Jump Start # 1342

Ecclesiastes 12:13 “The conclusion when all has been heard is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”

Yesterday afternoon I was honored to hold my newest grandchild. She was so tiny and pink and only a few hours into this world. Her little eyes opened, and I looked into them and just smiled. I wondered what her world will be like. Riots in Baltimore, the Supreme Court deciding about same-sex marriage, Iran flexing it’s muscle, Isis stamping out Christians—it’s a scary place anymore. It’s enough to make parents scared today.

But I got to thinking about things. My dad will be ninety this summer. When he was born, a Tennessee court was trying the case of evolution being taught in school. The monkey trial was the introduction of pushing state laws about evolution. When my dad was just a boy, a German by the name of Hitler was amassing a large army and preaching his lopsided propaganda that would lead to a world war. He sought to eliminate the Jewish race. Those were troubling times.

When I was just a boy it was rock ‘n roll, drugs and open sex. The Playboy generation. The ‘tune in, turn on, and drop out’ generation. Civil rights movements led to riots. There were protests against an unpopular war in Vietnam. A president resigned. Those were troubling times.

And here we are now, a new generation is coming on the scene. Some things never change. Lawless people will continue to push the envelope on what is allowed and accepted. Nations rise up and wars take place. Through all of this God’s people continue to serve Him and trust Him. Between my dad’s early days and today there have been many wars, disasters, and dark nights. However, between those same times, God’s people have continued to meet to worship, spread His word and put a stake in the ground for God.

It’s hard to imagine what kind of technology and forms of communication my new granddaughter will be using in twenty years. Things change so fast. But some things never change. We will still need congregations so people can meet and worship together. This is God’s design. We will still need folks to stand up and preach God’s word. We will still need talented and gifted men to lead the people of God in the right direction. God’s word will still be premium among His people. There will always be a need for kindness, generosity, love and hope. There will still be the call for moral character and faith in the one true God. Nothing will replace reading God’s word. Nothing will replace the need to remember a risen Savior. Nothing will replace the precious blood that cleanses us from our sins.

The world changes. My dad’s days may have truly been like Mayberry. Mine never was. My world is different than my grandchildren’s world. TV shows are different. Music is different. Technology is different. Clothing is different. Yet, deep down, man is the same. He hasn’t changed all that much. Society may allow him to be more brazen and bold in his sin, but he remains the same. He still needs God. He still needs direction from above. He still longs for something beyond what we see.

Our verse, written a long, long time ago, sums up where we are. Our world today is so different than Solomon’s. The way we travel, what we do, how we cook our food, the amount of money we make—so different, yet, as our verse declares, the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. This is true in Solomon’s days. It is true in Jesus’ days. It is true in my dad’s days. True in my days and it will remain true in my grandchildren’s days. Some things never change. We will never out grow God. We will never get to the point where we do not need God. We will never do better on our own, without God. That will never happen. God will always and forever be the answer to our problems. God will always be our greatest help. God will always be the right answer.

So, this tells us that we each need to focus upon God. We need to know His word. We need to understand His will. We need to grasp what He expects and wants from each of us. Knowing God and including God has to be our greatest efforts and accomplishments. To live without God is to never really live.

Every generation has had spiritual giants and heroes. Those are the men and women who lived by faith. They made a difference in the lives of others. They walked as they talked. They lived for the Lord. These men and women became the backbones of congregations. They changed family histories. They left a legacy that surpassed their own generation. We live among such people today. They are pointing the way to God. They are ignored by the media. They are viewed as being old fashioned and out of touch, but they are indeed in touch with the God of Heaven and Earth. These spiritual heroes can be found on Sundays worshipping with the people of God. They demonstrate Christ in their lives. The times that they live in have not led to them giving up on God. Bad times and hard times are nothing new to the people of God.  There have been famines in the land. There have been giants on the horizon. There have been fiery furnaces and dens of lions. There have been Egyptians and Babylonians and Romans and yet the people of God have continued to march with their God.

This generation must continue to do so. We will continue to march toward Zion, no matter what the courts declare. We will continue to march no matter what others say. It is to God that we go. It is to God that we believe. Since the days of Abraham, the people of God have looked for that heavenly city. We will continue to look, until someday we are there.

The future is bright when you look into the sweet and innocent eyes of a young baby that you know will be taught the ways of the Lord by her godly parents. That’s the hope. That’s the future. That’s what we are counting on.

Welcome, Miss Eleanor!

Roger

Jump Start # 1249

Ecclesiastes 12:13 “The conclusion, when all has been heard is this: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”

  The other day I was at a funeral. The casket was draped with an American flag. At the end of the service, a soldier came and stood beside the casket. From the back of the funeral chapel Taps was played. It was very solemn, dignified and fitting. There is something about that song, Taps. I’ve heard it all of my life. I’ve conducted many funerals when it was played. Sometimes at the grave site, a volley of rifle shots are fired, and then that sad tune, Taps is played. What is interesting about the song Taps, is that it is used to honor the fallen soldier. I’ve never hear a pop singer try to remake it into a modern tune. I have a CD of patriotic songs, Taps, isn’t included. Most folks don’t have Taps on their iTune collection of songs. I’ve never known a bride that wanted Taps played as she walked down the isle. Taps means one thing. It us used for one thing. A few years ago, my uncle passed away. He was my dad’s only brother. There was just the two of them growing up. They both served in WW II. My dad was in the marines, my uncle in the army. My dad did really well at his brother’s funeral, until Taps was played. He started crying. He told me that it brought back memories of all the young men who didn’t make it home during the war. He had heard that song over and over in the past. It has one meaning, to honor the fallen soldier.

There is something reverent, decent and noble about the audience when Taps is played. There is a stillness that falls over a crowd. Even fussy children seem to quiet down during Taps. Those, like myself, who never wore a uniform in service, understand the importance of the moment. Honor is being bestowed upon one who dedicated himself to serving his country.

Our verse today reminds me of Taps. Solomon concludes this book after a long journey of trying to figure out the unevenness of life and the unfairness of life by telling us to Fear God. The word fear is used in a couple of ways in our Bible. One way, is the most obvious and that is to be afraid. Hebrews tells us that it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. To understand God, His holiness, His position, His power, is to be somewhat afraid of Him. Those that challenged God, were struck severely. Aaron’s two sons thought they could offer God a strange fire. How wrong they were. They were stuck dead. Ananias and Sapphira thought they could lie to God. How wrong they were. They were struck dead. There is a certain about of fear that ought to race through us when we realize how wrong we have been and how holy God is.

The other way the word fear is used is to describe reverence, respect, honor. It is like Taps being played. It is not to honor the dead, but the living God. This is the way Solomon is using the word fear in Ecclesiastes. It is to respect and honor God. There are many ways this is done.

• Numerous times I have seen folks step out of the auditorium during worship. When they have reentered, if a prayer is being said, they stop. They stand silently until the prayer is finished. Now if I’m talking in a sermon, they come on in. Why the difference? In a prayer, we are talking to God. Reverence. Respect. Honor. Taps is being played. When I’m talking, it’s just Roger. Talking to God and  listening to Roger are not on the same level. Fear God.

• We show respect in how we handle and treat the Bible. First, the way we treat it physically. We don’t use our Bibles as a coaster. We don’t just toss our Bibles in the trunk of a car. There is a tender care about this book. Like an old American flag, it’s hard to know what to do with a worn out Bible. Something just doesn’t seem right about tossing it in the trash. I still don’t know how to get rid of a Bible that’s falling apart. But more than that, there is a reverence about how we treat the words of the Bible. In a discussion, the Bible brings a closure to all that is said. Jesus understood this. When tested about divorce, He said, “Have you not read?” He then quotes from the O.T. When Satan tempted Him, He said, “It is written,” again quoting from the Old Testament. There was a reverence, a respect about the words of the Bible. It’s like a judge in a courtroom. The attorneys may argue back and forth and want this or that, but the word of the judge is final. He owns the courtroom. You do not approach the judge without permission. You do not interrupt without permission. The Bible carries the same position and power. There is no changing it. There is no ignoring it.

• Throughout the Bible, God’s name is that way. It’s not in our society. I wish it was. Honoring God’s name. Using God’s name in fear. Reverently speaking God’s name. The third commandment of the the 10 commandments warned not to take God’s name in vain. That’s missing today. When folks are happy they say God’s name. When they are mad, they say God’s name. When they don’t know what to say, they say God’s name. So common is this that there is even an acronym “OM_” that is found daily on Facebook and other places. Fear God.  No one but goofball would use the American flag as a rug or to wash his car with. When people are really mad at the government, they will burn the flag. Why? They know what the flag means. They are trashing something sacred and held in the highest honor. Greater than the flag, is the name of God. Honor Him but using it carefully and thoughtfully. Don’t say God’s name without meaning God. Teach your children this. Respect. Reverence. Honor. Fear.

• Follow Him. This is one of the greatest ways that we honor and fear and respect God. We treasure what He says, we believe what He says and then we do what He says. If you love me, Jesus said, keep my commandments. To say that I love God, but I ignore what He says, doesn’t show respect. Even in those unpleasant areas, I need to follow Him. I need to obey Him. What He says about divorce, obey Him. What He says about parenting, obey Him. What He says about worship, obey Him. What He says about attitude, obey Him. What He says about forgiving others, obey Him. If I only obey Him in the areas that I like, then I’m not really following Him. I’m simply doing what I want to do. But when He wants me to do something that I don’t want to do, like go and apologize, then I truly show if I respect Him, honor Him, love Him and fear Him.

Modern theology has turned the God of Heaven into one of our fishing buddies. They’ve made God like us. So our worship, our attitude, our prayers, and our disposition tends to be casual with God. Why not, He’s just one of the guys. No, He’s not. He’s not like us. He’s better than we are. To fear God would make us toss out all the junk that is going on in the name of religion. It would make us truly open His word and do some serious studying.

Fear God. Two simple words. Much like Taps. It’s a sound of honor, respect and tribute.

Fear God.

Roger