might offend. Several colleges have announced that any favorable mention of Jesus or Christianity will no longer be tolerated. And any campus groups or meetings that are considered "Christian" will no longer be allowed on college property. (Adapted from "TheBlaze" - Glen Beck)
And these aren't just isolated events. The "fear of offending" is being used more & more in seeking ways to silence any Christian witness.
ILL. As you know, in recent years, millions of people in our nation have paused to remember, on the anniversary of 9/11, those who died on that day. And in many places special services have been held so that people could comfort one another as our nation remembers that tragedy.
I mentioned this in a sermon last year, but let me remind you again that in a 9/11 Memorial Service held in Orange County, California, officials told the partici-pating High School Choir that they would not be allowed to sing “America The Beautiful” or “God Bless America” because those songs mention “God” & thus might offend someone. (From Bill O’Reilly’s TV program on FoxTV.)
“Might offend someone?” It seems to me that the song & the words, “God Bless America” have become an expression of the determination, concern, & prayers of the American people. And I’m not ashamed, or afraid, or apologetic today in proclaiming “God Bless America!”
A. But this fear of disturbing someone with the mention of God is becoming more & more prevalent. You see, even mentioning Jesus – unless as a curse word - seems certain to offend some people.
In fact, the Bible tells us that to some the death of Jesus on the cross will be considered foolishness, & to others a stumbling block.
And when Jesus says, "I am the way, & the truth, & the life. The only way to the Father is through me." (John 14:6 NCV) & the apostle Peter proclaims in Acts 4:12, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved", then some people will be offended.
B. But the problem is, even though the secular world seems to be worried about offending non-Christians, it certainly doesn't want to miss out on the opportunity to make big money off Christian holidays.
So they have come up with alternatives. At Christmas there is Santa Claus, & at Easter we have a bunny rabbit.
It's absurd, isn't it? It takes much more faith to believe in a man dressed in a red suit flying in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer - & an Easter bunny that lays eggs - than it does to believe in the real story of the birth & life & death & resurrection of Jesus.
He is my Savior & my Lord, & He is the one I want to consider this morning.
Our Scripture text is 2 Timothy 2:8. As Paul writes these words he is an old & tired soldier of the cross who has been through it all. He has been beaten, shipwrecked, & imprisoned. Now his life is nearly over, & he leaves this legacy of faith to the young preacher, Timothy.
PROP. Here's his legacy. "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel..." It is only 14 words long, but it pretty well says it all, doesn't it?
I. "REMEMBER JESUS CHRIST"
A. The apostle Paul tells Timothy to “Remember Jesus Christ” - remember who He is, & what He has done.
Our memories are impor¬tant parts of our lives, but it seems to me that as I am getting older it is becoming more & more difficult to remember things.
ILL. The man looked a little worried when he went to see the doctor for his scheduled physical check-up. So the doctor asked if anything was troubling him.
"Well, to tell the truth, Doc, yes," answered the patient. "you see, I seem to be getting more forgetful. I never can remember where I parked the car, or whether I answered a letter, or where I'm going, or what I'm going to do once I get there. And it is getting worse all the time. Tell me, what should I do?"
The doctor thought for a moment, then answered in his kindest tone, "Pay me in advance." (Adapted from Steve Shepherd on Sermon Central)
How is your memory? Do you forget things - things you need to do? Or maybe you go to get something, & then when you get there, you can’t remember what you were going to get?
And what about when you see someone you know, but you just can’t think of their name? Sometimes it can be terribly embarrassing, because you do know them, but their name just doesn’t come to mind.
Well, we may have difficulty remembering some things, but Paul tells us it's most important to “Remember Jesus Christ.”
II. REMEMBER JESUS CHRIST, "DESCENDED FROM DAVID"
A. And in remembering Jesus Christ, we are to remember that He is "descended from David." That's Paul's way of saying that Jesus is the Messiah, the promised one, the fulfill¬ment of the hopes & dreams, not only of Israel but of all the world, the Son of God.
Hear Jesus as He says, "Come to me, all you who are weary & burdened, & I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you & learn from me, for I am gentle & humble in heart, & you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29)
His words were words of hope & love that the world had not heard before. They were words of life instead of words of death. And we are told that the common people “heard Him gladly.”
B. We need to remember also what the world did to Him His arrest & the illegal trials. We need to remember the mockery, the ridicule, the scourging, & the crown of thorns He endured for us.
But that wasn’t all - for they cruelly nailed Him to a cross, not for His sins but for ours. We need to remember that too!
We need to remember His words, "It is finished." The word Jesus used is the Greek word that means, "Paid in full!" Your debt & my debt, caused by our sins, has been paid in full by Jesus on the cross.
III. REMEMBER JESUS CHRIST, "RAISED FROM THE DEAD"
A. Paul also says, we need to remember Jesus Christ, "raised from the dead." And we do that every Sunday, don't we, as we gather with fellow Christians at the Lord's Table?
We serve Communion every Sunday. Why? Because the early Christians did that (Acts 20:7) & because Jesus said to do it in remembrance of Him.
It’s not just a matter of taking these emblems into your mouth. It’s a matter of remembering what they represent. For every time we take the bread & drink the cup, we not only proclaim that Jesus died for us, & that He arose from the dead, but also that He is coming again. Now that's something worth remembering!
B. Every time someone is baptized we proclaim that same message again. According to the Apostle Paul in Romans 6:1-5, the very act of baptism pictures the death, burial, & resurrection of Jesus.
We're buried in a watery grave even as He was buried in the tomb. And then we are raised to walk in a new life even as He was raised from the dead, alive forevermore. And this is something worth remembering also!
IV. "THIS IS MY GOSPEL"
A. Finally, Paul says, "This is my gospel…" And as many of you already know, that word "gospel" comes directly from a Greek word that means "good news."
Paul believed with all his heart that the message about Jesus was "good news" - truly "good news" to a lost & dying world. He wrote in Romans 1:16,
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…"
To the Corinthians he wrote in 1 Cor. 15:1-2, "I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you."
And to the church at Colossae he wrote, "…the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world - just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace." (Colossians 1:6)
SUM: Even today, no amount of “political correctness” can affect the power of the gospel. It is still the power of God & the cross is an emblem of our salvation because of Jesus Christ, our Lord!
ILL. By the way, this past week, as I was working on this sermon, I came across an interesting story about a Civil War Confederate General - John Brown Gordon. Gen. Robert E. Lee said that he was one of his best brigadiers, "characterized by splendid audacity".
Maybe it was this "audacity" or courage in the heat of battle that also caused Gordon to be one of the most frequently wounded Confederate officers during the war. He was wounded in several different battles, but let me read to you what Wikipedia says about his wounds in the Battle of Antietam.
"First, a Minié ball passed through his calf. Then, a second ball hit him higher in the same leg. A third ball went through his left arm. He continued to lead his men despite the fact that the muscles & tendons in his arm were mangled & a small artery was severed. A fourth ball hit him in his shoulder.
"Despite pleas by his men that he go to the rear, he continued to lead them. He was finally stopped by a ball that hit him in the face, passing through his left cheek & out his jaw. He fell with his face in his cap & might have drowned in his own blood if it had not drained out through a bullet hole in the cap.
"A Confederate surgeon thought he would not survive, but … he was nursed back to health by his wife." Several months later, recuperating from his wounds, he returned to lead his troops, & was wounded several times again before the war ended - two & a half years later.
ILL. After the war the southern states were restored to the Union, & with that they had the right to elect Senators & Representatives & other state officers.
It was a turbulent time politically, & as a well-known leader, Gen. John Gordon was proposed as a candidate for the U.S. Senate representing the State of Georgia.
But in a contentious political convention there was a prominent politician who had served under Gordon in the war, who was angry at him over an old political disagreement, & who was determined to see Gordon defeated. Everyone knew this man would fight Gordon's bid to become a senator.
When the time came to cast their votes, this man angrily stomped down the aisle with his anti-Gordon vote in hand. As he approached the platform, he looked over to where Gordon was sitting, & saw how Gordon's once handsome face was now disfigured with the scars of battle - evidence of Gordon's willingness to suffer & bleed for a cause he believed in.
Despite his anger, the politician, an old soldier himself, couldn't control his emotions. Bursting into tears, he exclaimed, "It's no use. I can't do it. I cast my vote for John Gordon." Then, turning to face the surprised General, he said, "Forgive me, Sir. I had forgotten the scars." (Adapted from a sermon by Perry Greene on Sermon Central)
What a difference it makes in our lives when we remember the scars! With so many things to distract us, we sometimes fail to remember what suffering Jesus went through on the cross for us.
Isaiah 53:5 (NCV) says, "He was wounded for the wrong we did; He was crushed for the evil we did. The punishment, which made us well, was given to Him, and we are healed because of His wounds."
INVITATION
