On Mother

1
(No Transcript)
2

• On Mothers Day it is almost a crime not to make
  mothers feel good.
• On Fathers day it is almost a crime not to make
  fathers feel badly.
• One only needs to listen to Christian
  broadcasting to realize how inadequate fathers
  are. The rest of us are just as inadequate.

3
The Gospel and Comedy

• What is comedy?
• Comedy has as a hero a poneros. A hero who should
  not have confidence and yet believes in spite of
  himself.
• Paul speaks about his confidence

4

• 2 Corinthians 34 Such confidence we have
  through Christ toward God.

5
Why Would Paul Be Confident?

• His speaking ability?
• 1 Corinthians 117 17 For Christ did not send me
  to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in
  cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ
  would not be made void.

6
Why Would Paul Be Confident?

• His Looks?
• The earliest description of Paul (from an
  apocryphal work from the 3rd century) Paul was
  a man of short stature with a bald head and bow
  legs. . . . His eyebrows met in the middle, and
  his nose was rather large . . .

7
Why Would Paul Be Confident?

• Lack of criticism?
• 2 Corinthians 1010 10 For they say, "His
  letters are weighty and strong, but his personal
  presence is unimpressive and his speech
  contemptible."

8
Why Would Paul Be Confident?

• His success at starting churches?
• The Corinthian church was plagued by sexual
  immorality, lawsuits, factions, and other things
  that we dont know about.
• The Galatian church was about to follow after
  another gospel.

9
Why Would Paul Be Confident?

• His physical strength?
• 2 Corinthians 18 8 For we do not want you to be
  unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came
  to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively,
  beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of
  life
• Gods servants often have health problems.

10

• G. Campbell Morgan, called the Prince of
  Expositors had to keep a doctor on call to work
  on his neck before he went into the pulpit
  because he was so troubled by horrible headaches.

11

• John Calvin suffered from kidney stones that were
  large and painful causing hemorrhages that
  threatened his life. There were no pain
  relieving drugs or sedatives.

12

• Luther also suffered from kidney stones,
  excruciating headaches, buzzing in the ears and
  other physical ailments.

13

• Spurgeon suffered from painful gout
• He dealt all his life with severe depression.
• I am the subject of depressions of spirit so
  fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such
  extremes of wretchedness as I go.

14
Paul himself suffered

• 2 Corinthians 127 Because of the surpassing
  greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to
  keep me from exalting myself, there was given me
  a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to
  torment me-- to keep me from exalting myself!

15
Why Would Paul Be Confident?

• 2 Corinthians 34-6 Such confidence we have
  through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are
  adequate in ourselves to consider anything as
  coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from
  God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of
  a new covenant, not of the letter but of the
  Spirit for the letter kills, but the Spirit
  gives life.

16
Paul is Confident in Comedy

• Paul is the poneros. The small man who trusts
  God that he can really make a difference despite
  the foolishness of the idea.
• Louise Cowan A happy ending in comedy cannot be
  rooted in any human origin. It must be rooted in
  grace

17
Paul Ends His Life

• 2 Timothy 47-8 I have fought the good fight, I
  have finished the course, I have kept the faith
  8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown
  of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
  Judge, will award to me on that day and not only
  to me, but also to all who have loved His
  appearing.

18
Good News and Bad News

• Bad news you are inadequate as a father,
  mother, friend, teacher, worker, elder, etc.
• God news Christ makes us adequate. He uses the
  poneroi to win the world.