“Jesus and I” (John 6:1-15) - Encore Sermon Series III –

Michel and I

One time Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan scored 63 points in one game. After the game, a reporter interviewed one of his teammates, Scottie Pippen. The reporter asked, “What’s the highlight of your day?” Pippen answered without hesitation, “The highlight of my day is Michael and I together got 65 points!”

5 Loaves vs. 5,000 People

We, as an individual and as a church, often feel that what we have is so limited, whereas the needs of the world around us are so great. In today’s scripture the disciples worried about their limited resources and how it could reach a growing crowd. They said, “We only have five loaves, but what good is that with this huge 5,000 crowd?” (9) Like the disciples, we often feel like what we have is 5 loaves, and the challenges we are facing are like 5,000 people. So we worry. We feel overwhelmed and powerless and say, “I have only such and such, but what good is that with the great needs? What should I do now?” If you have ever felt that way, today’s scripture is for you. In particular, I want you to pay attention to the following four verbs used in today’s story: “take,” “give thanks,” “break” and “give” (cf. Matt 14:19; Mk 6:41; Lk 9:16; Jn 6:11).

“Take”

First, Jesus takes what we bring to him. The story of feeding the 5,000 is written in all four gospels. In fact, in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus asks his disciples, “How much bread do you have? Go and see! (6:38)” Here Jesus gently invites us to think about what we already have. His point is not to literally check and count how much bread we have. For Jesus, five loaves or seven loaves – it doesn’t matter. His point is for us to see what we are already given. Because so many times we tend to focus on what we don’t have: Our church is so small. We don’t have enough resources to do missions. We don’t have young people. We don’t have children and youth, and so on. Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples, had a similar mindset. He basically said, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!” (1 denarius = a worker’s full day’s wage). He focused on what he didn’t have. But then, another disciple, Andrew did go and see to find something what he already had. And he found one boy. He brought the boy to Jesus. Jesus took what the boy brought to him – five loaves and two fish. Jesus takes what we bring to him – our bread, our prayer, our work, our strength, our weakness, our hunger, whatever we are. Jesus takes who we are.

“Give thanks”

Jesus then gives thanks for what we bring. He blesses and celebrates. He doesn’t criticize or reject our offering. Jesus welcomes us just as we are. God loves us not because we did something good or impressive for him. God just can’t stop loving us even before we commit our lives to him. When Israel was still in their sins, God said to them through the Prophet Zephaniah, “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (3:17) Our giving does not change God; it does change us. In today’s passage Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread to feed all these people?” Jesus said this to test his faith, for he himself knew what he would do. Here Jesus was inviting Philip to come and see and learn from him.

A few years ago, in an interview Dallas Willard was asked about the challenges facing the church. Dr. Willard spent much of his life addressing the problem of why the church isn't raising up more people who look and act like Jesus. At the end of that two-hour interview, Willard was asked this pointed question: "When you look at how off track the church is, do you ever just throw up your hands in despair?” Willard smiled and said, "Never." "But how can you not?" the interviewer asked. "Because," he said, "I know Christ is the head of his church and he knows what he's doing." [1] Jesus knows. He knows his church. He knows his people. He knows us. And he loves us even before we turn to him. But when we turn and come to him, when we bring ourselves to him, we hear him say, “You are my beloved!”

 “Break”

Jesus takes and gives thank for what we bring. But then Jesus breaks what we bring to him. Once we ourselves are in Jesus’ hands, we are not permitted to remain self-sufficient. We ought to be broken or pruned first before feeding the world. I like the story of “mashed potato love” told by Juan Carlos Ortiz. I know many of you in this room are very familiar with potatoes. Hope this analogy helps you to understand what it means to be broken. The story goes like this. As you know, in growing potatoes, each potato plant in the garden has three, four, five or more potatoes under it. Each individual potato belongs to one particular plant or another. When the potatoes are ready for harvest, we dig up all the potatoes and put them into one sack. Now they are all “regrouped” – but they are not yet “united.” They may say, “Oh, praise the Lord! Now we’re all in the same sack.” But they are still not yet one! To prepare the potatoes for use, they must be washed and peeled. Now they think they are closer yet. They may say, “How nice is this love among us!” But that’s not all. Next, they must be cut in pieces and mixed. They have now lost a lot of their individuality. However, what God wants is mashed potatoes. Not many potatoes, but “one” mashed potato! The word “I” no longer exists, but only “we” do. [2] So we become one with Christ, and one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world. In John 12:24 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”  

“Give”

Jesus takes, gives thank, breaks, and then he gives back what we bring to him. But it is no longer what we brought. Something happened in the meantime. It’s new creation, new bread that feeds thousands of people.

