MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
CENTRAL CHRISTIAN, BROWNSVILLE, TX
ILL. An article appeared in an Arizona newspaper more than 40 years ago entitled, "Make A Date With The Millennium." It pointed out that the year 2000 was approaching, & that many who were reading that article in 1957 would still be alive when the year 2000 arrived. The article contained a list of predictions about things that would happen by then. Some came true, & some did not. Here are just a few of them:
1. It predicted that housework would be totally mechanized, that all we would have to do would be to push a button & a robot would vacuum the carpet, clean the windows, do the dishes, & all our other household chores.
Now we may be heading that way, but it hasn’t happened yet.
2. It predicted that we’ll be living longer. It was right. Life expectancy has been increasing. Indications are that it’ll continue increasing, & the average life expectancy will soon be 80 & over.
3. It predicted that by the year 2000 the traditional idea of marriage & family would be non-existent. But recent surveys indicate that the upcoming young adult generation has higher ideals about marriage & family than the "baby boomers" who are now so visible in the forefront of our nation. And the divorce rate is actually going down. I think the prediction was wrong & that the ideal of marriage & family will be around for a long time to come.
4. It predicted that by the year 2000 the birth of babies would be completely controlled, that there would never be any unwanted pregnancies, & that conception would primarily take place through artificial insemination.
That’s wrong, too. People are still conceiving the old-fashioned way, & will probably continue doing so for a long time to come.
5. It predicted that scientists will have developed an implant programmed to correct personality disorders, & even to control our appetites. Thus, by the year 2000, it predicted everybody in our society would be well-adjusted & happy, & nobody will ever be under or over weight again.
I don’t think I need to comment on that one.
SUM. Now, the list went on, but the point is this: In 1957, as people were looking forward to the year 2000, they compiled a list of things that they thought would happen. But as we look at their list, we find that very few of them are even close to coming true.
It’s difficult to figure out the future, isn’t it? It’s hard to pull back the curtains & see how things are going to be 10, 20, or 30 years from now. But we do wonder.
ILL. The young couple who comes home with a new baby wonders, "What does the future hold for our child?"
ILL. Those who are single parents, trying to raise their children by themselves, undoubted wonder, "What does the future hold for my family?"
ILL. Those who are older, facing life-changing decisions, also wonder, "What does the future hold for me?"
ILL. A poet wrote these words, "Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be. The last of life, for which the first was made. Our times are in His hands. Trust God & don’t be afraid."
Hebrews 11:1-2 tells us, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for & certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for."
PROP. So this morning I would like to consider the question, "What does the future hold?" And in answer to that, I’m going to predict 4 things that the future holds for us & our families.
I. THERE WILL BE TROUBLE IN YOUR FUTURE
A. First of all, there will be trouble in your future. Job said, "As surely as the sparks fly upward, man is born to trouble."
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is talking about "abundant life." And in Matthew 6:33-34 He says, "Seek first His kingdom & His righteousness, & all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
So I’m sure that the future, even for Christians, will not be trouble-free. But the question is, "How will we deal with the trouble?" We need to have the kind of faith of the one who wrote, "I do not know what the future holds, but I know Him who holds the future in His hands."
ILL. The Romans had a legend about a man who longed to attend the King’s banquet. The King had a banquet every year, & he sent out invitations. But this man had never been invited.
Finally, he did receive an invitation. And when he did, he was so excited that he had his best clothes cleaned & pressed & prepared weeks in advance. Finally the day of the banquet came & he went, was ushered in, & took his seat at the banquet table. But as he sat down, he looked up & saw above his head a sword suspended by just a thin thread.
Throughout the whole banquet he just sat there, afraid to move, frozen in the fear that the sword would fall upon him.
The legend said that because he feared the future, he was not able to enjoy the present.
B. We’re going to have troubles, I can assure you of that. But if you have an abiding faith & trust in the Lord, then I can promise that, with God’s help, you’ll be able to handle the troubles that come your way.
ILL. In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon writes words that could be set to music. He wrote, "There is a time for everything & a season for every activity under the sun. A time to be born & a time to die. A time to plant & a time to uproot." Positive & negative - do you hear it?
"A time to kill & a time to heal. A time to tear down & a time to build. A time to weep & a time to laugh. A time to mourn & a time to dance. A time to gather stones & a time to scatter them. A time to embrace & a time to refrain. A time to search & a time to give up. A time to keep & a time to throw away. A time to love & a time to hate. A time for war & a time for peace."
SUM. He is saying that it is all going to be there - glory & gloom, tragedy & triumph, the good & the bad, the positive & the negative. Search for the balance & handle the trouble with God’s help when it comes your way.
II. THERE WILL BE CHANGES IN YOUR FUTURE
A. Now the 2nd thing that the future holds is change.
ILL. Now most of us here have already seen many changes. We saw the advent of radar & jet airplanes. We watched men travel into outer space & place their feet on the moon.
And time would fail me if I continued on with the list of tremendous, revolutionary changes that we have experienced - of computers & wonder drugs & communication satellites. Scientists tell us that there have been more significant changes in the last 50 years than in all the centuries that have gone before.
