April 29, 2007

Attitude Adjustments: Confidence

Facing Eternity with Confidence

Matthew 8:5-10

Opening Words: Austrian psychiatrist and concentration camp survivor Victor Frankl said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: To choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances.” He knew what we often forget, our attitudes about life is extremely important. They affect the way that we experience life. It is for this reason that I have decided to dedicate this fourteen week period to examining our attitudes. I have called this sermon series, Attitude Adjustments. Today we look at our attitude about confidence. Do you consider yourself a confident person? The primary text this morning is Matthew 8:5-10.

Matthew 8:5-10 ⁵When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."

    ⁷Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."

    ⁸The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

¹⁰When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

Tom Tewell is the former pastor of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. He tells the story of his ordination interview years ago. He was interviewed by a team of six Presbyterian ministers, who questioned him on the finer details of systematic theology. He answered each question without a problem and felt good about his chances. The final question of the interview was asked by a retired pastor on the team. That question still haunts him. He simply looked at Tom and asked, “Mr. Tewell, are you making any progress in the Christian faith?” He opened his mouth to answer but no words came out. He really didn’t know what to say? Today, Tewell says it has been years sense that question was asked but he still doesn’t have an answer. That question changed his life. So let me ask you that question.

Are you making any progress in the Christian faith? After all the preaching and all the teaching are you making any progress in the faith? After all the money and the long church meetings are you making any progress in the faith? We are in the disciple making business. We are to be more like Jesus everyday. So are you more like Jesus today then you were yesterday. Are you more like Jesus today then you were a year ago, ten years ago, twenty years ago? Are you making any progress in the faith? It is my sincere prayer for you and me that we are making progress in our discipleship so we can stand before the God of the universe on judgment day in full confidence. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

We find ourselves this morning in the eighth chapter of Matthew. According to the story Jesus has just entered Capernaum. The scene is one the Master had seen countless times. There is a sea of people, each one looking to him to solve their problem. Every face has a story but the one story that is recorded by Matthew is the story of the Centurion. What makes his story noteworthy is his position in life. He is not just existing day to day like the beggars. He is a man with a history of accomplishments. He is a some body in a world of no bodies. He is a centurion, in charge of one hundred men. It is safe to say that he is respected by others and confident in his own abilities. Let me say that again. He is respected by others and is confident in his own abilities. Don’t just jump over that line in this sermon.

Having confidence is important! I am not talking about ruthless pride or selfish promotion. I am talking about a healthy dose of self confidence. I am talking about embracing the gifts that God has given you and using them to make an impact for Jesus. Confidence is not a curse. It is a blessing. Without confidence you would be afraid to do or say anything at all. Without confidence, you will always play it safe and never take a risk. Without confidence you will never reach your full potential. The centurion was a confident man and that was one of things that separated him from the rest of the crowd. A healthy dose of self confidence is important. How many examples do you need?

On September 1, 1923, Tokyo experienced the greatest earthquake in her history. Approximately 140,000 people were killed and countless buildings were destroyed. When news of the accident reached the United States it was reported that the Imperial Hotel sat in ruin. The Imperial Hotel had been built by the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Reporters from around the country called him for a quote. He had none because he didn’t believe the Imperial Hotel had been destroyed. He built that building with such skill he knew it would survive any earthquake. He was confident of his work. In time, it was revealed that he was correct. The Imperial Hotel remained intact. Everyone was surprised except Frank Lloyd Wright. He knew that building would withstand any natural disaster. He was a man of great confidence in his own area of expertise. Do people consider you a person of great confidence?

In 1994 I was interviewed by the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee of this church. I sat in the parlor and we got acquainted. I told them about myself. They told me the history of this congregation and the dreams they had for their future. When the interview was complete they gave me a tour of the building. I saw the entire building except the back hall. One of the committee members, Tom Wehr took me to that part of the building. When we got to the middle of that dark hall Tom looked at me and said, “Russ, is there anything you can do to help us? I am afraid the end is near. I am afraid we are going to close.” I looked at Tom and said, “Tom, I wouldn’t come if I didn’t think I could help you. And with all the confidence I could muster in the gifts God has given me and my divine calling I said, “We will succeed. Failure is not an option.” Can I be honest with you? I a sea of declining mainline churches, we have not just survived. We have thrived and I am confident that I am able to take this church to the next level. Let me say this clearly. You do not want a pastor who lacks confidence in his area of expertise.

