INTRO.- Jesus said, “Don’t worry about your life.” BUT WE DO. We do worry about lots of things. Or as some people might say, “I’m not worried about certain things, but I am concerned.”
Worry or concern. Whatever word you choose, the thought is the same. We are worried about many things in life. We are concerned about many things. What about this time of the year? What are your Christmas concerns?
ILL.- A television interviewer was walking the streets of Tokyo at Christmas time. Much as in America, Christmas shopping is a big commercial success in Japan. The interviewer stopped one young woman on the sidewalk, and asked, "What is the meaning of Christmas?" Laughing, she responded, "I don’t know. Is that the day that Jesus died?"
There was some truth in her answer. The truth is that Christ is dead at Christmas for some people. Many people have only material concerns at Christmas. BUT NOT EVERYONE!
ILL.- A survey taken in England revealed some interesting concerns. Despite spending hours of time and hundreds of pounds (or dollars) on Christmas presents, most Britons would gladly give up their seasonal gifts in favor of more time with friends and family.
According to research published by advertising agency J. Walter Thompson on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2002, 74 percent of Britons say spending time with their loved ones is the most important thing about Christmas. (Not bad)
Taking time off work is the next most valued aspect followed by food and drink. Presents ranked only fourth while the religious significance of Christmas trailed in fifth.
Peter Cowie, JWT’s business development director said, "Unlike other holidays, where people might worry about what is happening in their absence, Christmas time is the only true quality time that many people have left."
JWT says the average Briton spends 400 pounds ($630) on Christmas gifts each year, gives up 15 hours looking for the perfect presents, and walks 20 miles to find them.
"It appears that much of this money and effort is wasted as the main thing that people want is more time," Cowie said.
What are your Christmas concerns? Shopping? People? Parties? Money? Gifts? Friends? Family?
PROP.- I want us to think about certain Christmas concerns, which, I believe, affect us all. They are:
1- Health and wealth
2- War and peace
I. HEALTH AND WEALTH
ILL.- In 1988 I bought a new Buick Skylark. It wasn’t a big car, but it was nice car. Maroon in color, sporty, two-door, loaded with options, and a Quad-four engine. I really liked that car and thought it would be my ultimate car. But one day while traveling to St. Louis to the hospital it blew a head gasket. I had to have that car towed into the nearest Buick garage and it took them two weeks to get the parts and repair my car. MY ULTIMATE CAR SUDDENLY BECAME MY ULCER CAR.
That car which I thought was so good, so neat, so perfect was not-so-perfect. Likewise, these wonderful bodies that we were born with and enjoyed so much in our youth soon became not-so-great.
Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made...”
The human body is an incredible creation of God. It can do far more than we think it can, but it can only go so long and then eventually grow old.
Eccl. 12:1-5 CEV “Keep your Creator in mind while you’re young! In years to come, you will be burdened down with troubles and say, ‘I don’t enjoy life anymore.’ Someday the light of the sun and the moon and the stars will all seem dim to you. Rain clouds will remain over your head. Your body will grow feeble, your teeth will decay, and your eyesight fail. The noisy grinding of grain will be shut out by your deaf ears, but even the song of a bird will keep you awake. You will be afraid to climb up a hill or walk down a road. Your hair will turn as white as almond blossoms. You will feel lifeless and drag along like an old grasshopper...”
Wow! I didn’t know I was in the Bible! We can joke about it and might as well laugh about it, because it will happen to us all!
ILL.- In 1846 former president John Quincy Adams suffered a stroke. Although he returned to Congress the following year, his health was clearly failing. Daniel Webster described his last meeting with Adams: "Someone, a friend of his, came in and made particular inquiry of his health. Adams answered, ’I inhabit a weak, frail, decayed tenement; battered by the winds and broken in upon by the storms, and from all I can learn, the landlord does not intend to repair it.’"
The sad truth is our health will eventually fail us. We’re all declining in some ways.
I’ve heard young people in their 20’s and 30’s complain about aging, aches and pains and I didn’t know that was possible for someone that young. Of course, I can go to the nursing home and announce to some of the residents that I just had my 58th birthday and they call me a “puppy.” To 93-year-old Marie Jackson I’m just a pup!
We all experience aging, aches and pains at some point in our lives. And this is a great concern to most of us as we age. Most of us don’t mind getting older, but we would prefer to be able to keep our health.
