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Graduates, parents, family, friends, and fellow staff members, it is an honor to deliver the 2007 Christian Liberty Academy commencement address to the class of 2007,2011. Let me begin by extending my congratulations to the parents here today. Thank you again for entrusting your son or daughter to us for a season. Congratulations also to each student! We praise the Lord for your work and achievement, and thank the Lord for your willingness to receive our instruction. Congratulations as well to the other family members and friends in the audience. Thank you for being here to support and celebrate with us.

By God’s grace and the generosity of many of you here, we raised a good amount of money this year in the Race for Education. But not enough was raised to bring in a high caliber speaker, and so you are left with me.

I stand before you today and ask for your attention, not because I am famous or have some wonderful experience to share with you, but due to the fact that in God’s providence I have been called to minister His Word. And so I would ask that you would give attention to the Word of God now, especially as it relates to today’s graduates.

Today is rightfully an exciting day. It is certainly good that we celebrate all that has been accomplished by God’s grace in the life of each student during their time at CLA. Today is also an exciting day as we all consider how God will continue to help these graduates to become tomorrow’s leaders. In this spirit of joy and anticipation, graduation speeches are often filled with lofty challenges to -- change the world, work for world peace, find the cure for cancer or AIDS, solve the problems of homelessness and poverty. And each of these challenges would certainly embody worthwhile goals and aspirations. CLA graduates, I hope that you set high goals and dreams about a lifetime of useful work and service. The famous missionary, William Carey, hoping to motivate others into missionary service challenged them, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”[1] I hope each one of you graduates will have this focus and drive. But today, I want to encourage you to remember that your first battle and challenge is not greatness, but faithfulness. Focus on faithfulness and wait for greatness.

I want to share a story from the Old Testament. The story is of a man named Jonadab, the son of Rechab, and his family. We read about this story in Jeremiah 35. Jonadab became a very wealthy and powerful man and, along with the future king Jehu, brought God’s judgment on Ahab’s wicked family. Jonadab’s family for centuries had been mistreated, and they were never given their proper inheritance in the land of Israel. Seeing all the problems in both Israel and Judah, Jonadab gave a command to his children and family. He told them that forever they were to 1) not drink wine 2) to not become farmers 3) to never plant a vineyard and 4) to always dwell in tents. Jonadab’s family was to always live a difficult and very simple life.

Over 200 years after Jonadab died, his descendents were called by the prophet Jeremiah to come to the temple. The entire family was then brought into one of the rooms of the temple and wine was placed before them. Jeremiah commanded, “Drink the wine!” Now this of course was a test, but it was one that they easily passed. They said to Jeremiah, “We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us saying, “You shall drink no wine, you nor your sons, forever. You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, nor have any of these; but all your days you shall dwell in tents, that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners.” For over 200 years this family had lived according to the very difficult rules given by their father. For over 200 years this family had lived in faithfulness to both God and their earthly father. Their faithfulness was used by the Lord to point out the sin and rebellion of God’s people who had failed in doing much easier things that God had asked them to do. Further, this faithful family was then told, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts and done according to all that he commanded you, therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me forever.” ’ ”

Though this story is not as well known as it should be, the fact remains that for over 2500 years their story has been known and told. This family became a great family, because each member first determined that they would be faithful. This is also what each graduate must do. Focus on faithfulness and wait for greatness.

Briefly, let me more specifically encourage you in three areas of faithfulness. Faithfulness in the spiritual disciplines, faithfulness in your desires, and faithfulness to others.

1. Faithfulness in the spiritual disciplines

Isaiah 66:1-2, Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” says the LORD. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.”

The Apostle Paul told his beloved friend Timothy, “For physical exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”

The spiritual disciplines that I speak of include: prayer, the reading and study of God’s Word, evangelism, serving, fasting, and others. Now certainly these activities are not the basis of our peace with God, but they are the channel of that peace with God. God doesn’t love us more because we do these things, but we do come to know the love of God more deeply through these things.

Donald Whitney in his book, Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life, mentions the story of a man who lost his eyesight and his hands due to an explosion. He had recently become a Christian and so after this accident he was disappointed that he could not read the Bible. He then heard about a lady in England who was able to read Braille with her lips. And so this man tried the same, but found his lips were also too damaged to feel the Braille characters. But later he discovered that he could read Braille with his tongue. And at the time of the writing of Whitney’s book, this man had read through the Bible four times with his tongue. What is our excuse for not reading God’s Word?

