Introduction:
1. This morning as I begin my sermon on the lessons I learned from Abraham Lincoln I want to share a series of 5 questions about former presidents. They may or may not be about Abraham Lincoln. I will tell you that at least one of them will have Abraham Lincoln as the correct answer. You may feel free to guess which former president they are about. If you think you know the right answer just make a mental note of it & I’ll give you the right answers in just a few minutes. Let’s begin with our questions.
Cell #1-
1) This future president wrote an essay entitled, "An Essay on Infidelity," in which he attacked a belief in God & particularly the deity of Christ.
A) Franklin Pierce, B) Ulysses Grant,
C) Jimmy Carter D) Abraham Lincoln
2) This President suggested that if the slaves were freed they should be returned to Liberia.
A) Abraham Lincoln, B) Milard Filmore,
C) John Quincy Adams, D) Thomas Jefferson
3) This president was offered the governorship of the territory of Oregon before it was a state, but turned it down because his wife refused to go.
A) John Adams B) William McKinley,
C) Howard Taft D) Abraham Lincoln
4) Many historians believe this future president proposed to his future wife, then had second thoughts, but married her out of a sense of obligation.
A) George Washington, B) Calvin Coolige,
C) Abraham Lincoln, D) Martin Van Buren
5) This president admitted to having such strong thoughts of suicide when he was a young man that he refused to even carry a pocket knife.
A) Ronald Reagan, B) Harry Trumann,
C) Abraham Lincoln D) Franklin D. Roosevelt
2. Lincoln is the correct answer for all 5 questions.
3. There are a number of stories about Honest Abe that I would like to be able to tell today. However, let me tell you a true one that you probably haven’t heard before. Lincoln was a huge fan of the theater. He loved to go. In fact, he attended often enough that he saw some actors more than once. One actor in particular, a young man named John he saw in three different productions. He was moved by one performance to the point where he invited the actor to his box following the performance. Sadly the young man didn’t accept the invitation and only later it became clear why. He would keep another appointment with President Lincoln sometime later. Perhaps you have heard of him, his name was John Wilkes Booth. (Lincoln, Redeemer President, P 317)
4. There are many things about Lincoln that you may not have heard before this morning, but I want us to do more than merely look at the stories & lore about Lincoln’s life, I want us to understand more of what made Lincoln really Lincoln.
5. This morning I want to begin in a place that I didn’t even know until I began studying for this sermon.
Cell #2-
Lincoln started with almost no faith, but eventually developed a genuine faith.
1. Lincoln never did get along with his father, & the fact that his father was a religious man actually got in the way of Lincoln’s faith. It didn’t destroy it, but it certainly didn’t help it much either. In his early life Lincoln came closer to totally disagreeing with his father on the matter of religion and faith than he did on anything else.
2. But that only explains part of it. Lincoln had a truly great mind. He was a genius. But it would appear that his intelligence actually got in his way of finding God. Let me explain what I’m talking about. He tried to figure everything about God out on his own. That’s the reason why when he was 25, he wrote an essay that was an attack on the faith. He couldn’t make sense of it all & thus he appeared to write faith off as nothing more than non sense. He always believed that there was a God, but he wasn’t ready to acknowledge that He was anything like the God Christians worshipped.
Cell #3-
1 Cor 1:26 - 29 NLT
26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you.
27 Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important,
29 so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
3. Initially Lincoln wanted to have everything figured out. He wanted everything to make perfect sense to him. I think that’s one of the reasons that it’s often more difficult for the really intelligent to come to terms with faith, because they are accustomed to believing they know the answers for life’s difficult questions. They try to figure things out for themselves. That’s a good thing on the one hand, but it will eventually let you down because you aren’t going to be able to figure everything out. That’s what Abraham Lincoln would eventually come to understand. The longer he lived, the more he came to terms with the fact that there was never going to be a time when he was going to be able to understand everything. That didn’t mean that he would quit trying to make sense of things, but he would have to accept that God could have a plan though it didn’t to make sense to him. As the responsibilities he carried increased, he became more and more dependent upon God.
4. When he was leaving Springfield to take the train to Washington DC, he made this statement as he boarded the train. Though he didn’t know it at the time, he would never see his beloved town of Springfield again. Listen to his words, "My friends, no one not in my situation can appreciate my feelings of sadness at this parting. To this place, & the kindness of this people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, & have passed from a young man to an old man. Here my children were born & one lies buried. I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested on the shoulders of Washington. Without the aid of that Divine Being who ever aided him who controls mine & all destinies, I cannot succeed, With that assistance I cannot fail."
5. When the Civil War didn’t go the Union’s way as quickly as he thought it would, & victory certainly didn’t come quickly, he struggled to make sense of it. Eventually he came to the conclusion that there was a preordained plan not only for the nation but also for him in this world. That perception was at the root of his patience & kindness with other people. Though his faith wasn’t of the traditional sort, it was nevertheless very genuine. (Lincoln, Redeemer President, P 120)
6. There was some evidence of this by the fact that his speeches are full of references from the Bible. In fact, even when he wasn’t ready to acknowledge that God was who the Bible presented Him to be. But as I mentioned earlier, gradually God began to work in his heart and those changes that I’ve mentioned began to take place.
