TEXT MESSAGE FROM GOD

 

Bible – 1

TEXT MESSAGE FROM GOD

… based on 2 Timothy 3:16

Texting is one of the most common forms of communication in the U.S., 

with 90% of Americans,349 million of us, 

sending over 6 billion texts every day.

Now for a long time, I was a holdout.  I remember my very 1st text.  

One day my friend, Ross Hart, sent me a text, “Rande, do you text?”

I responded, “no.” From what I could see, it was simply a bunch of useless communication that people were sending each other, 

& I didn’t want to waste my time doing that.

But today I want us to think about a text message that has come to us that is extremely important … a text message from God.  And we get these text messages from God in the form of the Bible.  And so today, & for the next 3 Sundays we’re going to be looking at how to read, how to interpret, 

& how to apply the Bible to our lives.

Listen now to Good News, to Paul’s text to Timothy, & also, to Bear Creek Church.  Within our hearing comes the Word of the Lord …

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living. 

(2 Timothy 3:16) 

The grass withers & flowers fade, but the word of our God endures forever. 

(Isaiah 40:8)

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification. Amen

Now as we begin this series, I want you to see that God has communicated with us in the form of a Book … 

& we’re going to look at 3 aspects of that.

The 1st is the authorship of the Bible.  Now I know if I ask you, “Who authored the Bible?” … You all would give the short answer to that question … (God).  But the real question is … how did God author the Bible?  When theologians talk about this they refer to it as the inspiration of the Bible.  

Now let me read our Scripture passage again, 

& I want you to listen for the word “inspiration.”

“All Scripture is inspired by God & is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, & giving instruction for right living.”

All Scripture is inspired … okay, but what does that mean?

I’ve asked you to bring your Bibles today, so if you would open them to 2 Timothy 3:16 … do any of your translations have anything different? … 

(N.I.V. “All Scripture is God-breathed.”)  I like that, 

because it’s closer to what Paul had in mind when he wrote these words.

You see, our word “inspired” doesn’t mean what it did back in Paul’s day.

When we used the word “inspired” we’re usually talking about someone who has been moved emotionally or creatively to do something.  For example, I could say, “I got inspired this past week to plant 5 bushes in the butterfly garden we’re trying to make.”  

Inspiration for us means that we’re moved to do something.

Or to use it in a more grandiose way, when George Fredrick Handel sat down to compose “The Messiah,” he was inspired.  (There were 260 pages of full orchestration that were banged out in just 24 days!  And when it was 1st performed in 1743 & the choir got to “The Hallelujah Chorus” even the King of England leaped to his feet.  Everybody said, “That’s inspired.”)  But that’s not what Paul was talking about.  The N.I.V. translates it the way Paul intended to communicate it … “all Scripture is God-breathed.”  That means that what God wanted written got written.  That’s the doctrine of inspiration.

Now, just so we don’t miss the point, theologians like to tack another word on before inspiration … “verbal” … verbal inspiration.

They want us to know that it’s the words themselves; it’s the actual writing that God inspired … that God-breathed.  You see, some people think that the inspiration of the Bible means that the original writers, the human authors, were inspired.  God breathed into them.  So, when Moses or David or Paul sat down to write … God came upon them in some special way.  

And then, as best they could, they wrote stuff down.

But the trouble with that is there’s no guarantee that what we finally got was exactly what God wanted to say.  There could have been something lost in transmission.  The authors could have been inspired but chose the wrong words.  They could have unintentionally misled us with what they actually wrote.  So, it’s not the writers who were inspired.  

Let me repeat that.  It’s not the writers who were inspired.

Other people suggest that the inspiration of the Bible means that the readers are inspired.  So, when I pick up the Bible, & I read it, & God speaks to me … I’m inspired.  They believe that “the Bible is the Word of God when it becomes the Word of God to you.”

Well, Scripture is inspired whether we ever feel inspired when we read or not … because it’s not the writers, it’s not the readers, 

it’s the words themselves.  “All Scripture is God-breathed.”  

The words in the Bible are the exact ones God wanted there.

Now this doesn’t mean that the human authors were simply secretaries taking dictation from God.  There’s a uniqueness to every book in the Bible that reflects the individual author’s personality, & their cultural setting, 

& their historical context.  So, if we sit down & read through the Bible,

we’ll find that Moses’ laws don’t sound anything like David’s Psalms.

