Never Give Up

June 7, 2015 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Year B A cowboy out west was in a heap of trouble. A wild bull was after him. Head down and nostrils snorting, the bull charged toward him. The cowboy dove into a convenient recess in the ground. As soon as the bull passed over the hole, the cowboy leaped out. The bull came back, madder than ever. Right before the bull reached him, the cowboy ducked back into the hole. Then, when the bull passed, he popped back out again. He did this several times. A passing stranger watching this scenario shouted, "Hey, cowboy, why don't you just stay in the hole?" Leaping out again, the cowboy yelled, "There's a bear in that hole!" That's how it is some days. We get caught between a bull and a bear. Have you ever had one of those days, when you are caught between a bull and a bear? When you are already having a bad day and then things get worse? One fellow tells about being on an airliner making its way from New York to San Francisco. One of the engines caught fire. The captain came on the speaker system, calmly reassuring his passengers that the fire would soon be out. Besides, the plane could fly as well with three engines as with four. Unfortunately, a second engine burst into flames. Once again the captain assured the passengers that two engines were sufficient. Then a third engine was suddenly ablaze. The captain said no more. There was only silence from the front of the plane. Soon the captain appeared in the cabin with a parachute on his back. As he opened the exit door, he said calmly to the passengers, "Don't anyone panic, I'm going for help." And out he jumped. That didn't really happen, of course. Still, when the pilot leaves to go get help, you're in trouble! That will absolutely ruin your day. St. Paul knew what it was to have a bad day. He had many of them--shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonment. But he knew his Pilot would never bail out. That is why he could write: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be also manifested...." (RSV) My next question is when you have those days, how do you handle it? Does it ruin you mood and you are not able to function or do you take it all in stride, and are you able to move on? When you come face to face with some huge obstacle, some daunting problem, something frightening in which the odds are stacked against you, what is your first step? Do you go around it? We learned that as a kid walking home, didn't we? If there were a big, mean dog on the route, we would walk blocks around it to get home safely. How about now? Do you still walk around those big, mean dogs? Some people go over them. That is, you know the problem is there but you just scratch the surface, gloss over the problem, brush up against it but don't really address it. It's just always there and you minimize the danger. "It's no big deal. I'm fine." Some people decide to go under it. They bury their heads into the ground and don't even acknowledge it, don't even name it. "If I don't talk about it, maybe it will just go away." But pretty soon the problem suffocates you with its weight. People with eyes of faith go through it. They can see what others cannot see. They name the problem, identify the problem, stare that problem right in the eye, and decide that the only way to conquer this problem and to get to the other side is to go through it. That is the lesson for today on 2 Corinthians – Paul tells us that as Christians we have to the power to go through anything. Christ gives us the power to handle it. There is a difference between those who give up and those who who keep going, and that difference is faith. Not just any faith, but faith in Christ. Faith that Christ was raised from the dead. Not Everybody likes Paul, many says that he is too patriarchal to women, But I really like Paul, because after studying him, I think that his advice on faith is very solid. He teaches life on Christ. That we should live inside of the promises of Christ. The cool thing about Paul’s lessons, is that his actions teach us Just as much as his words. When Paul gave his life to Christ, he did not have a happy, easy life. He was shipwrecked, he was put in prison, he was often run out of town, and he was put on trial and eventually killed, all for his faith in Christ. And yet he never stopped preaching and teaching. I would imagine one of his biggest pains, was pouring his life in establishing Christian communities, and trying to tell them the right way to life, and instead of them saying thank you, they turned against him. Today we just have 1 and 2nd Corinthians. But there is a belief that there was also a 3 and 4th Corinthians. When Paul visited, the Corinthians at first they listened. But eventually they turned against him. They felt that there was other evangelist who were more charismatic then he was. They started to follow these other people and to reject Paul. So Paul wrote other letters to the people of Corinthians. But it is believed that those letters never survived, because Pauls words were a little too harsh. What we know as 2 Corinthians is the the final letter, as Paul tried to repair his relationship with this congregation. Paul’s lesson to them and to us is to have faith. Have complete faith in Christ and to give our complete life to Christ. The power that raised Christ, will be present for us.If we do, we can stand in any situation. He says that there may be