Developing A Personality of An Optimist.
Deuteronomy 31:1-8 (Sunday January 5,2003)
Intro:
When it comes to the subject of dealing with the future we know that nothing is certain.
Consider these comments on the future:
Theoretically, television may be feasible, but I consider it impossibility--a development which we should waste little time dreaming about. Lee de Forest, 1926, inventor of the cathode ray tube.
I think there is a world market for about five computers. Thomas J. Watson, 1943, Chairman of the Board of IBM.
We don’t think the Beatles will do anything in their market. Guitar groups are on their way out. Recording company expert, 1962.
Needless to say each one of the comments prove the future does not turn out sometimes like we expect it too.
James 4:13-15 “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”
Proverbs 27:1 “Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what
a day may bring forth.
You have heard it said, “The only thing certain is death and taxes.”
Because of the economical situation with so many people out of work, the stock market uncertain, the fear of terrorism, the threats of war, and the everyday worries of sickness and death, the future can look absolutely bleak.
To be a pessimist means, “To look on the dark side of things”
To be an optimist means to “Think things are alright, and to have a cheerful and hopeful view on life.”
Today in this message Out of Deuteronomy 31, I want to help you face the future with the attitude of an optimist. To face the future with an attitude of an optimist you must:
1. Face the Future Being Prepared
A. Moses preparing for change
1Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. You remember that Moses had led the Israelites from slavery in Egypt he was leading them to the land of Canaan, the land “Flowing with milk and Honey” which had been promised to the descendants of Abraham. Moses call from God out of the burning bush to be the leader of the Israelites took place when Moses was eighty years old and now he is 120 years old. He had lead for forty years.
Moses now say’s I can no longer go out and come in. Also the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan. Moses had been disobedient to a command of God. In Numbers 20, Moses was supposed to take a rod and speak to a rock as God commanded and the rock would provide water, but Moses struck the rock with the rod in anger, because of the Israelites complain, therefore being disobedient to God.
B. Moses preparing the people for a new leader
’ 3“The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the LORD has said. Joshua in accordance to what God had spoken would take over leadership after Moses died.
Numbers 21:18-20 “And the LORD said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; 19“set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight. 20“And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient
C. We Must too Prepare
As we look to the future we have a great choice either to face the future with God or with out God.
What must we prepare for?
1. Death: in our families and in our friendships Hebrews 9:27 “It is appointed to men once to die than the judgment.”
2. Temptations: James 1:12-1412Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
3. Trails: James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
How do you prepare?
1. Repenting Romans 10:13 “13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
2. Being obedient Romans 1:5-7 “Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: .
If you are going to face the future with a positive attitude than you will have to have God on your side and this can only happen by allowing Jesus Christ to become Lord of your life.
After salvation God expects us to be obedient disciples. You may not I agree, But I have always believed God will give priority to those who are committed to him.
Ill. An interesting map is on display in the British Museum in London. It’s an old mariner’s chart, drawn in 1525, outlining the North American coastline and adjacent waters. The cartographer made some intriguing notations on areas of the map that represented regions not yet explored. He wrote: “Here be giants,” “Here be fiery scorpions,” and “Here be dragons.” Eventually, the map came into the possession of Sir John Franklin, a British explorer in the early 1800s. Scratching out the fearful inscriptions, he wrote these words across the map: “HERE IS GOD.”
God is “Here” for his Children.
2. Face The Future With Courage
A. Moses the Optimist
4“And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. 5“The LORD will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. 6“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them;
The Israelites would need courage, because the Moses who had been leading them for forty years was soon going to die and a new leader, Joshua, would take control.
Courage means to be “Fearless in the face of danger.”
Why were they to have courage?
