LONGING FOR THE "GOOD OLD DAYS":
1. THE EARLY CHURCH.
- Acts 2:1-4, 41-47; Acts 15:1-41; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13.
- Probably the first time that comes to mind is the early church as the “good old days.”
- And as we look at Acts 2:1-4, 41-47, there is much to rejoice in.
- But we have to have a broader view of the early church.
- The early church is also represented by Acts 15. We have the church gathering together arguing over who can be saved. Then at the end of the chapter we have Paul and Barnabas in an argument sufficiently bad that they parted ways.
- The early church is also represented by 1 Corinthians 5, where we see them accommodating serious sin within the church.
- Obviously there was great good that happened during this time, but we are naïve to think that it was a perfect golden era.
2. LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE.
- For other people, the hustle and bustle of our complicated and stressful lives today makes them long for the days represented in the old TV show “Little House on the Prairie.” We have to deal with so many complex ethical issues today that it’s tempting to long for the simplicity of the those bygone days.
- Two things:
a. On a practical level, I’m not sure we’d enjoy quite as much as we think. Having to do our laundry at the creek on a wash board? Doesn’t sound like much fun. Only a fire to keep you warm in the winter and no way to cool yourself down in the summer? Doesn’t sound like much fun. No hospital to go to when you’re sick, but just a local doc guessing at your problem? Doesn’t sound like much fun.
b. The second thing is more relevant to the sermon today. We presume that era was also one where everyone in America went to church and respected God. As I note in Christian Pharisees, the nineteenth century was not the church-friendly time we fanaticize it to be. In 1850, just 16% of Americans were members of a church. By 1900, that number had climbed only to 36%.
3. THE 1950s.
- For some people, the 50s represent an idyllic era that we would love to return to. In this view, everything has gone downhill since then.
- Two things:
a. It was not idyllic for everyone. One obvious example is the treatment of African-Americans in many parts of the country.
b. The 1950s saw the pinnacle of church membership in America – 69%. That number, though, is less impressive than it initially appears. For many, though, it was not a radical call to carry the cross of Jesus, but instead a shallow, cultural Christianity. At that time, 47% of Americans could not name one of the gospel writers. It was a religion that was a mile wide and an inch deep.
- In sum, we look in vain for a bygone era that can truly be called “the good old days.”
WHAT WE SHOULD ASPIRE TO:
- So we are not supposed to spend our time looking backward, what are we to do. Rather than wishing for a time to which we cannot return, we should realize that something great is possible. God has put before us things we can actually aspire to and that we can work toward.
1. A TRANSFORMED PEOPLE.
- Ephesians 2:1-10.
- There are a number of passages we could look to in discussing what God has wrought through Christ, but Ephesians 2 is an excellent choice.
- A bit of background. In the Old Testament, they had the Law, but it didn’t help them get closer to God. It just helped them realize how far short of God’s standard they were falling.
- God promised that something better was coming – that He would give them a new heart and a new Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). The opportunity for that comes with Christ.
- Jesus did not come to simply save us, but to give us a new spiritual heart. He came to make us into new creations in Christ. He came to transform us.
- Let’s look at what Ephesians 2:1-10 teaches us.
a. v. 1 – Dead in transgressions.
b. v. 2 – Following ways of the world.
c. v. 3 – Gratifying our sinful nature.
d. v. 3 – Objects of wrath.
e. v. 4 – Rich in mercy.
f. v. 5 – Made us alive.
g. v. 5 – Saved by grace.
h. v. 6 – God raised us up.
i. v. 7 – Show His incomparable riches.
j. v. 8 – Saved by grace.
k. v. 9 – Not by works.
l. v. 10 – God’s workmanship.
- What great salvation!
- That this is possible for is the best days of all!
- It’s important to note here that in the three scenarios we discussed earlier, that we generally think of them in terms of the overall time period. We want to live in that time, thinking that the period would be a great one.
- What we don’t think about as often is me as an individual. We don’t really want to be different than we are now – we just want to live in a time that’s better. That’s not what God is offering. As we look at Ephesians 2, God wants to transform our lives.
- This is a widely different goal. Do we want to live in “better times” or do we want to be better people? This is an exciting possibility. We cannot time travel to go back to those eras we discussed earlier, but the Holy Spirit is working today to transform lives.
- It’s also worth noting that the extent to which the Kingdom of God impacts this world we’re in is the sum total of our individual lives. We sometimes act like there is “the church” that is making an impact out there somewhere that is different than the accumulated impact of our individual lives as Christians. In truth, a weak impact from the Kingdom of God simply means that our individual Christian lives aren’t exactly killing it.
- This is another reason we should want to have a transformed life – that we collectively would make a difference in our world.
2. A NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH.
- Revelation 21:1-22:21.
- There is a widespread but erroneous understanding of eternity. Most people (even most Christians) think that eternity is about being off in heaven somewhere. It’s not, though. The end of the Bible gives us a stirring picture in the final two chapters of a new heaven, new earth, and New Jerusalem.
- Because it’s so foreign to many, let’s take a minute to look at some verses:
a. 21:1-2 – New heaven, new earth, New Jerusalem.
b. 21:4 – Tears, etc. gone.
c. 21:5 – All things new.
d. 21:10-11 – New Jerusalem a literal city.
e. 21:22-23 – God in there.
f. 21:24-26 – There are nations on the earth.
- We will literally get to serve with Christ on a new earth! A world without sin and death.
- This is a world worth longing for!
- This is Kingdom Come.
- This is a world worth looking forward to. This is much more exciting than our dull visions of white puffy clouds.
- When we think of a world to long for, this is the one. And this one is actually worthy of our hopes and aspirations.
- So we don’t look backward – we look forward. And we don’t wish – we know that Christ will bring it to pass.
- But we need to be hoping for this land and working toward it. Ultimately, it is Christ who brings it about, but our part in the process is to live as passionately as we can for Him as well as sharing about Him with as many as we can.
CONCLUSION:
- There is no need for us to long for some “good old days.”
- What God is doing now through us is amazing. And what God has in store for us is amazing.
- We should look forward, not backward.