And David’s Psalms don’t sound anything like Solomon’s Proverbs.  And Solomon’s Proverbs don’t sound like Zechariah’s prophecies.  And Zechariah’s prophecies don’t sound like Matthew’s Gospel, which doesn’t sound anything like Luke’s history of the Church, which doesn’t sound like Paul’s letters.  There’s variety because of the individuality of human authors.  And yet somehow God insured that it’s what He wanted written, & exactly like He wanted it written. “All Scripture is inspired by God.”  It’s God breathed.

Now that makes the Bible a very unique Book.  

This is a Book like no other.  It’s not like other books that we can pick up at Fallen Leaf or Naughty Dog bookstores down in Nashville.  

It’s not just some book that we can check out at the library.

And just in case you’re thinking that I’m basing my whole theology on 

1 lonely verse, let me say that 2 Timothy 3:16 is not the only reason that I believe that this is a God inspired/God-breathed Book. 

Here’s a logical reason … because I want you to know that believing 

that the Bible is inspired doesn’t require a blind leap of faith.

My logic follows this track.  1st, I’m faced with a choice …

either God exists or He doesn’t exist.  I think it’s reasonable,

I think it’s rational, I think it’s intelligent to believe that God exists.

There are many scientifically inclined people who believe that God exists.

They look at what He has made & conclude that there is a Creator.

So, I believe it’s reasonable to hold that God exists.

Now if God exists, He is either personal or impersonal.  I think it’s reasonable to conclude, as I look at creation, that He’s a personal God.

Now if He’s a personal God, He has either chosen to reveal Himself to us or to not reveal Himself.  Well, what’s the point of Him being a personal God if He’s not going to reveal Himself?  

He either wants to be known or He doesn’t … I think He wants to be known.

Therefore, either God has revealed Himself to us in 1 consistent, coherent, truth source … or He’s chosen to reveal Himself in many conflicting, 

competing truth sources.  I think it makes far more sense to believe that God has revealed Himself to us in 1 coherent, truth source.

That means that either the Bible is that one consistent,

coherent, truth source, or it’s some other religious writing.

And over the years, as I have read different religious writings … 

I’ve come to believe the Bible to be the Book.

Now some people may not accept the choices I’ve made, 

but they can’t say that I’ve just taken a blind leap of faith.  

It’s been a reasonable, rational, intelligent decision.

Here’s another Scriptural reason for believing the Bible to be inspired … fulfilled prophecy. The Bible has over 1,800 predicted prophecies.  

And they’ re not just some general, vague kind of prophecies, 

like what we find in a fortune cookie.

For example, there are prophecies about the coming Messiah, 100’s of years before He came to earth.  Michah, the Prophet, predicted 800 years before Jesus was born, that He’d be born in a little, inconsequential town called Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2) Daniel predicted the exact time of His arrival. (Daniel 9:24-27) Zechariah prophesized that one day He would enter Jerusalem like a conquering hero on the back of a colt, (Zechariah 9:9) 

but later He’d be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. (Zechariah 11:12-13) 

Isaiah prophesized that He’d be put to death among criminals,

& yet He would be buried in a rich man’s tomb. (Isaiah 53:9) David predicted that His hands & feet would be pierced, (The Psalms 16:18) & that’s especially interesting because in David’s day crucifixion had even been thought of.

Those are amazing prophecies … & to me they underscore the fact that the Bible is a supernatural Book.  There’s not another book like it out there.

Now I dare say that if we knew right now that God sent us a text message … boy, we’d check it out immediately, right?  Well, God has communicated text messages to us in this Book.  So, the question is … are we reading them?

Now some of the messages are words of comfort & encouragement … 

God knows that some of us need that.  Some are words of challenge.  God’s text message is going to kick us in the backside, because He wants us to stop doing something, or start doing something.  Some of the messages are going to be personal revelation.  God doesn’t want us guessing what He’s like; He wants to tell us what He’s like.  He’s communicated that to us through the text messages that we call the Bible.  So, are you reading your messages?

A 2nd aspect is called the canon, the canon of the Bible.  Now when I say “canon”, I don’t want you to think “boom-boom” cannon.  The word I’m using has 1 “n” & comes from the Greek, which means “measuring stick.”  

