At the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, the American Press Association asked 74 social commentators to look a century into the future and give their predictions about what life would be like. They looked at the trends of their day and projected into the future – and this is what they had to say: “Prisons and poorhouses will decline and divorce will not be considered necessary. By the end of the 20th century taxation will be reduced to a minimum, the entire world will be open to trade, and there will be no need for a standing army.”
Here is another one: “In 1993 the government will have grown more simple, as true greatness tends toward simplicity.” Right! As Will Rogers once said, “Let’s be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re paying for.”
If you had based your actions and your life on the predictions of those people from 116 years ago, you would have found yourself in a lot of trouble! Why? Bad information! Inferior knowledge! But if you know the truth …
If you know, you can prepare. If you know, you can make plans. If you know, you have the advantage. The right knowledge brings the greatest benefits. What if you knew what the stock market was going to do next year? What if you knew the questions that were going to be asked on the test? What if you knew what the housing market was going to do in the next ten years? This knowledge would give you an advantage – but would also give you a responsibility.
What if I alone know that an earthquake is going to strike central Illinois? What is my responsibility? Should I hide in a safe place and let everyone else figure it out on your own? Certainly not! My responsibility is to inform and tell others so that you too can prepare. With knowledge comes responsibility – the responsibility to teach and to tell.
Consider John the Baptist. John is a very interesting man. Put aside the living alone in the wilderness – forget the camel hair coat and eating bugs. The thing that makes him truly stand out is not his appearance – it’s his knowledge. The Bible says that the Word came to John – and he knew! God talked to John and he knew. He knew what everyone else wanted to know. He knew what everyone else needed to know. He knew something that set him apart. He knew that the Messiah was coming.
Oh, yes, everyone else knew that the Messiah was coming and had known it for thousands of years – but John really knew! He knew that the Messiah was on the way – and that his generation would see it! John knew!
What did John do with his knowledge? He went to work. He listened to the command of the Lord and began to proclaim his knowledge. No secret – God wanted the world to know so that everyone could prepare for the coming of the Messiah. So John proclaimed, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” He cried out in a loud voice, “Do you know what I know? A child is born, a son is given, the Messiah is come!”
Pretty exciting knowledge. It sure got John going. But what about us? What do we know? Well, we know both John’s message and its fulfillment. We know that Christ did come. We know all about His journey through our world – a journey that led to the cross. We know His sacrifice, His blood, our cleansing. We know that His pain was our gain. We know that the gates of heaven stand open before us because of Christ’s victory over sin, death and the devil. We know that Christ has promised to come again to take us to live with Him in glory. We know everything that John the Baptist knew – and a whole lot more!
So – what do we do with this knowledge? John got excited and went to work on a lot less knowledge than we possess. What will we do with our knowledge? If you know something that will mean the difference between life and death for someone – then do you share? Do you tell? Knowledge brings responsibility.
One day a man was sitting in his living room, reading the newspaper. As he sat there his four-year-old daughter Elizabeth came walking into the room, holding a tube of flavored Chapstick in her hand. She asked if her dad wanted some. “Sure,” he said, and he spread the Chapstick on his lips. It was a little sour, but it felt pretty good – so he put a second layer on his lips. Just then his wife hollered from the next room, “Elizabeth – what did you do with my tube of super glue?”
Surprise! What you do not know can hurt you – it can cause you trouble. But when it comes to matters of faith and God and the Messiah, we know. We give thanks that we know. We give thanks for this knowledge that has come through God’s holy Word and His Son. We know. So I leave you with this question: Do they know what we know?
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Note: This sermon was freely adapted from a sermon series entitled “Proclaim the Coming” – created by CTSFW Professor Rev. Jeffrey Pulse.
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