“It’s Bigger Than You think”
The Chronicles of Christmas - Week 1
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Introduction to the Series: (After :32 video intro)
According to author, C.S. Lewis, “The Chronicles of Narnia” started very simply. “The Lion, witch and wardrobe began with a picture of a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood. This picture had been in my head since I was about sixteen. Then one day when I was about forty, I said to myself: ‘Let’s try to make a story out of it.’”(Radio Times, July, 1960) Now, fifty-five years, 85 million copies in 30 languages and a major motion picture later, we know that there was more to Lewis’ story and mind than just one simple creature. In fact, someone has estimated that there are over 60 creatures alone in “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.” Certainly, that first little faun offered more than meets the eye. What seemed like a simple picture in Lewis’ mind turned out to be “The Chronicles of Narnia,” much more than he expected. Maybe that’s why he begins his story with the smallest of four children, Lucy, spying an ordinary, simple wardrobe. A free standing closest that she thought would hold the expected: clothes, coats, maybe some mothballs and yet once inside was much bigger than she could of ever anticipated!
INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON: (:42 video clip of Lucy in an out of the wardrobe)
Just a simple wardrobe, yet, once Lucy checked it out she found on the other side, adventure, excitement and a whole new world... so much bigger than she ever imagined! And often times that can happen to us. Oh, I’m not talking about walking through a wardrobe, but I’m talking about our perspective, what we see or are willing to see. Sometimes to us things that seem ordinary, limited, simple, can, once we look at them differently, open us to a whole new way of thinking and living. A house that looks small on the outside turns out to be huge on the inside. A blind date that you look at with drudgery turns out to be the date of a lifetime. A book or movie that seems ordinary turns out to be an all time favorite. And there are many people who look at Christianity or God with a very narrow perspective. They see life as ordinary, mundane, not realizing that God offers so much more, if they would just change their perspective. In fact, over and over again the Bible tries to teach us that the things we cannot see are often the things that are the most important. That if we would look at things from a spiritual perspective, from a God’s eye view, we would find, much like Lucy found in that wardrobe, that what God offers is “bigger than you think!”
A man by the name of Paul, probably the greatest missionary that ever lived, said it like this when he wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:18. “We shouldn’t focus on the things which we can only see with our mortal eyes. Instead we should focus on the things which are beyond us and cannot be seen.” So, this morning let’s look at what the “seen” and the “unseen” offer and see why we may need to change our perspective.
I. LIVING IN THIS WORLD:
First, let’s take a look at our “wardrobe,” this place we live in, the world we see. Paul describes it like this: “Even though this world and our physical bodies are wearing out...” Later, in vs:18 he says, “For what we see is temporary...” We all know it’s true.. This world and our bodies are wearing out.
This world itself is temporary. There are a number of scientists that tell us that our planet is dying. They point to things like the “scorched earth” theory which says that we have cut down so many trees and replaced them with buildings that the sun is limiting growing potential. There’s the “core cooling” theory which says that the earth’s molten core is cooling down and when it gets down to a certain temperature it’ll destroy the earth’s electromagnetic field allowing the sun to burn us up. One estimate has that happening in 12,000 years. But by far the greatest evidence of a dying planet is “global warming.” Politicians like Senator John McCain from Arizona and celebrities like Leonardo DICaprio are coming along side scientists who are saying that global warming is the most urgent threat facing humanity today. It is being blamed for melting ice caps, drought, disease and lost ecosystems. What is it? Well simply put, it is the collection of air pollutants that is forming a thickening blanket in our atmosphere trapping the sun’s heat causing the planet to warm up. With a warmer planet you have warmer seas which feed stronger hurricanes, you have more severe droughts, destructions of forests and extinction of animal habitats. Some scientists fear the possibility of a sudden climate catastrophe due to global warming. That’s the premise behind the 2004 motion picture: “The Day After Tomorrow” which showed massive tornadoes and killer blizzards all due to global warming.
