INTRO.- ILL.- Years ago NEWSWEEK had an article entitled, “No Allusions in the Classroom.” The article told about 26 people in the college classroom, ranging in age from 18 to 54. All of these people had completed at least one-quarter of their college work. They were given 86 questions to answer, which centered on simple facts about the world.
Here is what some of those people said in answer to those questions.
- Ralph Nader was a baseball player.
- Christ was born in the 16th century.
- J. Edgar Hoover was a 19th century president.
- Sid Caesar was an early Roman emperor.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower was a president in the 17th century.
If you think this is bad, listen to this.
ILL.- A group of high school juniors and seniors in one of our better schools in the nation who were headed for college were given a quiz about the Bible. Here are the results of that quiz.
- Sodom and Gomorrah were lovers.
- The N.T. was written by Matthew, Mark, Luther, and John.
- Eve was created from an apple.
- Jesus was baptized by Moses.
- Golgotha was the name of the giant who slew the apostle David.
Ignorance abounds and Biblical ignorance is even worse!
ILL.- Someone once asked, “What’s the difference between ignorance and apathy?” A man replied, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” And that’s about how it is when it comes to many people in regard to the Word of God. “I don’t know anything about the Bible and I don’t care.” How sad!
Brothers and sisters, because there is so much Biblical ignorance in America and in the world, there is also much ignorance about the true and living God and the Savior, Jesus Christ and about everything in regard to God!
ILL.- For example, on Tuesday night, Dec. 20th, Barbara Walters had a TV special entitled, "Heaven: Where Is It ? How Do We Get There?" Did you happen to see it? Walters interviewed many different people in different faiths about heaven. Listen to what some of these people said.
Catholic - Cardinal Theodore McCerrick of the Roman Catholic Church of Washington DC says the purpose of life "is to come to the end of your life at peace with the lord so that you may find an eternal happiness in heaven...This life is not what we’re made for. We’re made for heaven. We’re made for the future."
Jewish - "The purpose of life is to live a decent life... and that you do it for its own sake, not for getting a reward," says Rabbi Neil Gilman from the New York Jewish Theological Seminary. "There is a tremendous emphasis in our tradition about what you do with yourself in your lifetime here on earth."
Baptist - Reverend Calvin Butts, Pastor of New York’s famed Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, who says he has seen heaven, tells Walters that heaven is "eternal joy and happiness because you are at one with God."
Buddhist - Walters traveled to the Himalayan Mountains to visit the mystical home of a reincarnated Buddha, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who says the purpose of life is to be happy, and that you can accomplish that by "warm heartedness."
He says heaven "is best place to further develop the spiritual practice... for Buddhist the final goal is not just to reach there, but to become Buddha. [It’s] not the end," and he tells Walters that you can come back as an animal: "If someone do very bad, badly... kill or steal... could be born in an animal body." Walters also talks to longtime follower Richard Gere, who says, "I don’t think necessarily heaven and hell happen in some other life. I think it’s right now."
Evangelical - The promise of heaven plays a central role in the lives of the National Association of Evangelicals President Pastor Ted Haggard’s followers, believing if you are not a born again Christian, you have no assurance of going to heaven. "Jesus Christ guarantees eternal life to anybody that’ll follow him... The purpose of life is to glorify God and go to heaven... ’cause heaven is our home."
Muslim - Islamic scholar Feisal Abdul Rauf says there is sex in heaven: "The real life is the next life... and based upon how we live this life, it determines where we shall be in the next. We are told we will be in comfortable homes, reclining on silk couches... so we’re given the delights of sex, the delights of wine, the delights of food with all of their positive things without their negative aspects."
Terrorists and Heaven - Jihad Jarrar, of Islamic Jihad, who is incarcerated in an Israeli prison for a failed suicide bombing, tells Walters that only Muslims will go to heaven and "the reason I chose a martyrdom operation" was to spend an eternity in paradise. He says he was taught that "everything good is in the garden in paradise," and that "the lord promised the martyr who lost his life and lost the world on earth, that he promised him these 72 women in paradise as honor, as respect for him."
Atheist - "No, heaven doesn’t exist, hell doesn’t exist. We weren’t alive before we were born and we’re not going to exist after we die. I’m not happy about the fact that that’s the end of life, but I can accept that and make my life more fulfilling now, because this is the only chance I have," says Ellen Johnson, president of the American Atheists Society.
