INTRO.- ‘Tis the season for shopping.
ILL.- A lady said, “I was browsing in a souvenir shop when the man next to me struck up a conversation. Just as he was telling me that his wife was getting carried away with her shopping, a brief power shortage caused the lights to flicker overhead. ’That,’ he sighed, ’must be her checking out now.’”
ILL.- It was the day of the big sale (you know, the day after Thanksgiving). A long line of people formed in front of the store by 6 AM, the store’s opening time.
A small man pushed his way to the front of the line, only to be pushed back, in the midst of loud and colorful curses. On the man’s second attempt, he was punched square in the jaw and knocked around a bit and then thrown to the end of the line again.
As he got up the second time, he complained to the person at the end of the line, "That does it! If they hit me one more time, I’m not opening the store!"
Sure sounds like the day after Thanksgiving, doesn’t it?
ILL.- I had almost totally forgotten this fact until last Friday morning. Elaine and I were staying with her son, Brad, in Jonesboro, IL. I got up early as I always do and headed for Wal-Mart. I wanted to do my shopping. Actually, I went to buy some apples for breakfast. I got to Wal-Mart about 5:20 and wondered why there were so many cars in the parking lot that early in the morning. As soon as I walked inside it suddenly dawned on me.
I purchased a couple of red delicious apples and took them to my car. Then I went back inside to look around a while and also see if I knew anybody.
I took a tour of that whole store and never saw a single person I knew. But what I saw was an interesting and humorous sight. Wal-Mart had all their super specials in the middle aisles of the store, covered with garbage bags. They were marked with large numbers, signifying the special items that they were about to unveil at 6 a.m. And the people were standing there like vultures, waiting to pounce.
I thought, “How could anything be that valuable or important?” Then I went to check the sale bill to see if they were offering anything I might want!!!
‘Tis the season to shop. It is indeed.
ILL.- Holiday shopping started with an $8 billion day last Friday. That’s up 10.8 percent over last year.
I am certainly not against shopping for Christmas or shopping at any time of the year. We are blessed to have everything in America and have enough money to buy things, but some things can be overdone. And if anybody will overdo something, it will be the American people!
I Tim. 6:17-19 “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
‘Tis the season to shop and spend money. But that’s not all. ‘Tis the season for many things: traveling, eating, indulging, drinking (for some), partying, watching TV, watching football, etc. All these things and more.
Let me suggest to you that this is also the season for sighing. That’s right, sighing.
Sighing is defined in this way: to breathe out slowly and noisily, expressing tiredness, sadness, pleasure, boredom, etc.
PROP.- ‘Tis the season to sigh. Two different sighs.
1- The sigh of sadness
2- The sigh of relief
I. THE SIGH OF SADNESS
ILL.- A few moments after the daughter announced her engagement, her Father asked, "Does the boy have any money?"
The daughter shook her head sadly. "Oh Daddy ! You men are all alike." Sighing deeply, she replied, "That’s exactly what he asked me about you."
That’s the sigh of sadness although there is far more sadness in this world than wondering whether your prospective son-in-law or prospective father-in-law has any money or not.
Job 3:23-25 New International Reader’s Version reads this way: “Why is life given to a man like me? God hasn’t told me what will happen to me. He has surrounded me with nothing but trouble. I sigh instead of eating food. Groans pour out of me like water. What I was afraid of has come on me. What I worried about has happened to me.”
Job was speaking to his three friends and was extremely down over his lot in life at this particular time. He’d just lost everything he owned and all his children and finally, his health. It would be easy to be in a very down mood. In fact, none of us have ever lost that much or lost things that quickly! We, too, might want to sigh or else die!
I’ve always heard it said that probably 98 percent of what we worry about never comes true, but it did in Job’s case. He said, “WHAT I DREAD HAS HAPPENED TO ME.” Job’s sigh was that of extreme sadness!
Ps. 38:8-10 New International Reader’s Version “I am weak. I feel as if I’ve been broken in pieces. I groan because of the great pain in my heart. Lord, everything I really want is clearly known to you. You always hear me when I sigh. My heart pounds. My strength is gone. My eyes can hardly see.” David was obviously very down.
Every one gets down. Life is tough. It’s hard on us. We’re not promised easy going. We may have some easy days, months or even years, but it won’t stay that way.
It would be nice in life if we could have our cake and eat it too. But it doesn’t always work that way. Not often.
Job 14:1 “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.” I don’t like this verse, but I know it’s true.
ILL.- It’s like the man who was told, “Cheer up! Things could be worse!” He said, “I tried it. I cheered up, and sure enough, things got worse!”
ILL.- Remember that “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” song by Bobby McFerrin? Here it is.
Here is a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don’t worry be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don’t worry, be happy...
Ain’t got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed
Don’t worry, be happy
The landlord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate
Don’t worry, be happy
Look at me I am happy
Don’t worry, be happy
Here I give you my phone number
When you worry, call me
I make you happy
Don’t worry, be happy
Ain’t got no cash, ain’t got no style
Ain’t got no girl to make you smile
But don’t worry be happy
Cause when you worry
Your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
So don’t worry, be happy (now)...
That song may sound good at first, but it doesn’t work.
Just telling somebody to “be happy” or “cheer up” doesn’t cut it. Life is tough. ‘Tis the season for sighing and sadness for many people.
There is much to sigh about in this world: war, unrest, hatred, violence, greed, famine, starvation, neglect, indifference, loneliness, death, divorce, disease, destruction, etc.
ILL.- Every time we hear about more U.S. service men and women getting killed in Iraq we heave a sigh of sadness.
ILL.- A week ago last Tuesday morning, very early in the morning I was sitting in my office working. It was pitch black outside. Suddenly, I heard someone yelling. I went to look and a young man had walked into the building. It was pouring down rain outside and he asked me for a ride across town.
A red flag went up in my brain immediately. Do I tell him to get out or do I give him a ride? I listened to his story. Apparently, he had just been in a quarrel with his girlfriend and he needed a ride to the house of a friend on the other side of town where Nettleton and Highland intersect. The smell of alcohol was all over him.
Somewhat reluctantly, I decided to give him a ride. I figured I could still take care of myself in case he pulled a gun or a knife on me. Yeah, sure! SERIOUSLY, I DID CONSIDER THAT! But I honestly didn’t think he was that much of a threat and that’s why I decided to give him a ride.
As we rode together he began to tell me his sad story. He had no job. Very few friends and no family anywhere near. He was a felon and could not leave the state. No one wanted to hire him. He had no money, BUT HE DID HAVE A CELL PHONE! It kept ringing and I said, “If you don’t have any money, how can you afford that cell phone?” He said it was his girlfriend’s phone.
He told me that he was a Baptist and had given his life to Christ. I immediately told him that he needed to go back to church and get his life committed to Christ. I said, “That’s the only way things are ever going to get better for you.”
Brothers and Sisters, that young man’s story and others could be multiplied a thousand times over in our town alone. And often, this time of the year, many people sigh a whole lot more for various reasons. They’re sick, alone, lonely, they’ve lost loved ones, they have little or nothing to live on, etc.
It is sad and we get calls nearly every day asking for financial help for housing, utilities, etc. And I wish I could help everyone of them.
The sigh of sadness overflows in America and in our world. It is heard coming from the rich to the poor, from the youth to the old. It haunts our lives. Surely there is something better.
II. THE SIGH OF RELIEF
ILL.- A minister had a horse that he had raised from a colt but decided to sell him. In explaining how to handle the horse to the owner, the pastor informed him that the horse did not respond to the usual, “Giddyup,” and “Whoa,” for starting and stopping. Instead, he had trained him to go when he said, “Hallelujah” and to stop when he said, “Amen.” The new owner started home and came to the edge of a cliff.
He finally remembered to say, “Amen,” and the horse stopped just in time. And about that time, he sighed a sigh of relief. But in his relief, he cried. “Hallelujah!”
The sigh of relief is, of course, far better than the sigh of sadness. It’s a sigh that “at last, things are better.” Or “this is over.”
Is. 51:11 “The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
These verses speak of joyous times, when the sighing of sadness is over. The sighing of relief will replace the sighing of sadness. What are we talking? Or when?
ILL.- Here’s one vivid example. Matthew 4:1-11 V. 10-11 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ Then the devil left him…”
Can you imagine Jesus breathing a sigh of relief? He was thinking, “Finally, this ordeal is over.” Have you been there and done that? Been down that tough road and couldn’t wait for it to be over? Some tough trial or test? Some serious difficulty?
ILL.- One of the most difficult things I experienced in my younger days was when my son Shane was only 8 days old and had emergency abdominal surgery. Something was wrong with his plumbing and they had to open him up and hopefully, repair what was wrong. MAN THAT WAS A TOUGH 3 HOURS PLUS! I wept and prayed a lot. Finally, when it was over and found out that he was going to be all right, I breathed a big sigh of relief.
You’ve been through situations like that, when you could hardly wait for them to be over and come to a good conclusion.
Brothers and sisters, there will come a time when we all will breathe a sigh of relief. God will open the door. Sight will be given. Faith will be restored. Victory will be sure.
When? At certain times in our lives. WE WILL EXPERIENCE VICTORIES IN THIS LIFE! We are promised. There was a point when Satan left Jesus after tempting Him strongly. This, too, will happen to us. There will be times when we have fought long and hard. The devil will leave us alone and we will breathe a sigh of relief.
There’s a greater day coming when we will breathe as never before. We will let loose the biggest sigh of relief ever!
Rev. 21:1-4 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Brothers and sisters, we are promised that a day will come when all our sorrows and sadness will cease!
ILL.- Country singer, Faith Hill, has a song entitled, “There will come a day.” Here’s some of the lyrics.
It’s not easy
Trying to understand
How the world can be so cold
Stealing the souls of man
Cloudy skies rain down
On all your dreams
You wrestle with the fear and doubt
Sometimes it’s hard, but you gotta believe
There’s a better place
Where our Father waits
And every tear
He’ll wipe away
The darkness will be gone
The weak shall be strong
Hold on to your faith
There will come a day
There will come a day
Wars are raging
Lives are scattered
Innocence is lost
And hopes are shattered
The old are forgotten
The children are forsaken
In this world we’re living in
Isn’t anything sacred
There’s a better place
Where our Father waits
And every tear
He’ll wipe away
The darkness will be gone
The weak shall be strong
Hold on to your faith
There will come a day
There will come a day
Now let’s listen to the song and heave a sigh of relief that a better day is coming.
