First Baptist Church: Sermon

Text: Proverbs 24:19-20

Message for January 6, 2002

by Pastor Glenn Layne

First Baptist Church of Temple City, California

First Message in the Series:
A TOUGH-HEARTED FAITH FOR TRYING TIMES

Living without Fear in Fearful Times

We live in the Terror Age. What does God promise His people in regards to the schemes of "evil men"? Here are two commands and two promises to hold on to in trying times.

Our moment in time…

In the book of Esther, we read of a common Jewish girl who is elevated to the position of Queen of Persia. She does not start as a hero-as a matter of fact, she has much to be desired-but when she realized that unless she acted, it would mean disaster for the people of God, she did what had to be done.

This from a woman who had probably kept her Jewish identity a secret so it would not inhibit her rise in the royal court-a woman who had shown no devotion to God at all-and as a matter of fact, had shown a capacity not only to lie, but also a willingness to commit immorality to advance her fortunes. Yet God used her. He reached her heart and her will and used her for His glory's sake.

Timing is everything. If she had spoken up and sought the King for the welfare of her people a year earlier, she would have come across as an opportunist. If she has waited a year, her people would be dead, and her own life would be at risk.

Again, timing is everything. Here, on the first Sunday of 2002, we need to discern the time we are in. We have entered into a new era not only of history, but also in God's unfolding plan for the world.

I suspect that future generations will say that the new century did not really begin January 1, 2001, but nine months and 10 days later-September 11, 2001. We all know what happened that day. We know what it means for our nation, but what I hope to share with you over the course of the next several weeks, what it means for the Kingdom of God. I want to give you ammunition that you will need as a believer to not only endure, but also to prosper in these Terror Times. And I want to give you a handle on the spiritual meaning of these terror times. That will mean thinking about spiritual warfare. That will mean understanding the true nature of Islam, and how Islam is linked to terrorism. It will also mean some hard thinking about forgiveness when our enemies really do want to kill us.

Yes, they want you dead. If they had a button that would simply kill all Americans, they would push it. If they had a bomb that would simply kill all Jews and Christians, they would set it off. That's the reality of our times. Even as Haman sought to simply kill all of the people of God in the time of Esther, so today Haman is back in the cloak of radical Islam. And we need to have the faith of Esther to act-and to act now.

Essential in acting is wisdom. The great book of wisdom is Proverbs. I take great solace in the fact that President Bush reads through Proverbs each month (handy to do with 31 chapters!) We'll be dipping into Proverbs a couple of times over the next few weeks, and that's where we start.

Understanding Proverbs

q The nature of "proverbial" wisdom

There are a few things you need to know about Proverbs. First of all, consider the nature of "proverbial" wisdom. By nature, proverbial wisdom states in absolute form what is generally true. For example, we say, "Look before you leap." We know that that means, before taking action, think it through. We also say, "He who hesitates is lost." And that means, don't just stand there-do something!

Well, which is it? The answer is, they're both true, based on the situation you are in. And even though the Book of Proverbs is God's infallible word, it is just the same in Proverbs. We are speaking of what is generally, not absolutely true.

That's why the role of Holy Spirit is so important in interpreting the proverbs. I believe the Spirit delights in taking these words and showing God's children just how they apply to the lives of God's people, in so many different situations.

And I should say that the message I share today began that way. It began on October 24 of last year as I read this passage and the truth it speaks hit me afresh with relevance as the war was just weeks old.

q The use of parallelism

A second thing you should know about Proverbs it the way it uses parallel statements to make a point. These two verses are great example of that, where, the two lines of the two verses say basically the same thing:

19Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of the wicked,
20for the evil man has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

Despite the fact these mean almost the same thing, they don't mean exactly the same thing. So we'll make sure we get all we can from these words.

Two Commands

Verse 19 gives two parallel commands for us to heed:

1. Do not fret because of evil men.
2. Do not be envious of the wicked.

1. Don't fret because of evil men

The command of God for His people is this:

When confronted with reality of evil-and evil men-don't "fret."

q Which makes me wonder-what on earth does it mean to "fret"?

Fret: the Hebrew word is charah, a word that means, "to burn with anger." The picture is not of a person walking in circles saying "Oh my, oh my" (that's what I think of when I hear the word fret), but of a person being consumed with inner anger because of the evildoer.

Over 75% of Americans reported sleep loss in the weeks immediately following the attacks. That's a clear mark of anxiety, depression and rage. And I have to admit to you, that whenever I think of the ruins of the World Trade Center, there is in me a rage. As I told someone, "I'm angry and I'm not sure I want to stop being angry."

But wait a minute. This issue is not anger over injustice. It's a consuming anger that we're talking about. All anger is inherently dangerous because of what it can do to us, but not all anger is wrong. It's right to be angry at what the terrorists did-and what they may be planning right now. What's wrong is when in our anger we personally assume the absolute responsibility for righting the wrong. In our anger, we have to leave room for God to be God-for God to be the one who rights the wrong. We need to leave room for God's wrath. God is the final judge; we are mere humans, and the justice we may seek, and even bring, is always approximate. Don't FRET; yes, be angry, but then give it to the Lord; He will judge.

