"But if Not, ..... What Then?"

Daniel 3:16-18:  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer you in this matter.  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."

 

This is one of my favorite texts in the Bible, and the basis of a sermon which I love to preach!  The king of Babylon had ordered everyone to worship a golden image of himself whenever certain music was played.  The music served as a kind of summons to worship the image.  These three Hebrew children refused to worship the golden image, even though they knew that those who refused to worship the image would be thrown into a fiery furnace and would no doubt meet certain death.

 

This passage of Scripture has come to mind often as I have watched developments in the Middle East, especially in Iraq.  Numerous relief workers, journalists, business people, and even military personnel have been seized by Islamic militants.  They have been dragged before cameras and, under horrific torture, have said just about anything the Moslem captors wanted them to say--condemning western governments, begging for their own release, urging their leaders to give into terrorist demands, and even claiming to be converts to Islam.

 

Our military used to have a strict code of discipline which directed soldiers to give nothing more than "name, rank, and serial number" if captured.  That was changed some years ago.  Perhaps we cannot expect people to withstand the brutal torture of terrorists who would even advocate suicide bombings themselves, and who think nothing of chopping off the heads of the innocent. On the other hand, no one can truly be "forced" to say something he doesn't believe.  There's always a choice.  Of course, that choice may result in death.  But what about the signers of the Declaration of Independence who pledged their "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor" to preserve the republic?

 

It is hard to be too critical of those who say almost anything with the hope of preserving their lives.  I find myself wondering how I would hold up under such pressure.  Would I whine and cry and beg my government to capitulate to the demands of terrorists?  Would I be willing to affirm prepared statements critical of my government and dishonoring to my nation?  Would I even, God forbid, claim a false conversion to the Islamic faith?

 

I would hope that my patriotism, my Christian faith,  and my commitment to the belief in freedom under God would prevent me from being a coward or from denying my Lord.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego knew that one way or the other, they would be delivered from king Nebuchadnezzar--either in life or in death.  They knew that God was more powerful than any earthly king or the threats of any tyrant.  They also were humble enough to recognize that they might have to endure physical death, that the will of God might be different from their own desires.  Either way, these three men would be true to their God and to their beliefs.

 

Of course, they were delivered from the furnace and lived to serve God many more years on this earth; but that's really not the most important part of the story.  The most important aspect of this chapter in Daniel is that these men were determined to remain faithful, no matter what happened to them.  

 

What about us?  Will we be true to our biblical principles as we go through our daily tasks?  Will we be willing to submit to the rule of God in our lives, even if things  don't turn out the way we want them to?

 

We may never face the possibility of torture by Moslem extremists or crazed killers such as those who terrorized that Colorado high school several years ago; but ask yourself this question:  If someone was holding a gun to your head, demanding that you claim a false conversion or that you deny the name of Jesus, what would you do?  Would you rationalize?  Would you make excuses?  Or would you be like these three men of faith in Daniel 3:16-18.  God is able to deliver us in times of crisis;  but if He chooses to do otherwise, what then?

 

           

Faith Without Works? (James 2:1-18, September 4-10, Year B.)

Straight AheadThis will be my sermon title and text for this Sunday. You will notice that I placed a question mark at the end of the phrase "faith without works" because it was unthinkable to James or to any of the apostles that a true Christian could have genuine faith without accompanying works which demonstrated that faith! How could such a thing be? Today, we have the legalists on one extreme who think that if a person doesn't exhibit certain works or abstain from certain things, that person can't possibly be saved and go to heaven. On the other hand, we have those people who use the grace of Christianity as license for all kinds of immorality, bad habits, and excuses for indifference to right living. You may remember that Martin Luther had great disdain for the epistle of James, wishing it had never been included in the Bible! But Martin Luther misunderstood the epistle. James was not undermining the theological truth of justification by faith. He was simply saying that if a person has genuine Christian faith, that faith will manifest itself in good works. This is basically the same thing Jesus was teaching in Matthew 7 when he said that "by their fruits, you will know them," and what the apostle Paul was pointing out in Galatians 5 when he spoke of the "fruits of the Spirit." Many have used this chapter in the epistle of James to justify all kinds of political programs, social gospel, and even the abandonment of doctrine altogether. Again though, we must be reminded that the Bible is a book of balance. Even in this epistle, James does not dismiss sound doctrine. He does not restrict himself simply to the virtue of meeting material needs. He uses several examples to illustrate what it means to show our faith by our works. In James 2:1-7 and thereafter, he talks about showing impartiality in the church. We sometimes talk about treating everybody the same, not paying more attention to anybody just because that person may be wealthy or powerful in the community. That is essentially the correct emphasis, but I like to say it in a more positive way. I say in one of my sermon titles, "Treat everybody special!" There are no common people, and there are no common Christians! Let's make sure that everyone is glad they came to our church. The church should be a place of acceptance, even when we cannot approve or condone certain lifestyles or agree with certain expressions of the human condition! James goes on to remind us that it is all well and good to be careful about obeying particular points of God's law; but he says that if we are guilty of breaking even one point of God's law, we are guilty of breaking the whole of the law. He then talks about the hypocrisy of telling someone to go and be filled with food and be warmed and satisfied, yet not giving them the means to meet their needs. This does not mean that we foster an attitude of dependence or irresponsible behavior. It means that we genuinely endeavor to feed the whole person--giving them short-term means to meet a particular need, and then giving them the Bread of Life and providing the means for them to be all that God intends them to be. It's not so much a matter of how we carry out our own understanding of the Christian faith, but whether or not we are truly trying to be actively living out that faith. We may have differing theological and political perspectives which will influence our interpretation of the Christian life. Hopefully, these perspectives will be informed by the Word of God, prayer and meditation. James uses other examples which illustrate courage, moderation of speech, caring for other unfortunate types of people, and developing spiritual discipline. All of these are examples of showing our faith by our works. Faith without works? That is an unthinkable paradox to the New Testament followers of Christ! One of the results of genuine Christian faith and discipleship is a life brimming with works--not to gain salvation, but to show the love of Christ.