B. The Lord our protector
The answer: for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
This is a promise that was made to his Chosen people of the Old Testament, but it is also for the believers of the New Testament Church. Hebrews 13:5-6 “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6So we may boldly say:
The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
When you are a Christian it does not matter what people may try to do to you, it doesn’t what the world might try to do to you, it does not matter what the Devil might try to do to you, When the storms are severe, when the nights are long, when you seem you are by yourself, With God you can be an over comer
Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
Ill. Paul Harvey told the story of one summer morning Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast; he gazed out the window, and saw a small girl being swept along in the rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his Andover, Ohio, home. Blankenship knew that farther downstream, the ditch disappeared with a roar underneath a road and then emptied into the main culvert. Ray dashed out the door and raced along the ditch, trying to get ahead of the foundering child. Then he hurled himself into the deep, churning water. Blankenship surfaced and was able to grab the child’s arm. They tumbled end over end. Within about three feet of the yawning culvert, Ray’s free hand felt something--possibly a rock-- protruding from one bank. He clung desperately, but the tremendous force of the water tried to tear him and the child away. "If I can just hang on until help comes," he thought. He did better than that. By the time fire-department rescuers arrived, Blankenship had pulled the girl to safety. Both were treated for shock. On April 12, 1989, Ray Blankenship was awarded the Coast Guard’s Silver Lifesaving Medal. The award is fitting, for this selfless person was at even greater risk to himself than most people knew. Ray Blankenship can’t swim.
When looking to the future when it seems the waters is rough that is when we need to take a dive. The David said in Psalm 23 ‘God would lead me by the still waters.”
Psalm 34:21 “Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the LORD.
Ill. Adrian Rogers tells about the man who bragged that he had cut off the tail of a man-eating lion with his pocketknife. Asked why he hadn’t cut off the lion’s head, the man replied: "Someone had already done that."
3. Face the Future With Hope
A. A promise of a better Land
7Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. 8“And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
The Israelites had went through times when they did not know where their water or food was coming from, they had wandered in the wilderness for forty years now Moses is dying. Moses assures them that God is going to guide them to the promise land.
This promise land was first mentioned to Abraham in Genesis 12:7 “Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.
B. Our Promise of a Better Land
I can not promise you that your tomorrow will be better, I can’t tell you your year will get better, but with God it will be easier to bear, I can tell you that if your life is filled with trouble the rest of the day’s on this earth, if you will remain faithful there is hope of a better day.
C.S. Lewis defined hope as “A continual looking forward to an eternal world.”
Ill. In the first film series, "Focus on the Family," They shared a story about a 5-year-old African-American boy who will never be forgotten by those who knew him. A nurse, with whom I worked, Gracie Schaeffler, took care of this lad during the latter days of his life. He was dying of lung cancer, which is a terrifying disease in its final stages. The lungs fill with fluid, and the patient is unable to breathe. It is terribly claustrophobic, especially for a small child.
This little boy had a Christian mother who loved him and stayed by his side through the long ordeal. She cradled him on her lap and talked softly about the Lord. Instinctively, the woman was preparing her son for the final hours to come. Gracie told me that she entered his room one day as death approached, and she heard this lad talking about hearing bells. "The bells are ringing, Mommie," he said. "I can hear them."
Gracie thought he was hallucinating because he was already slipping away. She left and returned a few minutes later and again heard him talking about hearing bells ringing. The nurse said to his mother, ’I’m sure you know your baby is hearing things that aren’t there. He is hallucinating because of the sickness."
The mother pulled her son closer to her chest, smiled and said, "No, Miss Schaeffler. He is not hallucinating. I told him when he was frightened -- when he couldn’t breathe -- if he would listen carefully, he could hear the bells of heaven ringing for him. That is what he’s been talking about all day."
That precious child died on his mother’s lap later that evening, and he was still talking about the bells of heaven when the angels came to take him. What a brave little trooper he was!
Focus on the Family, September, 1993, p. 3.
2 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Conclusion:
In conclusion I have to ask:
1. Are you prepared for the future?
2. Do you have the Courage to face the future?
3. Do you have Hope for the future?
All scripture taken from the NKJV 1982 Thomas Nelson Publishing. Unless otherwise noted.
