Originally Aired On: Thursday, July 24, 2008
SHOULD A LIFE OF FAITH ENSURE A LIFE FREE FROM HARDSHIP?
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Thursday, July 24, 2008
"They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground" (Hebrews 11:37b-38).
IDEA: The life of faith in God does not carry with it the promise of comfort in this world.
PURPOSE: To keep listeners from being disappointed in their expectations of the Christian life.
Haddon had breakfast with a young man from Sweden who had become a Christian. His parents are very influential. When he told them he wanted to give his life to be a follower of Christ, and wanted to come to seminary to prepare for that, they said, "You are signing away your life for nothing but poverty and hardship." For that reason, they have tried to talk him out of his faith.
Do you think his parents were right or wrong or half-right/half-wrong?
I. We might be tempted to say to those parents, "Followers of Christ will have a life of affluence and good health. That's what Christ wants for His people." Would that be a legitimate answer?
Do you think that in our effort to attract people to be Christians, we may be in danger of promising them what the Bible doesn't promise?
Why do many notable preachers tell people that?
What is the danger involved?
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews tells his readers about people of faith who went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated. They wandered in deserts and mountains and in caves and holes in the ground.
Do you think these people were the exceptions that proved the rule that God wants all Christians to be healthy and wealthy?
With people like this as examples, why would anyone want to be a Christ-follower?
II. Faith in the promises of God carries no guarantees of comfort and prosperity, but it does carry with it a reward in the only world that ultimately matters.
Would you rather be rich now and in poverty in the world to come? Or would you rather be willing to endure poverty now if it means God's rich reward in the world ahead?