What would you do
for 10 million dollars?
This question was once asked in a survey, and here are some of the results:
25% said they would leave their family, 23% said they would become a
prostitute for a week, 7% said they would kill a stranger; 4% said they
would have a sex change operation. Would any of you be willing to do
any of those things for 10 million dollars?
You may not be willing to do any of these things, but would you give
$1,000 if you were guaranteed that you'd get $100,000 in return? I was
watching the local Christian television station the other night and
there was this guy on, who was saying that God had given him a word
of knowledge that there were 5 businessmen in the CSRA who he wanted
to sow a $1000 into the ministry of the TV station. He said that God
was telling him that those who sowed $1,000 into the ministry, God would
give them $100,000 in return. I thought to myself, "Who in the world
would believe this nut?" But much to my surprise, 5 people called in
and pledged a thousand dollar seed gift.
We scoff those who would do immoral things for money. Yet we sit back
and say nothing about those who pervert the promises of God's Word to
tap into the sin of greed. But not the apostle Paul. For in this section
of his letter, Paul is rebuking the Corinthian Christians who were buying
into the first prosperity teachers-v. 8.
Prosperity teachers teach that as believers in Jesus Christ, we can
claim right now all the promises of health and wealth that are in the
Bible. I'm real surprised that none of them have started to teach that
you can escape death and have eternal life right now. After all, that
is the ultimate promise of the Bible. Perhaps that will be coming in
the future.
The idea the prosperity teachers are promoting is that since you are
part of God's family, you should be enjoying all of your inheritance
while you are still alive. That part doesn't bother me too much. But
they make 2 claims that really upset's me.
Their first claim is if you will just confess what you want, if you
will claim it in the name of the Lord, then you can have whatever your
heart desires. And it doesn't matter whether or not what you want is
what God wants. The second part of their teaching that bothers me is
that if you aren't experiencing total relief from all kinds of physical
suffering, and if you aren't experiencing total prosperity, it is because
you don't have enough faith.
I've personally seen the devastation this kind of teaching can cause.
Carol was born with a birth defeat that causes her to have times of
excoriating pain in her back. Right after we got saved, some people
prayed over her and God took away the headaches she often got in conjunction
with the pain in her back. But 22 yrs. later, God still hasn't healed
her back.
At first, because the church we attended had members who were into the
name it & claim it movement, they would tell Carol that the only reason
God hadn't healed her completely was because of her lack of faith. Let
me tell you, her faith in God wasn't contingent with him healing her
back. In fact, the only time she started to lose faith in God, was when
the people condemned her for not having enough faith.
What makes the prosperity teachings so appealing, is, despite the harm
they inflict upon us, they contain an element of truth in them-v. 8.
First Paul tells us that if you are a born again believer, you have
been filled. In context of what he has previously said in ch. 1, Paul
is talking about the fullness that comes through the baptism the Holy
Spirit, as you minister through his gifts to the needs of other people.
Next Paul tells us that if you have made Jesus Christ your lord, you
are rich. Everything that belongs to God, which is everything that is
in the world, also belongs to us. Finally, Paul tells us that if God
is our heavenly Father, then we are royalty. In this room this morning,
are sitting princes & princesses of God's kingdom.
So there is a certain element of the prosperity theology that is true.
After all, Jesus took upon himself our sicknesses & infirmities; therefore,
we can ask God to heal us when we are sick. And, God promises that he
will meet our every need according to his riches & glory in Jesus Christ;
therefore, we can ask him for financial blessings.
But on the other hand, since we live in a world that is still under
the rule of Satan, we will never see our world completely conform to
God's desires. God's desires for us don't include anything that would
harm us, or take away our hope. So God really doesn't want us to be
sick. He really doesn't want us to barely make it from one paycheck
to the next. Why, he really doesn't even want us to die.
But right now, God has left us in a world that is not conformed to the
desire's of his will for us. Because of this we will experience problems
with our physical & emotional health. We will experience problems with
our finances. We will experience death. And some might even experience
an early death. But there is a day coming when we won't have to struggle
with sickness, poverty, or even death. But, since most of these promises
won't come into complete fruition until we get to heaven, every single
one of us will have to wrestle with these elements of life. Paul certainly
did-v. 9-10.
Were Paul's experiences due to his lack of faith? I don't think so.
I believe that Paul had enough faith to move mountains. We know for
a fact that he had enough faith to pray for the sick, and they recovered.
We know Paul had enough faith to pray for a young man named Eutychus,
who after falling asleep during one of Paul's sermons, fell 3 stories
to his death. And after Paul prayed for him, he came back to life. We
also know that Paul had enough faith to pray that the demons who were
possessing a young girl would leave her. And they came out. We know
that Paul had enough faith, that even when he was bit by a poisonous
snake, that he didn't run to a doctor for treatment. Instead, he shook
the snake off his hand into the fire, and he trusted God for the healing.
And God honored Paul's faith because the snake's bite didn't kill him,
or even make him sick. When was the last time you had enough faith to
try any of these things?
What Paul is trying to show us in this passage is that if we experience
the negative things of life, it doesn't mean we are out of the will
of God. Notice the word "exhibited/displayed " in v. 9. The word literally
means to prove what kind of person you are. In the context of the passage,
Paul is saying that God has proved that he is an apostle through all
the bad things he has experienced as a believer in Jesus Christ-v. 11-13.
Now the Corinthian believers didn't like this aspect of Paul's life.
They didn't like to hear about those times when Paul experienced the
negative side of life. Paul's life made them feel uncomfortable because
they didn't want to have to suffer at all for the sake of Jesus Christ.
And neither do we.
This is why we are drawn to those who teach that Christians should never
suffer. Who teach that Christians should never be sick. Who teach that
Christians should never be poor. And who teach that we should be experiencing
all the promises of heaven now.
Look again at v. 8. Paul is being sarcastic here, but he is also capturing
the hopes of all of us. The reason prosperity teachings are so popular
is because they tap into everyone's dream. For there is not a one of
us wants to suffer any kind of persecution. There is no one in this
room who wants to struggle with physical ailments. And neither do any
of you want to experience any kinds of financial setbacks.
And I wish I could teach you that as believers in Jesus Christ, you
won't have to. But then I'd be guilty of violating what I talked about
last week: Going beyond what it written in the Bible. Because the Bible
teaches us that being a Christian doesn't shield us from the problems
of life. In fact, I believe it teaches that Christians will experience
more problems in life.
Jesus said, "I have come so that you might have life, and have it to
the full!" (John
10:10) We have taken this verse to mean only the good things in
life. But I believe that Jesus was talking about the bad things in life
as well. This means that when life is good, it is very good. But also,
when life is bad, it is very bad.
The reason why life can be so very bad is because the ruler of this
world, Satan, is now your arch enemy. And Jesus told us that Satan is
like "The thief who comes to try to kill, steal, and destroy." (John
10:10) Now obviously Satan can kill, steal, and destroy our personal
peace & joy. This happens anytime we get sick, or we get laid off, or
one of our possessions breaks down. But his ultimate goal is to end
your life. Which is why we are so afraid of death.
Do you realize that little children aren't afraid of death? They have
no problem accepting the fact that death is the means that God uses
to bring us into his presence. I've seen children at funerals go up
to adults and say, "Why are you crying? Isn't he in heaven right now?"
It's only the adults who struggle with death. As we get older, at the
time when we should be letting go of life, we try to hang on to it tighter.
This is why so many older people faithfully support the health & wealth
teachers.
When I was a young adult, I used to love to go to the beaches in Florida.
I used to dream about one day retiring near Daytona Beach. That is no
longer my dream. The reason my dream has changed is because of all the
other people who retired in Florida. Everywhere you look there are thousands
of old people, with beautifully tanned bodies, sitting around waiting
to die. Who wants to walk along the beaches with people who have one
foot on the beach and the other foot in the grave? I want to live among
people who, instead of trying to run from death, are actually looking
forward to going home to be with the Lord. I want to live among people
who can't wait for the day when they can trade in their old body for
a newer version. I long for the day when God gives me a body that never
struggles with disease, depression, or even calories.
I want you to quite worrying about getting old. Because even though
your physical body is deteriorating, your spiritual body is getting
stronger & stronger. I'm not saying this as some kind of spiritual platitude.
This is the attitude we have to have to endure life. It is the attitude
that gave Paul the hope and the confidence to make it through his life
as well.
Paul next tells us what we can expect our lives to be like-v. 12-13.
Paul experienced these things in his life because he proclaimed the
good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. I promise each
of you that if you are keeping the Great Commission of witnessing for
Jesus Christ, you will experience great persecution. If you take a stand
for Jesus Christ where you work or go to school, you will be made fun
of.
It's easy to come into this building, sing songs that tell Jesus how
much we love him. Yet, it's another story to out into a hostile world
to tell others that you believe in & love Jesus. That's why the people
of your world don't care what we do in here on Sunday mornings. But
they get real upset if dare put into practice what you learn.
There was an article written about who Americans would not like to be
their neighbor. Let me give you the top 7 worst kind of neighbors:
7
Catholics.
6
Jews
5
Hispanics
4
Unmarried couples
3
Blacks
2
Drug dealers And
1
Evangelical Christians.
Even Satan doesn't care what we do as long as we practice our faith
behind closed doors. But he gets nervous when your life starts to line
up with the Word of God. He gets real nervous when you start to witness
for Jesus. And, he gets even more nervous when you start to pray for
other people's salvation, or even for your own personal revival.
So to try to shut you up he will influence the unbelievers you work
with, or go to school with, to mock you. He will influence your employers
or school administers to make rules prohibiting you from sharing your
faith with others. And he has influenced those in authority to pass
rules that say if you witness to others during work/school time, you
can be fired or kicked out of school.
In these 2 verses, Paul outlines for us ways we are to live in spite
of persecution. First of all, he tells us that we are to be the best
employee in our workplace. As Christians, we should be the hardest,
most conscientious of all workers. We should be the first one there
in the morning, and the last one to leave at night. And we shouldn't
care if our co-workers accuse us of being butt-kissers for the way we
work or treat our bosses.
Once I worked for a company that told us that if each welder made 2/3
welds a day, then the job would finish on schedule. And that's exactly
how many welds most of the welders made each day. I was averaging about
6 welds a day, and some of the men came to me and said I was making
them look bad. I told them that I was a Christian, and that I worked
for a different boss than they did. And that my boss expected me to
give my employer a hard day's worth of work. Needless to say I wasn't
the most popular person on the job site.
Secondly, Paul tells us when people cuss us out, we are to bless them
in return. Notice Paul didn't say bless them out in return. Instead,
we are give back words seasoned with grace. That's hard to do, isn't
it?
When someone cusses me out, my initial response is not to say, "God
bless you too!" Or if someone flips me the bird for making a mistake
when I'm driving, I don't automatically roll down my window and say,
"I hope you have a nice day!" Yet, as a Christian, those should be my
responses.
Next, Paul tells us that when we are persecuted, we are to endure it.
Please understand that being a Christian doesn't make us doormats for
people to walk all over. Jesus did not look like the paintings we see
of him with long flowing hair, that looked like he just came out of
a beauty parlor. Jesus, for most of his life, was a carpenter. I worked
construction for over 20 yrs., and I never once saw a carpenter who
looked like some effeminate fairy.
In fact, Jesus modeled for us the behavior we are to exhibit when we
are persecuted. Jesus didn't hang on a cross because he was too weak
to defend himself. When Jesus hung on the cross, he showed us power
under control. We need to remember that if Jesus had wanted to, he could
have wiped out the entire world just as easy as he created it. Over
6,000 yrs. ago, Jesus spoke and the heavens & earth came into existence.
So if Jesus wanted to, he could have spoke and the earth could have
completely disappeared from the universe. While Jesus hung on the cross,
the crowd was yelling out, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if
this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One." (Luke
23:35) Those people better be glad Jesus didn't try to save himself.
For less than 12 hours earlier Jesus made this statement: "Do you think
I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more
than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew
26:53) And since a legion has about 6,000 men, Jesus is saying that
if he asked his father for help, his father would gladly send 72,000
angels to come to his rescue. We know that one time God sent an angel
and it wiped out 185,000 Assyrians. That means that if Jesus had asked
for 72,000 angels to come to earth, they could have wiped out 1 billion
620 million people. In other words, they could have wiped out the entire
population of America, and about 1/3 of today's population.
So when Jesus went to the cross, it wasn't because he couldn't do anything
else. He willingly went so he could die to rescue you & me from our
sins. And this is the path that Jesus is asking us to walk.
Finally, Paul tells us that when we are slandered, we are to respond
in kindness. I believe that this is even harder to do than to let someone
cuss you out. The reason it is so hard to be slandered is because slander
is when someone is going around telling either lies or truths about
you in such a way to ruin your reputation.
This happened to me about 5 yrs. ago. A person misunderstood something
that I had agreed to. And when I didn't live up to his expectations,
he went around telling people his side of the story. And what he was
saying had the potential of ruining my ministry.
So when this person was slandering my character, I got madder at him
then I had ever been at anybody, at anytime during my life. I got so
mad that one day I was going to go over to his house, drag him outside,
and beat the living daylights out of him. But instead, I called one
of the elders to pray for me.
After he prayed for me, he counseled me to confess my sin of anger towards
this man to God. And after I confessed my sin, I received healing and
deliverance from my anger towards that man. And we are now once again
very good friends.
Let me say in conclusion that one day you are going to experience all
the blessings that come from being a son/daughter of God. One day God
is going to take you to a place where there is no suffering, no sickness,
and no poverty. One day you are going to rule with Jesus as one of God's
princes/princesses.
So let's don't try to turn this kingdom into the kingdom that is to
come. The best this world has to offer ain't nothing compared to what's
waiting for us in heaven. Everything in this world is nothing but cheap
counterfeits compared to the treasures waiting for us in heaven. The
only way you can really enjoy this life to it's fullest, is to not try
to hang on to it. The only way you can really enjoy this life is to
live for the kingdom that is coming.
An elderly saint told her pastor that when she died she wanted to be
buried with a dessert fork in her hand. When he asked her why, she replied,
"You only use your dessert fork for the best part of the meal, your
dessert." Now when do you normally eat dessert? If you're like me, you
normally eat dessert at the end of the meal. So in reality, the last
part of the meal is the best part of the meal, isn't it?
That elderly saint wanted her death to show people that she believed
that the best is yet to come. She wanted people to know that the best
part of life is the life that comes after you leave this life. Can you
honestly say that the place where you will go immediately after you
die is better than the world you live in now?
If you know you will be in heaven, then the answer is yes. If you know
that you will be in hell, then the answer is no. If you want to change
your answer from no to yes, all you have to do is to accept the fact
that Jesus died for your sins. And then invite him into your life as
Lord. That's all there is to it.
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