Jump Start # 1495

Acts 13:36 “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay.”

  Last evening I went to a performance of the Nutcracker. It was really good. The program said that this was first preformed in 1895. That was amazing to me. I wonder if the composer ever thought that 120 years later in another part of the world, his work would still be preformed? I have a few books on my shelves that are 150 years old. Again, I wonder if the writers ever thought that what they wrote would still be around that long. In art galleries across the world there are some very old paintings. There are a few hymns in our song books that are 150 year olds. But these are all rare exceptions. Most of the things and most of the people from generations past are gone and forgotten. I can trace part of my family back to the 1600’s, but it’s just names. I know nothing about those people.

All of this can be unsettling to some. They want to create a lasting name or a legacy that carries on. Few if any will. Our work is now. Our work is to this generation. Most sermons that are preached, most articles that are written, will be gone when we are. That can trouble us. We might say, “why then put so much work and energy into it?” The answer is found in our verse.

Acts 13 is a chapter devoted to the resurrection of Jesus. Paul refers to that often in this chapter. The mention of David, is connected to the resurrection of Jesus. David served his generation. David doesn’t serve this generation. The work of David is over. There is nothing that David did that can help us. His example can be studied, but his policies as king, his days as a warrior, the buildings that he built, do nothing for us today. David finished his work. And in a very graphic manner, our passage tells us that he died, was buried and underwent decay. He rotted away, we might say. He returned to the dust as God designed. That is in contrast to Jesus, who also died, and who was also buried, but unlike David, He arose. And Jesus’ work continues. It didn’t stop in the first century.

And unlike David, Jesus serves all generations. Some of my family were among the early and first Christians in Indiana. They were helped by the Lord. That has been consistent through all these generations. As I hold my little grandbabies, Jesus will serve them and help them. Jesus, alone, is the one that transcends all generations. Jesus is the help for all generations. There were times when brethren gathered together to pray for their young men who were off in a war far away. Those wars have ended and God is still being prayed to. There were times we prayed after national tragedies. Those times pass, and God is still there to help us.

Our passage brings us to two common realities—one about us and one about God.

First, we are limited in what we can do. What we do is limited to this generation. What we do will have little impact in future generations. Our time and our work is among the people now. We don’t preach sermons with the idea that “this sermon will be preached over and over for hundreds of years.” That simply won’t happen. We don’t write articles with that intention. Someday, these Jump Starts will stop. The good that they do is for today. I do not think 50 years from now anyone will ever mention them. That doesn’t bother me. Outside a few in my family, I don’t think anyone will be mentioning me in 50 years. That’s true with most of us. Our work is now. Our work is to this people.

Second, God is eternal. He is not limited. Since those early days when Jesus was walking those Galilean roads teaching people, His work and His message has been changing lives. It will continue to do so until He returns. God is not limited by time, space nor geography. Folks in far away lands know about Jesus. It is the resurrected Jesus that makes a difference.

So we do our work. We do it to the best that we can. We work hard. We work well. We try to change lives for Jesus. It is not us, but the Lord that will be remembered. It is not us, but the Lord that can change eternity.

David did his work in his generation. David died. The same ought to be said of us. We must be doing the will of God now.

Roger

Jump Start # 1493

Acts 20:29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock”

  Last night I took a journey down memory lane. I was reading a notebook of my sermons that I had written 18 years ago. Back then, I wrote out all of my sermons on yellow pads. A lot of hours went into writing those sermons. I wonder if they did any good. I hope so. I ran across a sermon based upon our verse today.

The background of our verse is a meeting between the elders at Ephesus and Paul. This was to be their last time together. Paul was on his way to Jerusalem and danger awaited him there. The Ephesian church was troubled. Later when Paul writes Timothy, the young preacher who is at Ephesus, there is a battle going on with false teachers. By the time Revelation is penned, those Ephesians had left their first love.