Students, you have grown up in an age where you have never had to really wait for anything. You can find almost any fact in an instant on the Internet. You can buy almost anything you could ever want or need, again either through the Internet or by a short drive in your car. But you must be careful that you don’t think that faithfulness and discipline come in an instant. You will fight the tyranny of time. You will fight against the temptations of the world. You will fight against the devil as you grow in faithfulness to God through these things. But in so doing you follow not simply my encouragement, but more importantly you follow in the steps of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2. Faithfulness in your desires

About 6 months ago, as I was coming out of a store, I saw several men sitting outside the store looking like they were going to be there for quite some time. It turns out that they were going to spend the night waiting for the release of the next greatest game system, Play Station 3. In a few places there was violence surrounding the release, including one customer in Connecticut who was shot by an armed thug as he waited in line. Other campers from Eugene, Oregon were robbed at gunpoint, while four customers in Kentucky were shot with BB guns in a drive-by shooting. In an incident in Virginia, police had to use pepper spray to control an unruly crowd of 200 people.[2] Now I realize that some of the people who waited up to 48 hours did so hoping so sell their Play Station for a big profit on eBay. But what does this say about our nation and what our focus is at present?

I trust that after this graduation service, if you were met by a prostitute, you would certainly resist. But what about the other harlots, as it were, that want to steal your desires, and your time and money? Graduates, if you hope to live a life truly worth living, make sure that you are careful and faithful in the things that you desire.

The greatest enemy that we have as Christians is not missiles that Red China has aimed at US cities, or the Iranians finally building a nuke, or the numerous terrorist cells across the US. Our greatest enemy is in being caught up in all the pleasures of the world and either losing our faith entirely or becoming entirely irrelevant. How can it be that our nation has at least 60 million people who regularly attend a church service, yet we still see the slaughter of innocent unborn babies, and the public promotion of sexual perversion continuing to accelerate? There are certainly several answers that could be given to this question. Some of the ineffectiveness of Christians has been the result of government education. But another cause of our weakness is that as Christians we have become distracted and moved to the sidelines.

Jesus both encouraged and warned, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”

Be very careful, graduates, with what you start to desire and seek after. In a few years some of you may be making good money as you land your first jobs out of high school. But don't let your goals simply be a house, cars, a huge TV, and the like. Be faithful in your desires. Seek to love what the Lord loves. Make your greatest desires holiness, justice, and a concern for His kingdom.

3. Faithfulness to Other People

Most of us will likely live very ordinary lives. We may, however, become well known in our churches or in our companies. Eventually we may even be recognized for something that we have done. But more importantly, each day we are surrounded by those who already know us very well and who love us and care for us no matter how important we may be. Far more important than the recognition of those in the world is our relationship to our family and friends. Jesus said, “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” When the disciples argued with each other about who would be the greatest, Jesus took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”[3]

It is certainly no coincidence that the first commandment that deals with other people is the command that children honor their parents. Paul also says that this is the first commandment with a promise. Those who are faithful to their parents in giving them honor are given the promise. That it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.

Jesus stated that “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

The world rightfully recognizes those who find a cure for diseases. Sadly many other people are known for their foolishness and unfaithfulness. We might not always be recognized here on earth for faithfulness to others, but know for sure that in eternity faithfulness will be recognized and blessed more than any of us can ever realize now. Graduates, as you plan and set your goals for the future, make sure that at the top of your list is your faithfulness to those that God has placed in your lives. Faithfulness especially to your father and mother, your future spouse, and the children that the Lord may give to you.

The graduates who are being recognized today are truly blessed with brains, talent, and ambition. I know that this senior class in particular has been one of the most competitive classes ever to graduate from CLA. But, students, none of you in your own strength or wisdom can live faithful lives. It is not just a matter of IQ, effort, will-power, or planning. It is only because of the faithfulness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that any of you will go on to truly live faithful lives. Keep your focus on what Christ has done for you. Seek the strength that He gives. We read in Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Graduates, you are entering a very dark and uncertain age. What you may end up facing in terms of difficulty and trial may be far greater than we could ever expect. You will certainly encounter the unfaithfulness of many who cross your path. Friends may even fail you. Family may let you down. You may be tempted to question even the point of your existence. But realize that as long as God gives you life, He has a purpose for you. There is a reason for each day. The test that you face begins not when you finish college or get your first big job. The test begins tomorrow. Focus on faithfulness and wait for greatness. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up!

Copyright 2007 Paul Calvin Lindstrom

[1] http://www.wmcarey.edu/carey/expect/expect.htm
[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3#_note-16 - Specific incidents can be found from this story.
[3] Mark 9:36-37.

"Inspiration For You" from Randy Mitchell

Honoring A Father