Preached Sunday, February 23, 2014 from Various Passages
Theme: We will do much to keep from falling in the Christian life if we habitually relate to God’s word as we should.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
I remember reading somewhere, early in my pastoral training, that a good preacher wastes nothing. If he keeps alert, he can find good sermon material in almost any situation of life.
Well; something happened to me recently that provides excellent material for a sermon. And as it turns out, it was because I wasn’t keeping alert.
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It was last Saturday evening. My wife and I had just come home from a wonderful afternoon visit with a group of friends; and, after a lite dinner at home, I went to put some finishing touches my the preparations for the next day’s service. You might remember that last Saturday was a particularly stormy and wet day. The rains had been coming down hard most of the day; but as soon as it looked like it had cleared up a little, I grabbed a cup of coffee, tucked a few books under my arm, and made my way to the church building.
To appreciate what happened next, you have to understand how confident I was feeling. Most of my preparatory work was done. I had just enjoyed a great afternoon with friends, and and a relaxing dinner with my precious wife. I only needed to do a few things in my study; and then I could go home to enjoy a restful evening. I even sort of enjoyed splashing through the puddles on the way—almost like a kid. When I unlocked the building, I didn’t even bother to turn the lights on—since I pretty much know my way around. I strolled into the door and on to the tile steps—books under arm, coffee cup in hand—ready to do the Lord’s work.
Before I knew what had happened, my wet feet slipped right out of from under me and I landed full-weight on to the downstairs steps. Have you ever been in one of those situations where you were experiencing a ‘slow-motion’ evaluation of things as they were happening? As my feet were flying up into the air, and as I was descending horizontal to the ground, I thought to myself, “Well; I’ll bet this is probably going to hurt pretty bad.” (I was right, by the way.) I came down with a hard thud; and laid there in the dark with the breath knocked out of me, feeling the agonizing pain begin to set in on my back. And do you know what my first thought was? “Oh no! My coffee!” I’m not kidding! I honestly to myself that everything would be alright because I had just made a fresh pot before I left. Some priorities, eh?
The next thing I began to think about was how grateful I should be. As I laid there trying to evaluate my condition, I realized that I could have gotten hurt a lot worse than I had. Between gasps for breath, I thanked God that nothing seemed to be broken. I was especially grateful that I didn’t hit my head; because I was planning on using it later that evening. I after laying there for a while, I grabbed the handrail and pulled myself up, and reached over and turned on the lights, and wiped all the rain water off my wet feet, and roamed around in the church basement trying to walk the pain off—between groaning in pain and thanking God. And you’d be proud of me. I got out the mop and cleaned up my coffee mess before staggered my way home to get a fresh cup.
And somewhere between laying on my back and walking again on my feet, I tried to think through, “How could I have prevented this from happening?” Three things seemed obvious. First, the rumor is that handrails have been invented. I could make a better habit than I do of using them, so that I have a grip on something solid when going down stairs. Second, when God said, “Let there be light,” He was giving us a wonderfully practical gift. I should learn to hit the light switch, so I don’t try walking down steps when I can’t see. And third, I should make sure that my feet stay where they’re supposed to be. I was wearing a type of shoe that is far too slick for walking on tiles on wet days.
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Now; believe it or not, there are also some rather important spiritual lessons to learn from all this.
Stop, first of all, and consider where I was when all his happened. It occurred in a church building. I was in the Lord’s house, and going about the Lord’s work. In fact, I had just come from a wonderful lunch with a group of Christian friends. I had just come to the church after chatting with my wonderful Christian wife. I was in the midst of living the Christian life; and was about to engage in a task of ministry. And it was when my guard was down—and I was feeling safe and secure in a Christian environment—that I suddenly slipped and fell. I don’t think we should ignore the symbolic significance of that.
