MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
CENTRAL CHRISTIAN, BROWNSVILLE, TX
A. Thanksgiving Day is over, & if you have been to the mall, you know that the Christmas shopping season is well on its way. But let me ask you, "What gift can you buy for people well up in years who already have pretty much everything they need?"
ILL. Well, that was a problem a friend of mine had last year. His parents live on a farm, & he had no idea what to get them. But one day, his dad said something that caused him to believe that his folks might like to have a VCR.
So he bought them a VCR & spent the next day teaching his 79-year-old dad how to program it. It was an interesting experience, to say the least. But by the time their visit ended, dad seemed to have it all figured out.
You know, VCRs have been around for a while, but his dad had never expressed a desire for one before. But once he decided that it wasn’t just a fad, & there was some benefit to be derived from it, he wanted one.
APPL. Most of us are like that, aren’t we? We’re always looking for things that make life better. "Will this benefit me? Will this make life a little easier?" We’re interested in results.
And once we’re convinced that it works, & we can afford it, then we usually try to get it, because we want things that benefit our life. So one of the questions that we ask is, "Does it work? Does it really work?"
B. That question can be applied to Christianity, too. "Does it work?" There are some who would answer, "No, I don’t think so, & I’m not interested in trying to find out." While others say, "I tried it once, & it didn’t work."
But millions of others say emphatically, "Yes, Christianity works! We’ve found real blessings in being a Christian. It changed our lives & our relationship with others. It really works!"
So let me ask you, "If Christianity works - & the Bible says it does - if it really does produce lives filled with love & joy & peace & kindness & gentleness, if it really does change relationships for the good, then why aren’t there millions more clamoring to become Christians?" Why aren’t people saying, "Please let me become a Christian. Please let me in so I can have Jesus as my Savior, too"?
C. Maybe the answer is that we have not presented the message clearly. Maybe people have come with false & self?centered expectations, & thus met with disappointment. So they have walked away, unfulfilled.
PROP. You see, the question isn’t, "Does Christianity work?" The important question is, "How? How does Christianity work? What is there about Christ’s teachings that makes a real difference in our lives?" To answer that, let’s look at 2 Timothy, chapter 4.
As he writes these words, the Apostle Paul is in prison, charged with being an insurrectionist against the Roman Empire. He has spent nearly 4 years in prison, two back in Israel, & almost two more in Rome. He has already appeared in court at least once in Rome, & now the court is waiting for more evidence to arrive from his accusers.
So he writes these words we find in 2 Timothy 4, & in them is revealed the way Christianity works & makes a difference in our lives.
I. GOD GIVES US GRACE FOR THE DISAPPOINTMENTS OF LIFE
A. Look at vs. 16. Paul says, "At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them." One way that Christianity works in our lives is revealed when we realize that God gives us grace to face the disappointments of life.
Paul says, "No one came to my support, but everyone deserted me." Do you hear the disappointment in his words? Back in the vs. 10 he wrote, "Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me & has gone to Thessalonica."
Now in other letters Paul mentions long lists of friends. So we know that there were those who could have given testimony as to his innocence. They could have stood beside him & said, "We know that Paul is not an insurrectionist. We know he is not guilty of these charges. We know he is innocent."
They could have testified on his behalf, but for some reason, whether they were afraid for their own lives, or whatever, they simply weren’t there. And we hear his disappointment. "No one came," he said, "everyone deserted me."
B. Now how do you handle that kind of disappointment & heartache? Notice how Paul handled it, & how he had learned it ultimately from Jesus.
He prays, "May it not be held against them." That’s an amazing attitude, isn’t it? But Paul didn’t come up with that idea on his own. He learned it years ago from Stephen while holding the coats of those who were stoning Stephen to death. When Stephen was dying, remember, he looked up at heaven & said, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."
And where did Stephen learn it? From Jesus hanging on the cross. Jesus looked down & saw those who had driven nails into his hands & feet, & those who were laughing & mocking & cursing Him, & He said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
And the clear message is, "When disappointments come, a Christian forgives." If you don’t forgive, then bitterness begins to grow & sink its tentacles deep into your life. It can eat you up.
C. Now what about us? Have you ever been disappointed, heartbroken?
ILL. Maybe it’s a spouse. You stood before the altar of God & promised each other that you would always be faithful to one another, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness & in health. But then things went wrong. And that one you thought you could trust walked away, & your heart aches.
ILL. Or maybe it’s friends who promised always to be there & you could count on them. But when the chips were down, when the pressure was on, they didn’t want to be involved. So they walked away.
D. You know how we usually deal with such disappointments? We get angry. We seek revenge. We want to pay them back, to get even one way or another.
ILL. Dale Carnegie wrote, "When we hate our enemies we give them power over us - power over our sleep, our appetites, our happiness. They would dance with joy if they knew how much they were worrying us. Our hate is not hurting them at all, but it is turning our days & our nights into hellish turmoil."
That’s true when we harbor resentment, isn’t it? You see, the fruit of an unforgiving heart is bitterness. We become more & more bitter, & more & more angry, & the result is that we virtually destroy ourselves.
But the message of Christianity is that when people disappoint us, we’re to pray for their forgiveness. That’s not easy to do, & chances are we won’t be able to do it on our own. That’s the reason God gives grace. God gives grace for us to face the disappointments of life. That’s the way it works.
II. GOD GIVES US STRENGTH FOR THE TRIALS OF LIFE
A. A second way it works is found in vs. 17. Paul says, "But the Lord stood at my side & gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed & all the Gentiles might hear it."
Christianity works as God gives us strength for the trials of life. Notice what Paul says, "The Lord stood by my side." It means the Lord was there. "All my friends deserted me, but the Lord was right there by my side as I was going through this trial & He gave me strength."
Now let’s be careful to notice what it doesn’t say. It doesn’t say that the Lord saved Paul from the trial. That’s important for us to realize.
You see, some people think that when we become Christians there will be no more trials in life - life will suddenly become a beautiful bed of roses & everything will be wonderful. God will make us rich & successful & healthy, & nothing will go wrong from that moment on.
But the Bible never teaches that. God did not save Daniel from being cast into the lion’s den, but He was with him & delivered him. He didn’t save the Hebrew children from being cast into the fiery furnace, but He was in there with them & delivered them. He did not save David from the valley of the shadow of death, but He walked through that valley with him.
B. Here is what Christianity teaches. It teaches that when we become a Christian that we will still experience the hardships & trials of life.
Christians get cancer. Christians die of heart attacks. Christians have automobile accidents. Christians lose jobs. Christians go broke. Christians die young. Christians experience heartache. Just like everybody else. There is no immunity. And maybe hardest of all, there are no explanations. Only this promise, "I’ll never leave you. I will never forsake you" [Hebrews 13:5]. "I am with you always, even until the end of the world"
Listen to this promise in Isaiah 43:2, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; & when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isn’t that great?
God doesn’t say that we won’t pass through the waters, or that the rivers won’t overflow, or that the fires won’t come. But God says that when the floods come & when the flames of life lick at us, we will not be set ablaze or swept away because, "I will be there. I will never forsake you."
ILL. David Livingston spent 32 years as a missionary in darkest Africa. He went to tribes that had been ignored & forgotten to evangelize & set people free from the slavery of superstition & sin. Many times he faced savages & pain & disease & disappointment & discouragement & death.
But each time the discouragement became overwhelming, Livingston turned to that passage in Matthew 28:20, "I am with you always, even to the end of the world." Then he would add this footnote. "This is the word of a gentleman of the most strict & sacred honor." I like that!
This is a promise of a gentleman, & therefore I can count on it. "I will never forsake you."
C. Paul then goes on to say that because of this, "I was delivered from the lion’s mouth."
Now scholars aren’t sure who the lion is that Paul was writing about. Some think it is Nero, emperor of Rome. Some think he means the lions in the arena where Christians were devoured.
But there is another possibility. Maybe he means what Peter talks about when he says that Satan is a roaring lion, roaming about seeking whom he may devour. Maybe Paul is saying, "God has delivered me out of Satan’s power."
Satan may be the lion or prince of this world, but he is not the king. Jesus is still the King of Kings & Lord of Lords, & He rules.
SUM. So Christianity works because God gives us grace for the disappointments of life, & because God gives us strength for the trials of life.
III. THE LORD GIVES US HOPE FOR THE END OF LIFE
Thirdly, in vs. 18 Paul writes, The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack & will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever & ever. Amen."
Christianity works because the Lord gives us hope for the end of life. Our hope is not just some pipe dream. It is founded & grounded on the death & burial & resurrection of Jesus.
Listen to what Paul says in vs. 6, "I am already being poured out like a drink offering, & the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day - & not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."
That’s a great hope, & we need it because there is one thing for sure: None of us are going to get out of this world alive, unless the Lord comes first. And there is always that possibility.
ILL. George Bernard Shaw said, "Life’s ultimate statistic is the same for all. One out of one dies." We’re all running the race Paul is talking about.
ILL. A few years ago, Dennis Slaughter, minister of the Valley View Christian Church in Dallas, told about going to his high school class’s 40th Reunion. Let me read you a little bit of what he said about it.
He said, "It was really interesting looking into the faces of people who had been frozen in memory for 40 years, faces that had weathered 40 years since we last saw them. We remembered them as 18-year-old kids. Now there were wrinkles & age spots & some bald heads on those faces. But if you looked close you could see little characteristics that reminded you of the person you once knew.
"One of our teachers & our high school principal also showed up. Jake Sisk taught history. I struggled in history. I never cared much for Jake & he never cared much for me either. We talked & reminisced & I found him more gentle than I remembered him to be. After we had talked for a while he said, `You know Dennis, I never thought, of all the members of this class, that you would be a preacher.’ I said, `Well, I never did either.’
"One of my classmates, Frank Stonebreaker, was there. Frank was supposed to be the preacher in our class. We only had 55 in our class, so you don’t expect too many preachers out of that size group, I guess.
"Back in our yearbook we had a Class Will, & Frank had written that he willed his legacy of faith to those who followed him, & that his goal in life was to become a preacher. At our reunion he came up to me & said, `I understand you are a minister.’ And I said, `Yes.’
"He said, `I’m so proud that you are. That’s what I wanted to do, you know.’ I said, `Yes, Frank, & I always assumed that you became a preacher.’ He said, `Oh, that is what I wanted more than anything. I always loved the church, & I loved preaching & singing & being a part of church life. I really miss it.’ I said, `What do you mean, miss it?’ `Well,’ he said, `I’m sad to say that I’m not in the church anymore. I got all caught up in making money & got married & we had kids & there just wasn’t any time left for all of that.’
"We reminisced for a while & he said, `You know, just between me & you, I feel like I need to tell you that I still know how important faith is. I still know that Jesus is the answer. So I guess I really need to get back in the church, don’t I?’ I said, `Yes, I think you do.’ He turned around & said, `You know, I never thought you would become a preacher.’ It was unanimous.
"Interestingly," Dennis says, "I was told that our 25th Class Reunion had turned into somewhat of a drunken brawl. But now our classmates are 58 years old, & maybe they’ve started to mature a bit. Drinking didn’t seem to be nearly as important this time, except for some. And for whatever reason, one after another came & told me they were going to church & they were interested in spiritual things. I didn’t solicit that. They just told me."
Dennis concluded his story by saying, "It was interesting to me that after 40 years the things we used to think important at 18 weren’t so important anymore, & a relationship with God, & salvation through Jesus, had become important to many of them."
You know why? Because it is the only thing that works. VCRs wear out. All the trinkets & things you buy aren’t going to last very long. The only thing that will last is the relationship we have with God.
CONCL. So here’s how it works. Through Jesus, God gives grace for times of disappointment, God gives strength for the trials of life, & God gives hope for the end of life.
So if your life really isn’t working, if Jesus is not your Savior & friend, then let me encourage you to come to Him. You, too, are fighting the fight. You, too, are racing the race, & sooner than you may think, we’re all going to cross that finish line.
Do you have a crown of righteousness laid up for you? Are you ready to face God? If not, this morning you have the opportunity to get ready, to make Jesus Christ the Lord & Savior of your life.
Will you come to Him as we stand & as we sing?