ILL.- I heard recently that the average person gains something like 10 to 15 pounds over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday. THAT IS NOT GOOD! As we age, we need to take better care of ourselves. Especially, if we want to be healthier longer. Is this a concern that we have? Sure, and not just at Christmas. What we can do?
I Cor. 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. You were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
What can we do to maintain our health? One thing we can do is to recognize the ownership of God.
ILL.- One time I borrowed a full-sized Dodge Van from someone for a trip. I had no problems with that van and was very cautious in my driving. Before I returned it I had it serviced. I also washed it and vacuumed it. After washing it and vacuuming it, I thought, “I don’t want to borrow a full-sized van again!”
Brothers and sisters, when we realize that we’re using something that belongs to someone else it should make us think and take better care of it. I personally don’t like to borrow anything from anyone, but when I do I try to be very careful with it. This should have even stronger meaning to us when it comes to our bodies. Our health should always be a concern to us because our bodies belong to God!
What about our wealth? Are we concerned? You bet we are.
ILL.- A Kentucky boy was boasting to a Texan about the gold in Ft. Knox. He said, “We’ve got enough gold to build a solid gold fence, three feet high and two feet wide, all the way around Texas.” The Texan replied, “Well, go ahead and build it. If we like it, we’ll buy it.”
We wish we had that problem, but we don’t. Most of us are quite concerned about where our money goes.
ILL.- “Is Your Credit Card Being Skimmed?” That was the title of a news article I read. It was after Lynn Janatpour filled her gas tank at a San Mateo, Calif. gas station that she really got taken for a ride. That’s when thieves started siphoning money out of her bank account. "They made all the withdrawals within three or four days, and it was $1,800 or something like that, total," she said. And she wasn’t alone. In all, 80 customers were scammed. And even the station owner was in the dark. Mounir Kardosh, the owner, estimates that the thieves made away with $200,000.
A part-time clerk had used a device called a skimmer on the customers’ ATM cards. It records the names, account numbers and other identifying information from the magnetic stripes to be downloaded onto a personal computer later. And that data can then be used to make phony cards.
California prosecutor Howard Wise said, "You could be compromised anywhere. Anywhere you give your credit card and you lose sight of it, it’s possible to be skimmed.”
ARE YOU WORRIED? Frankly, there is something worse than the scamming of someone’s credit card and that’s the spending with our own card! Plastic cash is very easy to spend.
ILL.- Memories of Christmas will linger for Allen Sudik. With $10 left in his pocket and bills coming in the mail, Sudik’s Christmas spending will have an effect on this semester’s finances. “It’s all macaroni and cheese for a while - and some loans from my mom,” said the management information systems junior.
Sudik, like some students, came back to school with news of higher gas prices, which will not help his problems. “I didn’t figure my gas bill would be so high,” he said. “My credit card payments are going to be minimum for the next couple of months. The interest is going to add up.”
A study by the Consumer Federation of America showed a college student’s average credit card debt is $2,000. Seventy percent of undergraduate students own at least one credit card.
Brothers and sisters, it’s not just college students. It’s almost everybody. Should we as Christians be concerned? You bet. We are supposed to be responsible stewards with God’s money as well as with our bodies.
Heb. 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
It’s hard to be content in this discontented, materialistic society. We have everything in America. Everything is available and everything is advertised and WE WANT IT! And yet God, our loving Father, says, “Be content. I will take care of you.”
The world shouts and it seems like God is whispering and we don’t hear Him. We don’t listen to Him as much as we do the world. The Bible is not open as much as the TV is on!
Prov. 3:9-10 “Honor the Lord with your wealth...then your barns will be filled to overflowing...” God has promised that if we will honor Him, He will honor and bless us.
II Cor. 9:6-8 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
Paul is saying that if we are faithful in our giving back to God, He will be faithful and give to us. The more you sow, the more you reap. The more good you sow, the more good you will reap. That’s God’s plan. Beyond this, it’s a matter of trusting God to provide for us.
God will also provide for us as we look to Him, walk by faith and put Him up there in our lives.
Matthew 6:33 “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” What things? Material provision. If we seek after spiritual stuff God will provide the material stuff!
Phil. 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
Yes, as people who believe in the Lord and follow Him we should be concerned about our health and the spending of our wealth. God calls us to be good stewards, good managers of everything He gives to us. When we seek to honor and please Him, He will bless us. This should be our concern always.
II. WAR AND PEACE
ILL.- An eighteen-year-old soldier was given guard duty one night. He did his best for a while, but in the early morning he went to sleep. He woke to find his superior standing over him.