Here are a few thoughts:

1. Churches have problems from within. So often in prayers we hear one thanking the Lord that we are allowed to worship freely and without trouble from the world. Those are needed and great prayers. But here, in this passage, the coming danger was from within. Unsettled souls, folks who are not content with the Biblical pattern, those who are being tugged by error, those who do not have the heart of Jesus all present potential problems. Churches that have divided in the past did so because of internal turmoil. Internal issues are often the greatest threats that a church faces. This is why solid and steady teaching is a must. Folks must understand God’s way and His will. Teach, teach and teach. Paul’s words to the young preacher was, “Preach the word.” Our passage tells us that the coming Ephesian trouble would arise from “wolves…among you.” Jesus spoke of such wolves. They disguise themselves as sheep, but they are not. Their intent is selfish. They do much harm to the flock. Sometimes a church is torn to pieces because the shepherds were too slow to catch the trouble and even slower in dealing with it. Time works in the favor of error. More time to spread rumors. More time to discourage the members. More time to sow the seeds of wrong. What may have started with one or two families, quickly spreads to 50% of the congregation. Talk turns to dividing. The work comes to a sudden stop. Members turn against each other. People are more interested in who is on which side, than hearing what the Lord says.  Paul is warning them. Trouble is coming. It’s coming from within.

2. Elders need instructing as do the rest of us. Paul’s words were to the shepherds at Ephesus. They were not beyond learning, growing and needing instructing themselves. A growing church has growing elders. Learning, sharing, studying are essential for shepherds to keep up and keep informed. The elders need to understand what is affecting the church. They need to know how to stay the course. They need to be solid in their convictions. There is much that shepherds can learn.

3. Paul recognized that he was going to depart. He said, “after my departure.” To Timothy, Paul said, “The time of my departure has come.” The word depart means “exit.” It was time for Paul to exit this world. Paul knew that he wasn’t going to be around. Paul understood that he would die. Some folks don’t seem to get this. They live and act as if they are going to be here forever. They are not. They have no exit plans. The wise Christian will. First, there are the physical and material plans such as having life insurance and a will and letting your family know where your important papers are. Second, the wise Christian will work on leaving spiritual footprints that others can follow. How will you be remembered? What will your family think was important in your life? Paul was teaching the Ephesian elders because he knew he wasn’t going to be around much longer. We leave footprints for others to follow. This is especially true spiritually. Sometimes preachers and elders don’t think about that. Someday there will be another preacher sitting in my office. That will happen, unless the Lord comes. My work, my relationship with the church, my attitudes can make it easier or harder for the one that comes after me. Young preachers need to see this. Moving every time something doesn’t go your way, makes a congregation not trust younger preachers. They get the impression that they won’t be here long and they will keep their distance. Preachers that are demanding and high maintenance can ruin things for the preachers who will follow them. We must see beyond ourselves. We are leaving footprints. We can make things better and easier for others or we can make it harder for them.

Paul saw coming changes to the Ephesian church. What he saw wasn’t going to be good. They were sailing into some serious storms. Paul was trying to help them steer clear of those things. Churches, like people change. Some for the better and others for the worse. Attitudes, seriousness about God and an understanding of what we are about all have a place in mapping out our future. Those that stick their heads in the sand and believe that nothing could happen here will be amazed when it does. I have driven by some of the houses I once lived in. They look different. Different colors. Trees cut down. Just not the same as I left it. The same happens when one visits congregations that they were a part of in the past. Things change. New faces. Familiar faces gone. Sometimes the change is good. The group is growing, friendly and strong. Other times, it’s a sad picture. The church seems to be on life-support. People are bailing out.

What we do is not just for us. I think that is something Paul was stressing. We turn the keys over to someone else. How are we going to leave it? We need to teach those who follow us. We need to do all we can to make things smooth and right. We need to hold to God’s unchanging hand.

There is a song that begins, “Troublesome times are here…” That may be true, but Jesus is here as well.

Paul has given us much to think about.

Roger