Incredible changes have taken place in the past hundred years. We are experiencing more change than ever in history. The rate of change is so great that we barely catch our breath before another blast of change slams into us. Everything we’re familiar with is changing, right before our eyes.
We are forever on the move - doing things, eating things, working writing, marrying, divorcing, shopping - you name it – we humans are doing it! The pace is somewhere between maddening and insane. People are coming and going twenty-four hours every day.
When I was a kid, we would go on vacation and we would leave home very early in the morning. I can remember driving at that early hour down the interstate highway, and you would just see the occasional car. There was no traffic. But today, it does not matter what road you drive on or what hour you drive on them, all you see is cars, cars, and more cars. It just never stops.
If you look at the people you see in the supermarket or in the cars next to you, they never seem to be smiling anymore. Their faces reflect the tension.
The air is polluted. The earth shakes. Yale and 71st Avenue is so crowded, people actually try to drive further just to avoid the congestion. Nerves are shot. And as if that were not enough, the streets are getting more dangerous with all these sniper shootings on the Broken Arrow Expressway.
I read the following paragraph the other day. It was obviously written by a rare individual who is not in a hurry. Maybe he just had way too much time on his hands. It reads:
"This is the age of the half-read page; the quick hash; and the mad dash; the bright night with the nerves tight; the plane hop and the brief stop.
It is the age of the lamp tan in a short span; the big shot in a good spot; and the brain strain and the heart pain; no time to rest, just catch a catnaps till your spring snaps - and then, well, then all the fun we’ve been having is over and done."
Unfortunately, we live in a quick-change society.
In this part of the homeland, the very center of America, we have been able to keep some semblance of normalcy, but in most parts of the country, chaos reigns. We seem to be on the fast pace to an ugly place.
Let me give you a few statistics to show what is happening in America.
Every day:
· 108,000 of us move to a different home.
· 18,000 move to another state.
Every day:
· 167 businesses go bankrupt.
· 689 new ones start up
· 100 Americans become millionaires.
· Millions more go hungry
On the good side:
· We eat 75 acres of pizza every day.
· We eat 53 million hot dogs.
· We eat 3 million gallons of ice cream
· We eat 3,000 tons of candy.
More information has been produced in the last thirty years than in the previous five thousand years. More than one-half the scientists who have ever lived are alive today.
Ninety per cent of all the items in the supermarket today did not exist just ten years ago. It is estimated that 73% of college graduates are going into jobs, which did not exist when they were born – 22 short years ago.
George Washington traveled from Virginia to Washington D.C. by horseback. It could take him ten days traveling at a speed of twenty-five miles per day.
The astronauts that just came back to earth last week traveled at over 25,000 miles per hour. At that speed you could fly from New York to San Francisco in just a couple of minutes.
One man put it this way:
"My great-grandfather rode a horse, but was afraid of the train. My grandfather rode on a train, but was afraid of a car. My father rode in a car, but was afraid of an airplane. I ride in an airplane, but I’m afraid of a horse."
· movies have gone from silent to unspeakable.
· we used to have 3 networks: NBC, ABC, and CBS;
· we now have 750 channels – showing the same program!
· and by the time we do find the program we want – it’s over!
Many of these changes have turned our world into a war game. Whereas war used to be held on a war front in some other country, we now find inner city wars between gangs in our own cities.
Political corruption abounds.
In the fifties the major discipline problems in our public schools were cigarette smoking, skipping class, running in the halls.
Today - the major problems are deadly weapons, drugs, and alcohol.
Recently, a high school teacher observed a number of boys in the corner of the gymnasium on their hands and knees. Rushing up to the boys, the teacher demanded, " What are you doing?"
One of the boys looked up and answered, " We’re shooting dice!"
The teacher responded with, " Oh, thank goodness. I thought you were praying."
Relationships are changing. Fifty per cent of our marriages now end in divorce. And the odds are, when a couple walks down the aisle to be married; their marriage will not last seven years. One of them will walk out before the warranty on the refrigerator runs out!
Our society has abandoned God’s laws of relationships and has been writing their own. We have reached a state where common decency is no longer common. All of our doing without God has finally outdone us.
With all these changes creating chaos and crises we, as a church, have been trying to just hold on. Just look at how change has been impacting our churches:
· 85% of the churches in America are losing members.
· The number of Americans who don’t go to church is nearly 96%
Estimates are that if you had every church in America filled to capacity next Sunday morning, that would still be less than 5% of the American population. This has all come about in the last 40 years! What has happened to us?
Our children are receiving no religious training. That means that as time goes by, it will get harder and harder to minister as a church to our society.
The church is dealing with issues that no one could have imagined fifty years ago. With all this going on around us, what are we supposed to do?
