Congregations spring up for various reasons, live for awhile and either grow or die

I preached the following sermon in September, 2004. The setting was in a church in rural Harrison County, Texas. This message could fit any number of small rural congregations with aging demographics.

We can all agree that life itself is cyclical, is up for awhile and down for awhile. For a time, times will be good and then the bottom will fall out. The money is good, it’s not so good. Our health is good, but problems come along, then things get better. Our job is fine, and then we hit a bump, but get over it. So we go on—because as we get older and wiser we know that things are not going to stay the way they are because we just know things have a way of changing and going off in directions that we would not have imagined. Probably the most constant in our lives is that things change.

Any student of history can attest that civilizations rise and civilizations fall only to rise again in another form. Nations come and go and come back with a new name.

Psychologists and Sociologists have observed that we are born and grow and go through stages of development on a progression from birth to death. Families, by the same token, form at marriage, produce children that grow up and leave the parent family to form new families. The parent family goes on for a while then finally dies. The stages of development of the family can be cataloged by observing the ages of the children as they develop, are in the home and leave, leaving the two parents who started it, alone with just each other once again to go on to old age together. At least that is the model—baring any unforeseen circumstances like a death, or a divorce, or some other traumatic occurrence that tends to derail the model.

Institutions such as companies, schools and, O yes, churches--tend to follow the same pattern. The pattern calls for formation, development, a rise, a fall, then finally a decline and subsequently a ceasing of operations. Death.

However, as far as a church is concerned—and here I am using the term church to mean a congregation in a certain place, city, town, street and so on, not the church, universal, that church that we are all a part of because of our faith in Jesus its Head, the church that He is building which will stand throughout eternity—(as far as a church, a local congregation of people is concerned) this decline leading to death can be halted, or at best, delayed by rebirth, by the people experiencing revival, by folk seeking renewal, by the rekindling of the flame of the Holy Spirit of God among the flock. In short, this decline, this death can be avoided by an influx of life within the membership. The death of a church can be forestalled by the people having a desire for God’s Word and by the congregation exhibiting a longing to be changed and renewed by a fresh in-filling of the Holy Spirit.

Let us look for a moment at something that is not pleasant, perhaps, but nevertheless, is an idea we must inevitably face. This church has been around for, what, 150 years? It may not be around for another 150 years. At some point, it will cease to exist. The church will die and we will see the doors boarded up, the grass and weeds and the briars growing high and the fire ants and the termites taking over.

In Luke the twelfth chapter, Jesus cautioned us about being able to look at the sky and know it was going to rain, but not being able to see what was going on around us. There are some signs that are becoming obvious if we have eyes to see. There are some indicators beginning to occur now and even have been occurring for quite some time that may very well tell us that the end may be nearer than we want to think.

Several have described to me from time to time that this church was once full of folk and kids and attendance was much more than it is today. As to the details and how long ago and how much and why, I do not know and it is not important. But what is important, is that this phenomenon has occurred and is currently in process. A decline in interest, in membership, in budget, in attendance has occurred and is, as we speak continuing to occur. Of course, in the history of the congregation, this may not be the first decline—but it is the one we have observed in recent history and we can continue to observe its process, if we have eyes to see.

Very recently we have seen the occurrence of a long-time faithful family, experience aging, and with it subsequent health difficulties that led to a decision to move to be closer to immediate family—to move away from the area, away from the county and away from this church.
Winds of change indicate that this same scenario may soon repeat itself again--and quite possibly, again.

Also, it is a fact of life that when people begin to experience aging, more frequently occurring health issues and just general physical decline, church attendance, church involvement—serving on committees, taking an active part in church activities slows way down so that ultimately we observe the cessation of church activities other than perhaps infrequent attendance and perhaps some continuing financial support.

Please note that how quickly these kinds of issues begin to become a factor in one’s involvement in the corporate activity of the church is directly proportional to one’s dedication to serving the Lord and one’s mindset as to what that service entails. But the strength of that dedication or its direction, guided by the individual’s mindset can not necessarily be measured but its effects can be observed in behaviors, those kinds of behaviors that we have defined, in practice, as church activities.

Therefore, if, just on the strength of these two reasons for decline in attendance and participation—that on the one hand, members move away and on the other hand, they get older, get health issues and become less active--we can predict a definite decline in church attendance and participation as the average age of the congregation gets higher. But this is true only if there are not some additions to take the place of those who left or of those who are slowing down.

But these additions, in order to change the equation, must be just as enthusiastic, just as well versed in scripture, just as dedicated to the Lord’s work as those who have left or slowed down and who had been very active in the recent past. It would help also, if these additions had a mindset that believes that the work going on at this church is, in fact, the Lord’s work. All of this will take some time and some effort just as those who went before, no doubt, grew in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord, but surely not overnight.