You don’t want to become dependent on anyone who lacks confidence in their area of expertise. Does anyone here want to send the children in their lives to teachers who hope they teach? Does anyone here want to go to a dentist who hopes they can fill that cavity? Does anyone here want to hire a contractor who hopes they can build that deck? Does anyone here want a hire an electrician who hopes they did it right? Does anyone here want to go to surgeon who hopes he can do it? Let me pass on some common sense on to you. You don’t want to become dependent on anyone who lacks confidence in their area of expertise. Having self confidence is a good thing. Having self confidence means you have a better chance of maximizing God’s gifts in your life. However, having confidence in one area of life does not mean that you have confidence in every area of life.

That is the story of the centurion. He was confident of being a good soldier, a leader of men. As long as he stayed in that little area of his life he was confident. The problem is that his servant goes ill and his military train will not help him. He goes to Jesus because he knows he is inadequate to handle this problem. However, having confidence in your area of expertise doesn’t mean you are confident in every area of your life.

When I was in seminary there was a retired pastor and college professor named James Norton. We called him Brother Norton. He was as old as the hills and liked being the pastor to young pastors. He was a man with an equal amount of wisdom and knowledge. His theme for life was always be ready. You never know what the future holds. He said there are always three things you have to be ready to do as a preacher. First, you always had to be ready to pray. Second, you always had to be ready to preach. Third, you have to be died. I know this is a wonderful day and I hate to ask you this question. Are you ready to die? Are you ready to stand before the God of the universe and be judged? How confident are you in that area of your life? Are you ready to face eternity with confidence?

God wants you to be ready. He wants you to be able to face eternity with confidence. So he has given us tools to help us. This list is not complete. I only have time for three. However, I believe these three are the most important. God expects you to use them as you prepare for eternity. Let me talk about them briefly.

The Bible

The first tool is the Bible. Maybe one of the reasons you aren’t confident about eternity is that you just don’t read the Bible. The Bible holds both divine truths and models for holy living. I am shocked at our society’s Biblical illiteracy. We live in a time when Oprah is quoted more easily then the Bible. Most people know how they feel about all kinds of topics but they really don’t know the Bible. Timothy Dwight once said, “The Bible is a window in this prison-world, through which we may look into eternity.” When was the last time you read the Bible? When was the last time you studied the Bible? If you think you could read the Bible a little more then say, “Amen!”

The Church

The second tool is the church. The church has been more self destructive then most organizations. There are many recovering ex-church members. Churches tend to implode when they forget why they exist. The church doesn’t exist for you to make a friend or to sponsor wholesome activities for the young. That may happen but those things are only by-products of our primary mission. The church exists to make disciples for Jesus Christ. The Western Reserve United Methodist Church exists to make disciples for Jesus Christ. In September this church will celebrate our 40^th anniversary. How many disciples do you think we have made in the past four decades? Do you think God is proud of us? Or could we be doing a better job? Make me make it a little more personal. Are you going to be able to face eternity with confidence because of what you have learned at this church? The second tool is the church. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Jesus

The third tool is Jesus, himself. Maybe one of the reasons you aren’t confident about eternity is that you just don’t understand Jesus. He was not just a wise man or a great teacher. Jesus was God, incarnate. In other words, Jesus was God in human form. He experienced all that we experience. He never committed a single sin, which made him the perfect sacrifice for your sins. You can face eternity with confidence because he died for you! Salvation is a great gift. Salvation is a free gift. All you have to do is accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you are going to heaven. Do you deserve to go to heaven for eternity? No! Do I deserve to God to heaven for eternity? No! But we are going to heaven because we are saved by grace and by grace alone. Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Peter T. Forsythe was right when he said, "The first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its Master". And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

In The Last Days Newsletter, Leonard Ravenhill tells about a group of tourists visiting a picturesque village who walked by an old man sitting beside a fence. In a rather patronizing way, one tourist asked, "Were any great men born in this village?" The old man replied, "Nope, only babies." A frothy question brought a profound answer. There are no instant heroes--whether in this world or in the kingdom of God. Growth takes time. Are you making any progress in the Christian faith? Are you ready to die? Are you ready to face eternity with confidence?