This the ‘shorter’ version of this ‘talk’ that I gave at Christian nursing home in Jacksonville (IL) when the Wesley Chapel youth-group performed the service there one Sunday, November 30, 2003.

The Basic Scripture is from 2 Corinthians 6: 1-13…

 

“Look! Up in the sky!”… “It’s a bird!”… “It’s a plane!”… “It’s Superman!”…… “Yes, it’s Superman! Strange visitor from another planet who came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men… Superman… who can change the course of mighty rivers… bend steel in his bare hands… and who… (disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper)… fights a never-ending battle for TRUTH… JUSTICE… and the AMERICAN WAY!”

 

I would be very surprised if there was somebody here today who had never heard that before. I think everybody at least knows of ‘Superman’ even if they are too young to have ever seen any of the old TV series or read the comic books. And if it were proper, I would just-about bet money that there isn’t a person who knows him who hasn’t dreamed or wished at some point in their life to have had some of his powers. I remember dreaming of flying through the clouds and rescuing a girl from grade school whose name I can’t even remember anymore!

Those of us who watched any television in the sixties can probably remember another very similar opening sequence… “Look! Up in the sky!”… “It’s a bird!”… “It’s a plane!”… “It’s a frog!” …… “A frog?”…… “No, not bird nor plane nor even frog… it’s just little ol’ me… (‘jhfcrashogf’)…Underdog!”           You probably also remember the other well-known phrase from the show, “There’s no need to fear… UnderDog is here!”

I’ve always felt a connection to him. Never having had a silver spoon in my mouth, it has always seemed far easier for me to relate to UnderDog than to Superman. And so it is that I have tried to support the underdogs as much as I can. For example, if it’s at all possible I try to buy from the mom-and-pop stores over the Wal-Mart’s and Best Buys… and normally, I’ll select a local restaurant over a national chain unless we’re really in a hurry. Until recent years, when I really started paying attention to elections, I had been known to vote for somebody just because they were NOT favored to win. I recall that during the campaigns of 1964 my sixth-grade teacher had each of us choose to represent and ‘stump’ for either Johnson or Goldwater. I, of course, chose Goldwater. As I prepared my notes for this, I have tried to think of other notable underdogs to name as examples… but since they were underdogs, their names have disappeared over the years.

We live in a world where we Christians are perceived as underdogs. We’ve been called ‘weak-minded… using religion for a crutch’… we’re called to task for standing up for things that may not be ‘politically correct’ but are morally and spiritually correct… a recent commentary took us to task for not ‘practicing what we preach’ in regard to our two commandments… loving God, and loving our neighbor. We are considered foolish when we turn away from worldly wealth and comforts in order that we might better serve God. To the world at large, we Christians may well seem small and insignificant… the underdogs of society. Now frankly, I don’t usually give much credence to what the world thinks of me, in general. But all too often we tend to accept the ‘niche’ that society has placed us in and just try to eek out our existence without drawing too much attention to ourselves.

In our verses today, Paul tells the Corinthians that he and his fellow disciples have striven to not do or say anything that might distract attention from where it belongs… the Good News of Christ and Salvation! He says, “We try to live in such a way that no one will be hindered from finding the Lord by the way we act, and so no one can find fault with our ministry. In everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in jail, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We have proved ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, our sincere love, and the power of the Holy Spirit. We have faithfully preached the truth. God’s power has been working in us. We have righteousness as our weapon, both to attack and to defend ourselves. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are well known, but we are treated as unknown. We live close to death, but here we are, still alive. We have been beaten within an inch of our lives. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.”

           In the Old Testament story of David and Goliath, Goliath was surely the Philistines’ ‘Superman’. He stood over nine feet tall… the bronze coat of armor that he wore weighed just over 156 pounds, while just the point of his spear weighed almost twenty. For us today, Goliath represents all that we see as negative and dangerous in the world. He held Saul and his army in utter contempt, much like the world today seems to do the Christian faith. And I think most people would agree that in this story, at least, David was most-definitely the underdog! He was a mere child, sent on an errand by his father to help his brothers. But, David had the Lord!

David shouted to Goliath, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty–the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone will know that the LORD does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours. The LORD will give you to us!”

What a difference it makes to know God! The Life Application Commentary says that, “He cares for his own in spite of what the world thinks. Christians don’t have to give in to public opinion and pressure. In today’s’ verses, Paul stood faithful to God whether people praised him or condemned him. He remained active, joyous, and content in the most difficult hardships.

          Paul wrote that he was poor and yet capable of making many others rich. Christians today have that same privilege.”

Paul also says that as God’s fellow workers we are urged not to receive God’s grace in vain. Then he quotes from Isaiah 49:8 which says…

“In the time of my favor I will answer you,

and in the day of salvation I will help you;”

 

Paul then avows that, “…now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation!”

Now is indeed the time of God’s favor… today is indeed the day of salvation! With the strength and love of God behind us, we Christians are NOT the underdogs of the world… we are the supermen of God’s Kingdom! And it is time we let the world know that we are tired of them ‘kicking sand in our faces’ and stand up with the power of God behind us for what we KNOW is right and true!

Like David, we Christians are mere children, sent by our heavenly father to help our brothers. And if we truly have God in our lives… if we let Him fill us with His power and His strength… then we can defeat every Goliath that the world sends our way!