times in life when we are falling apart on the outside, but we are coming together in the inside. Jesus talked about his death many times, but whenever he talked about death, he talked about resurrection. They say that triumph is just a try, with a little umph behind it. As Christians we are triumphant over the challenges of life. When we are using our faith. Just like we have to exercise our bodies in order for our muscles to get stronger, we have to exercise our soul in order for our soul to get stronger. We exercise our spirit by having a relationship with Christ, by not just reading the bible, but also living according to it., by being in service and putting our faith in action. We have to learn to forgive and move on, and there are just some times when we have to give whatever it is to God and trust that God will take care of it. In order to do that we have to learn to believe in things that we cannot see with out eyes. When we are at our wits end in life, we are not at hopes end. If our hope is in Christ. Archibald Rutledge tells of seeing a bird build its nest. Patiently and hard it worked all day. That night a storm came and the next morning the little bird's home lay on the ground in pathetic ruin. The bird was there, too, however. It was not mourning over the destruction. It was busily rebuilding. The first words of M. Scott Peck's helpful book, THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED are, "Life is hard." And it is. The people who have made the most significant contributions have been people who have confronted that truth head on. They not only coped, but they conquered. Are you familiar with Wedgewood pottery? It is some of the world's finest. Did you know that Josiah Wedgewood was forced to leave school when he was only nine years of age? At thirteen he was stricken with smallpox, which crippled him for the remainder of his life. Nothing came easy for Josiah. Nothing could defeat him either. Today his pottery is known world-wide for its consistent beauty. Do you love the music of Beethoven? When Beethoven's famous "Ode to Joy" was first performed it was instantly acclaimed. Beethoven could hear it only in his imagination, though. When he was first diagnosed as facing deafness, Beethoven reacted with angry outbursts. He wrote to a friend, "Your Beethoven is most unhappy and at strife with nature and the Creator." At first he withdrew from others and refused to tell them of his problem. He knew, though, he could never be happy if he did not compose music. And compose he did, even if he could not enjoy the sound of his own work. That is the story of the cross. A symbol of shame transformed into a means of salvation. It can be the story of your life and mine as well. We will face opposition in life. By God's grace, however, opposition can be turned to opportunity. If nothing else, we will be drawn closer to Him who is our Life. Paul says that our temporary minor problems are producing an eternal stockpile of glory for us that is beyond comparison. There is salvation in our suffering. That does not mean that we should suffer intentionally. But anybody who keeps on living, will soon realize that life is hard. No matter what we do – life is hard. But with Christ – bad news is never the final answer Paul’s advice to us is to look toward eternity in all situations. Things will turn out okay for those who love God. The final victory belongs to Christ, in the meantime we are to keep up the fight. My final story is about Winston Churchhill. If it wasn’t for his will to fight, we would all be speaking german and not English. Later in his life,he was asked to speak at a graduation ceremony. The students waited in anticipation at what he would have to say. They were on the edge of their seats. He walks up to the podium. There is complete silence. He says nothing. Then he speaks and says never give up. And then there is more silence. He speaks again, never give up. And he walks off the stage, the crowd bursts out in applause. Paul says I have been hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, I have been perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed, Have faith in christ, and never Give up. Let us pray…. Children’s sermon… Let light shine out of darkness. (v. 6a) Object: a regular light bulb Good morning, boys and girls. I want to talk about the light bulb this morning. What can you tell me about this bulb? (Listen and repeat answers. Your conversation may have some of the following items.) It is used in a lamp or an overhead light. It shines. It sometimes burns out and needs to have a new one put in. It hurts your eyes if you stare at it. It gets hot. Is this the only kind of light bulb you have ever seen? (Let them respond.) No, there are lots of sizes. Can you name some for me? (Let them respond.) Some of them might be: lighthouse, strobe light at airport, flashlight, sewing machine light, light in refrigerator, light on vacuum cleaner, night light, desk lamp, Christmas tree lights or gas light in yard. What do you think makes these lights shine? (Let them respond.) That's right, they either have to be turned on or hooked to a battery or plugged into the electrical box in the wall. They have to have what we call a power source. Their power to shine comes from electricity or a battery. Our lesson today from Corinthians talks about a light shining in the darkness. Paul said that people are like lights. Do I look like I'm shining like a