The canon of Scripture is the measuring stick; it’s the rules that were employed to determine which books ought to be included in the O.T & N.T. … 

& which books ought to be left out.

The Bible breaks down into 2 major parts …the O.T. & the N.T.

Have you ever wondered how the decision was made?

What were the criteria used?  The O.T. is made up of 39 separate books.

The earliest written by Moses around 1600 B.C. … the last, by Zechariah, written about 400 years before Jesus … a span of almost 1,200 years.

How did they come together into the O.T.?

According to Jewish tradition, it was a scribe, a religious leader, 

named Ezra who in 426 B.C. got together a group of his fellow scholars, 

& they determined which books were inspired (God-breathed) & which ones weren’t … & they put together the canon of the O.T.

The N.T. was somewhat like that.  The N.T. begins with the Gospels, biographies of Jesus, so they’re A.D.

The 27 books of the N.T, became the official canon in 363 A.D. when the Council of Laodicea met.  These were Christian leaders from around the then known world, & they determined which books were in, & which books were out, which books were God breathed/inspired & which books were not.  

Now I know there are skeptics out there who question this process.  

Here we are in the early 300’s, & one day the Gospel of Matthew is just an ordinary biography, & then the next day, because of some church council decides to put it into the canon, it’s now considered to be God inspired.

Being canonized didn’t make a book God-breathed/inspired.  Being canonized simply recognized that a book already was God-breathed/God inspired. 

There’s a huge difference between the 2.

Here’s an illustration.  Kathy & I go over to Anderson, where there’s a used bookstore that we love.  There’s an old painting hanging on the wall that I really like, so I buy it.  I get it home & want to fix the frame that’s all beat up.  I take it apart & on the back I find another painting.  

And in the corner of this other painting there’s a signature … Rembrandt!  And I think, “no way.”  So, I take it down to Jeanne at the Art Gallery, 

& she calls in the experts who put it through all sorts of tests, 

& determine that it’s the real deal, it’s an authentic Rembrandt.

Here’s the question … when did my painting become a Rembrandt? 

 Did it become a Rembrandt because the experts called it a Rembrandt?

Is that when? … No, it became a Rembrandt when Mr. Rembrandt painted it.  When did the books included in our Bible become the inspired Word of God? 

… When God inspired them.  So, Ezar & his associates in 426 B.C. didn’t make the books included in the O.T. canon inspired by God … they simply recognized them as such.  And when the Laodicean Council got together in the mid 300’s & determined what books ought to be in the N.T. they didn’t make those books God inspired … 

they simply recognized the ones that already were.

Which leads to the next question … how did they determine that? 

There were 4 basic qualifications; 

4 tests that each book considered for canonization was submitted to.

#1 … the authorship test.  In the O.T. the author had to be a Prophet or a major spokesperson of God.  In the N.T. the author had to be one of the Apostles or a close associate of them.  

Now Luke tells us in his preface that there were some other writings about Jesus out there, (Luke 1:1-2) & then over the next couple of centuries a # of other stories about Jesus popped up.  Now the reason that all those other writings were rejected is because they couldn’t trace their authorship back to an Apostle.  We can contrast that with Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John which were written by people who knew Jesus or were closely associated with people who knew Jesus.  Plus, their Gospels were written within a generation of Jesus’ life.  They had to pass the authorship test.  

#2 … the accuracy test.  Did the book being considered for canonization get its’ facts straight?  Was its’ history, its’ geography, 

its’ details about names & places … were all accurate?

I get the Smithsonian magazine, & there was an article a couple of months ago about a modern archaeologist who had gone back & carefully checked out all the references that Dr. Luke made in The Acts to countries, 

cities, & islands, & he concluded that there wasn’t a single mistake … 

the accuracy test.

#3 … the alignment test.  The canonizers noted that there was nothing super weird in the books considered to be inspired by God.

They aligned with the other inspired books.

Now when I say super weird, I’m not ruling out the miraculous.  

When we read through the Gospel accounts about Jesus’ life, 

(Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John), we find times that Jesus calmed storms, (Mark 4:39) healed lepers & the blind, (Matthew 11:5) 

& fed over 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread & 2 fish. (Luke 9:13-17)

But those aren’t “weird” because each of those miracles had a specific purpose. (john 20:30-31) But in the writings that were rejected we find stores like the time when Jesus, as a young boy, made birds out of mud, & then clapped His hands & they flew away.  That’s weird.  Or the time that Jesus, as a young boy, pushed a friend off a cliff so He could raise him from the dead.  That’s weird.  

So, the books included in the O.T. & the N.T. had to pass the alignment test.  Do they seem to fit?  Are they in concert with the other inspired books?

And finally, there was the acceptance test. Now please understand this one.  

Long before the 39 books of the O.T. & the 27 books of the N.T. were officially canonized, believers had already informally recognized & treated them as sacred writings.  It didn’t take to 363 A.D. for believers to determine that certain books were God inspired … they had been using these books for years.  In fact, the books that were kept out of the Scriptures were ones that were never accepted across the board by believers anyway.

What I want you to understand is that the Bible that you hold in your hand today is a reliable Book.  These are genuine text messages from God.  

They have been put to the test.  

The question again is … are you reading them?

So, we have the inspiration of the Bible, the canon of the Bible, 

& 3rdly, the reading of the Bible.

I love books, (duh, there’s a newsflash).  I especially love biographies, & as you know, I also love used bookstores.  I have favorites in various places throughout the country.  There was one in Gettysburg that I particularly liked, & once when I went there, I came across a biography of Fanny Crosby.  Now I admire her, & we all love her Gospel songs.  So, I bought it.

Inside the front cover was an inscription stating that it had been given to someone on Easter Sunday 1927.  I thought, “How cool is this, over ½ century ago, somebody read this book for the 1st time … the book I’m now holding in my hand.”  But as I began to read the book, I found that it had been cut improperly.  In fact, many of its’ pages were still connected.  

I had to get an exacto knife & slit the pages apart.

Now think about that for a moment.  I got the book back in the late 1980’s.

For over 50 years that wonderful book had been in people’s possession …

& no one ever read it or even opened it!

This Book is from God … it continues to annually outsell every other book that’s printed, & yet there are people who aren’t reading it.  What a loss.

I’ve heard all the excuses.  In fact; I’ve used most of them myself.

Some say they aren’t regular Bible readers because they don’t have the time.  Now we all know what a lame excuse that is.  

We have the time to do the things that we consider to be a priority.

So, if you’re in that category & just can’t find the time, let me challenge you to begin living by a simple rule … determine before you do any other elective activity in the course of a day … you’ll read your Bible.  Before you pick up a newspaper, a magazine, a book … read your Bible.  Before you allow yourself the time to return emails, make sure you’ve read your Bible.

We have to give up the excuse … I don’t have the time.  

This Book is God speaking to us, & we need to read it.

There’s another group who aren’t regular Bible readers because they spend all their “devotion” time listening to Christian music or reading devotional books.  And while those are certainly good things to do … 

if they have become a substitute for reading the Bible, 

then we’re letting the good keep us from the best.

Ezar was a religious leader at a strategic time in Israel’s history.  

The people had just returned to their homeland from 70 years of captivity in Babylon, to find everything in ruins.  The walls of Jerusalem were a pile of rubble.  The Temple was destroyed.  And the people knew exactly why all that had happened.  It was because they had wandered away from God.  

They had stopped being obedient.  But now they were given a fresh start, 

a new beginning, & God’s Word need to be part of that.  So, they asked Ezra, their spiritual leader, to get the Scriptures & read it to them.

(You see, most of them couldn’t read, & even if they could,

there weren’t copies of the Bible in every home like there are today.)

So, here’s the story:

“On the 1st day of the 7th month the people of Israel were all assembled in Jerusalem, in the square just inside the Water Gate.  They asked Ezra, the priest & scholar of the Law which the LORD had given Israel through Moses, to get the book of the Law.  So Ezra brought it to the place where the people had gathered – men, women, & the children who were old enough to understand.  There in the square by the gate he read the Law to them from dawn until noon, & they all listened attentively.” (Nehemiah 8:1-3)

The people wanted to get their lives back on track spiritually 

& operating according to God’s Word.  And they stood in the town square for 6 hours, listening intently, while Ezra read it aloud to them.

