CERRO
GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
May 15,
2022
So What Do You Think?
Colossians 2:6-15
This is part
2 of Are We Living in the End Times? We are going to spend a few minutes this
morning looking at what you might think about that question. I do not know how
many of you have thought about the main question about the end times. I really
jumped ahead a little two weeks ago because for a Christian the first most
fundamental question we must have an answer for us is all about Jesus. Do we
believe Jesus actually lived on earth? Do we believe the first amazing part of
His story that Jesus was born of a virgin? Depending on how we answer those
questions will determine how much more we need to come to an understanding and
belief of. If we said yes to those first two most fundamental questions of
Christianity, then we go forward seeking out more understanding and answers.
The next
question we must answer for ourselves is whether we believe Jesus died on the
cross for our sins? The next question to
answer then is did God the father raise Jesus (the son) from the dead? How do
you, how do I, answer these questions? If we have come to the place of
confidently and victoriously answering yes to these questions, I believe we can
then begin answering the question at the center of what we are looking at now.
For those who were either here or joined us on Facebook two Sundays ago, I
shared a number of scriptures that point to the reality that the world as we
know it will come to an end. Some of the verses were from Jesus’ own words, the
others were things Paul had shared during his ministry that went along with
what Jesus had said earlier.
To refresh
your memories from what we read two weeks ago, Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy
3:1, but mark this. “There will be terrible times in the last days.” Then
moving ahead to 2 Timothy 4:1-4 Paul challenged Timothy with these words. “In
the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead
and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge. Preach
the word, be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and
encourage with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come
when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead to suit their own
desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what
their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth
and turn aside to myths.”
When we look
at what we read this morning, we see the same theme in the 2nd
chapter of Colossians in the 8th verse. So, we see there are clear
warnings of what will happen in society and in the church in the last days. In
the past 100 or so years we have seen more changes in the way our world views
things than in the previous 2000 years combined. What each of us must do is
sort through these changes and decide what it all means. Have these changes
been appropriate, God ordained changes, or are these consistent with the
warnings we see in scripture? We must always go back to the other most
fundamental question a Christian must answer. Is the Bible the inspired,
accurate word of God that can be trusted in 2022? Before we can answer the
questions about society and our world today and all the changes occurring, we
must answer that question. So, what do you think about the honesty, accuracy
and integrity of the Bible? Can it be trusted today or is it outdated in many
ways and not valid in our world today? This is the question we must answer for
ourselves.
I recently
ran across a Christian book that looks at the moral issues of the day. I would
like to read the general list that is given in this book and then look a little
deeper at one of the concerns listed, that affects much of our world. It states
things this way.
“Let us pause and consider the great moral issues that
affect our civilization—Peace, temperance, liberty. Simplicity of life, purity
and sacredness of the home and the marriage relation.”
Do these
headings cover most all the important areas facing the church first of all, and
our world secondly? What makes talking and thinking about how things seem to be
changing in our world so difficult is the fact more and more families see
things happening that did not seem to happen 50 or 60 years ago. Virtually
every family has seen things happen that were not that common not that many
years ago. This is true both among those who do not claim to be Christians as
well as in today’s church.
As we close
our look at what is happening in the church today, verses when the Bible was
written I would like to share concerns in this book about one specific area.
“A
home to be happy and prosperous must have God in it, and the church holds that
to maintain the permanence of the institution of marriage is the way to
maintain the purity of society. The disclosures made in the courts of justice
show a moral laxity which is a disgrace to our boasted civilization. Thank God,
the church holds up a higher standard than than—one based on the preservation
and integrity of the family institution as God originally made it. When the
question of immorality in the church arose, the Apostles’ rule was that while
it was no part of the church’s duty to judge those that are without, the church
must purge itself of the member who was leading an impure life. What the world
needs is the bright and consistent example of all Christian people, and to
present an unbroken front against the flood of divorces which threatens to
engulf our social civilization. Civilization to be morally right must have a
standard, and that standard must be seen. All light, whether physical, moral or
spiritual, has its origin in God. If the church is the light of the world, the
church must be in the fore on every issue that stands for the uplift of the
race.”
