A Sermon by Pastor Tom Lacey . . .
Bored during a long flight, an eminent scholar leaned over and woke up the man sleeping next to him to ask if he would like to play a game. "I'll ask you a question," he explained. "If you don't know the answer, you pay me $5. But if I don't know the answer to your question I'll pay you $50." When the man agreed to play, the scholar asked, "What's the distance from the earth to the moon?" Flummoxed, the man gave him the $5. "Ha!" said the scholar. "It's 238,857 miles. Now it's your turn." The man was silent for a few moments and then asked, "What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?" The academic racked his brains for half an hour, and finally handed over his $50. "Okay, okay, what is the answer?" he asked. The man said, "I don't know," handed him a $5 bill and went back to sleep.
Have you ever done anything really foolish? I mean something stupid enough that even years later you still cringe when you think about it. A fellow tells about a friend of his during their days in medical school. One day this man was walking across campus laden with books and briefcase. He passed by a fast food stand, and ordered something to eat and a milkshake to wash it down. He balanced it all on top of his briefcase and began looking for an empty table at which to sit. While looking, the milkshake got the better of him, and he bent down without looking in order to take a sip from the straw. The straw missed his mouth and ended up in his nose. Embarrassed, but not at a loss, he thought that, if he straightened up, the straw would stay in the shake. But when he lifted his head, the straw came out of the shake and remained in his nose, dripping milkshake down the front of his suit. In a moment, all his confidence evaporated.
Have you ever done anything that made you feel simply ridiculous? Welcome to the human race. I have some Good News for you from the writings of Paul. He tells us that “those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” If the Spirit of God leads you, you are a son or daughter of God. We may feel foolish at times, but if Christ lives within us, the scripture assures us that we are children of God.
Dr. Dobson says he keeps an old photograph in his files to remind him of what people go through. It is of an elegantly dressed woman who is holding a cup of coffee. Her little finger is cocked ever so daintily, and her face reveals complete self-assurance. Unfortunately, this woman does not yet know that her slip has collapsed around her feet. The caption reads: “Confidence is what you have before you understand the situation.” Like many of us, that woman simply does not have a clue! We are clueless! That’s the trouble with much of our “thumbs-up” confidence. We are ignorantly confident and so brashly unaware of our own limitations. In order for our confidence to work for us and not against us, we must humbly acknowledge the boundaries of our own human power. And we must have the good sense to rely on the power of God to give us the real confidence that we so badly need.
Tim Hanel tells of a day when he and his son Zac were out in the country, climbing around in some cliffs. I heard a voice from above me yell, “Hey Dad! Catch me!” I turned around to see Zac joyfully jumping off a rock straight at me. He had jumped and then yelled “Hey Dad!” I became an instant circus act, catching him. We both fell to the ground. For a moment after I caught him I could hardly talk. When I found my voice again I gasped in exasperation: “Zac! Can you give me one good reason why you did that?” He responded with remarkable calmness: “Sure...because you’re my Dad.” His whole assurance was based in the fact that his father was trustworthy. He could face life with confidence because I could be trusted. Isn’t this even truer for a Christian?
An Anglican missionary who went on to found the Methodist church, John Wesley, could hardly have been called a faint-hearted stay-at-home. But there were times when even he lost his nerve. During one of Wesley’s several Atlantic crossings between England and Georgia, USA, a fierce storm pitched and tossed their ship about like a bathtub toy. While Wesley and others clung to their bunks and hid their heads, a community of Moravians, traveling to their new homeland, calmly gathered to hold their daily worship service and sing praises to God. Seeing how those Moravians were unafraid of the storms, Wesley realized he was witnessing a truly waterproof faith. From that moment on, John Wesley prayed that God would give him the ability to likewise ride out life’s storms with as much spiritual strength.
What made those Moravians so peaceful in the face of the tempest? It was their unquenchable trust in Jesus Christ, the faith that knows that with Jesus that there is no storm too fierce, no opponent too great, and no crisis too complete.
In our scripture passage we heard, “We are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” We have a great inheritance! Every child of God is in God’s will! You and I are going to inherit something simply because we are children of God!