“Ezra was standing on a wooden platform that had been built for the occasion. … As Ezra stood there on the platform high above the people, they all kept their eyes fixed on him.  As soon as he opened the book, they all stood up.  Ezra said, ‘Praise the LORD, the great God!’  All the people raised their arms in the air & answered, ‘Amen! Amen!’  They knelt in worship, with their faces to the ground.  Then they rose & stood in their places, & the Levites … gave an oral translation of God’s Law & explained it so that the people could understand it.” (Nehemiah 8:4-8)

I’ve been thinking about that scene all week, & have made this my prayer for Bear Creek Church … that all of us, me included, in fact, 

everyone who comes here would have that kind of hunger for God’s Word;

that we all would want to build our lives on it.

That all of us would become regular Scripture readers;

that we would pick up this Book & begin to check out God’s message to us.

What good are God’s text messages if we don’t read them?  

God wants to communicate with us.

MARANA THA

AFRAID TO DIE? … based on Philippians 1:20-26

 

from the desk of . . .

Rande Wayne Smith

D.Min., Th.M., M.Div.

 

 

 

… based on Philippians 1:20-26

 

Afraid to Die?

What are you afraid of? … When I was a boy, my uncle lived next to us, 

& he had the largest chicken farm in western PA.

So, I grew up with chickens.  By the time I was 10 I would go over & work in his hatchery every Saturday morning.  He had 2 huge “barns” or “chicken coops” consisting of 18 separate rooms, each holding over 500 chickens …

& my job was to help gather eggs.

 

​Never had a problem, but when I was 15, one Friday evening I went to see Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, “The Birds.”  And the next morning, as I went into that 1st room, with just me & 500 chickens milling around … apparently,they had seen the movie too, because they were definitely looking at me differently!  And I was afraid of those stupid chickens.

 

All kidding aside, the main fear that I deal with today is a fear of heights.  It honestly terrifies me.

 

So, what are you afraid of? … Fear is 1 of the most common emotions.

We all have fears … some are well known, others are hidden.  Many are rational; “phobias” they’re called.  My fear of heights is acrophobia.

Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders.  Claustrophobia is the fear of being in closed spaces. Trypanophobia is the fear of needles.  Kathy has lilapsophobia, the fear of tornadoes. Blake, I know, suffers from on-a-on-a-on-a-on-phobia.  The fear that Rande will go on & on & on & on & on & on& on.

 

Now according to some studies, people’s #1 fear is public speaking.  

#2 is death.  Now this means to the average person, if you have to go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.

 

Well, death has been on my mind a lot over the past few weeks.

There was the suicide of a young man in a family that is close to me.  

And then there was the passing of my brother-in-law.  

And then a few days ago I learned that another good friend, Bill, 

who along with his wife, Sue, (who passed last year) … Bill & Sue were the godparents of my son, Marty … Bill just passed.  The point of all this is that this morning I want to look at how we can conquer the fear of dying.

 

Listen to how the writer of Hebrews puts it …

“Since the children, as Jesus calls them, are people of flesh & blood, 

He himself became like them & shared their human nature.  He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil, who has the power over death, & in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives because 

of their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14-15)

 

In other words, the fear of death enslaves some people.  

They’re terrified of it.

 

Now the truth is, most of the time we don’t give dying a thought, until … Bejamin takes his life on April 12th … or Dave passes on April 20th …              or cancer takes Bill on May 5th.

 

​But, as I’ve discovered over the years, especially when I’m visiting someone in the ICU, & I want to talk about eternity;

I sense a real avoidance or fear concerning the subject of death.

 

The letter to the Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul.  

Now Paul was a man who faced death fearlessly.  In fact, this particular letter was written while he was in prison in Rome, where he was awaiting a trial, which probably would end with an executioner’s sword.  

Keep that in mind as I read our Scripture passage.

 

Listen now to Good News, from Paul to the Church in Philippi, 

& to Bear Creek Church.  Within our hearing comes the Word of the Lord …

 

​My deep desire and hope is that I shall never fail in my duty, but that at all times, and especially right now, I shall be full of courage, so that with my whole being I shall bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.  For what is life?  To me, it is Christ.  Death, then, will bring more.  