So we can then see that as the older ones leave and the younger ones come in, there is, of necessity, a time-lag before the replacements get up to speed. And, let’s face it, some never do. Some of those who come in are already loaded down with a young and demanding family, one or two jobs and are already burning the proverbial candle at both ends—all of which leaves little time or energy for church-related activities other than occasional attendance and minimal participation.

In the face of all this, how can we change the trend? How can we overcome? How can we choose life instead of death?

“With God all things are possible . . . If God be for us, who can be against us . . . He that is in us is stronger than he that is in the world.”

One way we have traditionally built churches—some denominations have this idea down to perfection—is to start with a strong Sunday School program for all ages, but especially the children and youth. If the kids are involved in kid-related activities and are getting some fun, fellowship and a little Bible along, the parents will not be far behind, especially, if the children are allowed to perform in the regular service from time to time. Parents, grandparents, godparents and relatives will be there. It’s a tried and true method of evangelism. Another factor, is that if the kids are getting their needs met, they tend to bring other kids—more evangelism.

In fact, if the adults are getting their needs met, they will stay with it, participate, give money, time and energy—and even boldly try to recruit their friends and acquaintances—more evangelism.

Speaking of needs met, this may well be a key factor in building any organization, as well as a church. As we have said, people will tend to attend, to support, to participate in any organization that can meet their real or perceived needs. However, a word of caution here might be in order as we consider the process of building a church. If we just have a group of folk who come together from time to time, and we call it a church. Our result may not be what Jesus had in mind when He said, “I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” Perhaps our attention should be focused more upon fulfilling the spiritual needs of the people, at least as an end goal.

But back to my original point: look at the signs. Look at the record. See what is happening to us. This church will die and the doors will be boarded up and the grass and weeds and the briars will grow high and the salamanders, the fire ants and the termites will have their day. But, whether that day will be far into the future, or right around the corner, is up to you and you and you, and, O yes, the preacher, whoever he or she might be, has some responsibility too.
I submit to you this morning, that unless there is constantly new life, renewal, enthusiasm for the Word, hunger for spiritual growth and excitement of the membership over the gospel of Christ, our demise as a church is not too far in the future!

Let me make something clear. There is a difference between the church--the “ecclesia” the “called out body” consisting of all those who have accepted Jesus as Lord of their lives from long ago to right now and into the future until He comes again--and this particular congregation.
We are two things in one. We are a part of the physical corporate body, with charters, names on our doors, membership rolls and denominational affiliation. We are also and at the same time, a part of His body, and each individual—who has made Jesus Lord of his or her life—is a part of the body of Christ.

There is the spiritual, the real, body of Christ—the bride anxiously awaiting the wedding day—and the physical congregations of folk with various names like First Church, Community Church, Central Church and so on, who are a part of the whole.
The physical counterparts, the denominations, the congregations, serve to provide a framework upon which to hang our spiritual hats. And, if one congregation dies out, the people left will migrate to another church if they have any interest in doing the Lord’s will. Most will, however, leave before the fact.

This church will die and the doors will be boarded up and the grass and weeds and the briars will grow high and the salamanders, the fire ants and the termites will have their day. And whether that day will be far into the future, or next year, or within the next 10 or 20 years, is up to you.

Unless there is constantly new life, renewal, enthusiasm for the Word, hunger for spiritual growth and excitement exhibited by the membership of this church. Unless there is enthusiasm for the glorious and wonderful gospel, the good news of Jesus the Christ with a burning desire to tell others to share the good news—the death of this church is just around the corner.

The death of this church can be avoided if we continue to cultivate an appetite and a desire for God’s Word and if we make a deliberate and conscious decision to be changed and renewed by a fresh in-filling of the Holy Spirit.

The Name of Evil

The Name of Evil
I preached the following sermon in September, 2006. The setting was in a church in Marshall, Texas.
Hear the Word of the Lord
THE OLD TESTAMENT READING
Job 1:1-12 (King James Version)
1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
2And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
3His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
4And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
5And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
7And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
8And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
9Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
10Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
11But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
12And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

THE NEW TESTAMENT READINGS
Revelation 12:7-12 (King James Version)
7And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Ephesians 6:10-13 (King James Version)
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.