light? (Let them respond.) No, but if you could see inside me you would see a special kind of light. My heart shines! Not like this light bulb does when we connect it to electricity. But it shines with the love of God. I know God loves me, so I can share that love with others just like we share a flashlight in the dark. God is my power source just like a light needs electricity. Can I use this lightbulb in a flashlight? (Let them respond.) No, a flashlight uses a tiny light. Can I use a strobe light from the airport in my refrigerator? (Let them respond.) No, each bulb fits in a special spot. Each light has a special job to do. That's just how people are! We each have our own kind of job to do and we shine in a certain way. We come to church each week so God can give us the power to shine. Then we can be a light too to show God's love to others. Other illustrations….. Don’t Give Up Now! – 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 Have you noticed that some people can’t seem to win, no matter what they do? It’s like one lady I heard about. True story. In 1957 Richie Ashburn, center fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, swung and hit a foul ball that went into the stands and hit a spectator named Alice Roth. As she was being taken away on a stretcher, Ashburn slammed another foul ball . . . and hit her again. (1) Poor Alice. I guess it just wasn’t her day. I’ve had days like that, haven’t you? I would guess we all have. Pastor Alan Carr tells about an advertisement that once appeared in the newspapers in New York City. The ad was sponsored by the Hayden planetarium. It was an invitation for anyone who would like to make the first journey to another planet to submit an application. Within a matter of days, over 18,000 people applied. These applications were then given to a panel of psychologists, who upon reviewing them concluded that the vast majority of those who had applied wanted to start a new life on another planet because they were so discouraged by life on this one. (2) I wonder if anyone here today can relate to that? Are you so discouraged with life that you would like to go somewhere--even another planet--and make a new start? The loveable loser Charlie Brown in the Peanuts cartoons often felt that way. Once he told Linus, “Sometimes I feel like I want to run away from everything.” Overhearing the conversation, Snoopy reflects, “I remember having that feeling once when I was at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm. I climbed over the fence . . . but I was still in the world!” That’s the problem with running away from your problems, isn’t it? You are still in the world. And your problems seem to always follow you. And, of course, the real problem is that you are still you. St. Paul had as many problems as anyone--and more than most people. He never had the comforts of family life. He spent years traveling under the most primitive conditions. He was persecuted, shipwrecked, beaten, thrown in prison and probably martyred. He made enormous sacrifices for the cause of Christ and yet he was constantly criticized by people both inside as well as outside of the early church. And yet he never seemed to get discouraged.. Training to Hear the Voice of God There is a positive message to be learned from these words of Jesus. The lesson is that we must keep ourselves alert to the way God is working in the world. Remember that those who were seeking to discredit Jesus were religious people. Their problem was that they just didn't expect God to be acting as Jesus said he was acting, so they missed the movement of God in their midst, and in fact, they called it evil. Today God may be speaking to us in causes that are unpopular, or in political events that cause us to feel threatened and insecure. The cries for justice and fairness in the world may come from quarters that we are not accustomed to listen to. We need to exercise diligence so that we don't miss the voice of God today just because it happens to be spoken by unfamiliar lips. I once sat in on a class my wife was taking in music appreciation. The instructor was asking the class members to listen for the recurring theme as it was passed from one instrument to another and was modified. I quickly lost it, but others in the class, who had benefited from their training, were able to keep track of the theme and even state which instrument was playing it. It is a law of life that we hear what we have trained ourselves to hear. What we must do is to train ourselves to listen for the voice of God in areas where we have not expected to hear it. We hear that voice only by attentive listening: by asking ourselves whether there is a valid message in those things which make us uncomfortable. Jesus spoke of an unforgivable sin, not because any act is unforgivable, but to warn us that our own hardness of heart can close the channels through which God's forgiveness flows and, as a consequence, leave us feeling alienated. Let us, therefore, affirm the good that is in others, so that our own hearts become generous and accepting of others, even as God is generous and accepting of us. David G. Rogne, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost, CSS Publishing Company “A Winning Streak of One!” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 Key verse(s) 16“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” It’s important to make sure that every day of our lives we practice gladness and condition ourselves to finding even the smallest bit of “glad” amongst the bad. That calls for a conditioning, a practice and a routine that assume a regimen of daily, consistent focus on keeping a happy heart. We spend so much time these days keeping our bodies fit; yet we often spend little or no time making sure that our hearts, although physically in tip-top shape, are kept in good spiritual shape. The Bible tells us to “not lose heart” when everything around us seems to “wasting away.” That’s not easy to do when you’re down to you last dollar or last medical hope. Keeping a stiff upper lip and persevering even when there just doesn’t seem to be any good reason to be happy is a great prescription to buy into but often a bitter pill to swallow. We rely so much on everything going right in order to keep us in a cheerful mood that it is a tall order to expect anyone to be happy, not lose heart, when most everything is going wrong. Keeping a winning attitude even when you are losing is a tall order, to be sure. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what God expects of each one of us. In the personal things of this life, God wants to remind us daily that we should always be prepared to Keeping a winning attitude even when you are losing is a tall order, to be sure. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what God expects of each one of us. In the personal things of this life, God wants to remind us daily that we should always be prepared to come face to face with defeat, loss and disappointment. We need to condition our hearts to persevere, to endure when our happiness is invaded from time to time by sorrows; to treat defeat as nothing more than a stepping stone to an eventual victory. Life’s happiness “winning streaks” are real highs but we need to remember that no one, not even the most devout Christian, always turns out to be the winner. There comes a time in every Christian’s life when there just is no getting around it; a time of defeat is at hand and we just have to be able to deal with it as best we can. That dealing happens best when we consider first our ability to endure in Christ, learn from the moment, and then be willing to step up the effort to get our lives back on track again. I remember reading about a girl’s volleyball team in a small, obscure midwest town that had assembled an unbelievable winning streak of 65 games. What was so incredible about the feat was this––the school had only 18 girls total and 16 of them were on the volleyball squad and a 17th was the scorekeeper. Although it was one of the smallest Class B high schools in the state, it won the Class B volleyball championship for three years running. Then, after 65 victories, they were eventually defeated. The local paper reported the defeat with a large headline one night. Then, two days later, another headline appeared in the small paper “Team Rebounds With a Winning Streak of One.” The key to not “losing heart” is making sure that we understand and believe that even in defeat we are renewed in Christ. Defeats come and go in this life and that will never change. Yet, for the Christian, defeat is one of those things that we strive to manage in the sweet expectation that even in defeat we are victorious in Christ. Christians are always on the rebound. When one foot is mired in defeat, the other is already moving on; looking for that “winning streak of one!” Archibald Rutledge tells of seeing a bird build its nest. Patiently and hard it worked all day. That night a storm came and the next morning the little bird's home lay on the ground in pathetic ruin. The bird was there, too, however. It was not mourning over the destruction. It was busily rebuilding. The first words of M. Scott Peck's helpful book, THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED are, "Life is hard." And it is. The people who have made the most significant contributions have been people who have confronted that truth head on. They not only coped, but they conquered. Are you familiar with Wedgewood pottery? It is some of the world's finest. Did you know that Josiah Wedgewood was forced to leave school when he was only nine years of age? At thirteen he was stricken with smallpox, which crippled him for the remainder of his life. Nothing came easy for Josiah. Nothing could defeat him either. Today his pottery is known world-wide for its consistent beauty. Do you love the music of Beethoven? When Beethoven's famous "Ode to Joy" was first performed it was instantly acclaimed. Beethoven could hear it only in his imagination, though. When he was first diagnosed as facing deafness, Beethoven reacted with angry outbursts. He wrote to a friend, "Your Beethoven is most unhappy and at strife with nature and the Creator." At first he withdrew from others and refused to tell them of his problem. He knew, though, he could never be happy if he did not compose music. And compose he did, even if he could not enjoy the sound of his own work. We are told that the greatest door-to-door Bible salesman of all time stuttered. He made up his mind that he was going to turn his disadvantage into advantage. After making the presentation with a lot of stuttering, he would close with these words: "Do you want to b-b-b-buy the Bible now or do you w-w-want me to r-r-read it to you?" (3) That young man turned what could have been a stumbling block into a stepping stone. . Final story – Winston Churchill. Never give up. Amen.