There follows a second command:

2. Don't be envious of the wicked

q Why would anyone envy the wicked?

Remember the interpretive room of parallelism: let one line help us understand the other. Don't fret; don't be envious. Don't let the appearance of being in the catbird's seat get to you.

The "wicked man" has power over you. Wouldn't it be nice to reverse it? I've heard people say, "If we catch bin Ladin, let's drop a 100 story building on him and see how he likes it." Ex-President Bush (you know, the other George Bush-Bush 41 as they say in the White House now) suggested that John Walker Lyndh, the so-called American Taliban-just be let loose at Ground Zero and let the NY Fire and Police Departments have at him. Yeah, let's let 'em have it.

Oh, I know it's a tempting attitude. But the spirit of vengeance always poisons its holder. There is a world of difference between the spirit of vengeance and the spirit of justice. Vengeance again robs God of His rights. Evil, says Paul, can only be overcome by good-not by another evil. Don't envy the wicked. What they have-whatever power or privilege-is temporary. God will judge.

Two Promises

There then follows two parallel promises.

20for the evil man has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

1. The evil man has no future hope

q Which future hope are we talking about?

Are we talking about eternity of the present?

Proverbs is a very down-to-earth book. It's references to eternity and few and indirect. This may well be one of them, but the main idea is that if you bank you life on evil, right in this life, you're going to see it all run out.

One of our favorite movies is The Mummy (1999 version). (I think Lynann thinks that Brendan Frasier is a hunk.) There's a great moment near the end. It seems that Imhotep, the mummy, has triumphed. There's an evil little man named Bennie who's in the service of the mummy, who now is grabbing all the gold he can from Hamumaptra, the fabled city of the dead. Evie, the plucky half-British, half-Egyptian librarian/Egyptologist, played by Rachel Weisz, definitely tells Bennie, "Evil little men always get their comeuppance!"

Bennie has an absolutely stricken look on his face. "They do?"

"Yes," answers Evie. "They do!"

In America and in much of the western world, we have drifted into a moral relativism that has taken the edge off of not only our sense of right and wrong, but also our sense of certainty that "evil little men always get their comeuppance." But we who know our God also know that He will not allow the evil to triumph. That whatever a man sows, that also shall he reap. This is one of the Iron Laws of God's ways with humankind.

Last week, Pres. Bush said of bin Ladin, "Three months ago, ran a country. Today he maybe rules a cave." This is the law of sowing and reaping. Sow to the wind, reap a whirlwind.

On the first night of the bombing, one of the first targets was the military headquarters of the Taliban government. The building was obliterated. The next day, a Pentagon spokesman drolly commented, "That's what happens when you attack the Pentagon." Sowing and reaping.

Evil little men always get their comeuppance. Yes, they do.

2. The lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out

Now of course this means much the same as, the evil man has no future hope. But the image is different.

My father-in-law has always been good at that trick where you lick your fingers and then just pinch the flame off the wick of a burning candle (I'm too much of a weenie to do it myself, I have to admit.)

In the Old Testament, the extinguishing of a lamp is often used as a symbol of death. It's a natural way of expressing yourself. Remember how in the old mobster movies, a gangster would often say that he wanted to "snuff out" his enemy?

The big question is: who's snuffing out the lamp? Again-let God be God. Yes, he uses Marines and Rangers and our allies, but let God be God!

Turning it around: Trust

God can be trusted in these terror times. If we turn around the message of these two verses, we see more than a defensive shield-we see the opportunity to see God's hand at work-not only in our world, but also in our hearts.

q The Psalm 73 Turnaround

Let me urge you to read the whole (28 verses) 73rd Psalm. It's all about the Psalmist-a man named Asaph-and how he has his head turned by how well off the wicked seem to have it:

Psalm 73:2-3

2But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They get away with it-that's what Asaph says again and again. What's the use of following God? Then it hits Asaph (vs. 16-17):

16When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me
17till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.

That's it! When justice seems to be denied, look just a little farther down the road. And yes, there are some wicked who die peacefully surrounded by comfort, but look a little farther! There is always payday-someday!

Psalm 73 ends this way:

27Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

Little-known Asaph is not the only one who teaches us this. Consider the words of Jesus.

q Jesus' Turnaround: Matthew 5:3-12; 6:25-34

Think of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12); they are all about reversal. They depict the ones who seem so weak who are instead the real winners. The wicked do not triumph, never once, not in the eyes of God. But instead…

3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

(By the way, as we'll see next week, words and attitudes like this are as foreign to Islam as I would be on the surface of Pluto!)

Let's finish with the words of Jesus as found in Matthew 6:25-34…words spoken nearly 2000 years ago, but words never more fit than now, in this age of terror. Let His words be the final words today:

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.