Why Barbara Walters would even bother to interview an atheist is beyond me. Let me take that back, I think she did it because it may that she is an atheist or agnostic and of course, she’s getting paid big bucks for doing this.
Brothers and sisters, did you notice that only those who believed in the Bible as the Word of God were the ones who even had an idea as to what heaven is like? We can’t expect Buddhists like Richard Gere, Muslims and terrorists to know and believe the truth about the heaven. THEY DON’T HAVE A CLUE, because they don’t accept the Bible as God’s Word!
We need to stick to the Bible! We need to hold to the truths in the Word of God that millions down through the ages have clung to and held dear!
List to what great men in the past have said about the Bible.
Abraham Lincoln: "I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book."
W. E. Gladstone: "I have known ninety-five of the world’s great men in my time, and of these eighty-seven were followers of the Bible.”
George Washington: "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
Napoleon: "The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it."
Daniel Webster: "If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity."
Horace Greeley: "It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible-reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom."
ILL.- Preacher Vance Havner said: “I believe the Bible is the Word of God. I don’t understand it all, but I stand on it.”
While we may not understand everything in the Bible, we should at least believe in it fully and take a stand on it. It is the only safe rule and guide for life.
PROP.- Let’s consider some areas where we need to be committed to the Biblical message.
1- Preach the Word for converts
2- Live the Word for success
I. PREACH THE WORD FOR CONVERTS
The Bible gives us guidelines for all of life: relationships, work, marriage, raising children, etc. AND ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING CONVERTS! We are in the conversion business, you know!
ILL.- In 1978 I bought my first front-wheel drive car. I was preaching at Iberia, MO, and one of our men in the church drove a Volkswagen Rabbit and just raved about it. He talked about the good mileage and the good traction that the front wheel drive gave him.
HE ALMOST CONVERTED ME to Volkswagen. That is, until I went to look at them and checked out the prices. They were not cheap, so I looked around for other front wheel drive cars and discovered the Japanese Subaru. I ended up buying a little 4-door, 5-speed Subaru. It was about the same size as the Volkswagen Rabbit but much cheaper.
The day I drove it home there was snow on the ground so I decided to give that front wheel drive a little test. I drove around my house in the snow. It was amazing to me! I never had a car that would do that.
And talk about gas mileage! Wow! I had never driven anything like it, before or since. I consistently got around 45 miles per gallon (regular gas) and I got 52 one day while driving to Springfield, MO.
When I told others about the mileage and traction, they could hardly believe it. I raved on and on about the car and finally, one of my old college friends and preacher took me seriously and went out and bought one. I CONVERTED THAT PREACHER TO SUBARU!
Brothers and sisters, we are in the conversion business, although not the car conversion business. The Lord doesn’t care whether we drive a Ford, Chevrolet or whatever. But He is concerned that we convert people from indifference and sin to the salvation of Christ and the eternal promises that He alone offers!
How can we do this? We must preach! We must talk! We must witness! We must knock on doors…the doors of people’s hearts.
II Tim. 4:1-4 “1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
Myths, fairy tails and the like won’t lead anybody to eternal salvation. And myths are what we are seeing and hearing a lot of today: Church of Scientology, Islam, Buddhism, Harry Potter, the Gay agenda, etc. If you listened to some people you’d think any one of these and more was the salvation of mankind, BUT THEY ARE FAR FROM IT. None of these will save anybody eternally. And we need to convert people from junk to Jesus!
We must preach the Bible, the Word of God! We must continue to present the message contained in it and that message has never changed in the last several thousand years: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Savior of the world! Let us never give up or give in when it comes to presenting Him! HE IS THE ONLY HOPE OF MANKIND! The Bible alone will make good converts.
ILL.- Chuck Colson tells of the change that came over hundreds of men in a prison in Newton, Iowa. He went there to establish a Bible study group some years ago. Two months later, he went back to visit and he found a bunch of excited men. They swarmed around him with their Bibles. He signed over a hundred of them and listened to their testimonies. When he finished speaking, instead of politely applauding, these men jumped to their feet and chanted, “This is my Bible. It is a lamp to my feet.”