THE SERMON
If you have looked at a newspaper, watched a TV news program or caught a radio newscast while driving lately, you have been literally bombarded with news reporters shouting stories and offering eyewitness reports of bombings, killings, wars, genocides, shootings, attacks, crashes, wrecks, explosions, hurricanes, storms, floods, tornados, fires, deaths, rapes, murders and any number of other disasters and terrible events that manage to kill, maim, cripple and harm people, people who are, more often than not, innocent people, bystanders, victims and non-combatants.
All of these happenings and incidents and occurrences can be labeled the result of evil. The world we live in is a very dangerous place because of evil The results of evil ideas and evil actions make it difficult to stay alive today. However, if we look into the Word of God it becomes obvious that the constant presence of evil has plagued mankind for centuries, perhaps since time began.
We have read this morning about a man named Job from Uz. We do not know exactly were Uz was, and many of the details are sketchy about just who Job was, but there is a good possibility that he was the same person mentioned in Genesis 35 by the name of Jobab, the 2nd king of Edom, a relative of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. Remember the one who sold his birthright for a bowl of stew? The story of Job is, I believe, a fascinating one. Maybe it could be the topic we deal with next Sunday, the Lord willing.
But getting on with today’s lesson, according to the scripture, Job’s name came up on the agenda of a meeting, a meeting around a table in the conference room of Almighty God, a meeting with all the head-angels. Satan, being one of them, was asked by God what he thought about Job. And angel Satan, being a negative thinker, did not have much confidence in Job’s being able to maintain his righteousness, especially under duress.
Perhaps noteworthy in this particular passage is that here is Satan, the accuser of the brethren, the deceiver, the father of lies, the destroyer, the sworn enemy of mankind right there sitting at the table accusing Job before the Father of being good just because God had blessed him and protected him. Of course Job won and the devil lost his bet, however, at Job’s expense. But Job got it all back, even double in the end.
Then skipping about 4,000 years in time, we read an account by the Apostle John of his vision on the Island of Patmos about 90 AD. There was some conflict in the heavenly realms which resulted in that old Serpent, another name for Satan, or the Devil--also known as the accuser of God’s children—being removed from the conference table and consigned to the Earth. No longer did he have the Ear of the Father so as to accuse the faithful, evidently actually overcome and demoted, stripped of any real power, all done because of innocent righteous blood shed on Calvary.
But the line in verse 12 of that passage that said “. . . .woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short. . .” kind of brings one up short, gets your attention.
The book of Revelation is the only book in the Bible that promises you a blessing if you read it, or hear it read. In verse three of the very first chapter, we find it says, “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
So, hopefully we can all get some blessing and some information from the passage read this morning.
Next, Paul gives us some insight into who the real enemy is in the sixth chapter of his letter to the Ephesians. That particular letter was, according to scholarship, most likely written not to the church in Ephesus exclusively, but as a circular letter to be read in all the churches in the area that is now known as Greece and Turkey. So, this morning, we have read some of it as well, to a portion of the church in Marshall, Texas
We learn first of all here that the Devil has or uses wiles, or cunning arts, deceit, craft and trickery, and God supplies some protection, some armor against these tactics, but we must be knowledgeable enough and willing enough to put it on and wear it. We could do a sermon or two on this armor, and might some day, however, for this lesson, lets just concentrate on our task of defining and recognizing this thing we call evil.
Paul informs us that our struggle is not against human beings. Our enemy is not human. Our opponent is not a man or woman. Our battle is with beings in the spirit world.
Now, hear me out. I did not say this, the Apostle Paul, who claimed to have had visions or spiritual visits with Jesus, who wrote a third of the New Testament cannon, who devoted his life to taking the gospel of Christ all over the known world in his day. Paul says that our real enemy, the real evil, consists of, and I quote, “. . . .principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
The Greek word translated principalities has to do with the idea of rulers and magistrates. The word rendered powers could also be given as, spiritual potentates. Then the word translated “rulers” could as well be translated as “the devil and his demons” devil and demons who rule what Paul describes as the darkness of this age, or as one definition is given: the persons in whom darkness becomes visible and holds sway. Thus Satan and his bunch have so deceived some that to them dark is light and the night is desirable and gives them, to use another metaphor—a sense of boldness to do evil things. And Paul continues, using the word spiritual—non-physical—hosts or many beings all over the place, all over the heavens that surround the earth constantly involved in doing wickedness, wreaking havoc, wantonly destroying, and making misery for mankind.