Now, no matter what you believe as to the severity or timing of these things, common sense dictates that this planet was not meant to last forever. We see that on a daily basis because everything eventually decays. Just think.. 100 years ago those living in 1905 never really thought of their houses, buildings, and such would ever decay and be destroyed. And although you can certainly find 100 year old houses and such, the majority of it is gone. Either by the decay of aging or change. The same is true of our existence. When 2105 rolls around all the stuff that I look at as mine will most probably not be here. My car will someday rust and be dropped into some giant compressing machine and folded up into about a 4’ square. My house will not last. Now we had a home built 2 years ago and it’s sturdy, well built. But 100 years from now I doubt it’s even standing. I can picture my great, grand children standing in front of that house saying to their children, "Now, right along here somewhere is where great grandpa & grandma Smith used to live. He preached for a church somewhere near here and his house, as best we can figure, was located right in the middle of the Shops at Willowind. It was torn down when they expanded the landing area for our flying cars." We know it’s true, don’t we? The things we see will not last, they’re temporary.
And that’s never more true than with our bodies is it? Look at vs:16 again. Notice where Paul writes, “...our physical bodies are wearing out..” We usually don’t like to put it that bluntly but it’s.. our bodies are wasting away.. they are temporary. I used to be very active in sports.. Operative words “used to.” And you know what is really stupid about us guys? (I’m not calling for opinions ladies) But, most of the time the way we end up figuring out we need to quit competitive sports because of some injury. Can’t seem to figure that out before the injury, oh no, got to go down and then we say, “Maybe my competitive sports days are over.” For me it was my knees (7 surgeries later!) - how stupid is that? For others it’s tendon ruptures, ligament tears or broken bones. But it is a fact of life: reflexes slow down, the elasticity of the legs go, eyesight isn’t as keen, memory fades. People that used to say, "Good to see you," now say, "You haven’t aged a bit." And no matter your age, we are all wasting away. And if your focus is on this world, the older you get the more depressed you’ll be. Because no matter how well you try to eat or how much you exercise you get, you still grow older and you sense that life is slipping by and there’s nothing you can do about it. Eugene Christian wrote a book, How to Live to Be 100, he died at 69.
But not only is this world temporary it is troubled. I mean there is much of this world I wouldn’t want to last forever. There are wars and conflict going on like we are painfully aware of in Iraq. But there is also India vs Pakistan, Jews vs Arabs, Catholics vs Protestants in Northern Ireland, a war against terrorism. There is hunger. A new Unicef report says that nearly one half of all the world’s children are suffering extreme deprivation and hunger. There is disease, poverty, distressed economies, crime, and on and on it goes. Jesus Christ himself understood that this world would be full of trouble. He said in John 16:33 - “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.”(NLT) The harsh truth is, if your focus is only on this life, you’ll ultimately be discouraged. There’s not one part of this earthly life that will not someday end. Your possessions will rust, your achievement will be forgotten and your health will someday fail you. And even while you live here it’s going to be tough sledding with plenty of problems to go around. Paul is saying here: "Let’s be honest with ourselves.. This place is temporary and troubled.”Now, at this point you may be saying, “Sure glad I came to church today... how encouraging is this?” But remember, it’s all about perspective. While living in this world what do you see?
II. LONGING FOR THE BEST:
In “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”(and I’m not sure how the movie will play this out) all four children eventually go into Narnia, this new world they discover through the wardrobe. And there are a couple of moments, one when they realize they are in the snow and have no coats, and another when they first hear of the White Witch, that they think about going back through the wardrobe and leaving this new experience. But something within them wants to stay. It is the excitement of finding a place that could be better. You see, the children, like all of us, long for the best. And no wonder, since this existence is temporary and troubled, why wouldn’t we long for something better?