Do you remember how God fed the Israelites in the wilderness? God said to Moses, “In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want.” But Moses said, “I’m standing here with 600,000 men on foot… Even if all our flocks and herds were butchered, would that be enough? Even if all the fish in the sea were caught, would that be enough?” But Moses believed in God. He believed somehow God would make a way. So by faith he went out and told the people what the Lord had said. Then what happened? God sent a strong wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp – for miles in every direction, there were quail 3 feet deep on the ground! (cf. Num 11:16-23). So they all ate and were satisfied. It’s a mystery how Jesus fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish. But the Bible says, “They all ate and were satisfied” (cf. Mt 14:20). And it still happens today when we share what Jesus gives back to us.

Jesus and I

In today’s passage there is a boy who could be easily missed. It seems like he is from ordinary or even poor family. At that time, barley bread was very common, and it was typically for low class people. And the Greek word used for the fish the boy had was opsarion, which meant very small fish. So if this kind of fish was caught in the net, people released it back into the water. What the boy had – five barley loaves and two small fish – was not great, but it was everything he had. By faith the boy brought what he had to Jesus. He had no idea what Jesus would do with it. But he had faith that Jesus would do something with it. Jesus wants us to have this faith: “If I bring what I have to him, he will do something with it.” Once one of my colleagues encouraged me to put myself on the boy’s shoes. She said, “Have you ever thought what the boy would tell the story to his parents after coming back home?” Do you think he would simply say, “Mom, Dad, today Jesus fed the 5,000?” Probably not! He would say with excitement, “Mom and dad, today Jesus and I together fed thousands of people!!!”

Through today’s story Jesus invites us to a rich and satisfying life. What do you see? Do you see what you don’t have? Or do you see what you already have? Because of the COVID pandemic, we haven’t had our VBS for the past two years. It was hard to keep our Sunday School going. So this year it was harder to resume VBS again. At the beginning, it seemed we didn’t have enough teachers, volunteers, and children. But we brought what we had – our heart, our prayer, our faith, our time. Then, the Holy Spirit took over. He sent, assigned, empowered right people in right positions – from leadership to decorations, to snacks, to art and crafts, to puppet, to mission moment, to group leaders. We were all well fed and satisfied.

Each of us in this room has something to offer, something to share. This morning Jesus says to us, “Bring them here to me.” Jesus takes, gives thanks, breaks, and gives back. And all are satisfied. So what do you have? Let us bring them here to Jesus. And we will say with great excitement, “Jesus and I together did feed all these people!” With Jesus all things are possible. Amen.

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[1] Skye Jethani, Immeasurable: Reflections on the Soul of Ministry in the Age of Church, Inc. (Moody Publishers, 2017), 49.

[2] Juan Carlos Ortiz, Disciple (Creation House, 1975), 60-64.

“Jesus: Guest or Master” (John 2:1-11) - Encore Sermon Series II -

Water into Wine

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a poem is worth a million thoughts. George Gordon Byron, simply known as Lord Byron, is considered as one of the greatest English poets in the 19th century. The following is the story when the young Lord Byron was taking an important exam in religious studies at Oxford University. The examination question for this day was to write about the religious and spiritual meaning in the miracle of Christ turning water into wine. For two hours all the other students were busy with filling their pages with long essays, to show their understanding. But the young Lord Byron just sat, contemplating and looking out the window. The exam time was almost over, and he had not written a single word. The proctor finally came over to him and insisted that he had to write something before turning in the paper. The young Lord Byron simply picked up his hand and penned the following line: “The water met its Master, and blushed.”

Jesus, the Guest

Today’s story goes like this: one day Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding. In Jesus’ time the wedding celebration was considered to be the pinnacle of life. Instead of a honeymoon, the bride and groom had open house for a week. They were considered to be king and queen. Oftentimes all the people in town were invited to celebrate together. It was the whole town celebration. At the wedding banquet wine was essential. At that time to the Jewish mind, wine was a symbol for joy. So “without wine, there is no joy.” But in today’s passage something happened. The wine ran out. “They have no more wine!” the mother of Jesus said. Running out of wine during the wedding celebration brought shame to the family. But even more than that, it meant joy had run out.

Many of us in this room already invited Jesus into our hearts, but oftentimes we treat him as our guest, perhaps special guest at best, but not as the Master. There is a clear limit and boundary for guests. They are not allowed to get involved in our private matters – such as our family matters and finances. In today’s story at first Jesus was invited as a guest. So at the beginning he could do no mighty work there, even though he was the Son of God Almighty (cf. Mk 6:5). In the same way, oftentimes we feel like our life lost its sparkle, its joy when all is well, even when life is at the pinnacle. We are full of health; money increases, we have plenty of food, plenty to drink, and a warm place to sleep. But somehow the wine fails. Instead of joy, we are filled with much anxiety and worry, even if Jesus is with us.

Jesus, the Master

But later in today’s story, we see some people who believed in Jesus and treated him as their Master. First, Mary believed in Jesus as her Master and said to servants, “Do whatever tells you.” Second, the servants. At the wedding banquet there were six stone water jars, altogether holding up to 180 gallons of water. And Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up, not to half, but to the brim (v. 7). They showed complete obedience. Then Jesus said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the chief steward.” And they did. They showed immediate obedience. There is no logical relationship between turning water into wine and filling the jars with water and taking it to the head steward. There is no logical relationship between looking to the bronze snake and being healed (cf. Num 21:9). But the key is “obedience.” When we trust Jesus as our Master and listen to him, he turns our water into wine, he turns our tasteless, insipid, sparkeless life into rich, satisfying, joyous life.

Let me share my story. In summer 2008 Joyce and I had a chance to attend a prayer meeting at seminary. One of the members asked for prayer for him. His family and he were about to leave to England for further study. His prayer request was about financial issue. He mentioned the exact amount of money which he needed. At the end of the meeting we had a time to pray for him. While we were praying for him, I sensed the Holy Spirit saying to me, “Victor, I want you to help him. I want you to give his family a tenth out of what they need.” At that time, Joyce and I just got married. We were also financially supported by our home church and our parents in Korea. We were hesitant. Shortly after, Joyce had to go back to Korea for visa approval. That week the sermon text for Sunday service happened to be today’s scripture. While I was meditating on the scripture, I was amazed by the complete and immediate obedience of the servants. Finally, I decided to step out and do it. I made a phone call to Joyce to share what I had learned from the scripture. She got very excited and said, “Listen, today I met your grandparents-in-law. They made an offering to our family. And you know what? The amount of money they gave us is exactly same as what we want to give that family.” It was the moment that Jesus turned my water into wine.

Jesus: Guest or Master

Pastor Tim Keller compares the Lordship of Jesus Christ to “a life-quake.”

When a great big truck goes over a tiny little bridge, sometimes there’s a bridge-quake, and when a big man goes onto thin ice there’s an ice-quake. Whenever Jesus Christ comes down into a person’s life, there’s a life-quake. Everything is reordered… any view, any conviction, any idea, any behavior, any relationship. He may change it, He may not change it, but at the beginning of the relationship you have to say, ‘In everything He must have the supremacy.’[1]

Our Christian journey is a long obedience in the same direction. We come to know Jesus more and more through this long obedience. When I was in seminary, there was a life-quake. Jesus asked me, “Are you willing to give up your denomination and your school for me?” In 2018 there was another life-quake, when Jesus came to me and asked, “Are you willing to abide here in this place for decades for me?” Not long ago, there was another life-quake. Jesus asked, “Are you willing to give away your 403(b) and your college savings plan for me?” Indeed, each time Jesus came into my life, there was a life-quake. Everything had to be reordered. And I struggled. But every time I surrendered and obeyed, always there was joy. 

Obedience leads to joy. Obedience leads to knowing Jesus. The Apostle John concludes today’s story this way: “What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him” (v. 11).  All the people at the wedding feast saw the miracle and tasted the best wine. But for many of them it was just a miracle, not the “sign” pointing them to Christ. Only for those who obeyed – Mary, the servants, and the disciples, it was the sign. They saw the first glimpse of Jesus’ glory. And it’s a journey. It’s long obedience in the same direction. As we receive Jesus as our Master, listening to him and reordering our life accordingly, may we be filled with joy, joy, joy, tears of joy! Amen.

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[1] Tim Keller, “The Lordship of Christ is ‘A Life-Quake,’” Preaching Today,  https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2016/march/3031416.html

“Called, Sent, Planted” (Gen 13:10-18) - Encore Sermon Series I -

Walking in a Circle? 

Years ago, a man was missing in the Alps, and he was rescued after 13 days. This man had walked more than 12 hours a day to find a village in bad weather. But in fact, it turned out that he went around in circles within a 4-mile radius. When a person keeps walking with the eyes closed, he or she ends up walking around in circles. But, there is a way to avoid this! If we would make a stop for a moment on a regular basis, rather than keep walking, we are then able to almost walk in a straight line. Oftentimes we are too busy and occupied with many things, and we find ourselves just keep going without thinking, end up wandering around in circles, just like the man in the Alps. I believe summer is a great time for us to stop and think whether we are on the right track. Over the past eight years I have been preaching more than 333 sermons. Now I just started to go back and read them one by one to see the trajectory, to see where we are today, and to see where we should be heading.

Chaff and Tree

This is my 9^th year since being sent to Hodgdon and Houlton. One of the most frequently asked questions is “Why did you come to the US?” Or, “What brought you up here in Houlton?” Typically, my answer is “I don’t know. That was not my plan. I was just called and sent.” By nature I am a very organized person. I feel relieved when I plan ahead. But nowadays, my motto is “Plan less, Pray more.” Let me tell you my story how I end up having this motto. I was born in a pastor’s family. My grandfather is a pastor. My father is a pastor. So when I was young, I thought that I was a good Christian and had a strong faith. But in reality, I didn’t have any personal relationship with God. I believed in God, but my faith didn’t affect my daily life and my daily decisions.

You see, in Psalm 1, we find two ways of life – the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. On the one hand, the wicked are described as “chaff” – a free spirit. They are an active being, they are in charge. They do whatever they want to do. They go wherever they want to go. They follow the rule of their own hearts. But in reality, they are swayed and tossed by the waves of the world. They are slaves of sin. On the other hand, the righteous are described as a “tree.” They are a passive being. They don’t plant themselves, but they are being “planted” – planted by the gardener. They wait, listen, endure, trust, obey. They are slaves of God.

As I look back on my life, I was much more like “chaff.” I was the person in charge of my life. I always came up with my own plans, proceeded them, and then asked God for his blessings. But God was merciful and patient. One of the defining moments happened in the year 2000. I was sent to East Timor as a UN Peace keeping force. East Timor was a lonely island. There was neither the church in Korean barrack, nor spiritual mentors. Instead, sexual temptation and debauchery were lurking all around. At that time God gave me burden to start Sunday service in barrack. But, I ran away from the mission like Jonah when God told him to go to Nineveh. After this, by his grace God allowed me to fall ill with an endemic disease, ‘Dengue Fever.’ There was no way to be properly treated because at that time I was dispatched to a remote area for three weeks. I was suffering from a high fever and had a rash all over the body. My condition got seriously worse. On that night I could not eat anything, nor sleep. I became delirious from a high fever. Intuitively, I knew that I was walking through the death valley. I knelt down on a camp bed and said a simple prayer. “God, help me. Have mercy on me, a sinner. God, if you spare my life, I will humbly serve you with all my heart for life.” Then, I was able to fall asleep in peace. I woke up early next morning. And I found the fever had left me, and the rash completely disappeared. That healing experience became the starting point of my new journey –  from a life of the chaff to a life of the tree.

Lot and Abram

In today’s passage we find two ways of life – the way of Lot and the way of Abram. At first, Abram and Lot were traveling together, but they were not able to live together anymore because they had too many flocks and herds in the same land. So Abram did the beautiful thing, suggesting, “Take whatever part of the land you want and I will take what’s left.” Now listen to verse 10: “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD.” And he chose to live and pitch his tents near Sodom. Concerning his decision, the author of Genesis evaluates this way: “Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord” (v. 13). Lot only looked at the outward appearance, but he failed to see the reality. After Lot had left, the Lord said to Abram, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are… I am giving all this land to you and your offspring forever” (vv. 14-15).

Do you see the difference? The difference between the life “I lift up my eyes and choose and follow my ways” and the life “I am called, sent, planted.”

Terah and Abram

Abram was called, sent, planted in the land of Canaan. But, did you know there was another person who really wanted to go to Canaan? It was Abram’s father, Terah. Genesis 11:31 says, “Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.” Now we know both Terah and Abram tried to go to Canaan. On the surface, there is no difference. Both of them seem to have the same destination. Both of them seem to pursue the same purpose of life. But, the fruit is different. In the end, Terah settled in Haran and lived there until he died, but Abram arrived in Canaan.

We don’t know exactly why Terah wanted to go to Canaan. But we know that it was not from God. For some reason he wanted to go to Canaan. So, he set out for the land, but on the way he saw the land of Haran, and he liked it and settled there. But as for Abram, he didn’t make any plan to go to Canaan. Instead, he was called, then sent, then planted. What is the difference between the life of Terah and the life of Abram? Terah chose to go to Canaan because it seemed best in his own eyes. But Abram went to Canaan because God said so.

Terah lived 205 years, and the Bible summarizes his life in one verse: “He took his family, and tried to go to Canaan, but he settled Haran and died there” (11:32). That is his epitaph. Abram lived 175 years. He lived a shorter life than his father, Terah. But his epitaph reads like this: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Heb 11:8). Abram is still remembered as the father of faith.

Two Ways of Life

Few years ago Eugene Peterson, one of my mentors, wrote his autobiography, titled Pastor: A Memoir. In the book Peterson uses a metaphor from Herman Melville’s novel, Moby Dick to compare two ways of life. In the story all the sailors are laboring fiercely to hunt white whale, Moby Dick. However, there is one man who does nothing. He doesn’t hold an oar; he doesn’t perspire; he doesn’t shout. This man is the harpooner, quiet and poised, waiting. And then this sentence: “To insure the greatest efficiency in the dart, the harpooners of this world must start to their feet out of idleness, and not out of toil.”

As I close, let me paraphrase Eugene Peterson’s quotation into these following words: “To insure the greatest abundance in life, we Christians of this world must start to our feet out of listening and following, and not out of toil and busyness.” Two ways of life are in front of us. May we listen and say yes to God’s call. May we follow Christ wherever he leads us. May we be deeply planted until we bear much fruit. Amen.

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*This sermon was first preached on July 6, 2014, and updated on July 10, 2022. 

  

Andy Thomas - Moby Dick

“Rejoicing in Persecution” (Matt 5:10-12) - Follow Me VIII –

Persecution Today

According to 2022 World Watch list, in just the last year there have been over 360 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution and discrimination – 5,898 Christians killed for their faith, 5,110 churches and other Christian buildings attacked, 4,765 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned. These numbers are heart-breaking. From a global standpoint, Christian persecution is very real. But as for many of us living in the U.S. may wonder whether Jesus’ words about persecution are still relevant today, as modern society became so tolerant. My answer is that these verses are relevant and not at all outdated. My reason for saying this is taken from the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” The immediate context of Paul’s words is this:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- having a form of godliness but denying its power (vv. 1-5).

Don’t these verses describe what’s happening in today’s world? In this very context, Paul says that everyone who wants to live all out for Christ will be persecuted.

Why Persecution Comes

Why does then persecution come? Is persecution necessary? Persecution is the clash between two irreconcilable value systems, between the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. When our life is devoted to righteousness or godliness, we will be reviled or persecuted. For instance,

·       If we are spiritually minded, we will expose the worldly-mindedness of those around us.

·       If we walk humbly with our God, we will expose the evil of pride.

·       If we live simply and godly, we will show the folly of luxury.

·       If we pursue love – the love for God and our neighbor, our life will be a statement against the love of self and of money.

·       If we pursue self-control, our life will indict excess eating. 

Two Responses to a Godly Life

When we desire to live a godly life, there are two possible responses people can have who are around us. One is conversion, and the other is persecution. We see this pattern throughout the Bible, particularly in the Book of Acts. Wherever the good news is preached, there is great joy, new life, revival, conversion. But also, there is always great opposition, violence, hatred, persecution. Why? Because two different value systems collide.

John Bunyan, in his book Pilgrim’s Progress, effectively describes what would happen to us when we resolve to follow Jesus and his teaching in this world. On their journey Christian and Faithful arrived at the town, called Vanity. In that town is promoted a fair called Vanity Fair. At this fair they sell such merchandise as houses, land, honors, promotions, titles, countries, kingdoms, gold, silver, lusts, and pleasures of all sorts. And along with all this, at this fair there is constant, round-the-clock entertainment like juggling, cheats, games, plays, clowns, and other amusements of every kind. Here visitors can also find free offers that include thefts, murders, adulteries, perjuries, and all of them are available at the fair. When the Pilgrims arrived, they were clothed with garments different from any available at that fair. When the people saw them, they stared at them and said they were lunatics, strange and unusual. One mocking merchant observed the strange behavior of Faithful and Christian and said to them, “What will you buy?” The pilgrims said, “We buy the truth.” Some mocked, some taunted, some reviled. There was a great commotion. After this, Faithful and Christian were taken to the judge, Lord Hate-good, for further investigation. At the court, several witnesses came forward for their testimonies against the Pilgrims. Since Faithful so boldly proclaimed the truth at the court, he was condemned to death.  First they scourged him, then they beat him, then they lanced his flesh with knives. After that, they stoned him with stones, then pricked him with their swords, and last of all they burned him to ashes at the stake. But that’s not the end of the story. After this, Christian was released and was joined by another pilgrim by the name of Hopeful, who observed all the sufferings Christian and Faithful had endured at the fair and decided to follow Christ. This Hopeful also told Christian, that there were many more of the people in the fair who would follow him after some time. Persecution and conversion. These are the two possible responses to a godly life.

Blessed are the Persecuted

So we should all examine and ask ourselves, “Is my life bearing fruit of persecution or conversion? Is my light bright enough so that the people around me may see it and move toward one or the other of these two polls: persecution or conversion?” In today’s passage Jesus gives us the words of encouragement: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” The Apostle Paul also encourages Timothy and all followers of Christ with these words: “But as for you, keep your head in all situations, endure suffering (persecution), work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you… the Lord will rescue you from every evil attack and will bring you safely to his heavenly kingdom” (2 Tim 4:5, 18).

When Corrie Ten Boom was a child, she was having a difficult time dealing with the fact that her farther would die one day. Corrie burst into tears, “I need you! You can’t die! You can’t!” The father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed and said gently, "Corrie, when you and I go to Amsterdam-when do I give you your ticket?" She sniffed a few times, considering this, then said, "Why, just before we get on the train." The father said, “Exactly. And our wise Father in heaven knows when we're going to need things, too. Don't run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need – just in time.” I don’t know about you, but for me, there are times when I become anxious about suffering. In particular, I become anxious when standing up for the truth or living a godly life would cost my relationships. But today we are reassured that God gives us tickets of grace to get through any given situation.

Rejoicing in Persecution

We may struggle. We may fall at times. But we will never down for long, because the Lord holds us by the hand. We are surrounded by God’s grace. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have finished the race. Let us look to these great men and women of faith in Hebrews 11. Let us look to the martyrs. Most of all, let us look to Jesus, who endured the cross for the joy set before him.

As I close, I want to share with you Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s poem “Who Am I.” Bonhoeffer was a German pastor known for his opposition to Nazi regime. He wrote this poem just one month before he was executed:

Who am I? They often tell me

I would step from my cells confinement

calmly, cheerfully, firmly,

like a squire from his country-house.

 

Who am I? They often tell me

I would talk to my warden

freely and friendly and clearly,

as though it were mine to command.

 

Who am I? They also tell me

I would bear the days of misfortune

equably, smilingly, proudly,

like one accustomed to win.

 

Am I then really that which other men tell of?

Or am I only what I myself know of myself?

Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,

struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,

yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,

thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,

tossing in expectations of great events,

powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,

weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,

faint, and ready to say farewell to it all.

 

Who am I? This or the other?

Am I one person today and tomorrow another?

Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,

and before myself a contemptible woebegone weakling?

Or is something within me still like a beaten army

fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

 

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.

Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine!

 

As he left his prison room on the way to the gallows in 1945, he said to his fellow Christians in the room, “This is the end — for me the beginning of life.” Ten years later the camp doctor wrote,

At the place of execution, he again said a short prayer and then climbed the steps to the gallows, brave and composed. His death ensued after a few seconds. In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God (Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography, 830).

When we desire to follow Jesus and live a godly life in this godless world, we will be persecuted. We will continue to experience difficulties. But let us not lose heart. Let us hold fast to the words of Jesus, “In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!" (John 16:33) Let us set our hearts on the kingdom of heaven. Let us rejoice even in persecution because our reward in heaven is great. Let us shine that people may see the light and glorify our Father in heaven. Amen.