Somewhere along the way this week, I was reminded of 1 Corinthians 10:12; “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Do you know the context of that verse? The apostle Paul was writing to the Corinthian believers who were feeling so secure in their Christian life. They were over-confident; and were allowing sinful practices to creep in. Let me read the whole passage to you. Paul wrote to them about the children of Israel that Moses led out of the wilderness and said;
Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
I heard a story long ago—around the time I was completing my seminary education—concerning another seminary student. He was working one evening on the very last paper of his course of studies. Once he turned that final paper in, he would be ready to graduate. He stayed up late while his wife slept, and worked to finish his paper. And finally—around two or three in the morning—he finished. He was so happy that he thought he’d slip away to an all-night restaurant not far away and treat himself to a celebratory piece of pie. He said that, while there, he struck up a conversation with a woman in the booth next to his. He moved over to chat with her; and within an hour of meeting with her, he was sleeping with her—destroying his marriage and his chances for ministry. He honestly thought he was ‘standing’; but as this passage warns, “let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
I’m grateful for that last verse of that passage. It’s one of the first Bible verses I memorized as a new Christian—the one that promises that God will never let anything come into our lives except what He is faithful to help us endure. We don’t need to walk around in fear—if we will depend on Him and are careful to obey Him. But that was the problem! The people of Israel in the passage I just read—the people who had so many spiritual privileges and saw so many miracles—were not trusting God and were not careful to obey Him. And so, even in the midst of all the great and glorious things they saw God do for them, they fell disastrously.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ; you and I may have walked with the Lord Jesus for many years; and may be serving Him in many significant ways. We may have experienced great blessings in ministry; and may even have a great reputation for faithfulness to the Lord. We may even be right in the center of His will, and in the midst of doing His work. And yet, if we become overly-confident in ourselves, or fail to be alert, or cease to depend on our Savior and rely on the things that He has given us to protect us and guide us, then our feet can slip right out from under us and we can suddenly—before we even know what has happened—fall into spiritual disaster.
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So; I hope you appreciate that there are some important spiritual lessons to be drawn from what happened to me last week. Let me take you back to my tumble down the stairs—and share with you some of the spiritual lessons I learned from it.
First, I learned that we are less likely to fall . . .
1. IF WE KEEP A CONSTANT HOLD ON SOMETHING RELIABLE.
When I walked into the building that night, my arms were full. I had books in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Ordinarily, that’s fine. In fact, it’s arguably my normal state of being. But it wasn’t a good idea to have my hands full when walking down treacherously wet steps in the dark. I needed to have at least one hand on something stable—something other than my coffee cup or my books. That’s why handrails are such good things to have along stairs or next to steps. They are attached to the wall; and provide something to hang on to that is fixed and reliable and that doesn’t move. Without a handrail, we’re left to balance ourselves down the steps without stability.
And spiritually, in respect to our own walk before God in this treacherous world, it’s a terrible mistake to try to provide our own stability. It’s a mistake to try to use the wisdom of this world, or the thoughts of fallible human beings, or even our own impulses and insights, as our reference point. As the prophet Jeremiah has put it, “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). But the good news is that God has not left it to us to provide our own stability in life. He has given us something solid, fixed and reliable—something outside of our own selves and above this fallen world—that serves as our “handrail” through life. And that thing is His revealed word; the Bible.
Think of how solid and unchanging God’s word is. Jesus Himself once said, “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). In fact, He said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Just think of that! The word of our Lord will outlast heaven and earth! That’s truly something solid to hang on to! Those who hold on to God’s word will walk through life without stumbling.
And the Scriptures are also reliable. They have a proven record of trustworthiness. No one who ever grips and holds on to God’s sure word will ever find themselves disappointed. It is tried, and tested, and true—utterly worthy of our confidence! As King David wrote in Psalm 19;
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward (Psalm 19:7-11).
And may I add that the word of God is also sufficient? It’s the only spiritual “handrail” we will ever need in life. As the apostle Paul wrote to his young ministry colleague Timothy;
But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:14-17).
So; as a lesson to be learned from my experience, may I recommend that you hang on to the divine “handrail” in life? Don’t lean on your own understanding. That will fail you. It isn’t reliable. Trust instead in the Lord, and let His sure, fixed, stable, reliable word be your main source of stability in life!
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A second thing I learned is that we protect ourselves from falling . . .
2. IF WE SHINE THE LIGHT ON OUR PATH.
A very big part of my problem that night was that I was over-confident, and thought I could walk around in the dark. If I had only turned behind me and flipped on the light switch, I would have seen that the tile steps were a little wet and would have known better where to put my feet.