What do you
think about the standards encouraged in this book and the concerns if they are
not upheld? Divorce has affected virtually every family in America. I am not
sharing this to embarrass anyone or pick on anyone. The Bible clearly talks of
a number of things that can separate us from God if left undealt with. I will
give a more specific list of things that have changed in our world and are
challenging the church next week. If anyone has been made to feel
uncomfortable, I do apologize for that. I shared that example for a specific
reason. What book do you think I have been reading from? A very conservative Baptist
book? Baptist, after all, is the fire and brimstone denomination. An
evangelical book that is very conservative? Some extreme author? This book is written
from the 1908 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference. Shirley Krall a while
back offered to let me read some Church of the Brethren books she had. The
point of me sharing this with you today shows how attitudes have changed within
the church. Things that 100 years ago were understood throughout most of
Christianity have drastically changed. Are these positive changes that God has
ordained or are they steps stated in scripture that is leading towards possibly
the end of this age? I ask for your patience and indulgence at least one more
Sunday as we continue to look for God’s answers to these questions.
On what we
are looking at in regard to living in the end times, I have no plan to give my
opinion. These messages are to encourage you to look into God’s word for
yourself and find the answers about what you think is going on. Next Sunday I
will give a more complete list of things that are seemingly challenging the
church within the last year or so and definitely over the last 50 to 100 years.
What God challenged me to try to do quite a few years ago is know what you
believe and why you believe it. That is my hope and prayer for each of you as
well.
Pastor Larry
Announcements:
Bible Study 9:30 Tuesday
May 16 6:00 Village
Board Meeting
May 18 12:00 Women’s
Fellowship Luncheon, a salad potluck
7:00 p.m. via
Zoom—Stepping Out of Covid, sponsored by the District potluck committee
Women’s Fellowship is planning the return of the
Strawberry Festival the first or second week of June. Sign up sheet for baked
pie shells is in the back.
Offering plates are in the back of the sanctuary. Thank
you for your continued giving!
Donation Box: VBS
First Sundays: food donations for food banks
Pastor Larry Traxler- (217) 454-2362
To
keep up on Church of the Brethren news:
Denomination: www.brethren.org/news Sign
up for Newsline by clicking link on left side of page.
District: iwdcob.org
(click on newsletter link) and on facebook
Our
pages: cerrogordocob.com (printed sermon, announcements, &
calendar) and on facebook
Keep
in Your Prayers
Evelyn Eads and family;
Eli Brunner; Susan Gentry; Nancy Fansler; Oren Wright; Devon Wright; Leah
Flory; Joe Waltz; Doug Larrick; Anna Rose Larrick; Ron & Kathleen Petersen;
Anna Gentry Thompson; Louis & Carol Sulwer; Maralyn Heckman; Debbie
Leibrock; Dorthea Wood; Sonna Hall; Tina Wilhelm; Baby Tate; Bryce Ashenfelter;
Mindy Sawyer; Marlene Schultz; Sarah Rudelick; Carl and Wilma Cable; Mike and Carol
Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Kim
Lehmann; Doug Fansler; Candy Dobson; Shawn Cain; Robert Cripe; Mayo &
Darlene Hanaver; Zola Copeland; Patty Cripe; Lauren Gross; Stacie Warren; Nancy
Gorrell; many unspoken requests; Coronavirus crisis; healthcare workers and
first responders; the families of those who have died from COVID-19; those who
are ill from the virus; school teachers, staff, and students; victims of
disasters; victims of shootings; nursing home residents; the Nigerian church; Haitian
Brethren; Ukraine; Hope Welty Library situation
Military and Other
Services and their families
Brethren Volunteer Service
workers; Disaster project workers
District Prayer
Calendar: Pray for the Franklin Grove congregation.
Church
of the Brethren vision statement:
Together, as the Church of the Brethren, we will passionately
live and share the radical transformation and holistic peace of Jesus Christ
through relationship-based neighborhood engagement. To move us forward, we will
develop a culture of calling and equipping disciples who are innovative,
adaptable, and fearless.
Our
Mission Statement:
Love
God, grow with others, serve faithfully, reach the lost, find peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment