Rev. David Holwick ZE Series: It's Up To Me, #2
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
October 6, 2013
2 Timothy 3:8-11
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I. The Pope makes waves, again.
A. He likes to make off-the-cuff dramatic statements.
1) Recent comments on homosexuality and proselytizing.
a) He doesn't feel we should judge anybody for their
sexuality.
b) He thinks proselytizing others to Christianity is
nonsense.
c) He thinks "everyone has his own idea of good and evil
and must choose to follow the good and fight evil
as he conceives them."
2) He comes across as non-threatening compared to other popes.
a) He has a heart for people but his thinking can be
muddled.
b) Even many Catholics admit Francis is more of a pastor
than a theologian.
3) Questions the world is asking:
a) Does Christianity have a consistent system of morality?
b) Is evangelism and conversion forbidden?
c) Is everyone's idea of what is good equally valid?
1> The KKK and Bin Laden were convinced they knew
what was good.
2> Should their views be okay with us?
B. Another outspoken priest made waves a few years ago.
1) Martin Luther was a monk and a professor who lived about
half a millennium ago.
2) In 1517 he nailed a statement called the 95 Theses to a
church door in Wittenberg for all to see.
a) The town still makes a heap of money off tourists,
even though the current door is a replica.
b) These "theses" outlined specific problems in the church,
like buying indulgences to get out of purgatory.
3) It was a big hit - the Protestant Reformation was triggered.
a) It also got Martin Luther excommunicated.
b) Hauled before a meeting called the Diet of Worms,
Luther was challenged to repudiate his teachings.
c) Here is his response:
"Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or
by clear reason
(for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone,
since it is well known that they have often erred and
contradicted themselves),
I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience
is captive to the Word of God.
"I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither
safe nor right to go against conscience.
Here I stand. I can do no other.
May God help me. Amen."
Some scholars think the words "here I stand" were inserted
later by someone else.
But the meaning remains the same.
Luther stood firm on what he believed and would not waver
unless the Bible convinced him otherwise.
What do YOU stand for?
II. Believe biblical values.
A. Not everyone does, even in churches.
1) In 2 Timothy 3, Paul is dealing with false teachers.
2) He compares them to Jannes and Jambres, the traditional
names of the magicians in Pharaoh's court who were able
to turn their staffs into snakes, just like Moses.
a) They had power, but they didn't have truth.
b) Truth is more important.
B. Many Christians don't care much about truth.
Over 100 years ago, an English bishop named J.C. Ryle made an
astute observation:
"We have myriads of 'jelly-fish' worshippers - respectable
Church-going people, who have no distinct views about any
point in theology.
They cannot discern things that differ, any more than
color-blind people can distinguish colors.
They think everybody is right and nobody wrong, everything
is true and nothing is false...
"Often carried away by any new excitement and sensational
movement;
ever ready for new things, because they have no firm grasp
on the old;
and utterly unable to "render a reason for the hope that is in
them." (an allusion to 1 Peter 3:15)
#18391
1) Jelly-fish have been exploding at the Jersey shore.
2) Don't be an addition to their population.
III. What would key biblical values be?
A. The centrality of Jesus.
1) Jesus is more than an example - he is our Savior.
a) We should obey what he teaches and honor him for who
he is.
b) If we love other people, we should invite them to
believe in Jesus as well.
1> When the Pope criticized proselytizing, he probably
meant bludgeoning people into believing.
2> Sharing your faith is quite different than that.
2) We should also pattern our behavior after him.
a) Submitting to crucifixion required humility.
b) Christians should have a humble attitude as well.
1> And a desire to sacrifice themselves for others.
B. A life of integrity.
1) Note Paul's claim to have lived a godly life.
a) The way he lived, his purpose, faith, love and
endurance were evident to everyone.
b) You might say he had his life on his sleeve.
1> He didn't hide it.
2> He even believed in Jesus enough to get beat up
for it.
c) Many Christians don't have integrity.
British explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton lived in
the peak period of exploration in the 1800s.
He searched for the source of the Nile, he disguised
himself and sneaked into Mecca, he learned 29
languages.
Burton had a big impact on the West's understanding
of Islam.
He respected Muslims and found they were honest and
dependable.
What about the Christians he found in those lands?
He said of the ones in India, "They are notorious for
dishonesty and habitual intoxication."
That's pretty shameful.
Many American Christians leave the same impression!
#64276
2) Godliness is more than doing religious stuff.
a) It is the way you talk about other people.
b) It is how you behave when everything is going wrong.
c) It is how you handle money and sex and power.
1> When people are watching - and when they aren't.
C. Being compassionate and treating others fairly.
1) Jesus cared for people. A lot.
a) He wants us to do the same.
2) We should care about how our society treats people, too.
a) Drug tests for food stamp recipients?
1> Popular with conservatives, but why just focus
on poor people?
2> You should drug-test anyone who receives
something from the government.
b) Be kind to immigrants and people who are different.
IV. Live biblical values.
A. Lip service is not enough.
1) But it is very popular.
2) Jesus spent a lot of time railing against hypocrites.
3) We often view ourselves by what we correctly believe.
a) Good doctrine must be backed up by good living.
b) Romans 2:22 - do you preach against stealing, but
end up doing it yourself?
c) The world is not impressed by this.
B. Promote biblical values.
1) Pope cooling off on morality issues like abortion?
a) Many associate Christians with a simple array of issues,
often political.
b) Some think it is counterproductive and makes us
unpopular.
c) We shouldn't harp on just a few things.
1> At the same time, these issues are important to God.
2> If he didn't care about public morality he would not
have given the Ten Commandments.
2) Our church has a clear agenda on morality.
a) First Choice pregnancy center.
b) Sex trafficking issue with missionaries in Thailand,
and ABCNJ resolution on violence and trafficking.
c) World poverty.
1> PID and housing, medical, business building in
Guatemala and Haiti.
2> New Jersey poverty - we are one of few churches in
area that actually helps anyone.
A> One needy person said his motel was 200 feet
from a large church in Roxbury but when he
requested aid, they told him they only
help their own.
V. What do you stand for?
A. Know what you believe about God.
B. Practice what you believe in the world.
Dave Thomas, the famous founder of Wendy's Restaurants,
had this to say about his personal integrity:
"Honesty does not come from out of nowhere.
It is a product of your moral convictions.
But what do you do when your convictions are challenged?
It is faith that gives you the strength to go on believing.
I don't support convictions or cults that are negative and
lead only to hatred and fanaticism.
Faith must be positive.
Live your faith.
Don't wear it on your sleeve; roll up both sleeves and do
something about it.
#4110
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 4110 “What Makes For Success?” Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's
Restaurants, Imprimis magazine, January 1997, page 8.
#18391 “Jellyfish Christianity,” J. C. Ryle (1816-1900),
<http://climbridges.blogspot.com/2007/09/jesus-jc-ryle-and-jelly-fish.html>
#64276 “Notorious For Dishonesty and Intoxication,” adapted by David
Holwick from "Goa, and the Blue Mountains, Or, Six Months of
Sick Leave," by Sir Richard Francis Burton, originally published
in 1851, page 243. Retrieved from <http://books.google.com/books?id=fzwrCSd_bEAC&pg=PA243&lpg=PA243&dq=%22Sir+richard+francis+burton%22+christians+dishonest&source=bl&ots=meQrnfaXHe&sig=w4oOMwR2ZcfybCgvgmSK5f8G12M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nXhPUpu3Fve-4APZ9IHoBw&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Sir%20richard%20francis%20burton%22%20christians%20dishonest&f=false>
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
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