Understanding Christianity: Faith, Purpose, and Transformation

 

Summary

In today's reflection, we delve into the question posed in Luke 18:8, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" This question is not just a theological inquiry but a profound challenge to our current worldview. We live in a time where many dismiss Christianity, claiming it has been tried and found wanting. Yet, this dismissal often stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of what Christianity truly is and what it aims to accomplish.

The world is in turmoil, and many attribute this chaos to the failure of Christianity. However, the truth is quite the opposite. The current state of the world is not due to the failure of Christianity but rather the failure of humanity to live by its teachings. Christianity has never promised to reform the world or abolish war; instead, it offers a transformative message for individuals. The essence of Christianity is not about creating a utopia on earth but about saving individuals from the impending judgment and offering them a place in God's eternal kingdom.

Throughout history, Christianity has been a force for good, bringing about significant social and moral advancements. It has been the foundation for hospitals, education, and the abolition of slavery. These are not the marks of a failed ideology but of a transformative power that has changed lives and societies.

The real tragedy is the misunderstanding of Christianity's purpose. It is not a political or social reform movement but a divine plan to save individuals from sin and eternal separation from God. Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost, to offer hope and salvation to individuals, not to promise a perfect world. The ultimate fulfillment of God's plan will come with the return of Christ, who will establish a new heaven and a new earth.

In conclusion, the question is not whether Christianity has failed, but whether we have truly understood and embraced its message. The call is for personal reflection and transformation, to align ourselves with God's plan and become part of His eternal kingdom.

Key Takeaways:

1. Misunderstanding Christianity's Purpose: Christianity is often dismissed as a failure because it hasn't reformed the world or abolished war. However, its true purpose is to transform individuals and offer salvation, not to create a utopia on earth. [10:12]

2. Historical Impact of Christianity: Despite claims of failure, Christianity has been a force for good throughout history, leading to the establishment of hospitals, education, and the abolition of slavery. These achievements highlight its transformative power. [23:10]

3. The Real Cause of World Chaos: The current state of the world is not due to Christianity's failure but humanity's refusal to live by its teachings. The chaos results from rejecting God's way and living in rebellion. [12:57]

4. God's Plan for Salvation: Christianity's message is about God's plan to save individuals from sin and eternal separation. Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost, offering hope and salvation to those who believe. [41:37]

5. The Future Fulfillment of God's Kingdom: The ultimate fulfillment of Christianity's promise will come with Christ's return, establishing a new heaven and earth. Until then, the focus is on individual transformation and salvation. [49:02]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:14] - Introduction to the Theme
- [01:07] - The World's Current State
- [02:13] - Misconceptions About Christianity
- [03:36] - The Claim of Christianity's Failure
- [06:11] - The Common Attitude Towards Christianity
- [09:10] - Rejection of Christianity's Message
- [12:09] - The Real Cause of World Chaos
- [16:08] - The Impact of Living by Christian Teachings
- [22:26] - Christianity's Historical Achievements
- [30:22] - Misunderstanding Christianity's Promises
- [36:44] - Christianity's True Message
- [41:37] - God's Plan for Salvation
- [49:02] - The Future Fulfillment of God's Kingdom
- [54:39] - Conclusion and Call to Reflection

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Luke 18:8
- Matthew 24:37-39
- John 3:16-17

---

Observation Questions:

1. In Luke 18:8, Jesus asks, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" What does this question imply about the state of faith in the world at the time of His return? [09:55]

2. The sermon mentions that Christianity has been a force for good throughout history, citing examples like the establishment of hospitals and the abolition of slavery. What are some specific historical achievements attributed to Christianity mentioned in the sermon? [23:10]

3. According to the sermon, what is the real cause of the world's chaos, and how does it relate to humanity's relationship with Christianity? [12:57]

4. How does the sermon describe the ultimate fulfillment of God's kingdom, and what role does individual transformation play in this process? [49:02]

---

Interpretation Questions:

1. The sermon suggests that the current state of the world is not due to Christianity's failure but humanity's refusal to live by its teachings. How does this perspective challenge common criticisms of Christianity? [12:57]

2. The sermon emphasizes that Christianity's purpose is not to create a utopia on earth but to offer salvation to individuals. How does this understanding of Christianity's purpose affect the way believers should live their lives? [30:22]

3. The sermon highlights the historical impact of Christianity as a transformative force. How might recognizing these contributions influence a person's view of Christianity today? [23:10]

4. The sermon states that the ultimate fulfillment of Christianity's promise will come with Christ's return. How does this future hope shape the present mission and focus of Christians? [49:02]

---

Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your understanding of Christianity's purpose. Have you ever misunderstood its role in the world? How can you align your life more closely with its true purpose of individual transformation and salvation? [30:22]

2. The sermon challenges the notion that Christianity has failed by highlighting its historical contributions. How can you educate others about these contributions in your conversations about faith? [23:10]

3. Considering the sermon’s message about the real cause of world chaos, how can you personally commit to living by Christian teachings in a way that promotes peace and understanding in your community? [12:57]

