TO GLORIFY GOD IN THIS WORLD
Rev. Larry Peters
October 28, 2012
Psalm 36:1-4
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
John 17:14-19
What we hear in our Gospel lesson today is part of a prayer that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ prays to God for us. Imagine the power of this prayer! Think of the importance of this prayer and the need for our Lord Jesus to pray this prayer for us.
What does the Lord say when he prays for us? Let’s look at vv. 14-19 again. The Lord says first of all that he has given us God’s message. We have received the Word of God! This, then, should make a difference in who we are; unless the message, God’s Word, has meant nothing at all to us. Jesus is the Word that was made flesh and sent by God into the world to save us! The Word is alive, and will bring life to all who are open to receive this gift in good faith. God’s Word, we believe, contains everything necessary for our salvation. God’s Word has the power to shape us into being God’s people!
This is what God wants for us. It is also what we should want; to be in this covenant relationship where God is our God, and we are God’s people! We are set apart from all other creation in this regard. To be set apart meant that there is a separation, a distinction between us and everything else in the world.
The result of this is that the world hates us. Our Lord Jesus himself says this in his prayer for us. The world hates us; but it should come as no surprise to us, and we are comforted in the fact that Jesus knows how it feels. Jesus says in John 15:18-19; “If the world hates you, just remember that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, then the world would love you as its own. But I chose you from this world, and you do not belong to it; that is why the world hates you.” So this part of our Lord’s Prayer for us is about God’s claim upon us as the people of God; and how there are forces in this world that are in complete opposition to this.
How do we respond to this? It all matters on how you define Christian character. Do you see the Christian sitting on one side of the fence allowing all things to happen in this world as if nothing can be done about it? Or do you see the Christian standing on the other side, faithful, determined, and with courage and resolve to make a difference? Will we run and hide, or will we stand our ground? Jesus prays to God saying; “I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One.” It sounds to me like our Lord Jesus wants us to stand and fight! Our Lord, our Commander in Chief, knows that we are in a battle-but the battle is ours! We will fight, we will win, we will have ultimate victory!
This world is to be a different sort of place because we are in it! We will not give in to the ways of the world! We will work to make a difference for good and for God! Our purpose, as the people of God, is to glorify God in this world! Oh yeah, the world hates that! The world hates God. The world hates you and me; but Christians, are you ready to overcome this world’s hatred with the love of God? Are you ready to overcome evil with good? Are you willing to make a difference? Are you able to be strong and firm in the face of adversity? Be of good courage and confidence! Our Lord and Savior prays for us! Our God is with us wherever we go! And we go as the people of God dedicated to loving and serving God in this world! To God be the glory!
This has the devil all worked up. The apostle Peter gives a report saying that “like a roaring lion our enemy, the devil, prowls around looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). We are given instruction to stand firm in our faith and resist him (v.9). And know that we do not face this situation alone. The apostle Peter reminds us that we have brothers and sisters in the faith throughout the world who are in the battle with us.
And we are not alone because God is with us! God promises to us again and again, as we hear in the Book of Acts, that “we will receive power when the Holy Spirit of God comes upon us; and we will be witnesses for God in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and throughout the world”. Let’s be sure that we do our part right here in Meadville and the surrounding area!
We’re coming up to one of my favorite times of the year. It comes after the elections and after Halloween. I don’t want to get into a discussion so much about politics today. Certainly this election is an important one, as all are; but I don’t have time to fry that egg. But I would like to put some heat on Halloween, or at least bring it to light so we can see it revealed for what it is. I believe that it is a pastor’s duty to sound the alarm when the enemy approaches and to prepare the saints for spiritual warfare.
I used to like Halloween, as I suppose every American kid does. But as I’ve grown older and wiser, I’ve come to believe that Halloween is not something to kid around with or to kid ourselves about. My mother has noticed my change in attitude, and reminds me of how I used to like Halloween and always looked forward to going “trick-or-treating.”