Well, that’s where God comes in. He created a world of perfection but we spoiled it by our sin. In fact, next week we’ll talk about that, when we see that the White Witch placed Narnia in a 100 year long winter. And worse than it just being cold and dreary it is “Always winter, Never Christmas!”Well, our world, when it was first made, was “always summer, always Christmas” because it was created perfect. But now, because of sin, it is a spoiled world. But God didn’t want us to lose hope. Notice the first three words in 2 Cor. 4:16? “Never give up.” Paul wanted us to understand that there was a “better” to long for. He says even though we and the world are temporary and troubled, “our spirits are being renewed day after day.”In other words, there is hope. And the Bible insists that our hope is a person. 1 Ptr 1:3 says we have a living hope because Jesus Christ came to earth. The Christmas message that you won’t see on a Hallmark card but is true never the less is this: “This world is not what it was meant to be but Jesus Christ came to change all that.” You see, Jesus brings us a couple of things that will, if we let them, change our entire perspective on life.” Jesus promises us:
1. Abundant life while we exist in this temporary and troubled world. Jesus said in John 10:10- “I have come so that you might have an abundant life, everything you really need.” Now, when Jesus says “abundant” he’s not talking about some mystical, out of touch kind of life. He’s not talking about possessions, power or popularity. He’s talking about the best life. A life full of purpose, peace, contentment, love, forgiveness and acceptance. As one author said, “Jesus comes and offers the antitheses of what this world gives. All this world has to offer is a temporary, flawed existence. But Jesus offers life that is lived on a higher plane, a life full of forgiveness, love and guidance.” Talk to someone who has really let Jesus into their life. You’ll discover a person with changed perspectives, changed attitudes, changed values. It’s not that this life is any less temporary or troubled it’s just that it is more worth living! And the amazing thing is you don’t have to walk through a magic wardrobe or travel any great distance to discover this new world. It comes from trading this life for the abundant life.
2. Jesus Christ promises eternal life. Not only does Jesus offer a better life in this world but he offers a new world after you leave this one! “Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. 4 For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him.” (1 Peter 3:3-5 NLT) Benjamin Franklin first coined the phrase: “The only thing certain in life is death and taxes.” But even taxes change, death doesn’t. It is the one constant that we, excuse the pun, live with all the time. And so it comes to each one of us to choose what we believe happens to us after death. The Bible offers not only a solution but a whole new world! A perfect world. One man, by the name of John, was given the privilege of seeing a glimpse of this world. He wrote in Rev. 21:3- “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.’”(NLT) Now that is what Paul is talking about here when he says “our spirits are being renewed day after day.” If we have the abundant life (purpose, peace, forgiveness, love, etc.) every day while we are here and we are confident of the eternal life of perfection, when we leave here, why wouldn’t we be renewed? But that can be easier said than done. How do we make the abundant life and the eternal life a reality? Well it comes from:
III. LOOKING BEYOND THE OBVIOUS:
The question is really simple: When you look at your life what do you see? What is your perspective on life? I tell you from personal experience that when my perspective was only on this temporary, troubled life, life was miserable. I opened the door of the wardrobe and found exactly what I expected, worn out clothing and moth balls! Or more to the point I found frustration, aimlessness, ruptured relationships and pointless living. That was life for me in the late 70’s. In my pride I decided that my perspective was going to be worldly success. How fast could I climb the ladder, how popular could I be, how much could I get for me? And in my rush to gain I just about lost it all. But then, due to loving family and challenging friends I decided to look at things differently. And you know what? You’ve got that same choice. What is your perspective on life?
Paul tells us in this text that perspective is the passage to seeing the possibilities that Jesus has promised. Vs:17 - “The troubles we now have will only last a short time. They are working out a far greater existence for us, which is worth so much more than what we are going through now. 18We shouldn’t focus on things we can only see with our mortal eyes. Instead, we should focus on the things that are beyond us and cannot be seen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen lasts forever.” You see, it’s a matter of perspective. When our focus, or all we see is on this world and what it has to offer, than we get temporary stuff at best. But when we are willing to look beyond the obvious, that’s when things really open up.
But how do we do that? We are so tied to this existence, how do we change or refine our perspective? Some of you came here today just to check this whole “God thing” out or you came to please someone else or you came because you are seeking a better way. Let me suggest a few things you can do to look beyond.