B. Now we can react to changes in one of two ways. We can resist them. And the older we get, the more resistant we usually become because we like the way things are, & we feel most secure in what we already know. But guess what? Changes take place anyway.
The 2nd way to face changes is to see them as great opportunities to accomplish more.
ILL. For example, our congregation has experienced important changes in the last few years, & I’m sure that in the next few years it will undergo even more. So let’s seize the opportunities to increase our outreach for the Lord.
III. IN YOUR FUTURE IS OLD AGE
A. The 3rd thing I see in the future is old age. If the Lord tarries, & the world continues on, & you & I continue to live, eventually we’re going to get old. It just happens, doesn’t it?
Now you can deal with old age any way you want. You can embrace it & see it as the greatest time of life, or you can just endure it, & see it as robbing you of everything worth while.
There are some things about old age that I fear. I fear losing my memory.
ILL. Now I’m sure some of you have heard this story, but I like it. So I’m going to tell it again. It’s the story about an older couple sitting in the front room. The wife says to her husband, "Honey, I think I’d like to have a bowl of ice cream." "That’s a good idea," he says, "I’ll go get us some."
She says, "Make mine vanilla." "Fine," he says, "I’ll get you some vanilla ice cream." She says, "You’d better write it down." He says, "No, I can remember vanilla ice cream."
She says, "And I would like to have some chocolate syrup on top, too." "All right," he says, "vanilla ice cream with chocolate on top." She says, "You’d better write it down." "No," he says, "I can remember vanilla ice cream with chocolate on top."
She says, "I’d also like some whipped cream on top of the chocolate." "Vanilla ice cream with whipped cream on top of the chocolate, I can remember that," he says. She says, "You’d better write it down." "No," he said, "I can remember."
She says, "And put a cherry on top of the whipped cream." "Vanilla ice cream with chocolate, whipped cream & a cherry on top, I can remember that," he says. She says, "You’d better write it down." "Nope, I can remember that."
So he left the room, whispering to himself, "Vanilla ice cream with chocolate, whipped cream with a cherry on top."
About 20 minutes later he comes back & hands her a sack. Inside is a ham sandwich. She takes one look at the ham sandwich & says, "See, I said you should have written it down. Look there, you forgot the mustard."
B. I fear losing my memory, & I can see that could be a tremendous disadvantage. There are some disadvantages to growing old. But I do look forward to growing old in the Lord & participating in the things that God can do through older people who have served the Lord faithfully all their lives.
I think that is an important contribution that we’re going to be tapping more & more as the times move on & our nation grows older.
SUM. I can assure you that in your life, in your future, there is going to be trouble, & there is going to be change, & there is old age. There is one other thing I can guarantee. I can guarantee that in your future there is God.
IV. IN YOUR FUTURE THERE IS GOD
A. Everyone in this room will one day stand before God, & He will be whatever you make Him to be. He can be your redeemer. He can be the one who says to you, "Well done, good & faithful servant, enter into the joys of your Lord. I’ve been preparing this place for you for 2,000 years. It’s all ready now. Come in & enjoy it."
Or He can be a consuming fire. He can be the one who says, "Depart from me, I’ve never known you." He will be one or the other. And you’re going to meet Him in the future. You will stand one day before God, & you will either hear, "Well done," or "Depart from me, I have never known you." God is in your future.
ILL. Do you read children’s stories? One of my favorites is about a 5-year-old boy imagining what it would be like to rule the world. "If I were in charge of the world, I’d cancel oatmeal, Monday mornings, & allergy shots. If I were in charge of the world, night lights would be brighter, there would be healthier hamsters, & basketball hoops would be lowered 48 inches.
"If I were in charge of the world, you wouldn’t have bedtime, you wouldn’t have lonely, you wouldn’t have clean, you wouldn’t have `Don’t punch your sister,’ you wouldn’t even have sisters.
"If I were in charge of the world, a chocolate sundae with whipped cream & nuts would be a vegetable." I like that one! "And the person who forgot to brush & sometimes forgot to flush, would still be allowed to rule the world."
SUM. When you’re 5 years old you want to be in charge of your own life. You want to be in charge of your future. You want to be in charge of virtually everything because that’s the way immaturity thinks.
B. But as you mature, as you grow up, as you gain wisdom, you begin to realize that the wisest thing you can do is to let God have charge of your life. You see, God is the only one who really knows what the future holds, & God is the only one who really knows what is best for you & for your family.
One of these days, you will see Him face to face. So it seems to me that the only thing that makes sense is for you to make Him your Lord & Savior, & allow Him to be in charge of your life, the ruler of your home.
If you have not done that, we extend the invitation of the Lord Jesus Christ as we stand & as we sing.
ILL. In 1838 the Boston Globe printed this large headline, "Energy Crisis Looms." In the sub-headline it said, "World will grow dark." In the sub-sub-headline it said, "Whale blubber scarce." In 1838 they were facing a world-wide energy crisis because there wasn’t enough whale blubber.