4. The sermon calls for personal reflection and transformation. What specific steps can you take this week to deepen your faith and align more closely with God's plan for your life? [54:39]

5. The sermon mentions that Christianity's ultimate promise will be fulfilled with Christ's return. How does this future hope influence your daily decisions and priorities? [49:02]

6. Reflect on the historical impact of Christianity mentioned in the sermon. How can you contribute to continuing this legacy of positive change in your own community? [23:10]

7. The sermon emphasizes the importance of individual salvation. How can you share the message of hope and salvation with someone in your life who may not yet understand Christianity's true purpose? [41:37]

Devotional

Day 1: Christianity's True Purpose: Individual Transformation, Not World Utopia
Christianity is often misunderstood as a failed attempt to reform the world or abolish war. However, its true purpose is to transform individuals and offer salvation, not to create a utopia on earth. The essence of Christianity lies in its message of personal transformation and salvation, offering individuals a place in God's eternal kingdom. This misunderstanding leads many to dismiss Christianity, not realizing that its focus is on saving individuals from sin and eternal separation from God. The transformative power of Christianity is evident in the lives it changes, not in the creation of a perfect world. [10:12]

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age." (Titus 2:11-12, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you focus on personal transformation today, rather than expecting the world around you to change?


Day 2: Christianity's Historical Impact: A Force for Good
Despite claims of failure, Christianity has been a force for good throughout history, leading to the establishment of hospitals, education, and the abolition of slavery. These achievements highlight its transformative power and the positive impact it has had on society. Christianity's influence is seen in the moral and social advancements it has inspired, demonstrating that it is not a failed ideology but a powerful force for change. By understanding the historical impact of Christianity, one can appreciate its role in shaping a better world and recognize the good it has brought to humanity. [23:10]

"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?" (Isaiah 58:6, ESV)

Reflection: How can you contribute to the positive impact of Christianity in your community today?


Day 3: The Real Cause of World Chaos: Humanity's Rebellion
The current state of the world is not due to Christianity's failure but humanity's refusal to live by its teachings. The chaos results from rejecting God's way and living in rebellion. Christianity offers a path to peace and order, but when its teachings are ignored, the world falls into turmoil. Understanding this helps to shift the blame from Christianity to the real issue: humanity's unwillingness to follow God's guidance. By embracing Christian teachings, individuals can contribute to a more harmonious world and experience the peace that comes from living in alignment with God's will. [12:57]

"They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace." (Jeremiah 6:14, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are resisting God's teachings, and how can you begin to align with His guidance today?


Day 4: God's Plan for Salvation: Hope for the Lost
Christianity's message is about God's plan to save individuals from sin and eternal separation. Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost, offering hope and salvation to those who believe. This message is central to Christianity, emphasizing the importance of personal salvation and the hope it brings. By understanding God's plan, individuals can find comfort and assurance in the promise of eternal life. The focus is on the individual's relationship with God and the transformative power of accepting His salvation. [41:37]

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." (Luke 19:10, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear about the hope and salvation offered by Jesus, and how can you share this message with them today?


Day 5: The Future Fulfillment of God's Kingdom: A New Heaven and Earth
The ultimate fulfillment of Christianity's promise will come with Christ's return, establishing a new heaven and earth. Until then, the focus is on individual transformation and salvation. This future hope encourages believers to live faithfully, knowing that God's plan will be fully realized in His timing. The promise of a new heaven and earth provides comfort and motivation to persevere in faith, trusting that God's kingdom will be established. By keeping this future fulfillment in mind, individuals can remain steadfast in their faith and continue to seek personal transformation. [49:02]

"But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." (2 Peter 3:13, ESV)

Reflection: How does the promise of a new heaven and earth influence your daily decisions and actions?

Quotes



Christianity has not brought us to the this pretty pass I agree with him that we are brought to a pretty pass the world as it is tonight is the pretty past to which he refers and there we are in entire agreement but he says you see that it's Christianity who's brought us to this in other words the international tension tonight is due to Christianity the bombs are being made war is being prepared for because of Christianity Christianity has brought us to a pretty pass you see the argument. [00:11:56]

I assert that there is only one answer it is because the human race has failed to listen to and to practice the message of Christianity it is indeed the exact opposite it isn't Christianity that's brought us here it is the refusal of men and women to listen to it to practice it to live by it and to pin their utter Faith to it now you see that is the case put forward by the Bible from the very beginning its whole argument is this that all troubles in life stem and come out of this one initial trouble man's refusal to live according to God's way of life. [00:12:57]

Christianity has been the most civilizing and uplifting force that this world has ever known look at this phrase that you get in these gospels the Common People heard him gladly they' never heard anybody else gladly the common people you know didn't get much from socres and PLO and Aristotle they couldn't follow them you can't follow the great philosophers without knowing their terms without understanding something of their method all their dialectic and their brilliant it demands reason and understanding and knowledge in you the common people never got anything from them. [00:23:19]

