by The Rev. Dr. Max Lynn
SCRIPTURE READINGS Acts 16:9-15, John 14:25-29
Transcribed from the sermon preached on MAY 15, 2022
You are a child of God. The Holy Spirit is in you. The holy Spirit gives us grace and power, courage and hope that surpasses understanding.
I have found that there are multiple points of view, multiple perspectives that speak to important truths in life. The term Prosperity Gospel is basically the idea that God rewards faith, that if we have faith God will provide, and work as if God will provide, God will provide. It tends to focus on the individual and individual wants and desires. It tends to fall within the genre of self-help and the power of positive thinking more generally. God helps those who help themselves.
One of the other critiques of this individualistic perspective is that it rarely helps people determine what kind of goals they should have. Rather it focuses on the power and attitude you need in order to achieve whatever goal you set for yourself.
So, there is this joke; The pessimist is the person who feels their book about mayhem and violence will not sell, while the optimist is the one who thinks their book about mayhem and violence will sell.
We know that there is not a one-to-one correlation between those who work hard to succeed and those who actually succeed. We know too that life is not fair and far too many people are born into situations that make their success in life much more difficult than others. Others meanwhile are born into privilege and will stay there, regardless of whether or not they work hard or whether they are good persons. The starting line is not even. And, of course, there are random events of good or bad luck, of beneficence or malevolence that happen to some and not to others and it has nothing to do with whether they have faith or are good and decent people.
So, there is a lot to critique about the prosperity Gospel, but still, that does not mean there is no truth in it. And given that our culture seems to be becoming ever more divided and locked into rigid ideology, assuming the other side is evil and confused while our side is righteous and the holder of the truth, I have decided to take a few Sundays over the Summer and lift up some of the truth in perspectives many in Berkeley tend to align against.
There is an aspect or branch of Christianity that tends toward disavowing joy and pleasure in the material world. There are two basic theological reasons for this. One is the notion that the material world and life is corrupt and sinful, and therefore we should not take pleasure in it. The other is that it is a good thing to be empathetic and sacrificial. We are to pick up our cross and follow Christ. This can become a sort of salvation by works in the sense that we decide that if we are suffering and sharing in the trials and tribulations of others, then we must be good people, we must be righteous, Christ like. Therefore, feeling bad is a good thing. There is another part of this way of thinking that treats humility as a virtue, and therefore we are afraid that our success, and our enjoyment of our success is somehow a bad thing. We can even go as far as thinking being successful, enjoying ourselves and having money is bad. I confess this is an issue I have had to work out in my personal life. Needing to feel good – obviously can set us up for failure and may set us up for codependent relationships. We may feel a need to be around those who mess up, so we have someone to try and fix. But sometimes what people need, what we need is to fix ourselves, to have the courage, faith and hope to change our own lives. Sometimes the best way to help someone is to stop helping them.
It looks like toxic masculinity might be a newly identified psychological disorder – certainly there is toxic masculinity and racism as displayed yesterday in Buffalo. But if we are lucky, everyone of us has had someone say, you can do it, yes you can eat your vegetables. Yes, you can get up and try again. Finish homework. Yes, keep working before you get your allowance. Yes, you can believe you can do it even when others are mean or critical. Yes, you can.
It is one of the fundamental truths in life that no matter what your station or circumstances, if you work hard and have a positive attitude, you are more likely to overcome the obstacles set before you. The opposite is also true: if we have a negative attitude and think that we are powerless to affect our outcome in life, it is likely to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Another basic truth in life is that hard work is much more likely to have positive results than not working hard.
Certainly, one of the amazing things about Paul is how hard he worked, how committed and hopeful he was in spreading the Gospel. From the looks of it, Paul did more than Jesus to create the Church and spread the Gospel. This little guy with faith and determination literally changed the world. Paul had confidence that the Holy Spirit was with him, that the risen Christ was with him, and no matter the obstacles, with God’s help, he would overcome. In Acts this morning, he talks with Lydia, who receives the Gospel, has her whole household baptized and then invites Paul and his caravan back to her house. Lydia, a merchant of purple cloth is a wealthy landowner and yet uses her success and power for the good of the Gospel.
At my internship church, we had a member named Roger Crawford who was born with one finger on one hand and two on the other and had a prosthetic leg from the knee down. Out of hard work, discipline and determination, Roger became a professional tennis player. Later he became a motivational speaker. I love the story he tells of walking down the street with his mother and on seeing some kids coming his way he stuck his hands in his pocket, ashamed. His mother noticed and said Roger, take your hands out of your pockets, stand up tall, and be proud of who you are.”
One of Roger’s most powerful lines is: I would rather have one leg and a positive attitude than two legs and a negative attitude every single time. This is a powerful message every one of us could stand to hear.
Two books that had a powerful impact on my growing up and becoming a responsible adult were the Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck and the Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peal.
Peck says: “Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.”
Peck advocates for acknowledging that life is difficult, and we are responsible for our own lives. While many people and things may impact our lives, and different people are impacted differently, more than anyone or anything else we have the power to determine our own success or failure. All we have to do is take responsibility for it.
Now a couple from Peale: Believe you can, and you can. Belief is one of the most powerful of all problem dissolvers. When you believe that a difficulty can be overcome, you are more than halfway to victory over it already.
I was listening to a video the other day taking of the importance of double blind studies in medicine, that is studies where neither the control group nor the test group nor the doctors know if they are getting the real medicine. The doctor reporting said that if people think they are getting a treatment that will work, they are 30% more likely to get better, even if the treatment they are receiving is the placebo or the fake one. So having a positive mental attitude is scientifically proven to make a big difference in real physical outcomes.
Here are a few more quotes from Peale:
• If you want things to be different, perhaps the answer is to become different yourself.
• Dwelling on negative thoughts is like fertilizing weeds.
• Never react emotionally to criticism. Analyze yourself to determine whether it is justified. If it is, correct yourself. Otherwise, go on about your business.
• If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.
• Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes
• Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.
• You can make positive deposits in your own economy every day by reading and listening to powerful, positive, life-changing content and by associating with encouraging and hope-building people.
• Focus on what you can, not what you can’t do.
• You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win and expect to win.
• It isn’t what happens to you, but how you respond to what happens to you that makes the difference.
One of the most powerful concepts, one which is a sure cure for lack of confidence, is the thought that God is with you and helping you. This is one of the simplest teachings in religion, namely, that Almighty God will be your companion, will stand by you, help you, and see you through. No other idea is so powerful in developing self-confidence as this simple belief when practiced. To practice it simply affirm “God is with me; God is helping me; God is guiding me.” Spend several minutes each day visualizing his presence. Then practice believing that affirmation.
This morning Jesus tells the disciples he is sending an advocate, the Holy Spirit to guide us, to work in and through us. The Holy Spirit is within us. Comforting, encouraging, giving us courage, grace, and hope.
Now to finish I will give you a string of scripture that speaks to a positive mental attitude, hard work, and personal agency with faith in God.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23 NIV
I can do all this through God who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 NIV
The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 2 Timothy 2:6 NIV
Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense. Proverbs 12:11 NIV
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24
Anxiety weighs down the heart of a person, but a good word cheers it up.” Proverbs 12:25
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:1-2
A person who is kind benefits themself, but a cruel person hurts themself. [18] A wicked person earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. Proverbs 11:17-18
A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22
Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, [3] for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-5
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. [2] Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. [3] More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5
Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice. [5] Let all people know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. [6] Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [8] Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:4-8