But if by continuing to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose.  I am pulled in two directions.  I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing; but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive.  I am sure of this, and so I know that I will stay on with you all, to add to your progress and joy in the faith, so that when I am with you again, you will have even more reason to be proud of me in your life in union with Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:20-26)

 

Jesus said … “How happy are those who hear 

the word of God & obey it!” (Luke 11:28)

 

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification.  Amen

 

Okay, Paul was fearless in the face of death, & today we’re going to learn 

3 things that will enable us to conquer any fear we might have of dying.

 

Insight #1 … commit to a great cause.  

If we want to conquer our fear of death,

then we must commit to a great cause.

 

I read an interesting antidote about Ronald Reagan this past week.  

Reagan, as you know, spent the final 10 years of his life in the grip of Alzheimer’s disease.  And slowly he forgot everything.  He forgot his years as a Hollywood actor.  He forgot his life as the Governor of CA.  He forgot his 2 terms as President of the U.S.  But there was 1 area of his life that stayed with him to the very end.  There was a photograph on his office wall, & when people would come to visit, he’d point to the picture & say … “That’s the Rock River in IL where I was a lifeguard when I was 17 years old.”  Then he would pause & break into a big smile.  “That’s where I saved 77 lives.”

 

Saving lives … a great cause … was etched permanently in his memory.  

And a great cause like that tends to give people who are “lifesavers” a fearlessness as they face death.  Whether it’s a lifeguard like Ronald Reagan plunging into treacherous waters, or a firefighter running into a burning building, or a soldier advancing against enemy fire … 

aren’t these people worried that they could die?

I’m sure the thought crosses their minds from time to time.  

But their commitment to a great cause, the cause of saving lives, 

gives them courage in the face of death.

 

The Apostle Paul was committed to the great cause of saving lives for eternity.  Paul’s mission was to connect people with God in a relationship that would last forever; which, by the way, is only possible through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Himself stated … “I am the way, the truth, & the life; no one goes to the Father except by me.” (John 14:6) So, Paul was determined to connect people to Jesus, because Jesus is how people get connected to God.

 

This was very dangerous in the 1st century … connecting people to Jesus.  And Paul risked his life many times in the pursuit of that mission. 

But Paul was so committed to it that he didn’t worry about death.

 

Some quick background.  Early on Paul, (he was known as Saul then),

had been a fierce opponent to Christianity.  He’d go from city to city & round up followers of Jesus so that they could be put to death. (The Acts 8:3) Then one day, as he was on his way to the city of Damascus, he encountered the risen Christ, (The Acts 9:5) & his life was totally transformed.  

And from that point on he no longer persecuted followers of Jesus …

he was determined to make people followers of Jesus.

So, he traveled from city to city to accomplish that ministry.                    

 

​One day he showed up in Philippi, which was located in present day Greece, & the 1st person he met was a businesswoman named Lydia.  

And after a short conversation Lydia came to faith. (The Acts 16:14)

She becomes the 1st follower of Jesus in Europe.  

And before long, many others in Philippi came to faith.

 

Now, while Paul was there a servant girl began to follow him around.  Everywhere he went she badgered him, she heckled him, she mocked him.  Scripture reports that she “had an evil spirit.” (The Acts 16:16) And finally, 

when Paul had taken as much as he could, “he turned around & said to the spirit, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ I order you to come out of her!’”  

(The Acts 16:18) The spirit left immediately; & so did her occult powers.  

(This evil spirit had enabled her to predict the future, & as a result,

she earned a lot of money for her owners.)

And so, with her powers gone, her owners lost their meal ticket.

So, they pressed charges, & Paul was arrested, beaten & thrown into jail.

(The Acts 16:22-23)

 

But Paul’s still committed to his great cause of saving lives for eternity.  

So, we find him in his cell “praying & singing hymns to God ….

Suddenly there was a violent earthquake” & the jail was reduced to rubble.

So, the jailer, who was responsible for all the prisoners, “pulled out his sword & was about to kill himself.”  (He assumed the prisoners had escaped.)

“But Paul shouts, ‘Don’t harm yourself!  We are all here!’”(The Acts 16:25-28)

And a conversation about Jesus began, & the jailer came to faith!  

And then he took Paul home to meet his family … & they all came to faith!