He asked, “How could this have happened?” At least half of these men had been unbelievers, yet the whole prison had somehow been transformed. The staff explained that these Christians told newcomers about their faith and invited them to Bible studies.
The Bible makes converts to Christ! The Bible converts people from one way of life to a better way of life! And if it can happen in prison, it can happen elsewhere. Preach the Word for converts.
II. LIVE THE WORD FOR SUCCESS
II Tim. 3:14-17 “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
The Bible not only makes us wise and leads us to salvation in Christ, but it also teaches us how to live a better life. It trains us in right living. The Bible blesses us in ways we never thought possible.
ILL.- Eleanor Schmidt, in Reader’s Digest wrote, “My doctor had recommended surgery and referred me to a specialist. Arriving early for my appointment, I found the door unlocked and the young surgeon, deeply engrossed in reading, behind the receptionist’s desk. When he didn’t hear me come in, I cleared my throat. Startled, he closed the book, which I recognized as a Bible. ‘Does reading the Bible help you before or after an operation?’ I asked. My fears were dispelled by his soft, one-word answer: ‘During.’”
I wish there were more doctors who regularly read the Bible. It would make a difference in their lives and their practice of medicine. If nothing else, some of them would have better bedside manners!
Prov. 16:3 “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
Ps. 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”
Whenever we commit our lives to the Lord and meditate on His Word faithfully, things begin to happen. Sometimes almost unexplainable things begin to happen. Good things begin to happen.
ILL.- For example, how many of you know who Clay Aiken is? He’s the youngster who got second place in the American Idol contest a couple of years ago. He is that redheaded, Howdy Doody-looking young man. And he’s very talented. He’s making CD’s, Christmas and otherwise. He’s a very popular, clean-cut young singer. And there’s a reason why.
Clay said, "Some people have argued that I’m too religious and that I talk about my faith too much. Other people have criticized me because I don’t stand up for my beliefs enough. But my position is that there’s a fine line that has to be walked. There are a lot of people who have given Christians a really bad name by being overly aggressive."
He won’t sing about sex, or even use lyrics with innuendo. Yet he insists that he doesn’t want to be an explicitly "Christian" singer, because he feels called to reach a wider audience. He told Today’s Christian: "I grew up in a small Baptist church. Some of the most amazing and God-fearing people were a part of my church family. It seemed, however, that every time the church grew, it was because someone was ’transferring his letter’—and any real Southern Baptist knows exactly what that means. We almost never got new members who weren’t already going to church somewhere else! We were just trading sheep."
He adds, "I sort of feel the same way about Christian radio. I know all of the songs and all of the artists, and it ministers to me, because it helps me learn more about myself and my walk with God. But the people I know who aren’t Christians don’t listen to Christian radio stations. So, if I can put a secular love song on an album, and someone can interpret it in a way that makes them think of God’s love for them or the power of Jesus’ sacrifice, then I think I’ve fulfilled my purpose."
Clay’s genuineness has struck a chord with a legion of fans, including many who aren’t Christians. One, a 50-year-old Jewish woman named Susan, has already been to 11 Clay Aiken concerts. (The singer has a zealous fan base among middle-age women.) Says Susan: "Clay’s not perfect, nor pretends to be, but he has a belief system that he’s not afraid to live by. I may not have the same beliefs that he has, but I admire his resolve in maintaining his."
Brothers and sisters, Clay Aiken is a young man who has been blessed by God with talent and a booming career. One big reason is his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
While our faith may not lead us to a bright singing career, we can still be blessed in all our ways by following and trusting the Lord with all our hearts. The key may well be, “trusting the Lord WITH ALL OUR HEARTS.” Live the Word for success.
CONCLUSION----------------------------
ILL.- It was said that when the Christian missionaries in Nanking, Japan, gave New Testaments to the Japanese soldiers, one Japanese official came to the missionaries and said, “Please don’t give our men any more New Testaments, for when they read this book, it takes the fight out of them.”
Brothers and Sisters, the Bible will take the fight out of people and a whole lot more because it is the living Word of God!
We know this. We believe this and we must cling to this as never before. We must take our stand on the Word of God, because it alone will lead us to salvation in Christ and give us right direction in life!