Remembering the heavy penalty for being asleep on guard duty, this smart-thinking young man kept his head bowed for a moment, then looked up piously and reverently said, “A-a-men!”
War and peace. Peace that comes through prayer is certainly a lot better than war and what follows it.
ILL.- A group of historians compiled this startling information: Since 3600 B.C., the world has known only 292 years of peace! During this period there have been 14,351 wars large and small, in which 3.64 billion people have been killed.
SHOULD WAR BE A CONCERN FOR US? It appears that way. Desert Storm hasn’t been that long ago, and number two may be coming our way.
Does America have forces in place to go to war with Iraq? In a word: No. Some 55,000 U.S. service personnel are in the region. Compared with the 1990-91 Gulf War, when some 750,000 troops assembled just to eject Iraq from Kuwait, the current force is merely an advanced guard.
It’s been said, “The fact that the United States hasn’t built up its forces more quickly suggests that war may not be as imminent as some newspaper headlines suggest. But the United States does have the capacity to move a huge number of troops and equipment into place in a matter of a few months.”
Should war be a concern to us? Yes. Always. And perhaps more so now. What can be done? We must trust our leaders and even more so, trust our Lord.
I Tim. 2:1-2 “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, and intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
We must pray for our President and for all our leaders. We must pray that they will might right decisions, good decisions and more importantly, godly decisions. And beyond this, we must trust the Lord for His wisdom and protection.
Prov. 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding ; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Prov. 3:25-26 “Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.”
Our greatest defense in times of war or threat of war is the Lord! He can do things that no government can do. He can provide for us and protect us.
ILL.- I was very thrilled when we had two seemingly godly men at the helm when Desert Storm was in operation. Those men were Colin Powell and Stormin’ Norman Schwarzkopf. I remember Stormin’ Norm being interviewed many times during Desert Storm and they showed his bunk and next to it was a nightstand with his Bible on it. A BIBLE, I MIGHT ADD, WHICH HE READ EVERY DAY!
As great as these men were and are, greater still is our God who is at the helm of the whole world. As long as we make Him our God we will be shielded and protected.
War and peace. The kind of peace I’m thinking about during this Christmas season is not the abstinence of war. I am thinking of the peace that only the Savior can give to all mankind when they accept and surrender to Him as King, Lord, and Savior.
ILL.- Elvis is dead, but Pat is alive and well. Huh? Who? Pat Boone, that’s who. It’s highly possible that Elvis lived for self and now he is dead. And it’s very true that singer Pat Boone is living for Christ and he’s alive and well.
Did you see where Pat Boone (68 years) is to be inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame? The Gospel Music Association will induct Boone, Amy Grant and the Blind Boys of Alabama into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame on April 10, during the 34th annual Dove Awards in Nashville, Tenn., where Boone was raised.
Pat Boone said, "There is no other recognition or award in this world that means more to me than this invitation to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. It would only be second to having my name in ’The Lamb’s Book of Life.” Good statement, Pat! Good faith.
Brothers and sisters, we have to hand it to Pat Boone. In the midst of his singing and movie-making career he has always tried to point people to Christ! And I wouldn’t think that would be easy to do in Hollywood!
I Pet. 3:15 “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
During this time of the year we are impressed with the faithfulness of the Salvation Army people. They are at the doors, ringing bells, collecting money, but at the same time offering a smile on behalf of the Christ. THEY ARE DOING SOMETHING.
ILL.- Preacher Dwight L. Moody was once criticized for his somewhat crude evangelistic methods. Moody replied, “I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.”
We all need to think about what we can do to speak a good word for Christ. We of all people know that He’s the reason for the season and should try somehow to witness for Him. If we, indeed, believe that He alone can save us from our sins and take us to heaven, then we must speak for Him! What way will you do it?
CONCLUSION------------------------------------
ILL.- A minister waited in line to have his car filled with gas just before a long holiday weekend. The attendant worked quickly, but there were many cars ahead of him in front of the service station. Finally, the attendant motioned him toward a vacant pump. "Reverend," said the young man, "sorry about the delay. It seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip." The minister chuckled, "I know what you mean. It’s the same in my business."
Brothers and sisters, regardless of our concerns this Christmas there should be something on the top of your list and that is your own salvation and the salvation of others!
If this life is only a short trip and there is a longer one coming, then we must prepare for it. HAVE YOU?