Let’s pause here a moment to examine this one of many aspects of Halloween. “Trick-or-Treat!”, what is that-some kind of threat? It sounds like a person is saying; “If you don’t do something good for me, then I’ll do something bad to you.” This can’t be a Christian attitude. If you want to do more research on Halloween, I believe you’ll have revealed to you more evidence of why this can’t be a Christian holiday.
Now back to when I was a kid. I remember one particular Halloween when my friend and I decided to go trick-or-treating” together. We had the idea to dress as stage coach robbers complete with holsters, toy guns, cowboy hat, and a bandana scarf pulled over our faces. Our plan was to play the part. We figured to score big that year on our haul of candy by “holding up” other trick-or-treaters. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Frito Banditos from Saegertown. No? It must be because my mother overheard our plans and put a stop to it. The bandits never rode out that night-or since. Looking back, I think that we were saved by grace because certainly a posse would have come after us, and we would have been pounded by some of our intended victims.
But I wasn’t done yet. On another Halloween night, I had some firecrackers left over from the Fourth of July. I thought that I would liven things up a bit by tossing them out from behind a bush at the feet of passing trick-or-treaters. You didn’t know that I was such a bad boy. I’m confessing some of my sins before you now, and it’s quite refreshing actually. The point that I want to make is: however innocent and harmless our fun seems to be, Halloween tends to bring out the bad in us; and it needs to be seen that it is bad for us.
Halloween originates from pre-Christian times. Early rituals were celebrated among ancient European peoples. Again, I encourage you to do some study on your own and become aware of what Halloween is actually about. The truth will set you free! I learned that when the Pilgrims came to America in search of religious freedom, they made sure to leave behind those unholy practices related to Halloween. They in fact banned any such observances in this new land. Remember to give thanks for that this Thanksgiving. I was surprised to find out that Halloween was not celebrated in this country until the year 1845. Unfortunately, Halloween eventually found its way over.
It is shocking to see how the celebration of Halloween has permeated our society in a relatively short period of 167 years! Let me read to you a brief portion of an article that was in The Meadville Tribune on Friday the 12th of October, entitled “We’re Spending Billions on Halloween.”
“According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to lay out $2.87 billion on Halloween costumes this year, spending more than $1.1 billion on children’s costumes, $1.4 billion on adult costumes and $370 million on pet costumes.” (Even pets? How far will this go?)
“The average person will spend $79.82 on Halloween candy, costumes and décor, bringing total spending to $8 billion – the most in the survey’s 10 year history.”
The numbers keep going up! And keep in mind that all Americans have felt the impact of being in the midst of an historic economic downturn. The article says; “Get the impression that we love this holiday?”
But why? Why do we love a holiday that is anti-Christian? Why do we spend so much of our money on Halloween? America’s churches, for the most part, are barely able to meet their annual budgets thus limiting their means to provide essential ministry. And America’s schools are no longer permitted to allow for prayer or reading of Bibles in school; but the celebration of Halloween is big in our schools.
Part of the appeal of Halloween is that it is fun. What’s the harm in having a little fun? Well, I’m not against having fun. But we do need to be careful. Many a sin is fun, or we wouldn’t be so caught up in it! Be aware! Be informed! Know the truth! Know that as our enemy, the devil, is like a lion ready to devour us, he is also like a snake capable of deceiving us. The devil has tricked people into believing that Halloween is harmless fun. The devil has candy-coated Halloween to cover up the lies. And the devil doesn’t care a hoot about us. Why should we give the devil his due?
Remember that our Lord Jesus Christ loves us and wants us to know the truth! Recall again how he prays for us that we come to see and know the truth. He is Truth! Let us be people who know the truth and follow the truth! We live in this world, but let us not be misled by anything in this world. Let us be strong and faithful while living in the world, and dedicated to making a difference for good and for God. We have a purpose in this world and right here where we live, work, play, go to school and go to church. We are to glorify God in this world!
The God of all grace will himself restore, support, strengthen and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment