Say No To Cynicism, Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ that Satan started with the conspiracy theory is hoping about the tree is a conspiracy course you know that's when cynicism and grace cynicism so when you find cynicism. I know joining us today on this additional fellowship in the world. Pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana.

Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our work and that they had an education expert and talking about the opening of schools and he said that we must do it has to be done and done right away anyone on to say he said down if we don't do it.

There will be permanent brain damage. Two of the children even into adulthood and that he threw on some words like neurons and synapses, which I guess gave them credibility and when he was finished, I began to think about what he said and I had some questions in my mind. I mean, people have not been going to typical school for much of the history of man mean front school was a relatively newer thing. But secondly, thousands upon thousands of people in America have been homeschooled and it appears that they've done very well into adulthood that there wasn't something that they were missing some handicapped overcome and online education in America is 25 years old. They been online educating Americans for 25 years.

So as I thought about it I became angry and the reason I was angry as I thought this man is making parents more fearful than they already are about the education of their children. So I did what I usually do when I feel that way I began ranting about it to Velma.

I just started just ranting and I can't say I did enjoy the rant but the next day I began to feel some conviction and and the reason was I was convicted about my attitude.

I came to realize that I had become to all the circumstances that were facing a cynic I become cynical. I also imagine many of you have as well. That's what I want to talk about this morning. Now if you want know how many sermons I've ever preached when cynicism this is it. If you want know how many sermons I've ever heard anybody else rejoin it. This is it is a topic that we don't really talk about very much cynicism by definition is simply a general distrust of other people's motives and actions. A general distrust of anybody else's motives or actions as it's not new. It began formally in Greece about 400 years before Christ was born of the man's name was Anthony Stennis enter Stennis or interestingness. Whichever way you pronounce it, he became known as the father of cynicism of the score. Cynicism came out of the school. Socrates and it was a school that decided that they didn't trust or believe anybody for anything. They didn't believe anybody views, and viewpoints on family money goals, opinions, gratifications didn't believe any of it.

They said life should never be like that. There were cynics in fact when aunt this penis when he said what he did as he backed it up and he lived on the streets of Athens. He believed the me of living a life of complete poverty, which he did. He ate raw meat when he could and he was became famous for barking at people when they came by. He would just bark at. By the way, the Greek word that was used to describe them is keen us.

It's the root word for the modern English word cynic keen us. In Greek it means dog. He barked at them so they called the dog and that's the beginning of cynicism as far as a formal philosophy but it's not the beginning of cynicism. I want to go with me to Genesis 3 to see the beginning of cynicism now in three you know the story it's Adam and Eve. It's the great temptation it's all that we know the fall of man, but I want to see what happens. The woman talks to the serpent.

She says you not eat or touch the tree or your guy and he says in verse four, you sure he will not die. And then he says this for God knows that in the day that you eat from it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. What's he saying the first thing he saying is the tree in the center of the guards, not for your protection, God said, no, no, no, he's not not telling you the truth is not for your protection, God's deceiving you. You see God's deceiving you what he's doing is open deception. In other words, the implication is God's two-faced he tells you one thing, but something else and he says that this is what's really going on in an interesting in light of the data we live in. With all of the myriad of conspiracy theories of which they probably are thousands now making us all cynics that Satan started with a conspiracy theory.

This whole thing about the tree is a conspiracy. Of course you know that's when cynicism entered the human race. Cynicism is so crucial because when you really study and understand what you find cynicism, you find no hope. Cynics are not hopeful people at all. No culture in the modern era is as cynical as ours with the most cynical culture the ship for all this began in the 19th century, received up until the 19th century the optimism the man had was based on optimism based on the goodness of God. But when the 19th century got started. We made a shift in our optimism was based on the goodness of man. That's what we were optimistic about the goodness of man, replace the goodness of God. Think about it this way in the Great Depression. FDR rallied America by telling them that we need to have faith in faith think about him is a faith in God. We need to have faith in faith. Now the optimism that you get from believing in the goodness of man collapses completely whenever man or the culture goes through the dark side of life.

So when you go through the dark side of life. You lose your confidence in man, you lose your confidence in the media, you lose your confidence in government is it going through tough times and you lose all that and shattered optimism free falls directly in to a cynical heart.

That's what we become.

A lot of the philosophers of our day and age call this the age of cynicism.

I read an article this week.

From a psychological journal talking about cynics and if you are one.

I just want to tell you some because one of the things I said I never thought about most of the people were cynics in our culture believe the really smart cynics really believe their smart and a set so we did a study and after we studied every measurable way, we find out cynics on smart people are non-cynical are smarter generally that people are cynical, so if you're sitting because you think you're so smart. Modern study said that's just not true.

So what I want to talk about is I think Jesus gives us again.

The way in which we handle cynicism thing about Jesus is amazing in Belize not being a cynic doesn't mean you're naïve and want talk about that.

I'll make that point. Just a moment. Jesus Christ was never cynical. He confronted lots of things but not with cynicism. He didn't do it.

All I want to go with me to Matthew chapter 10 now the very first missionary journey before there was a church.

Matthew chapter 10 Jesus is going to send them out and so he sends the 12 out in verse 16 he makes the statement, he says, behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves. Beware of men. You've heard that often. That's how we need to be a lot of Christians have misapplied that I've known Christians. It can actually enter some way can justify shady business practices because of the intruder serpents. That's not exactly what Jesus has in mind here when he saying is, as we live in this fallen world, and this culture we must be gentle and cautious.