 

​What do you do with a guy like Paul?  You try to shut him up by throwing him in jail … & then he leads the other prisoners, the jailer,

& the jailer’s family to Christ! Paul wasn’t worried about death.  

He was too preoccupied with this great cause of telling others about Jesus.  

So, the question is … are we committed to a cause that’s so great that it neutralizes our fear of dying?

 

Be bold in your conversations.

Invite others to worship here, where they’ll hear the Good News about Jesus that could change their lives forever.  

 

Do you want to lose your fear of death?  Then,

#1 … commit to a great cause.  

#2 … set your hope on something better.

 

I love the story about Albert Einstein.  Once, as he was traveling on a train from his home in Princeton, he saw the conductor coming down the aisle punching tickets.  But, when he got to him, Einstein couldn’t find his ticket.  He looked through all his pockets, he checked his briefcase, he looked under his seat cushion.  Finally, the conductor said, “Dr. Einstein, don’t worry,

I know who you are.  I’m sure you bought a ticket.”  And he moved on.

But when he got to the end of the aisle & turned, he saw Einstein on the floor, on his hands & knees, still searching for his ticket.

The conductor raced back.  “Dr. Einstein, I told you, I know who you are.  Don’t worry about it.”  Einstein looked up at him.

“Young man, I, too, know who I am.  What I don’t know is where I’m going!”

 

The most important thing to know as we face death is … where we’re going.  As Paul awaited trial in Rome, a trial that would probably lead to his death; 

he was certain that dying would be nothing more than a doorway that would bring him into the presence of Jesus. And Paul’s desire to be with Jesus is what took the fear right out of dying for him.  Remember what he wrote?

 

“For what is life?  To me, it is Christ.  Death, then, will bring more.”  

Wow!  “Death will bring more!”  

Isn’t that a powerful truth?  Death brings more Christ!

 

Paul’s saying … “If I go on living, that’s good, I can do more ministry … 

but if I die, hey, that’s great because I’m going to be with Jesus!”  He says,

“I am not sure which I should choose.  I am pulled in 2 directions.  I want very much to leave this life & be with Christ, which is a far better thing.”

 

​Over the years I’ve heard people say, & you have too, when asked how they’re doing … “not very well, but it’s better than the alternative.”  

Not if you’re a believer it isn’t!

 

​What made Paul so sure that he would experience life with Jesus after death?  How did Paul know that death wouldn’t be the end of the line for him?  Well, I gave it away earlier.  On the road to Damascus Paul met the risen Christ. And based on that encounter with Jesus, 

he realized that he himself would rise from the dead one day.

 

But why should Jesus’ resurrection guarantee life after death for anybody other than Jesus?  Why should Jesus’ resurrection guarantee life after death for the Apostle Paul?  Why should Jesus’ resurrection guarantee life after death for you & for me?  What’s the connection?

 

​Before answering that I need to ask another question … what causes death in the 1st place? … That’s simple: heart disease, cancer, car accident, gunshot, starvation, any# of things.  Yes, but those are the surface causes of death. Scripture teaches that the theological reason that people die is sin.  And sin leads to death.  

“Sin pays its wage – death.” (Romans 6:23) Because people sin … people die.

​So, if God is the source of life, & if sin is disconnecting from God, & if we disconnect from the source of life by sinning … then we’re going to die.

“Sin pays its wage – death.”  So, have you ever sinned?  

God says “don’t do this” … & we do it.  God says “do this” … & we don’t do it.  

Have you ever sinned? …

 

Well, the bottom line is that we’ve all sinned & “sin pays its wage – death.”  That’s the bad news.  But here’s the Good News.  Scripture teaches that …

 

“Sin came into the world through 1 man, & his sin brought death with it.  

As a result, death has spread to the whole human race because everyone has sinned. … So then, as the 1 sin condemned all people, in the same way the 1 righteous act sets all people free & gives them life.  And just as all people were made sinners as the result of the disobedience of 1 man, in the same way they will all be put right with God as the result of the obedience of the 1 man.” (Romans 5:12, 18-19)

 

Now, does that mean that everyone is saved?  

No, Scripture teaches that we must be connected to the One who has this gift to give; the One who purchased it upon the cross. (1 Peter 2:24)

 

“The testimony is this: God has given us eternal life, 

& this life has its source in his Son.  Whoever has the Son has this life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11-12)

When we’ve come to faith in Jesus … God promises us eternal life. (John 3:16)

 

So, how do we conquer our fear of death?  