We could find numerous other passages in both the Old and New Testaments that would shed light on our subject: the idea, the concept, the personification, of evil if time permitted. But I will cite just one more example here. It is a passage we recite almost every time we come together as a church. We call it the Lord’s Prayer.
The version from Matthew six is the one you are most familiar with. It goes:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
According to those who study such things, the Greek word translated “evil” is used in the nominative case in Mt. 6:13. This usually denotes a title in the Greek. Hence Christ is saying, deliver us from "The Evil", and is probably referring to Satan. Thus some translations render it “deliver us from evil” while others translate it deliver us from the evil one.” I think we all know who the “Evil One” is.
Our struggle is not against human beings this morning. Our enemy is not human. Our opponent is not a man or woman. Our battle is with a being and his beings in the spirit world, Satan and his angels and his demons. We read about demons in the New Testament. Jesus dealt with them on a daily basis. The demons knew who Jesus was, even though most of the people in Galilee and Judea did not seem to get it.
Do we have demons today? Well, if we do not have demons today, when did they leave? Where did they go? Do you suppose that the demons are as busy today as they ever were, putting evil thoughts in people’s heads, cajoling, lying, conniving, convincing, deceiving and tricking folks into doing all sorts of destructive things. That’s why we need the armor! The Deceiver is cunning enough to deceive the very elect.
Put yourself in the enemy’s mind for just a moment. If you wanted to destroy God’s children, break up God’s family, disrupt the Bride of God’s Christ, what would be a foolproof tactic? Why not sow seeds of distrust, of suspicion, of pride of one’s knowledge, of selfishness, and self aggrandizement and self importance and help folks be so fully convinced that they had it all figured out and everybody else was wrong.
Sow seeds of doubt about spiritual things, instigate a fear theology instead of a faith theology. These are a few of the destroyer’s methods in use today in the church. I don’t believe that any one of us is above being deceived. This is why we must have a knowledge of the Word of God, because God’s Word is true. If it doesn’t measure up to the Word, then it’s a lie!
But how are we going to know, how are we going to be able to discern fact from fiction if we do not have a working knowledge of the scriptures? Sunday school is good. Listening to a 25 minute sermon once a week is good, however, it may not be enough. Personal study, a respect for the Word, a desire to know what God’s will is, and desire to become closer to the Father every day, to grow in the grace and knowledge of God would be our goal, it’s part of the armor of God, it’s having our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel, knowing the word, knowing wherein we stand.
We have not scratched the surface of this subject, but time is up for today. If we need to take anything away this morning, take home this:
Our enemy is not human. Our enemy is an angelic being called Satan. He is real, he is alive and he is furious with anyone who believes in Jesus. He is out to get you. When you get on God’s side, you automatically get on Satan’s list. He has helpers in angels and demons and you can’t see them, they are only spiritually discerned. People can be influenced by these demons, we witness the result of these evil influences every day on the news and many times in personal experiences.
Jesus tells us to love our enemies, those people who persecute us, revile us and falsely accuse us because of our stand on God’s side. He tells us to turn the other cheek, to pray for them and help them. The New Testament instructs us in how to bring others into the Kingdom: to preach the Gospel, to live the Gospel, to shout the Good News, to turn on the light of truth, to be the good Samaritan, to be the helper, to be the giver, so that those folks who are deceived and walking in the Devil’s darkness might see a better way, might have hope, might choose life instead of death.
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. There is one way and that is the Lord’s way. If that’s narrow, then that’s narrow. God’s desire is for everyone to come to a knowledge Him, He would rather that none would succumb to the Devil, but He also said that at some point, every knee shall bow, and that means everyone who ever lived, who lives now and who will ever live, every knee shall bow before the Lord Jesus, God’s Christ. I guess it means that even though one might go through life as an atheist and unbeliever, at some point that person will be forced to bow and acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ. But we can’t guarantee what will happen to that atheist next. I think I will just choose life, just choose Jesus and acknowledge Him right this minute as Lord of Lords and King of Kings, will you Join Me?

