The Danger Of Good Times
Commentary
Most of us dream of the day when all our problems will be solved, we will have plenty of money, and no work to do. The vision of the future most of us have is contained in an insurance ad in which two silver-haired, healthy people are sitting on the edge of their yacht in Florida telling the rest of us how to get what they have.
Surely there were those who read Joel's words of promise and imagined the coming of such days.
But, turn to the alternative reading for this Sunday (Amos 6:1-7) and hear the words of warning. Good times, riches, and good things can seem wonderful, but they also have their dangers.
They can make us forget others while we bask in blessings.
They can make us imagine we did it all by ourselves. Turn to Deuteronomy 8:11-20 for an appropriate warning.
They can lead us to the altars of idol gods whom we imagine have blessed us with such good things. Check out the Hosea stuff again.
They can make us imagine that somehow we are God's chosen ones, especially favored because he loves us more than others.
You can add to the list.
The point is all of us must be wary. We live in a land where even the poorest is a king compared to most in the world. We have to be careful about those to whom we compare ourselves. If to the neighbor across the street, we may have little. If to the neighbor in the Sudan, we may be as rich as the fabled Croesus.
It is important that we remember God has made all these our neighbors. Only when we keep them in mind can we be certain we are the kind of people who can accept the good times and offer them to others as well.
OUTLINE I
The Promise Beyond Judgment
Joel 2:23-30
Introduction: Sometimes we spend a great deal of time quoting the prophets and their threats against sin and disobedience. Such use of the Scriptures seems especially helpful if there is something we want to bring under criticism. Often what we succeed in doing is to present only half of the prophetic message and to paint the prophets as if they are ranting and raving maniacs holding unrepentant sinners over the abyss. Today's lesson reminds us of the full prophetic message.
1. A Call to Joy. The prophet Joel looks past the trying times and, in the spirit of Isaiah, having seen judgment as a time for cleansing and renewal, now sees the new things that God is about to give his people. What has been taken away is to be restored. The people will once again see the wisdom of worshiping one God alone and that God is Yahweh. Beyond the dark days one can see the light. This is Joel's silver lining.
2. A Call to Hope. For a long time the people of Israel had heard from their Rabbis that the Spirit had departed Israel when the last of the writing prophets died. For God to withdraw his Spirit from the nation was surely his most wrathful act. Now they were exposed. No longer did his restraining hand hold back the chaos that swept over them. No longer did they hear the word of guidance hand rebuke that would keep them on the pathway which led to his approval.
But Joel sees the day when all this is to be restored. The Spirit will be given again and even the lowest and the simplest will be aware of it. Surely we do not have to be reminded of that great scene in Acts 2 when, at Pentecost, Peter affirms that what Joel declared has, in his mind, happened in their midst.
Conclusion: Remind the hearers of the full meaning of judgment. Tell them again that, in all he does, God has the purpose of redemption. Turn to your hymnal and find the hymn written by William Cowper, titled God Moves in a Mysterious Way. Quote it and then have your congregation sing it.
OUTLINE II
Effective Warnings
Luke 16:19-31
Introduction: It will be helpful if you can remind your congregation about what things were like when Luke writes. His church is now largely Gentile. In all probability the torments of Domitian are the plight of his people. There must have been some who were well-to-do. No longer is the church made up of slaves as was the case early on. It may be that something of the situation with which Paul deals in 1 Corinthians 11 is still with them. Remember, the Gospels are not addressed to hypothetical situations. Rather they are designed to speak to situations present in their day.
1. The Rich. Nothing wrong with being rich. See the Timothy selection. But surely there's something wrong with being rich while others go without and even suffer. To do that is to fail to share the heart of God and his caring for the poor. Remember, Luke's Gospel is one written largely in support of the poor. Check out the Magnificat again. Note the change Luke makes in the Beatitudes when he leaves the words "in spirit" out of the one that says the poor are blessed. It is Matthew who adds "spirit."
2. The Poor Man. In Luke poor means impoverished -- bereft of what is necessary for life. Lazarus is symbolic of all of those who go without while others have more than they need. Note that the rich man uses bread for napkins. They didn't have Hallmark on hand in those days. That is what Lazarus must eat.
Conclusion: There is no doubt Luke means to speak a word to his church that reminds them of their responsibility to one another. That word still rings with relevance. This is a good time for a mission sermon which can address the hunger issue at the local level and at levels around the world.
OUTLINE III
How to Deal with Riches
1 Timothy 6:6-19
Introduction: No doubt when you read this selection you will remember Jesus' statement about the difficulty of rich men entering the kingdom. See Matthew 19:24 and Mark 10:25.
One of the favorite pastimes of the pulpit sometimes is to lower the boom on the rich and speak in favor of the poor. It sure goes over well with the poor at least. What is written here can be a good corrective to our one-sidedness.
1. The Danger of Riches. One does not have to be especially bright to see that riches have a mesmerizing effect on people. There are those who amass wealth simply for its own sake. They have more than they need and still they seek more. It can become an obsession, indeed an illness. But be careful; it is not money itself that is evil but the love of it.
2. A Higher Call. Paul sets out some worthy goals designed to put first things first. What he is saying is, if we keep our eyes and hearts focused on the right things, we are likely to be the kind of persons who can handle our possessions with propriety.
3. Therefore. Liberality and generosity are the proper goals for the affluent of this world.
Conclusion: Wouldn't it be better if we would stop trying to make our hearers feel uncomfortable and guilty about what they have, and begin to point them positively toward the good they can do? Try some of that. I cannot imagine a better opportunity to deal with stewardship and the mission responsibility of the Christian. A good place to end might be to quote Matthew 6:19-21.
Surely there were those who read Joel's words of promise and imagined the coming of such days.
But, turn to the alternative reading for this Sunday (Amos 6:1-7) and hear the words of warning. Good times, riches, and good things can seem wonderful, but they also have their dangers.
They can make us forget others while we bask in blessings.
They can make us imagine we did it all by ourselves. Turn to Deuteronomy 8:11-20 for an appropriate warning.
They can lead us to the altars of idol gods whom we imagine have blessed us with such good things. Check out the Hosea stuff again.
They can make us imagine that somehow we are God's chosen ones, especially favored because he loves us more than others.
You can add to the list.
The point is all of us must be wary. We live in a land where even the poorest is a king compared to most in the world. We have to be careful about those to whom we compare ourselves. If to the neighbor across the street, we may have little. If to the neighbor in the Sudan, we may be as rich as the fabled Croesus.
It is important that we remember God has made all these our neighbors. Only when we keep them in mind can we be certain we are the kind of people who can accept the good times and offer them to others as well.
OUTLINE I
The Promise Beyond Judgment
Joel 2:23-30
Introduction: Sometimes we spend a great deal of time quoting the prophets and their threats against sin and disobedience. Such use of the Scriptures seems especially helpful if there is something we want to bring under criticism. Often what we succeed in doing is to present only half of the prophetic message and to paint the prophets as if they are ranting and raving maniacs holding unrepentant sinners over the abyss. Today's lesson reminds us of the full prophetic message.
1. A Call to Joy. The prophet Joel looks past the trying times and, in the spirit of Isaiah, having seen judgment as a time for cleansing and renewal, now sees the new things that God is about to give his people. What has been taken away is to be restored. The people will once again see the wisdom of worshiping one God alone and that God is Yahweh. Beyond the dark days one can see the light. This is Joel's silver lining.
2. A Call to Hope. For a long time the people of Israel had heard from their Rabbis that the Spirit had departed Israel when the last of the writing prophets died. For God to withdraw his Spirit from the nation was surely his most wrathful act. Now they were exposed. No longer did his restraining hand hold back the chaos that swept over them. No longer did they hear the word of guidance hand rebuke that would keep them on the pathway which led to his approval.
But Joel sees the day when all this is to be restored. The Spirit will be given again and even the lowest and the simplest will be aware of it. Surely we do not have to be reminded of that great scene in Acts 2 when, at Pentecost, Peter affirms that what Joel declared has, in his mind, happened in their midst.
Conclusion: Remind the hearers of the full meaning of judgment. Tell them again that, in all he does, God has the purpose of redemption. Turn to your hymnal and find the hymn written by William Cowper, titled God Moves in a Mysterious Way. Quote it and then have your congregation sing it.
OUTLINE II
Effective Warnings
Luke 16:19-31
Introduction: It will be helpful if you can remind your congregation about what things were like when Luke writes. His church is now largely Gentile. In all probability the torments of Domitian are the plight of his people. There must have been some who were well-to-do. No longer is the church made up of slaves as was the case early on. It may be that something of the situation with which Paul deals in 1 Corinthians 11 is still with them. Remember, the Gospels are not addressed to hypothetical situations. Rather they are designed to speak to situations present in their day.
1. The Rich. Nothing wrong with being rich. See the Timothy selection. But surely there's something wrong with being rich while others go without and even suffer. To do that is to fail to share the heart of God and his caring for the poor. Remember, Luke's Gospel is one written largely in support of the poor. Check out the Magnificat again. Note the change Luke makes in the Beatitudes when he leaves the words "in spirit" out of the one that says the poor are blessed. It is Matthew who adds "spirit."
2. The Poor Man. In Luke poor means impoverished -- bereft of what is necessary for life. Lazarus is symbolic of all of those who go without while others have more than they need. Note that the rich man uses bread for napkins. They didn't have Hallmark on hand in those days. That is what Lazarus must eat.
Conclusion: There is no doubt Luke means to speak a word to his church that reminds them of their responsibility to one another. That word still rings with relevance. This is a good time for a mission sermon which can address the hunger issue at the local level and at levels around the world.
OUTLINE III
How to Deal with Riches
1 Timothy 6:6-19
Introduction: No doubt when you read this selection you will remember Jesus' statement about the difficulty of rich men entering the kingdom. See Matthew 19:24 and Mark 10:25.
One of the favorite pastimes of the pulpit sometimes is to lower the boom on the rich and speak in favor of the poor. It sure goes over well with the poor at least. What is written here can be a good corrective to our one-sidedness.
1. The Danger of Riches. One does not have to be especially bright to see that riches have a mesmerizing effect on people. There are those who amass wealth simply for its own sake. They have more than they need and still they seek more. It can become an obsession, indeed an illness. But be careful; it is not money itself that is evil but the love of it.
2. A Higher Call. Paul sets out some worthy goals designed to put first things first. What he is saying is, if we keep our eyes and hearts focused on the right things, we are likely to be the kind of persons who can handle our possessions with propriety.
3. Therefore. Liberality and generosity are the proper goals for the affluent of this world.
Conclusion: Wouldn't it be better if we would stop trying to make our hearers feel uncomfortable and guilty about what they have, and begin to point them positively toward the good they can do? Try some of that. I cannot imagine a better opportunity to deal with stewardship and the mission responsibility of the Christian. A good place to end might be to quote Matthew 6:19-21.