#1, by committing to a great cause.  #2,

by setting our hope on something better.  And #3, live to benefit others.

 

Maria McCormack was in the news recently because she saved somebody’s life.  Actually, it was her Dodge Charger; & Maria was pretty vocal in that she wasn’t too happy about it.  She was driving down the street, when a 22-year-old guy jumped from the 39th floor of his apartmentbuilding in NYC.  But instead of landing on the street, he crashed through the rear windshield of her car, & landed in the backseat … injured, but still alive.

And rather than being glad that this man’s life was saved, 

Maria was smoking mad.  The guy ruined her car!

As I heard the story I thought to myself “there’s a lot of Maria in every one of us.  

We go through life with a big ‘S’ on our chest, & it doesn’t stand for ‘super.’

It stands for ‘selfish.’  We’re most concerned about #1.”

 

What a contrast with the disposition of the Apostle Paul.

“I want to remain alive so that I can add to your progress &joy in your faith with Christ Jesus.”

 

Now this would sound horribly arrogant if it came from anybody other than the Apostle Paul.  Imagine me telling you … 

“Hey, I want to hang out with you, because it’ll do you so much good!  

If I’m with you your joy will overflow.”

 

But Paul could say that with integrity, & mean it,

because he lived to benefit others.  He wanted people to grow spiritually because he knew that would bring them overwhelming joy!  Wouldn’t you love to have a friend like Paul, always looking for ways to benefit you?  

Maybe a better question for us this morning is …

“wouldn’t we like to be a friend like Paul”?

 

You see, the more we look out for others, the less we’ll be preoccupied with our own concerns, especially the ultimate concern, the fear of death.

 

In my 1st church, up in Niagara Falls, there were 2 men in my congregation, 

who were dying at the same time with cancer.  I’ll call them Bert & Ernie.  (Actually, the one man’s name was Ernie.) When Bert discovered that he had cancer he became obsessed with finding a cure.  He traveled all over the U.S. & even went to Mexico looking for some “miracle” drug.  

He was committed to not dying.  That was his life’s purpose … don’t die.  

But he got sicker & sicker with his cancer & became so melancholy.  

I would go & visit & come away emotionally exhausted.  

And when he finally died his wife was bitter toward God.

 

Then there was Ernie.  Ernie had a heart as big as all outdoors.  

He was an elder in our congregation.  He would show up during the week & do things around the church that needed to be done. 

He was constantly giving his time & money to help others.

When Ernie found out that he had cancer he just kept living for the benefit of others.  It was a joy to be with Ernie.  He always lifted my spirits, & everyone else’s.  And in his final days he made arrangements for his eyes, & other organs to be donated to help others.  

 

Ernie was like Paul.  As Paul awaited his trial in Rome, what was he thinking about? … Was he focused on his approaching death? … There’s Paul in jail, with that realization loaming over him, & all he could think about was how he might serve the Philippians.  Fear of death can’t touch a person like that.

 

Remember how Jesus faced His death?  He’s hanging on the cross.  

He’s in pain.  He’s in agony.  This is the time to be self-centered.  

But Jesus looks down at His executioners & prays for them!

“Forgive them, Father!” (Luke 23:34)

Then He looks to one side where there’s a criminal dying next to Him who wants to know, “will I get into Heaven?”  And Jesus takes the time to say, 

“I promise you that today you will be in Paradise with me.”(Luke 23:43)

And at the foot of the cross is His Mom, Mary, & His best friend, John.  And He says, “John, I want you to take care of Mom.  

And Mom, you’re going to live with John.  He’ll take care of you.” (John 19:26-27) This is Jesus facing death.

 

How do we conquer the fear of death? …

1st … commit to a great cause.  

And there’s no greater cause than saving lives for eternity, 

by connecting people to Jesus.

 

2nd … set our heart on something better.  

And there’s nothing better than what Jesus is preparing for us in Heaven.

(John 14:2)

 

And 3rdly … live our life to benefit others; 

by serving them with a selfless spirit that The Holy Spiritwill produce in us.

(Galatians 5:22-23)

 

MARANA THA