We must remember that God is the only One in control, and he never changes. We have all heard the car insurance commercial that said, “You are in good hands with Allstate.” Well, as Christians, no matter how our world seems to be falling apart, we have to remember that WE ARE IN GOOD HANDS WITH GOD.
He is in control. He never loses track of what’s going on. He never gets confused. He always makes the right decision. God has a grip on the reins of the world and His purposes will be carried out.
In MALACHI 3:6 it tells us,
" For I am the Lord, I change not."
These words were spoken in a time of great change. Worship had become flippant and causal as people gave their leftovers to God.
The moral law of God was being disregarded, especially concerning marriage. Divorce was a national disgrace. Does that sound like America today?
The Lord’s command to tithe was being ignored to the economical detriment of the nation. Does that sound like America today?
And neither church, nor her people took seriously the threat of the approaching judgment. In that kind of world, the Lord was reminding and warning His people that He had not changed.
This all sounds like modern day America, doesn’t it? The writer could have been describing our country this morning. Even most Christians have become so comfortable that we have forgotten our Godly vision.
We must get that vision back. We must have a passionate and clear vision of what God has called us to do and of what we need to be.
Too often we take our feet off the pedal and take long looks in the rear view mirror, looking at what was instead of what is. And what will be does not depend on what was, but on what is.
Someone has said: " When we have more memories than dreams, our life is over." When we are content to revel in our past rather than gird up for the future in Christ, we render ourselves useless to God.
We must know where we are going and what we are going to do!
When he was 88-years old, the late Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes was traveling on a train. The conductor came by and asked for his ticket.
Judge Holmes searched his pockets and fumbled through his wallet without success.
The conductor was sympathetic: "Don’t worry, Mr. Holmes, the Pennsylvania Railroad will be happy to trust you. When you reach your destination, you will probably find the ticket and you can mail it to us."
The conductor’s kindness did not put Justice Holmes at ease. Holmes said, " My dear man, my problem is not where is my ticket? My problem is: I have forgotten where I am going."
Many of us are having the same problem today. We are sold on the ticket, but we aren’t clear just where we are going. One reason is that the modern-day American, including Christians, do not take the time to analyze and think about where we are in relation to the world and where we are in relation to our God.
We are told how God feels about all this in ISAIAH 43:18-19:
"Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new."
We must pray for new visions. We cannot be content with what is. We must crave what can be! That which holds our attention will determine our actions!
If you want to be distressed - look within. If you want to be defeated - look back. If you want to be distracted - look around. If you want to be delivered - look up!
When we focus our attention upon the Lord, setbacks will become springboards and obstacles turn into opportunities! But the most amazing thing that happens when we focus upon our Lord, is that normal everyday people become absolutely courageous in the things they can accomplish for Him!
HEBREWS 11:27 tells us about Moses:
" By faith he left Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen."
Those last words should instruct us. Moses’ eyes were on God and he was able to endure.
· The Living Bible says: he " kept right on going!"
· Moffatt’s translation says, " He never flinched."
Let me show you how pitiful we have become as a people. I am 58 years old, and sometimes, I feel it. There are times when I am very tired, and what do I do? I do like all of you do. I find a place to sit and rest, and maybe even take a nap.
Now look at the difference in what true Godly focus can do for you. Moses endured on into his hundreds. He was much older than I am; yet he accomplished so much more than I have.
He endured the Pharaoh. He endured the Hebrews who grumbled, maligned him, complained, and rebelled. He endured the criticism of those closest to him; his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron.
He endured! He kept on keeping on. He “kept right on going.” He fixed his eyes on the Lord, and never looked back.
You and I can do the same! We can endure by fixing our eyes on our Lord and away from the things of this world.
Then we will be courageous for the Lord, too:
· Even when the wicked seem to be winning
· Even when pressure seems to be unbearable
· Even when we feel as though we’re all alone
Whatever it is you are facing - look at Christ! It is then and only then that you will endure until the end.
Starting today, you are standing on the very edge of a new change: A new change for this community, through Christ; a new change through this church, through Christ; and a new change in you, through Christ.
The enemy will try to tell you it is scary. The enemy will try to tell you that you do not really need to get involved in this. The enemy will tell you every lie he can come up with to keep you from seeing what God wants from you.
I implore you today to affix your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And remember that we need an unchanging God in this quick-change society.
The Scripture says,
‘O Thou, who changes not; abide with us in all changes.’
The only way God can abide in you is if you have Jesus Christ securely in your heart – as your Master. Do you?
I will not have a long invitation this afternoon, but I do need to give you an opportunity to receive the Lord in your life. And you need the opportunity to receive Him, or to rededicate yourself to Him.
Won’t you do that as we sing our invitation hymn? Let’s please stand as we sing.
INVITATION