The War of the Emotions:

Straight AheadI am always a little bit surprised when I realize the number of people who are fighting serious emotional battles every day. As I have become more and more involved with email and Internet contacts, I am more and more aware of people who are getting treatment for depression, seeing therapists regularly, or who are constantly beset with dark thoughts of grief, hopelessness, or fear. I am astonished at how many people endured severe situations in their childhood that have led to some of these problems in adult life. It saddens me to think of the number of people who are so overwhelmed by such emotional struggles that they can hardly even watch the evening news without being overcome by thoughts of sadness and gloom. Even the day-to-day tasks that many of us take for granted bring many people to the emotional breakingpoint. Of course, there are many people whose depression stems from factors such as chemical imbalances within their body, physical disability, or illness. It must also be acknowledge that for many, the depression and hopelessness are affected by financial or other hardships. I am not criticizing these people. To be sure, there are cases where we might be tempted to say to a person who is in the throes of such emotional agonies, "Move on! Get over it! Get out and do something with your life. Open a new chapter." In some cases, such directness might be appropriate. I am convinced, however, that for most of these people, what is needed is genuine love and understanding. As helpful as professional counseling is, there are situations that require more time and genuine personal concern than traditional counseling situations are prepared to offer. For the Christian whose confidence and faith rest in the awareness of a sovereign and loving God, some are tempted to say that such periods of depression should never occur. After all, they argue, if we recognize that God is in control and has a plan for our lives, what is the point of being depressed or feeling hopeless? The answer to that, of course, is that we are human. We are weak and fallen creatures, living in a world dominated by sin. We are vulnerable to pain and suffering, just as non-Christians are. We know the truth, and yet, we still have to fight our own emotional and spiritual warfare. I face my own discouragements. These discouragements are brought on sometimes by the ways I have to deal with my blindness, by disappointments in ministry, by concerns about the health of loved ones, by the situations I see around me in the churches I pastor, and by a host of other factors. I am not necessarily any more spiritual or any stronger than other people. Perhaps the stress of life truly is greater today than in past generations in some strange ways. Obviously, we have ways of treating emotional problems today that were not available in past years. There certainly may come a time that I need some kind of professional help to deal with an especially dark period in my life. For now, I can say that my heart truly goes out to all those who feel so alone in the world, and who are enduring such overwhelming emotional struggles. The statistics I hear regularly about the millions of depressed persons sadden me greatly. As God provides opportunity, I hope to be able to make life more bearable for some of these people on a personal level. For the rest, I offer my sincere prayers and compassion. My major consolation and comfort is that the ultimate outcome of all things is in God's hands, and His perfect goodness and glorious plan for creation will triumph in the end. This is a certainty; but it doesn't mean that the journey to that glorious conclusion will be painless.

Devotional Life:

One of the things about being a Christian that impresses itself upon me again and again is the importance of having a devotional life and genuine spiritual discipline. We can get so easily distracted by our interests and hobbies, by vacations and holidays, and even by the stresses and ups and downs of everyday life.  I have to learn this lesson again and again.  Even though I have a consistent devotional pattern, there are times that I have to be very determined to stay on track--and other times that my practice of the spiritual disciplines can become to routine or superficial. 

 

I don't think I'm alone in this, even among pastors.  I certainly can tell a definite difference, however, when the practice of spiritual discipline and the fellowship with God is on a deeper level.  It makes a big difference, not only in my ministry, but my attitude and my ability to cope with whatever happens each day.

 

It's good that we learn this afresh from time to time.  It is important always to acknowledge our dependence upon God and our absolute need for conscious and constant fellowship with our heavenly Father.