So often—even as professing Christians—we try to walk through life and illuminate our path on the basis of our own wisdom and insights. That, however, is exactly how the people of this world walk; and the Bible calls it walking in ‘darkness’ and ‘blindness’. As the apostle Paul wrote;
This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness (Ephesians 4:17-19).
Those who walk according to the fallen wisdom and philosophies of man end up stumbling in the darkness and slipping into sin. But God calls us, instead, to walk in the light of His revealed word. As it says in Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” As Proverbs 6:23 puts it, “For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life . . .”
The word of God shows us things that we could never otherwise know. It even reveals what is in us; and shows us the truth about ourselves. As Hebrews 4:12 says;
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
As we make our way through life—as we encounter decisions we must make or steps in life we must take—we should not trust ourselves to walk in the dark. If we try to do that, we will stumble and fall. As King David put it in Psalm 1;
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper (Psalm 1:1-3).
So; here’s another thing to learn from my experience. Make it your regular habit to illuminate your walk through life—the choices you make and the paths you take—with the sure word of God. Turn on the light switch! Go to the Scriptures, and let God show you the way things really are.
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To review then; I could have avoided a lot of trouble if I had held on to the handrail and had turned on the light switch. And in the same way, we would avoid a lot of trouble in our Christian walk—and would keep ourselves from stumbling and falling into loss and disaster—if we would make the sure word of God our reference point in life and allow it to illuminate our paths with God’s clearly revealed will.
And there’s one more thing I learned. I believe we would keep from stumbling . . .
3. IF WE MAKE SURE OUR FEET STAY WERE THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO BE.
You see; I have two bad habits. I tend to wear shoes with very little tread—not good shoes to wear on wet days while walking on slippery tiles. And I’ve noticed something else. I don’t tend to make sure that—when walking down steps—I use my whole foot on the whole step. I have the toes of my foot on the step going up,with the other half of my foot hanging off the edge behind me. And I have my heel on the steps while going down, with the toes hanging off the edge in front of me. Having the lights on and my hand on the handrail aren’t enough. I also I need to cultivate the habit of making sure my whole feet are where they’re really suppose to be—and that they are stable and don’t slip off once I’ve put them there.
And the same is true in our Christian life. We can give intellectual assent to the idea that the Bible is the word of God and is the only reliable rule for faith and practice. We can have it as our declared “handrail” in life. And we can even read it on a regular basis and let it inform our thinking and our beliefs; so that we see things as God says they really are. But unless we put it into practice in a whole-hearted way—unless we make a deliberate decision to completely place our feet where God says they’re supposed to go, and not allow them to slip away from His paths—then we will still fall and suffer loss.
In Deuteronomy 5, after Moses reviewed the Ten Commandments before the people of Israel, he then told them,
“Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess” (Deuteronomy 5:32-33).
Well; you and I already know the potential we have for falling in our Christian life. Even when we might think that everything is safe, we must not let our guard down. We need to keep alert and take preventative measures. By God’s grace, then, let’s do the things that will keep us from falling. Let’s make it our habit to relate to God’s word as we should. Let’s have our hand gripped upon it as our sure and secure source of stability in life. Let’s allow it to illuminate the decisions and choices we make in life with the clear revealed will of God. And let’s commit to put our feet in the places and paths that commands us in its pages—and learn to keep them there!
Later on, God Himself spoke to Moses’ successor, Joshua. Joshua was just about to lead that same group of people into the promised land; and God told him,
“Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:6-8).
And that, by the way, is a commitment that we must personally make. We don’t have to provide the ‘handrail. God has already provided that for us. And we don’t have to provide the ‘light’. God has given that to us as well. But it is up to us to provide the commitment to fully place our feet on the paths that He sets before us, and to make sure that we keep them there.
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All week long I’ve been thinking about that spill I took in the church building. I have had an aching back ever since. I’m doing better. But if I had only known in advance that it would happen—or even if I had only thought that it might possibly happen—I would have been much more cautious then I was. I would have wiped my feet carefully, turned on the lights, and walked carefully down the steps with my hand on the handrail. I hope I have learned my lesson.