Christianity: A call to Persevere
We live in times of great stress. We read the news papers and shake our heads in disbelief. We watch the news and it depresses us. We look into our WhatsApp messages and most of them bring bad news. We hear about the economy doing badly. We hear about the GDP growth being the lowest in several years. Those of us who have investments look at the southward movement of the Sensex and start wondering what is in store for our future. Those of us who understand the larger economy hear about the government borrowing a large sum of money from the RBI and wonder if even our bank deposits are safe. We hear about the impending economic recession and wonder what is in store for us.
And if these things do not touch us personally, We go to the market and are shocked by the prices of essential things like dal and onions and the like. Then there are illnesses, and the high cost of medical care. We have been praying for one person or the other in BBF for healing. There are families that are constantly under stress and under attack from Satan.
And as a Church we are concerned about instances of persecution. Christians are constantly under scrutiny for trying to convert people. There are many places where worshipping as a congregation itself is a challenge. Christian NGOs are facing enhanced scrutiny of their financial transactions. Christian visitors from abroad are questioned about their true motives for coming to India.
I can go on and on, but I think we get the picture. Things don’t seem to be all hunky dory around us.
So what is the Christian response to such an environment around us? Does the Bible give us any guidance on that? You bet!! After all, there is no aspect of life that the Bible does not help us with and these troubled times are no exception.
The Bible calls Christians to Persevere. In the face of trials, tribulations, temptations, persecution, war, poverty, or whatever it is that we are faced with, Christians are called to persevere.
To get an idea of about the extent of that call, let us turn to Chapter 4 of the 2 Corinthians.
You will notice that the apostle Paul starts this chapter by asserting .. “we do not lose heart”. “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. (2 Cor 4:1 ESV). Then towards the end of the Chapter he repeats this phrase “we do not lose heart”. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor 4:16 ESV). The chapter starts and ends with this assertion, and inside the chapter he explains why “we do not lose heart”.
Now, those of us who have studied the life and ministry of Paul knew very well that he has suffered much. Conversion to Christianity was not a cake walk or a bed of roses for him. If there is anyone who suffered for the sake of Gospel it is Paul. The incidents in the book of Acts will convince us of that. But if we don’t have time to read through the sufferings fo Paul from Acts, Paul himself provides a summary, a precis, if we might, in, 2 Cor 11:23-28 (NIV) Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
I want to us remember that it is this Paul who says repeatedly “we do not lose heart”. Amazing isn’t it?
Let us look at some of the reasons that encouraged Paul. Let us go back to 2 Cor Ch 4.
1. First in the list is Faith. Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, (2 Cor 4:13 ESV). Paul is referring to King David here who when he was distressed, kept his faith. Faith is a powerful thing. Jesus affirmed it multiple times in the gospels. He said this to the unclean woman, he said this to the blind beggar, he said so to the 10 lepers, he told this to the centurion. He even told his disciples that if they have faith as small as a mustard seed, they can move mountains. Faith.. that is what encouraged apostle Paul to affirm “so we do not lose heart”. This morning, let us examine the extent of our faith. Do we have faith? If we do not have enough of it, let us pray that the Lord will strengthen our faith.
2. Hope of resurrection and eternity is the second thing that encouraged Paul to say “we do not lose heart”. Isn’t it a great thing to know that our hope in Christianity is not for this life alone. “knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. “(2 Cor 4:14 ESV). “as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. “(2 Cor 4:18 ESV) Paul knew and was certain of the resurrection that we are assured of through Jesus Christ. He also knew that the things of this world, the things that are seen are transient, they will pass away, and we have to put our hope and faith in things that are eternal. Actually Paul goes to the extent of saying in 1 Corinthians 15:19 (NIV) “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” This morning, let us examine ourselves and see if we think about eternity at all when we are surrounded by trouble, or we are thinking about the “here and now”. Let us pray that God will change our mindset to an eternal mindset from a here and now mindset.
3. The third thing that encouraged Paul to affirm “we do not lose heart” is the consideration of the glory of God. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. (2 Cor 4:15 ESV) and For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, (2 Cor 4:17 ESV). Paul is finding comfort in the fact that his sufferings are for the purpose of edifying the church and hence Glorifying God. More importantly, he is sure that “these small afflictions” as he calls them are preparing them for the time when they will be crowned with the Glory of God. Let us look at another servant of God who sought and got to see the Glory of God in all its splendour. In Exodus 33, God tells Moses that the Israelites are stiff necked people and hence he will not go with them to the promised land. But since the promised land is His promise, he assures them of the presence of His angel to safely take them to the promised land. This is where the true colour of Moses is revealed. Moses did not “lose heart” but he decides to pitch a tent for meeting with God and he persevered in meeting with God day after day. He converses with God and finally tells him very categorically “Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. (Exod 33:15 NKJV). Moses is clear, if God is not with them, then it is better not to go to the promised land, however prosperous that land might be. Moses is not so much concerned about the prosperity of the land, he is not worried so much about the milk and honey that is flowing in that land. Moses is concerned about the fact that unless God himself goes with them, they will not be “separate”. They will no longer be the “chosen people”. Moses was seeking the real thing here. He was seeking Gods personal presence with them. Once God assures Moses that he will listen to him and go with them, Moses makes the audacious demand of God. And he said, "Please, show me Your glory. (Exod 33:18 NKJV), and we know the rest of the story. This is a lovely picture. This is what happens when we truly seek the Glory of God and are assured of the glory of God. This morning, let us ask ourselves, are we seeking the Glory of God? Are we seeking His presence to go with us in our families, in our ministries, in our church, at our work? Are we courageous enough to say , Lord. If your presence is not with me, I do not want this business, Lord, if your presence is not with me, I do want to be in this ministry, Lord if your presence is not with me, I do not want this job. Are we first and foremost seeking His presence and His glory in our marriages, in our families, or are we approaching our life without seeking His Glory?
One of the beautiful passages from this chapter is what has sustained Leslie and I during several dark periods in our life (and we sure have had plenty of them). Let me read it out for you. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; (2 Cor 4:8-9 ESV). Yes there might be troubles all around us, yes, there might be persecutions, yes there might be struggles in our families, yes, there might be financial difficulties, yes there might be illnesses, yes there might be uncertainties, yes, the economy might be looking down. The beauty of believing in Jesus Christ is that for every trouble there is a “but not” as in the verses that I read out to you. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; (2 Cor 4:8-9 ESV).
I was actually going to look for stories to illustrate this for closing the sermon, but then I realised that we have such stories right here in our congregation itself. We don’t have to look far and wide to see such stories. When Aunty Sheela wakes up on Sunday morning, she says, “Lord, my bones are aching, but not bad enough for me to stay away from church”. When faced with a travel to Akola in Maharashtra, Joyce is saying “Lord, my platelet count is very low, but not low enough to refuse my services to those who are needy”. When Prashanth gets into one of his painful stretches of his Multiple Sclerosis, he is saying “Lord, the pain is bad, but not bad enough for me to stop sharing your grace with others”. When his wallet is empty Manohar is saying, “Lord, I do not know how you will provide for me, but not bad enough for me to stay away from the ministry of the church”. When Sarah struggles with her knee she is saying “Lord, it pains but not enough for me to stop praying for my congregation members”. I am sure there are more. I am sure all of us try to say but not to our problems and anxieties. But if we are not doing that enough, this morning, let us draw inspiration from Paul and say along with him We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; (2 Cor 4:8-9 ESV).
Let us not lose heart. Let us Pray!!