Amen

Are you the Messiah (The Anointed One), or shall we look for another?

I preached the following sermon in September, 2006. The setting was in a church in Marshall, Texas.
Hear the Word of the Lord
Old Testament Reading
Jonah 1: 17 – 2: 10 (King James Version)

17Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah’s Prayer and Deliverance From Jonah 1: 17 through the end of chapter 2

17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
1Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,
2And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
3For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.
4Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.
5The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.
6I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.
7When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.
8They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
9But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
10And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

New Testament Reading

Matthew 12: 38-42 (King James Version)

38Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
39But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
42The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.


The Sermon

Are you the Messiah (The Anointed One), or shall we look for another?

The title of the sermon this morning is taken from a question asked by John the Baptist about Jesus, when he was in Prison.

Matthew 11:2-4 (King James Version)

2Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
4Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
2Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
4Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see:

Things about the lame walking, the blind seeing and folks getting healed and the dead getting raised. Jesus knew that John was familiar with the prophesies of the Messiah from the Psalms and Jeremiah and Isaiah

In our New Testament reading this morning from Mathew 12, Jesus states that the idea that Jonah was in the belly of a fish for three days and lived to tell it, was the only sign that they were going to get.

What did they want a sign of, a sign for, What were they looking for proof of?

Well, the answer is obvious if we give the question a little thought. Here was a man going around, calling himself the Son of Man, a title church folk of the day knew quite well, because it was a title used by the prophets of old. So, here was this fellow, walking around calling himself a prophet, preaching stuff that was a little too close for comfort, healing people on the Sabbath and eating without the customary ceremonial washing of the hands. And as far as they were able to find out, had never been to rabbinical school. The story went that he just walked in from the river Jordan one day, a man about 30 years old after having been a carpenter, a worker in wood in that little town of Nazareth (and nothing good has ever come from Nazareth), a Galilean, certainly not qualified to be proclaiming such high ideals and such teachings, stuff that made the church folk nervous to listen too, in fact made some of them downright angry. Angry enough to think about trying to hush him up, even to kill him.

Well Jesus—give us a sign to prove that you are the Messiah. All this healing and preaching is not enough. We need proof, a sign before we will believe.
“Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” (Matt. 12)
39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
We might just note here also that Luke gives his version of this exchange in chapter 11.

Sometimes, when you read a passage in the Bible, do you ever question and wonder just why God decided to give us that particular information? Or, maybe you think, what is the point, Lord? Why, Jonah?

Who was Jonah anyway?

Jonah, was one of the minor prophets who lived about 750 years before Jesus was born. The Old Testament book of 2nd Kings (II Kings 14: 23-29) tells us that Jonah was a prophet and statesman who helped King Jeroboam to regain territory that Israel had lost in the past. The passage also states that Jonah was from a little town called Gath Hepher, which was just 6 miles north of another little Galilean town, Nazareth. So, Jonah and Jesus were born just six miles and 750 years apart. Coincidence? Maybe.

Scholars mostly attribute the book of Jonah in the Old Testament, to Jonah himself. Although, if he did write it himself, he was pretty hard on himself, as we will see in a minute. The book of Jonah tells a preposterous tale about a man being thrown overboard, swallowed by a fish and then spit out on a beach alive--all over a space of three days.

Speaking of Bible scholars, some of them today do not believe that this story really happened, they believe that it is merely an allegory, a fictional account intended to teach a lesson.

I want to go on record right here and declare that I believe the story is true, that it really happened and that it has some significance for us here and now.

Lets look at some facts. Gospel writers Matthew and Luke state that Jesus said that the only sign of his Messiahship he was going to offer was the sign of the prophet Jonah’s journey to the bottom of the sea, his being ingested into a big fish and, after 3 days, his being spit out upon the beach and his subsequent evangelical mission to the foreign city of Nineveh, whereupon they repented and were saved from the wrath of God.

Unless we are willing to disregard the testimony of Matthew and Luke that Jesus believed Jonah was a real live person who actually lived through an actual fish-swallowing event, as well as the testimony in 2nd Kings, that Jonah actually lived and did activities in Israel during the reign of Jeroboam, then we would have to conclude, with our Lord, that the fish story was not so preposterous after all! My Bible says that with God, all things are possible.

So, the Jonah story actually happened just the way the Bible says it did.

God told the prophet that He wants Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell them to repent of their wickedness, or He (God) will destroy them. Nineveh was a city of 120,000 (little bigger than Marshall). Its ruins can be found today, located just outside of Mosul, Iraq. You have probably heard newscasters speak of recent battles and incidents in and around that area. So, about 2,750 years ago, Nineveh was a very important city on the north-south trade routes right on the banks of the Tigris river. It was the capital of the Assyrian empire and its king exerted pressure on all surrounding nations, off times exacting taxes or payments for protection. Evidently folks’ behaviors were about the same then as they are now. So, Nineveh was the stronghold of the enemy of Israel.

Can you imagine being asked by God to go into the capital city of your nation’s worst enemy unarmed and then preach a message that warns of their destruction if they do not immediately repent and quit doing their wickedness?

What ever else Jonah was, he was evidently not too big on bravery. Have you ever noticed that God sometimes uses people who are not the strongest and best, but maybe are the weakest and most unlikely. Maybe God can use me for something. Maybe he can use you. Anyway, Jonah was not going to do it. Have I ever defied God and just refused to change or to do something I knew was His will? I think you know the answer to that one.

Have you ever done something you absolutely knew that God had said in His word not to do, and you understood it and there was no doubt, but you just refused to heed the warning and went ahead anyway? Don’t everybody answer at once! Well, you get the point.

Jonah bought a ticket on a Phoenician ship to the end of the known world, a place called Tarshish. The town was a mining port off the western coast of Spain. Jonah was taking no chances. He was somehow going to hide from God. Well, the ship got underway, and before they got hardly out of sight of land a most fierce storm suddenly appeared without warning and was so bad that the sailors dumped their cargo overboard in hopes of lightening the load to make the ship ride higher in the water, but nothing seemed to work and they feared that the ship would break apart in the swirling waters or be swamped and sink in either case.