Here is the thing above everything else in this world that has raised the common people here is a message that has opened the minds and the understanding of people to whom the great of the world did nothing whatsoever to give this is sure fact again I'm not here imagining these things I'm giving you facts which you'll find even in your secular history books the whole course of history has been changed by the coming of Christianity the whole history of Asia was changed by it the history of Europe was changed by it the coming of the Apostle Paul to Greece the Philippi was one of the greatest turning points in the whole of his. [00:24:29]

Where have your hospitals come from there were days there were times when there were no such things as hospitals and people just suffered and died like dogs where did your hospitals come from they came from Christianity the oldest Hospital in London in this country is St bol's Hospital sorted by a man called reer in the 12th century and he was a Christian priest all your hospitals have come from this despised rejected Christianity which is such a failure that it only leads us to this pretty pass but where have your schools come from where does the educational system come from who began to teach the poor people the answer is still the same it was the Christian Church. [00:25:32]

Christianity cared for the poor men and women gave up their lives and possibilities of great wealth and advancement in order to care for the poor for their bodies for their minds for their illnesses they gave them money they gave them food all these charitable institutions have originated in the Christian church now my friends it's about time people begin to realize that you see we're living in this welfare and we say the state does this that and the other now go back into your history and remember that when there was a time when the state did nothing and the only institution in the world that cared for the well-being of men and women was the Christianity that is despised and dismissed and derided as a failure. [00:27:25]

What led to the abolition of slavery Christianity William wilers and William wilers LED that movement not because he was just a member of parliament but because he was a converted Member of Parliament because he'd become a Christian there was a time when will William wilbos was not a Christian he was a very able man he was a member of parliament but he spent his night dancing in the balls going the social round of London but suddenly his whole life was changed by the despised Christianity that never does anything and that only brings us to this pretty pass and it was immediately and directly as the result of his conversion and and his new life that he began to lead in the agitation for the abolition of slavery. [00:28:39]

Christianity has never promised to improve and to reform this world never I defy you to give me a single statement in this new testament which indicates that Christianity's never promised to make this world a better place never did you realize that my friend it has never said that it's going to reform the world and improve the World by its teaching it has never promised to educate men up to decent living it has never offered itself as a moral nor an ethical nor a political system never there's not a word to that effect in the whole of the bible. [00:31:30]

Christianity has never promised to abolish War now we're living in days when we've got to put these things very plainly you see this man writes to the paper because he says look at the war here we are preparing for war ready to use the bombs the end the world's going to be blown up Christianity has brought us to this Christianity is fail to stop us coming to this that's his argument well now my reply is that Christianity has never promised to do that what says somebody but this is inconceivable I thought that Christianity was this Noble idealistic message which teaches men to love one another and to shake hands instead of hitting one another to banish all their bombs and all their armaments and we all live in peace together. [00:31:56]

Christianity never could make such a promise it's the exact opposite of all it teaches but come let me put it positively that is what Christianity hasn't promised to do what has Christianity promised to do well it's quite clear this is its message let me summarize it for you as I close what does this book say well it tells us that God has got a great plan for this world and that God has already put that plan into operation that it has been carried out in the past that it is being carried out in the present and that it is going to be carried out in the future God it says has got a plan for this world it is his world he made it he still owns it he hasn't abandoned It Bad Evil though it is God hasn't finished with it God has got a plan for this world and he's going to carry it out. [00:39:56]

He came primarily to deal with us as individuals and to save us out of this Lost World this is how he put it the son of men he said is come to seek and to save that which is lost what's he talking about well he's talking about individuals he always talked about individuals you see it's the critics who talk about Christianity they're always talking about Christianity something objective something which is going to deal with World conditions social conditions condition of Nations so a man writes his pompus letter to a newspaper and says Christianity has brought us to a pretty pass can't you see the fallacy he's thinking of everything outside himself Christian it ought to abolished War Christianity ought to make these bombs impossible Christianity ought to make the world a better place and he doesn't say a word about himself doesn't seem to think or to realize that he's got any problems in his own life. [00:41:37]

The message is that whatever may happen to the world that you and I as living beings and souls can be put right and Christ came to save me the Son of God Who Loved Me says Paul and who gave himself for me AB would you say that's being selfish why don't you deal with World conditions my friend nothing can be done about world conditions I've already told you that your problem should be this how can you escape being involved in the final cataclysm that is going to bring destruction on this world at any moment that's your question these atheistical philosophers who are talking so much at the present time they're beginning to tell us that probably we haven't got another year to live none of us that's what one of them said last Sunday all right I think he's probably wrong even in that but let's take it for granted that he's right what's the point therefore of you are asking me to make statements about International relationships and situations surely what you ought to know is this if I've only got another year to live if the end of the world is coming then if the whole thing's to be blown up what happens to me then where am I going what's my destiny do you know anything about it that's the message of Christianity. [00:44:59]

Chatbot

  • I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from May 25, 2017. Do you have any questions about it?

Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?