Don't Give Up

Don't Give Up
Matthew Bediako Sermon
GC Session, St. Louis, Missouri

July 2, 2005

In 1986, while I was conducting revival meetings on the Cook Islands, I got to know one of the church members very well. Every night, after the meeting, this lady would come with friends and sometimes with young people, and asked that I offer a special prayer for them.

One night after the meeting, she informed me that the pastor and I would have lunch at her home the next day. The church had arranged for me to have meals with the members in their homes.

The pastor was at my place at 12:30 p.m. to take me to her house, and as usual, I asked the pastor to give me a little information about the family.

The pastor indicated to me that this lady was going through a terrible experience. Her husband, a well-to-do businessman, told her he was going to sail in their new boat for a few hours and would be back soon. The wife waited for the rest of the day, but he did not return. It was reported to the police and a search team went out looking for clues as to his whereabouts. For a whole week they searched for him on some of the islands but had to call off the search. It had now been five years and still nobody knew what happened to him or the boat.

This lady has gone to the shore every week for the past five years, hoping to meet her husband. Friends have advised her to put the incident behind her and go on with her life. But she believes that her husband will come back one day.

This information was very helpful to me as I would know better what to say while at her home.

She had invited some of her friends and two elders to join us. After the meal, she showed us pictures. When we got to their wedding picture, she told me what had happened to her husband, and that it was hard for her to believe that he could be missing for five years. It was a very emotional experience for all of us.

She turned to me and said, "Pastor, last night you assured us of the certainty of the soon return of Jesus. You spoke with conviction about the blessed hope. I have been a member of the church for ten years and I have believed the coming of the Lord. But for the past five years, with the husband's situation, it has been difficult to keep on believing that Jesus is coming soon. My husband made a promise to me to be back in a few hours and it has now been five years. How long do I have to wait for Jesus to fulfill His promise?

"Should I continue to believe in His promise? Can I trust Him? It has been too long waiting for my husband and I hope I don't have to wait too long for Jesus to fulfill His promise of His soon coming."

I invited her to take a seat and I sat on the chair next to her. I opened my Bible and read to her the promise, "Let now your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am there ye may be also." (John 14:1-3)

I ended our conversation with a passage from the book of Hebrews. "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. . . . For yet a little while and He who is coming will come and will not tarry." (Hebrews 10:23, 37)

We held hands together and prayed. In my prayer I asked for God's will to be done in her husband's situation and assured her that very soon she will not only see her Lord coming, but she will have a reunion with her loved one.

THE DANGER FACING US AS ADVENTISTS

Unfortunately, this lady is not alone. There may be somebody here this morning under the stress of life, disappointments, and discouragements, wondering how long we have to wait. There may be those who first believed and broadcasted the second coming who have become cynical about it. They waited with longing as they watched for the signs of the second coming. They were confident that Christ would come in their youth. But now, decades later, as they struggle through terrors of the golden years and hear what is happening around them, they have become disillusioned for He has not appeared to put an end to sin. There are those who no longer believe the promise. They have relinquished their beliefs in the soon coming.

There are even Christian preachers who have decided that they will not preach on the topic of the second coming. Unfortunately, it includes even some Seventh-day Adventist preachers. You hear of some theologians and Bible teachers among us who feel that we need to take a second look at our interpretation of the second coming. They don't want to discuss it in the academic circles because they claim it is embarrassing. They will tell you it has caused so much false anticipation, anxiety, and negative sentiment in the past that they don't want to contribute to it. The message of the soon coming is not preached in many churches today. You hardly hear about the message of the blessed hope in classrooms, youth camps, and many church gatherings.

A friend of mine told me two years ago when I first met him after our high school days, "I don't want to hear any sermon about the second coming of Christ. I was born into it and grew up hearing the same story. At school we heard over and over again that Christ was coming soon. The time of Jacob's troubles was upon us. Morning and evening worships, Weeks of Prayers . . . the same sermon. Look at me now, ready to retire and Jesus has not come." He stood and asked, "Where is He? I don't want to hear any more sermons on this so-called soon coming."

My friend concluded his outburst statement with this. "I hope you know better and stop scaring people. After all, how many times can the warning, 'wolf, wolf' be sounded before it loses its power to convince people?"

I was very surprised by his reaction. I never expected to hear those words from him. He was born into a strong Adventist family, grew up in a strong Adventist environment, and was educated at one of our schools in Ghana.

Yes, I believe it is a human condition that those who labor long and hard for the Lord will get tired. And it has been a long, long day of waiting since you first heard this promise. To some of you here this morning, it has been too long and the work too hard, with many afflictions. I plead with you, don't give up! The end of your waiting is almost here.

Fifty-three years ago, as a young boy, I heard the message of the second coming of Jesus. I still remember the way the preacher narrated the events. It was very appealing. I also believed that Jesus was coming soon . . . that I was not going to finish high school . . . not go on to college . . . that there would not be time to marry and have a family.

Here I am. All the things I thought would not happen in my life, have happened and Jesus is not here.

But this morning, I want to declare to you that I m not ready to give up. This message is still appealing to me. I am not disillusioned. I am not embarrassed to tell people that not only do I believe in the second coming of Jesus, but also I am anxiously waiting and watching for it to happen. I cannot, and will not, by His grace, give up! I say with the song writer, "I have come too far from where I started. Nobody told me that the road would be easy. I don't believe He brought me this far to leave me."

Give up . . . for what? What is the alternative for me? Go back to worshipping idols? What hope do I have in the world today other than the hope as promised by Jesus? I have come so far that quitting is not an option for me.

IS THERE A LESSON FROM THE PAST?

I want you to journey back through time with me this morning to the first advent of Jesus. The Jews in AD 27 looked hopefully forward to the fulfillment of Malachi's prophecies. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." (Malachi 4:5)

They longed for the return of Elijah, but even more, they longed for the coming "day of the Lord" when everything would be set right in Israel. When God would come suddenly and purify His people and restore their former glory.

If you had stopped any person at random on the street in Jerusalem to inquire, "Do you believe in the coming of the Messiah?", the answer would have been a positive "yes." Everybody knew about it. It was part of their tradition to believe in it. Yet, only a handful were ready to receive Him. In Luke, chapter 2, we read about a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon . . . a devout man. The Bible says he was waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

Then, there was a lady--Anna--and the Bible says, "And was coming in that instant, and gave thanks, likewise, unto the Lord and spoke of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem."

These individuals never lost hope of the promise of the Messiah. They believed the promise of God and built their whole lives around this hope.

But, the majority of the professed people of God were not ready. The priests, the scribes, and the Pharisees rejected Him. They were unprepared for the coming of the Messiah. It was not because they did not know. The coming of the Messiah was the cherished hope of Israel. The problem was that they had heard of it far too long and had become used to it. They continued their lives as if nothing was going to happen.

George R. Knight, in his book The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier writes about a fable that Barclay related. Three apprentice devils were coming to the earth to complete their training. Each presented his plan to Satan for the ruination of humanity. The first proposed to tell people that there was no God. Satan replied that that would not delude many since most have a feeling to the contrary.

The second said he would proclaim that there was no hell. Satan rejected this tactic also.

The third said, "I will tell men that there is no hurry?" "Go," said Satan, "and you will ruin many by the thousands." pp. 242, 243

The problem facing us as Adventists is to accept the delusion of the devil that there is plenty of time. No need to get ready now. We have heard this promise far too long. There is still time. How soon is soon?

THE PARABLE OF THE FAITHFUL AND EVIL SERVANT

It is against this attitude that Christ gave about five parables to warn us about watchfulness and readiness. (Matt. 24:45-51; Luke 12:42 - )

The faithful servants, while waiting and expecting the master to return, do not sit idly but continue to serve with expectation. Christians have duties and ethical responsibilities as we watch and wait for the second advent of Jesus.

On the other hand the evil servant neglected his responsibilities and misbehaved due to the unfortunate delay. The Bible indicates that the evil servant began to beat his fellow servants, eat, and drink with the drunkards. Because he assumed that his master had delayed in returning . . . that there was plenty of time . . . he began to be unkind to others and to live a loose life.

Commenting on this parable, the servant of the Lord, Ellen White, writes "The 'evil servant' may not admit openly that he believes his Lord is delayed, but his way of life betrays him. He does not act as if he believed his Lord would soon return. He is not one of the scoffers who deny the reality of Christ's return (2 Peter 3:4). He pretends to believe. In fact he has accepted the responsibility of giving the members of the 'household of faith' spiritual food that will help them to prepare for their Lord's return. But his words lack conviction. He is not in dead earnest. His life and labor proclaim that he doesn't really believe His Lord is coming soon. In a time of crisis he does not stand 'between the dead and the living.' He does not minister 'in season and out of season,' nor does he 'reprove, rebuke, exhort; rather he adopts his message to the "itching ears" of his parishioners. He forgets that the message of Christ's soon coming is designed to arouse men from their absorption in worldly things.'" Christ's Object Lessons, p 228

The idea of a delay of his master affected his attitude. His relationship with his fellow servants changed. He began to treat them unkindly and felt superior to the rest of them. Could the seeming delay of our Lord also affect our relationship with one another in the family of faith?

Again Ellen G. White warns us about the devil's plan. "As the people of God approach the perils of the last days, Satan holds earnest consultation with his angels as to the most successful plan of overthrowing their faith. He sees that the popular churches are already lulled to sleep by his deceptive power. By pleasing sophistry and lying wonders he can continue to hold them under his control. Therefore, he directs his angels to lay their snares especially for those who are looking for the second advent of Christ and endeavoring to keep all the commandments of God. Says the great deceiver, ' . . . We must cause distraction and division. We must destroy their anxiety for their own souls and lead them to criticize, to judge and accuse and condemn one another, and to cherish selfishness and enmity. For these sins, God banished us from His presence; and all who follow our example will meet a similar fate.'" Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 472-475

Are you surprised about what is happening in some churches today? Are you surprised about name calling among us? We identify some members to be liberals and some as conservatives--the progressive and non-progressive Adventists. Are you surprised that in every world division, every union, conference, and church there are "concerned Adventists"--Adventists reporting fellow members to government authorities?

With the plan of Satan in place these last days, I am not surprised to note the rise of tribalism, nationalism, regionalism, racism, nepotism, and congregationalism among the people of God.

The debate still continues about the proper style of worship. We fuss about the rigidity of our standards or the increasing lack of them. We spend time arguing about who is right and who is wrong.

As we receive letters of complaint and hear what is happening in some of our educational institutions and of refusals to accept church authority in churches, it is very hard to believe that we are looking forward to the soon return of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Paulsen, our president, in his book Let Your Light Shine, makes the following appeal to the church. "It is late in