All else done, the sailors, each prayed to his god. But the storm continued to pound them. They cast lots and somehow Jonah was identified as the culprit.

Well, Jonah, the prophet, knew he was caught, finished, found out, done. He confessed he was running away from the very Lord Who made the sea in the first place. Jonah volunteered to give his life for the lives on board the ship. Throw me overboard, he said. As soon as he hit the water, the sea ceased its raging, the wind calmed and the ship was safe.

We read Jonah’s prayer in the belly of the big fish that God had prepared. He said that he went down to the bottom of the sea and go tangled in the sea weed and used the term Sheol. Now in Hebrew, the word signifies the place the dead go after life ends. So, the case could be made that Jonah actually drowned and the fish took him up from the ocean’s floor, swallowed him and provided a safe place for his return to life so that he composed this prayer.

From the depths of trouble, despair and perhaps even death, Jonah remembered the Lord, prayed to Him, knowing that his prayer was heard, and then repented and said he would do what God wanted him to do. Three days are passed and the fish spits him out on land at God’s direction.

Allow me a bit of imagination here. Don’t you suppose that this spitting out from the fish, this miraculous resurrection from the dead, the storm damaged ship limping back to Joppa and the sailors who had a tale to tell about this Hebrew they threw overboard—don’t you suppose that this kind of thing gets told around. They didn’t have CNN or FOX back then, but mankind has always been able to get word about that kind of thing out and about.

So—by the time Jonah gets to Nineveh and just gets a day’s walk into the city with his cry of repentance or destruction, they had heard about the God of the Hebrews and this man Jonah and they were ready to put on the sackcloth and ashes.

And God did not destroy the city, just then anyway. Jonah pouted. Got mad at God. Got mad, that the bad guys did not get what was coming to them, but instead got mercy.

I see Jonah as a type of Christ and most of the typology works, until we get to the last little drama about the gourd plant and the worm. But perhaps most significant in the story of Jonah is God’s statement in the very last verse:

the LORD said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”

God, our Father in Heaven, loved those Ninevehites even though they had done many bad deeds. And God, our Father in Heaven loves these Marshallites, no matter what. He loves you and wants you to do right and, like Jonah’s case, will even do miracles to get his will accomplished

We have covered a lot of ground this morning and we have not really scratched the surface of what these scriptures have for us, and I would hope that you would go home and get your word down and read these passages and see what might be there for you, individually.

The scriptures are real and are about real people who lived and died and we can learn from the record of their lives and their activities. The one thing the Bible does is to tell it like it is and not to put any kind of “spin” on it. Jesus is very real, he was born a little baby and had to learn to talk and walk just like you did. He was born of Mary and I believe the story is true that she knew not a man, but that God somehow caused that child to be formed. Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit at the river Jordan right after his baptism by his cousin John the Baptist and Jesus ministered in Galilee and Judea for the space of three years, was executed on a Roman cross in the City of Jerusalem at the request of the local Sanhedrin Court (church folks, if you will) who said let his blood be upon us. He was buried in a borrowed tomb and when they went back to embalm the body on the third day, he was gone. He was risen! And he showed himself, first to the women and to the apostles and to upwards of 500 followers. And when the disciples were with him in his resurrected body just before the day of Jewish feast day of Pentecost, they saw him lifted up into the heavens and there was an angel that said to them, that Jesus was coming back to get his own. Someday.

I want to be able when that time comes to say hello Lord, and to hear that “well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joys of the Lord.”

Jesus said come unto me, you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He said he that if we would confess that he is Lord, that he would certainly confess us, speak up for us, to his and our Father in heaven.

The invitation to come home and make Jesus Lord of your life is given to you right this minute.

Amen.

Sermon on how important our words are

The Words We Speak Shape Our Lives More Than We Can Imagine



I preached the following sermon in September, 2006. The setting was in a church in Marshall, Texas.




Hear the Word of the Lord

Psalm 19 (King James Version)

1The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
6His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
7The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
12Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

James 3:1-12 (King James Version)

1My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
2For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
3Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
4Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
5Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
7For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
8But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
10Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.


The Sermon

Before I begin this message, I would like to state unequivocally, that the scriptures we are using today are right from the lectionary for the week so I have not chosen this topic because I have any sense that there is anyone in this house this morning who in any way might be needing a lesson such as this, or that anyone here might have any kind of a problem with one’s mouth, or words, or attitude. It is simply a matter of taking a group of scriptures from the recommended list and making a Bible lesson from them. However, if anyone here does find that he or she has a need to be reminded of these principles, then we will have done a good thing. Sometimes the Holy Spirit sees a need that may not be obvious to the casual observer and tends to orchestrate a way to take care of it.

James, the Lord’s brother, is right, of course. We can use our tongue much like a sword fighter uses his weapon—to cut, to slice, to separate, to remove, to devastate. James sees both sides, that the words we speak can hurt or they can heal, and he is cautioning his audience--those early Christians who had just come from a world where there were few restraints to hurtful words—to understand this principle, and use it wisely instead of unwisely, to bless and not curse, to build up and not put down.

Now, I doubt that there is anyone sitting here this morning that does not know this. But my job is to “stir you up” to use the words of Peter and Paul, so that we will be reminded of our behavior when it turns negative and harmful to both ourselves and others.

So, James, in his discourse about the tongue is right, but I will disagree with him on one point. Can I do that? Maybe it is a matter of interpretation, but he states that we can tame ships, horses and all kinds of animals, but cannot tame our own tongue! Or, to put it another way, he states that no one can control their own speech. You may remember the comic Flip Wilson, who always got a laugh with the line, “the devil made me do it.” There is probably some truth in that concept, but I would rather believe that we have a choice about whether to listen to and succumb to the devil’s suggestions, or to resist him, as James in a later chapter admonishes. Maybe I don’t disagree with James after all, maybe it is next to impossible for us to always keep our tongue in check, but, with God, all things are possible! The good news is that help is available! Help is just a prayer away.

What does Jesus say about this issue?

In the 12th chapter of Matthew about verse 35, Jesus says: “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

This particular saying is full of ideas that need our attention: the concept of a good man and an evil man (perhaps woman might go here just as well); the idea of being justified, made righteous, by our words or, on the other hand, condemned by our own words? But this could be a topic for another day. I would like for you to just look at one aspect for now. The idea, concept, teaching that I am going to be held accountable, and I suppose that that accounting will be required at the throne at the last great day.

I am going to be held accountable for every, not just a few, not just the worst ones, but every one, every word I speak that is unproductive, could we read that negative, not doing any good, maybe even doing harm, not building up, maybe even tearing down?
Now, please listen carefully, because I do not want to be misquoted here. This statement about us being held accountable for every idle, non-productive and unprofitable word that we speak is written in my Bible in red type, these are the very words of Jesus.

Maybe this is what James meant in his first chapter, verse 19 when he cautioned us to be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath—listen carefully, think about what we are going to say, measure our words, as Jesus said in another place—let your yes, mean yes and your no mean no—and then if we are going to be angry at someone for what they said or did, let’s not rush into a rage, but lets think about it awhile before acting.

I’ve got some relatives. I guess everyone has a few. One or two in particular, can call on the phone and before you get out your “hello, how are you? They have launched into a verbal tirade all about some event, or happening that they did not like, including all the minute details of he said, I said, etc. etc., etc., never stopping for a breath for four or five minutes at a time. And if, you dare to try to say something about your own situation, they can turn the conversation right back to themselves so fast.

I confess, I just do not have the verbal skills to match that kind of challenge. I would like to be able to warn them, I’d like to read Matthew 12: 36 to them, but they won’t be still long enough to hear it.

Jesus had a lot to say about saying things and we do not have the time to consider them all this morning. But, there is another statement that we might mention in passing, in Matthew again, chapter 15, verse 11, he states that is not what goes in to the mouth, as in food or how it is prepared or whether one puts the food in with unwashed hands, but more importantly, it is what comes out, in speech, that can defile us, that can make us dirty, that can contaminate us and make us sick spiritually.

Folks who have dedicated their lives to the study of human beings, their thought patterns, behaviors and how they interact with others, those who have studied psychology and sociology have discovered a lot of stuff about how we act and why. Many times as we discover these things, we can see that this use of the scientific method has brought us to the same conclusions that we find in the scriptures.

A sociologist, Robert Merton back in the 50s came up with the concept of the self-fulfilling prophesy, where upon, a statement is made which may initially be false, but the statement itself evokes behavior, in the individual speaking and also in those who are influenced by the hearing of it, that brings about its becoming true.

Numerous scientific studies have been done that demonstrate the truth of this concept such as the classic one at Harvard in 1968, with the classroom teachers in two groups. The teachers were told that one group of students were very bright and intelligent, and another group were going to be low achievers, even though the actual intelligence and ability of the students were random, Results indicated that the students performed to the level the teachers were told to expect. So, the students acted and reacted to the clues, speech patterns and the words of the teachers, attitudes and words, driven by what they were told to expect and not necessarily by reality.

Another idea along this line is that of what the social scientists call self talk. We tend to act and react upon information that reaches our brains. That information can come from some outside source, like listening to the words of a speaker, like you are doing right now, or, hearing the words from our own vocal system. This happens automatically. And it works whether the information is positive or negative. If we listen to negative information, or we say negative things then we are going to act accordingly, which will bring about negative results. Thus, we see the results of both self talk and self fulfilling prophesy at work in a negative way.

I think Jesus must have had this in mind when he admonishes us as recorded in Matthew the sixth chapter, not to worry about what we need, for that is a sign of little faith and particularly do not go around wondering to ourselves:

“O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ and on down, he promises us that if we seek the kingdom first, all these things will be provided. I guess the interpretation here would be that we have the ability to derail that promise by our words. We can talk our self right out of our blessings.

A lot of our humor today is negativism: somebody says, hey, “I’m so broke, I can’t pay attention, or “the way my luck has been lately, when my ship comes in, I’ll be at the airport.” In light of what we have just discussed, is this not negative self talk and self fulfilling prophesy which will likely lead to its stated result?

There is a very interesting story, in the book of Genesis. It is the story of the tower of Babel, perhaps from were we get the term Babylon, the ruins of that city can be found on the outskirts of Bagdad, Iraq.

Anyway, you can find the story in the beginning of the eleventh chapter of Genesis. Briefly, there was a group of folks who all spoke the same language, and they had evidently come to an agreement to build a tower “who’s top would be in the heavens” so that they could make a name for themselves. Their particular sin is not really clear, other than they were self seeking and had evidently left God out of their plans.

Whatever the reason, God said that they are one, unified in purpose, and they all speak the same language, they were able to understand each other, and God admits that there is nothing that can stop them from their purpose.

Couple this with the idea in the creation story that we, mankind, are created in the very image of God. One of God’s outstanding abilities is His ability to speak the things that are not into existence. The Bible calls this faith, and this faith is exercised by speaking. God said, for example, “let there be light” and light came. So, logically, if God is able to create with his words and He created man in His image, man must have some similar characteristics. This becomes a little clearer, when we read that God admitted here in this passabge, that his men, once they were agreed on a purpose and could communicate with each other, would succeed in their endeavor. The final argument here is the fix that God put in to stop them, and perhaps He had and greater purpose, as well. However, He confounded, confused, added meanings and nuances to their language so that free and easy communication was no longer possible and they thus could not carry out their purposes.

So, what can we get out of all this? What can we take home with us?
The ability to speak in a language, to be able to communicate with each other, the ability to understand each other’s thoughts (sometimes) is uniquely human. This ability is God given and it is powerful. Our speech is capable of changing, controlling and ordering our world. Our speech, our words are capable of helping or harming.

The admonitions of scripture, God’s rules, if you will, are really to help us live better, freer, more enjoyable lives. If we are restrained by God’s rules, the purpose of the restraint is to keep us from harm.

So, God’s way is really, in the long run, the best way. Our lives will be much more pleasant and we will find ourselves getting along with each other better when we monitor our speech patterns, when we consciously build others up, rather than tear down.
I have a friend. He had a habit of ragging about his wife. She was this and she was that, She was never much good. He persistently did this in public, and I suppose put her down in private as well. They’re divorced.

I knew a preacher who just could not please his congregation, they were never happy with him, he in turn would just rake them over the coals every Sunday and would talk about how bad they were to his fellows at the district meetings. He’s now selling insurance. We could go on with this, but hopefully you get the picture. If we want a better life, if we want a better way, try God’s way.

I know a married couple. They were having trouble getting along. They were at cross purposes. They were in financial difficulty. They blamed each other for mistakes and mismanagement. They were not very involved in church activities, they were not giving of their meager means. The home was not always a happy place to be. And then, somehow, something changed their attitudes!

They begin to pray together, he thanking God for his wife and she thanking God for her husband, and telling the Father in heaven, about all the good things that he did for her and he telling Him what a great person his wife was. They purposed to just start to get back into church, to just start to share a little bit of their meager resources with the church. They admitted regularly to each other of their love. They quit the blame game and both took responsibility to work together to get through their problems. There is happiness in this home now. Their financial picture is much better now They have been married now fro a long time.

They chose God’s way.

Closing Prayer (adapted from Psalm 19)

Father, your law is perfect, it restores us; your testimony is sure, it makes the wise simple. Your precepts , Oh Lord, are right, they make our hearts rejoice. Your ordinances are true and righteous altogether and are more to be desired than gold, even than much fine gold; they are sweeter also than honey and the drippings from the honeycomb and by them we are warned and instructed; and in keeping them there is great reward. Who of us, Oh Lord, can discern his lapses and errors? Clear us from hidden and unconscious faults. Keep us back also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over us! Then shall we be blameless, and we shall be innocent and clear of great transgression. And, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. For we ask these things in the precious and the powerful name of Jesus.

Amen.