7. He eventually came to the conclusion that what he was able to do wasn’t simply not going to measure up. There had to be something more. Let me share a brief story that Lincoln shared at a public gathering when people wanted to shake his hands. Once when guests were being rushed past the President without getting to shake his hand, one of them waved his hat and blurted out, "My President, I’m from up in York State where we believe that God Almighty and Abraham Lincoln are going to save this country." Lincoln turned to him with a smile and said, "You’re about half right." (Reader’s Digest, P 255)
Cell #4-
Lincoln believed that God placed him here to make a difference.
1. He would in time ask the question, "What has God put me in this place for?" It was more than a theoretical question. He eventually came to believe that God had raised him up for more than mere political power. He had put him in a position of power to make a difference. He was able to see past mundane day to day life experiences to know that he was to make a positive difference in his world. He ultimately came to the conclusion that the big thing he was to offer, that would be remembered in the long run was the emancipation proclamation, or the decision to free the slaves.
Cell #5-
Esther 4:13 - 14 NIV
13 he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape.
14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
2. Lincoln told his cabinet that it was time to enact the Emancipation Proclamation. He explained to them that it was promise he had made to himself and also to his Maker. This represented an incredible change from the young man who had wrote the essay that attacked what God claimed about Himself in scripture. He ultimately came to believe that God had placed him in the position of being president for "such a time as this." He saw this as the big moment of his presidency. Let me share with you a story from the signing of this historic document. The Emancipation Proclamation was to be signed by Lincoln at noon on January 1, 1863. Before signing it the president twice picked up his pen to attach his signature and then put it down. He said to Secretary of State, William Seward, "I’ve been shaking hands since 9:00 this morning and my right arm is almost paralyzed. If ever my name goes down in history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it. If my hand trembles when I sign the Proclamation, all who examine the document hereafter will say, ’He hesitated.’" Lincoln then picked up the pen a third time and slowly firmly wrote, "Abraham Lincoln" Even that was unusual, he rarely signed legislation with his full first name, but he knew this was special. In a sense it was what he was born to do, let me explain. (Lincoln, Redeemer President, P 341)
3. Lincoln told his cabinet that it was time to enact the Emancipation proclamation because it was a promise he had made to himself and then I believe far more significantly, it was a promise he had also made to his maker. This represented an incredible change from the young man who had wrote the essay that attacked what God claimed about Himself in scripture. (Lincoln, Redeemer President, P 341)
4. He had come to eventually understand what Mordecai had told Esther so many years earlier that God had placed him in his position to leave his mark on the future of this country with this specific piece of legislation. However, I’ve saved what was perhaps the most important part of Lincoln’s greatness for last. There is no doubt that Lincoln was a politician. He understood the need to be reelected and was committed to that, but. . .
Cell #6-
Lincoln refused to separate his public morals from his private life.
1. He had a deep and profound respect for the founding fathers of the country, but he never cared for one particular founding father. He didn’t like Thomas Jefferson and one reason was that his leadership, as great as it was, didn’t carry over into his personal life. That was a concept foreign to Lincoln. He was duty bound by his honor. There are numerous examples from his life of his honesty and commitment to do what was right.
2. I mentioned in the introduction that he felt duty bound to marry Mary Todd after asking her to marry him. I’m not even suggesting that it was the right thing for him to do when he had such doubts, but because he believed it to be the right thing he followed through and did it. On the one hand he paid dearly for that decision. One of their mutual friends would later describe the marriage as an "ice cave." I remember the tour guide on a visit to their home in Springfield telling us that Mrs. Lincoln’s temper was well known. She was well known among the neighbors for having a bad temper and often throwing things at her husband. Still, it illustrated his deep commitment to do what he believed was right.
3. Let me illustrate from another very different angle. In one of his first attempts to run for political office Lincoln was given $200 from the Whig Party to cover his election expenses. He won the election and then promptly returned all the money he had not spent on the election, $199.25. He explained, that he had I traveled on his own horse, and stayed at the homes of his friends. He said, "My only outlay was 75 cents for a barrel of cider which some farm hands insisted that I treat them to." Lincoln illustrated Jesus teachings in the Sermon on the Mount when He said. . . (Reader’s Digest, P 252)
** Cell #7-
Matt 5:37 NIV
37 Simply let your ’Yes’ be ’Yes,’ and your ’No,’ ’No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Conclusion:
1. This morning as I bring this sermon to a close I guess the central thing I learned from Abraham Lincoln is this, you don’t have to understand everything to be a person God can and will use. Lincoln never did fully come to terms with God. Many of his closest friends felt he never really made His peace with God. From what I’ve read, I’m not sure I would agree. It seems to me that. . .
Cell #8-
Lincoln eventually realized that he couldn’t figure God out. He struggled to accept God by faith, but eventually made a simple declaration of his faith in God.
2. I believe that Abraham Lincoln teaches us that where we begin doesn’t have to be where we end spiritually. On a purely earthly level, Lincoln began in a log cabin and eventually made his way to the White House. However, on a spiritual level, he began far away from God, but ultimately ended up close to Him.
3. It doesn’t matter as much where you are with God right now, as what you do with where you are this morning. As one wise sage once put it, "Where you are now isn’t nearly as significant as where you’re going."
4. When it comes to your relationship with God let me ask, "Where are you going this morning?" If you don’t have a relationship with God right now, you can. The question is will you take that step of faith this morning? Will you pray with me?
1) Allen Guelzo, Abraham Lincoln, Redeemer President, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B Eerdsman Publishing Company) 1999.
2) Reader’s Digest, February, 1959, The Lincoln Who Lives in Anecdote, PP 91-99, 247-64.