A 6th grade teacher posed the following problem to one of her classes: “A wealthy man dies and leaves ten million dollars. One-fifth is to go to his wife, one-fifth is to go to his son, one-sixth to his butler, and the rest to charity. Now, what,” she asked her class, “does each get?” After a very long silence in the classroom, one student raised her hand. With complete sincerity in her voice, she answered, “A lawyer!” Good answer. Where there is a will, there is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Now an inheritance can be a complicated matter in this world. Families have become split fighting over a wealthy estate. But listen: It’s not at all complicated in God’s family! In the kingdom of God, inheritance is simple—those who possess the Spirit of God get it all—all God has to give.
Tom Stonehill was speeding through a small town one night, looking for a public restroom. Finally, he came across a funeral home. Tom used the facilities, and then paid his respects to the deceased. The funeral director, spotting Tom, insisted that he sign the guest register. Tom thought it was a lot of trouble to go through just to use the bathroom, but he did it anyway. A few weeks later, Tom got a call from a lawyer in this small town. It turns out that Tom had visited the funeral home on the night that the town’s richest citizen was being laid to rest. The rich man had no family and his few friends had died before him. He had lived as he quintessential lonely, rich man. In his will, this man had stipulated that whoever came to his funeral would inherit his fortune. Tom’s was the only name in the guest register that night, so he received the full inheritance. You and I are in that same fortunate situation. Having received Christ in your heart and life, then everything God has to give you will be yours. That is the foundation of true Christian hope and strength. Let the Spirit direct your thoughts to God’s love for you. Let the Spirit guide you to live wisely and joyfully. Let the Spirit give you the courage it takes to be the one you are called to be. God designed the human machine to run on himself. He is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself. There is no such thing.
Back in 1991, a Gallup poll showed that 78 percent of Americans expect to go to heaven when they die. However, most never pray, read the Bible, or attend church. They admit that they live to please themselves instead of God. It is interesting how many things are tolerated in the hope that they will improve. But just hoping for the best won’t do anything. Being children of God, let us live out the family code. Love God and neighbor. Keep to prayer. Do the works of the Holy Spirit.
In 1992, toddler Michael Leeland contracted cancer. His doctors said the only hope was in a bone marrow transplant. But the Leeland’s insurance wouldn’t pay for a transplant. A young boy, Dameon, heard about Michael’s plight and went to visit him. Dameon was in a special education class, and he walked with a limp. He was often made fun of in school. Dameon brought his entire life savings of $60 to give toward Michael Leeland’s medical expenses. Dameon’s sacrificial giving inspired other people. In only four weeks, the citizens of Seattle raised over $200,000, and Michael Leeland got his transplant. Dameon became a special friend of the Leelands. The Leelands introduced Dameon to Christ. Not long afterwards, Dameon’s leg became badly infected and he died. But Dameon’s life was not lived in vain. Dameon’s life was lived in the Spirit.
We have to keep God’s Spirit in us, or we lose God. Seek to keep God in your thoughts, words, and actions—this is how we keep the Spirit in us.
Walter Graham recently learned this valuable lesson, but in terms of Christian friendship and fellowship. Walter was scheduled for surgery. Although it was major surgery, with the use of a new technique, he would only be hospitalized overnight. Walter thought that since he would only be in the hospital a short time that he didn’t need to tell anyone at church. After all he told himself there were others in the church with serious illnesses. They were the ones who needed all the prayers and support of the congregation, not he. The surgery went off without a hitch and Walter was home the next day. Later in the week while Walter was talking with a friend he casually mentioned his surgery. On Sunday morning during the prayer time his friend mentioned Walter’s surgery during the early service. By the time Walter arrived for the eleven o’clock service everyone knew he had surgery. “I was greeted by many well-wishers,” Walter recalls, “I then realized that some of my closest friends were hurt because, by not telling them of my surgery beforehand, I had denied them the opportunity to pray for me. I learned that to live in fellowship in the bond of Christian love means that we do not have to erect walls of privacy that keep others out,”
Living in the Spirit means living in the lives of others. Be humble enough to realize how important they are to you; be bold enough to realize how important you are to them. Walk in God’s Spirit, a child of God.
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