Will You Murmur?

NO REASON FOR CHRISTIANS TO MURMUR

There is no greater joy in this life than to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. What joy there ought to be in every person who knows his sins against a holy God who made him are all forgiven because of the sacrifice of His Son upon the cross. Yet, often times Christians murmur and complain as much as anyone else.

Thomas Brooks, a well-known preacher in his day (17^th century ) in England, wrote a book to instruct Christians on how to properly face sufferings and trials of life. The following is an excerpt from that book. Christians reading this will understand what Mr. Brooks is saying and will hopefully be positively impacted. To non-Christians, I offer an apology that we Christians have been all too guilty of murmuring!

And will you murmur?
Is not Christ your treasure?

Is not heaven your inheritance—

and will you murmur?

Have you not much in hand, and more in hope? 

Have you not much in possession, but much more reserved in heaven—

and will you murmur?

Has not God given you. . .

     a changed heart, 

     a renewed nature, and

     a sanctified soul—

and will you murmur?

            Has He not given you. . .

     Himself to satisfy you,

     His Son to save you,

     His Spirit to lead you,

     His grace to adorn you,

     His covenant to assure you,

     His mercy to pardon you,

     His righteousness to clothe you—

and will you murmur?

Has He not made you. . .

     a friend,

     a son,

     a brother,

     a bride,

     an heir—

and will you murmur?

Has not God often turned. . .

     your water into wine,

     your brass into silver, and

     your silver into gold—

and will you murmur?

When you were dead, did not He quicken you?

When you were lost, did not He seek you?

When you were wounded, did not He heal you?

When you were falling, did not He support you?

When you were down, did not He raise you?

When you were staggering, did not He establish you?

When you were erring, did not He correct you?

When you were tempted, did not He support you? and

When you went in dangers, did not He deliver you?—

and will you murmur?

What! You who are so highly advanced and exalted above many thousands in the world? Murmuring suits none so badly as saints.

ARE CHRISTIANS ESCAPISTS?

Have you heard it said that Christians believe in and talk about heaven to escape reality? While it is true there are those with an escapist mindset which helps them to justify their avoidance of present reality, it would be bigoted at best to conclude Christianity as the cause of such an attitude.

Anyone who has taken the time to read the gospel record of Jesus Christ knows that He faced reality. He never taught His followers to set their minds on some future hope and give no thought to the present. In fact, it was His thought of the present that led to His agonizing prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. It was His hope of future joy that gave Him strength to face the shame of the cross with endurance.

Biblical Christianity teaches us to live now, but not for now. In other words, there is a reality to which this brief time on earth is headed. Christians don’t ignore this future reality so to live now as if this is the only reality. Christians live now with the hope of what is coming. That hope affects us now. It liberates us from the bondage of a broken world and short-lived promises, and enables us to let go of controlling things that are quickly passing away. With this hope in the future filling our minds we are able to live now according to principles that are right before God, regardless of what advantage it may or may not bring us in this present life.

If we didn’t have this hope, then we would admittedly be quite miserable. As the Apostle Paul discussed the significance of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15, he noted that life lived as a follower of Christ in this world would be quite miserable if our hope died with us. In other words, if all for which we lived were to suddenly end with death, then the life of trials and tribulation associated with following Christ in this present world that largely discounts Him would be characterized as miserable. It is the hope of the resurrection that makes every form of suffering in this life bearable. Not only is every form of suffering made bearable, it actually works in us a greater sense of the glory that awaits us. This world as it presently exists is not intended to be the end.

Now, this leads back to the thought of reality. Who is the escapist? The one who lives now with great hope of receiving all that the risen Christ has purchased and prepared? Or, the one who lives now with all hopes riding on himself and what he may or may not accomplish in his lifetime on earth? The answer to a large degree depends upon the reality of the resurrection. If Christ is risen, then every soul will give an account to Him. Death does not end existence. Death ends existence as we presently know it, but opens the door to either everlasting punishment or eternal life.

Some push the reality of life after death out of their minds. This is a form of escapism. It allows for some measure of peace now. But reality will one day disturb that peace!

Christians embrace the reality of life after death and live with hope because of Jesus Christ. This allows them to escape the lure of this present world and look beyond the sufferings of this present life. This brings a measure of peace now, with the hope of immeasurable peace forever.

I am thankful to be a Christian. Call me an escapist if you will. I prefer to be called a realist.

Help for Hopelessness

I have noticed that the top downloaded sermon from the messages that I have preached and loaded on to Sermon-audio is one regarding hope. There may be more than one way to interpret that little piece of data, but it directs my mind to conclude hope is one of the great needs of our day.

Hopelessness is an awful feeling. It can come for various reasons. It can be as brief as a passing sense at the thought of an enormous task facing you, or  the dark abyss into which one tumbles who has entered a season of depression. A season of depression also has numerous causes, from hormonal or medical roots to a devastating personal or family loss. The sense of guilt over one's sinful choices, or the sense that one is too great a sinner to ever be accepted by God can cause a sense of hopelessness. 

When hopelessness is the result of something other than a medical root, the solution must always be sought through means other than medication.  Hope is a by-product of faith, which is able to latch on to the possibility of that which seems impossible. When faith grips truth, hope will be kindled and increase until one is once again living with a positive sense that there is a way out!

Hopelessness will be exaggerated in one who places his faith in speculation rather than truth. Once speculation has been uncovered as a deception, or a lie, faith is weakened and hope fades. But when truth is the object of faith, then come what may, hope is kept alive and despair or depression is kept away.

Thy word is truth are words spoken by Jesus. He is the One who also said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. The word is the revelation of Jesus Christ. If you are listening to Him, you are listening to truth. Faith in Jesus Christ is faith in the truth. He is an anchor to the soul of every one who believes in Him. 

Despair and depression, kinfolk to hopelessness, are best dealt with by looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Listening to Him as the wonderful counselor we hear, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Jesus Christ gives hope to the struggling soul. 

Are you struggling with hopelessness? Jesus says, come unto me! Ignore the voices of detractors and naysayers who prefer to create questions and stumbling-blocks, and keep you in a place of hopelessness. Don't let doubts and questions lead you away from Him who is the truth. Hope will increase as your confidence in Jesus increases. 

I know! I've been in the dark place of doubt, where nothing seems right and all is confusing-a place of hopelessness! Hope is found in the God of hope. Trust in Him and hope is sure to increase. With the increase of hope there will be increase of peace and joy! 

If you are going through a dark night of the soul, keep looking unto Jesus. You can't see Him? Keep looking! This is the way of faith. You will see Him clearest at the cross! Run to the gospel and hope will return and grow. Don't stop looking. Endure to the end! We are saved by hope!