1. Investigate the truth. When C.S. Lewis came to Oxford University he was an atheist. He had lost his mother at nine and the rest of his life was spent in boarding schools. But had no use or belief in God. But while at Oxford he met a man who became his best friend: J.R.R. Tolkein. You know him as the author of The Lord of the Rings. Tolkein, along with some other friends challenged Lewis to investigate the Bible. So Lewis did. It was from that investigation and through the counsel of his friends that Lewis moved from atheism to a deep Christian faith. And Lewis is not alone. There have been many brilliant, even famous people who have given the Bible an honest, objective chance and have come to understand it as the truth. People like Josh McDowell, Charles Colson, Lee Strobel, Kirk Cameron, Charlton Heston, Barbara Bush, Corrie Ten Boom, Connie Seleca. What did they do? They simply took the Bible and studied it. And when you see the Bible from a standard of historical accuracy, archaeological discovery and accurate prophecy, you begin to understand that this book that was written over 1500 years by 40 different writers on 3 different continents is more than just any ordinary book. It can change your life. Don’t have a Bible? Take one from us.. free! Please!
2. Talk to people who have experienced this change of perspective. In Lewis’ story Lucy got a true perspective from a faun named Tumnis. He went through a change from serving the White Witch to living a life outside her evil influence. There are people we can refer you to who have made that same change. They have changed their perspective. You may know someone who lives in such a way that you can see their world view or their lifestyle makes a difference. Take them for lunch or a cup of coffee. Ask them to explain how they found what you just might be looking for.
Now, let me be honest. If you say you wonder if this is all it’s cracked up to be or you aren’t sure if you’re buying all this but you refuse to investigate, then your doubt is your fault! I don’t say that to be mean but to be honest. Lucy would of never made it into Narnia without taking the initiative to put her hand on the doorknob, open the door and step in. And you won’t find anything different either if you aren’t at least willing to investigate the truth.
Now, some of you have already changed perspectives. That is you have seen the other side of the wardrobe but you really are struggling with this whole “abundant life” thing. “I mean, life doesn’t feel too abundant right now.” First, ask yourself, “Where is my focus?” Is it primarily on this world or are you looking for the unseen? You can’t have the kind of life Jesus wants you to if you’re focused on the wrong priorities.
Let me make a couple of suggestions to you. 1. Don’t focus on the problem. So many times we are worried about things we can’t control. Let me remind you of the difference between “worry” and “concern.” Worry focus’ on uncontrollable problems and results in inaction. All you accomplish when you worry is “stewing without doing.” But concern is different. Concern focus’ on controllable problems and results in action. Worry puts your focus on the problem rather than on any possible solution. Change your perspective. Don’t focus on the problem... rather...
2. Focus on Jesus. It is when we have our eyes on him that we see what lasts forever. One of Jesus’ closest followers was a man by the name of Peter. One night Peter and his buddies are out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. All of a sudden Peter sees Jesus walking on the water toward him. Yeah, on the water. I want you to hear what happens because it’s a great lesson in focus. “When Jesus’ followers saw him walking on the lake, they were frightened. They cried out, “It’s a ghost!” 27Immediately, Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I.” 28Peter said to him, “Lord, if it is really you, let me come to you on the water.” 29Jesus said, “Come.” Then Peter got out of the boat and went toward Jesus, walking on the water. But when Peter looked down and saw the waves churning beneath his feet, he became afraid and started to sink. He cried, “Jesus, help me.” Immediately, Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him. “Why did you lose your faith?” (Mt. 14:25-31) Why do you think? He took his eyes off Jesus. His focus was placed on the problem. When you do that you may miss a lot of things!
Video Clip - Patch Adams - Chap. 2:9:40 to 11:50 - 2:10
So, let me ask you.. What do you see? Just a wardrobe? Just four fingers? Are you just seeing what this troubled world has to offer, or are you willing to change your perspective and focus on the things beyond? God says “...whoever finds me, finds life.”(Pro. 8:35 NLT) It’s true: “For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen lasts forever.”
{All Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, The Simple English Bible unless otherwise noted}