You need to be gentle and cautious beware of men. Don't be naïve. Don't be naïve. Don't just because men are saying something, believe them. We live in right now in the middle of this whole pandemic thing. It's just amazing how many voices are speaking and how you have to decide which voices you listen to what this voice is the truth know that's a false voice that's a true voice at the falls with is nothing wrong with being discerning, but once when it turns you into someone becoming a cynic someone find yourself very cynical about missing when Jesus says that he says beware of men for good reason. You're either for Christ or against is no neutral ground.

There's no neutral ground you getting another not the that's not the voice of Jesus. That's not the boys, the Bible, but it's kinda neutral. If you said no you gotta watch out for men.

You see you got all beware of men. You have to have that as part of it. He said you have to be as shrewd as a serpent. You have to understand what is going on here and what's interesting about it is, is that he said look we need to be cautious beware of men because of the fall, but we need to be hopeful because of redemption. That's why we should be hopeful so we need to be cautious because that's the way men are. That's the way this operates.

He said beware of men. He said, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be even he says be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as testimony to them and to the Gentiles. And when they hand you over. Don't worry about how or what you say it'll be given to you in that hour what you have to say for it is not. He said you will speak. It's the spirit of God once again the same thing I been on for several weeks. He said whenever they show you their hate and they arrest you, and I got up prosecute as well as persecute you, and I don't worry I got this I got it. Now this is a little bit unnerving to them.

I mean their circumstances become much worse than what you and I are facing right now in America infect, except for John. They all died a martyr's death. They all did. That's bad news that's okay. You see, said look I got this I know how this works.

He said even if it came down to death.

Notice what he says in verse 31 so do not fear your more valuable than a sparrow that falls what you mean by that my father sees this bearable. Whenever sparrow falls got this Burgess phone died. It has my attention.

How much more valuable or use a child of God and the sparrow, so here's the point is God keenly aware of the overall situation in your situation and my situation is he keenly aware of that you visit BA. He's got that these are but when you live in the world.

In this world in which we live now. He said I want you. He said I want you to be gentle and cautious is that I that's the way I want this to be then moves on.

I want to go with me to Luke chapter 7. The second thing Jesus says that can protect us from cynicism and it makes sense when you understand what cynicism does Jesus says you have to be hopeful. You have to be hopeful when all the time where everywhere under what conditions. All conditions yet to be hopeful. You have to be hopeful. See if your hopeful you will be cynical, but if you're cynical you will be hopeful.

That's the way this works so in chapter 7. Starting in verse 11. What would happen just as soon afterwards he went to a city called Maine and his disciples were going along with him, accompanied by large crowd now as he approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out. The only son of his mother and she was a widow and a sizable crowd in the city was coming with her. Okay, you may ask how that's her situation compared to yours radio she's a woman that's not easy them in Israel. She's a widow that's not easy. She has one son David to take care of her and he's dead that's that's a trifecta that causes great despair. You can't imagine circumstances much worse than this.

Now when the Lord saw her he felt compassion for any said to her, do not weep. What I just lost my only son is under a time for weeping.

I mean, isn't our time for weeping losing my only son I've already lost my husband is.

It is a time for me to cry notice.

Nothing's happened. Nothing's happened he said, do not weep unity. I can think of it, because he's offering her hope he hasn't done anything he just offer hope is a do not weep. There is a time for weeping me to give you hope now the cow was followed. He came up retouch the coffin. The Bears came to a halt. He said young man I say to you horizon the dead man set up and began to speak. Jesus gave him back. Mother noticed hope income after Jesus performed the miracle hope was offered before Jesus acted. You see, I offer you hope before the hopeful UCB hopeful that such an important part for us if we going to fight the cynicism of our own age. I need to be hopeful. Go with me to Luke eight verse 50. Next chapter. Same idea. Verse 49 while he was still speaking, someone came in. He said from the house of the synagogue official said your daughters died. Do not trouble the teacher anymore about today is that not child my daughters did when Jesus heard this, he said do not be afraid any longer. Only believe Shirley may well he offers it upfront notice to the vendor. Verse 52. They were all weeping and lamenting for her and he said stop weeping.

She is not – is this a sleep verse 54. He says arrives. In other words, be hopeful and then he acts one of the things I say over and over again redundantly, probably to the chagrin of a lot of people, but I keep saying the worst thing that can happen to you can happen you the motive behind that is, those are words of hope the worst thing you can happen here if you can't you can't you see I know from Scripture out the maps of the body and present with the Lord just on the little basis of what I've read it's probably better to be in heaven than here. I'm just guessing this but I think it's probably better exponentially. So that's the hope of that's where hope is that of the ultimate outcome is noticed in Luke 13, Luke 13 in verse 12 again is teaching one of the synagogues in verse 10 on the Sabbath and there was a woman for 18 years. Women sit caused by a spirit, and she bent double and could not straighten out all you can imagine what you look like how's her life going 18 years she can understand the pain she's in. When Jesus already called Romany sugar woman you're free from your sickness, Ken Dunning, is that I got this. He laid hands on her immediately. She was may direct and started glorifying God.

The whole point is God's is look. Don't despair the same God who sees the sparrow fall seizure life or mine. So the idea that I'm a child of God. Romans 828 all things work out for my good has to apply to every circumstance of life, including the ones were in it has to.

That's the way this works so he said you need to be hopeful. That's what these are just pictures of hope figure what he writes in Romans 15 pulses is now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

How you measurement hope to envision you have joined you not happy. Soon I hope.

Exhibit God is the God of that's what God wants to give you and again home pastoral giver on the radio ministry of fellowship in the world. If you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike of the sum of the method one more time. Remember the good a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio program that Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. Yes, all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service of fellowship monitored visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastoral sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sensors are looking you can search by title.

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