MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(REVISED - 2016)
TEXT: 2 Timothy 4:16-18
ILL. Ethel & I don’t go to see many movies, but we saw one a number of years ago that is hard to forget. The name of it is “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” Maybe you have seen it too.
It’s the story of a talented musician in Oregon with a dream of achieving fame & success as a composer of classical music. But that will take time to accomplish.
So meanwhile, in order to support himself & his wife, he takes a job as a band director at the local high school. He believes that the job will only be a temporary one until he has achieved his goal.
At first he maintains his determination to write an opus or a concerto by composing at his piano each evening after putting in a full day with his students
But, as family demands increase – including the discovery that his infant son is deaf, Mr. Holland finally begins to recognize that his dream of leaving a lasting legacy in the world of classical music is just that – merely a dream.
Thirty-five years pass, & near the end of the movie we find an aged Mr. Holland in the midst of a school board battle. Funds are low & the school board has decided to reduce the budget by eliminating the music & drama classes at the school.
Mr. Holland believes that is a mistake & he passionately defends the role of music & arts in education. For him, what had begun as a temporary job had turned into a 35-year mission of pouring his heart & his love of music into the lives of his students.
But to no avail. The decision was made. The next school year there will be no band or music classes at the high school, & it is time for him to retire.
The school year ends, & a few days later Mr. Holland returns to clear out his belongings from the school. He has taught his final class. Filled with sorrow & regret he boxes up the artifacts that represent the tools of his trade & the reminders of his many class years. His wife & son are helping him.
Finally they’re finished, & he leaves his classroom for the last time. As he walks down the hall he feels old & tired & empty & disappointed with his life.
A. We have all experienced feelings of disappointment, haven’t we? Even the great Apostle Paul felt disappointment. And we’re going to talk about that in just a few moments.
But before we do, let me suggest that most of us are looking for things to make our life better. "Will this benefit me?” we ask. “Will this make life a little easier for me?"
And once we're convinced it will work, & we can afford it, then we usually try to get it, because we want things that benefit us. So one of the questions that we often ask is, "Does it work? Does it really work?"
B. That question can be applied to Christianity, too. "Does it work?" While some may scoff, millions can testify, "It does work! We've found real blessings in being a Christian, for it changed our lives & our relationship with others. It really works!"
Now if that is true – if it really does lead to changed lives filled with love & joy & peace, then why aren't more people clamoring to become Christians, saying, "I want Jesus as my Savior & Lord, too"?
C. Maybe part of the answer is that we haven’t presented His message very clearly. Or maybe people have come with false & self centered expectations, & thus ended up disappointed when God hasn’t given them everything they wanted or expected.
You see, I think 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 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 insurrection against the Roman Empire. He has spent almost 4 years in prison, 2 back in Israel, & nearly 2 more in Rome.
He has already appeared in Emperor Nero's court at least once, & now the court is waiting for more evidence to arrive from his accusers.
PROP. So he writes these words that 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 TO FACE 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 in life.
Paul says, “No one came to my support, but everyone deserted me.” Do you hear the disappointment in his words? Back in 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 on his behalf.
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 spoken up for him, 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. How do you handle that kind of disappointment & heartache? Let’s notice how Paul handled it, & see how ultimately he had learned it 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 earlier from Stephen while holding the coats of those who were stoning Stephen.
When Stephen was dying he looked up at heaven & said, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."
And where did Stephen learn that? 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 are doing."
The clear message is this, "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 was a spouse. You stood before the altar of God & promised each other that you would always be faithful to one another.
But then things went wrong. And that one you thought you could trust walked away, & your heart aches.
ILL. Or maybe it was friends who promised always to be there for you. But 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. You see, the fruit of an unforgiving heart is bitterness. We become more & more bitter & angry, & the result is that we virtually destroy ourselves.
But the message of Christ is that when people disappoint us, we're to pray for them. That's not easy, & chances are we won't be able to do it on our own. That's the reason God gives grace. God gives us grace to face the disappoint-ments. That's the way it works.
II. GOD GIVES US STRENGTH TO FACE 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 to face the trials of life. Notice what Paul says, "The Lord stood at my side." It means the Lord was there. "All my friends deserted me, but the Lord was right there at my side as I was going through this trial & He gave me the strength I needed."
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 seem to think that when we become Christians there will be no more trials life will suddenly become a bed of roses & everything will be wonderful. God will make us rich & successful & healthy, & nothing will go wrong from that moment on.
B. 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 Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego 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.
Here is what the Bible teaches. It teaches that when we become a Christian we may still experience the hardships & trials of life. Christians get cancer. Christians die of heart attacks. Christians have automobile accidents. Christians lose jobs. Christians experience heartaches - just like everybody else. There is no immunity.
And maybe hardest of all, there isn’t always an explanation – only this promise, “I will never leave you. I will never forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
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."
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 does say that when the floods do come & when the flames of life lick at us, we will not be set ablaze or swept away because, "I will never leave you. 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, discourage-ment & the threat of death.
But when the discouragement became overwhelming, Livingston turned to that passage in Matthew 28:20, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Then he added this footnote in his journal. "This is the word of a gentleman of the most strict & sacred honor." I like that!
C. Paul then goes on to say that because of this, "I was delivered from the lion's mouth." Scholars aren't sure who the lion is that Paul was writing about. Some think it is Emperor Nero, or maybe he means the lions in the arena where Christians were being killed.
But there is another possibility. Maybe he means what Peter talks about when he says "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) 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 remember, Christianity works because God gives us grace to face the disappointments of life, & because God gives us strength to face 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 Paul in vs. 6, "… 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."
ILL. Now let’s go back for a moment to the movie, “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” I stopped the story a few minutes ago as he was walking down the hall, feeling old & tired & empty & disappointed with his life.
But just then he hears some noise in the auditorium. So he opens the door to see who is there.
To his amazement he sees a capacity crowd of former students & teachers under a giant banner proclaiming “Goodbye, Mr. Holland.” They greet him with a standing ovation, while a band consisting of past & present members plays songs they learned under his direction.
His wife, who was in on the surprise, goes to the podium & makes small talk until the master of ceremonies, the Governor of Oregon, arrives. The governor is none other than a student Mr. Holland had helped to believe in herself his first year of teaching. As she addresses the room of well-wishers, she speaks for them all as she says:
“Mr. Holland had a profound influence on my life, & on a lot of lives, I know. And yet, I get the feeling that he considers a great part of his life misspent. Rumor had it that he was always working on this symphony of his, & it was going to make him famous & rich.
“But Mr. Holland isn’t rich & he isn’t famous – at least not outside our little town. So it might be easy for him to think himself a failure. But he’d be wrong, because I think he’s achieved a success far beyond riches & fame.”
Looking at her former teacher, the governor gestures with a sweeping hand & continues, “Look around you. There is not a life in this room that you have not touched, & each one of us is a better person because of you.
"We are your symphony, Mr. Holland. We are the melodies & the notes of your opus. And we are the music of your life.”
(Adapted from an illustration submitted by Todd Coget on SermonCentral.com)
CONCL. Do you see why that movie really touched me? Christianity works. Through Jesus, God gives us grace to face times of disappointment, God gives us strength to face trials, & God gives us hope for the end of life.
So 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?
(*) This is a revision & update of my 1995 sermon, “How Does Christianity Work?”
