What A Wonderful World
Notes
Transcript
Intro; One of the most influential Jazz musicians [trumpeter] and vocalist whose career covered a span of 50 years, had one of the most recognizable voices ever heard. That man was Louis Armstrong. Born in New Orleans in 1901, he dropped out of school in the 5th grade and went to work for a Jewish family, the Karnofskys, who helped him get his first musical instrument, a coronet. He became the father of Jazz.
During 1967, the US still heavily involved in the Vietnam War, with civil and racial unrest reaching it’s height here at home, song writers Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss, wrote “What A Wonderful World”. They wrote it specifically for Louis Armstrong, because of his gentle demeanor and him being well respected and received by all people, with the hope it would bring some calm to all the chaos. Unfortunately the song only sold 1000 copies in America due to record labels not promoting it after riots had broken out in over 100 cities. It topped the charts in other countries and eventually topped the charts in America after Armstrongs death in 1971.
But for Armstrong, it told a story of possibility. “It seems to me, it ain't the world that's so bad, but what we're doing to it,” he said on the intro to his 1970 version of the song. “All I'm saying is, see what a wonderful world it would be, if only we'd give it a chance.”
'What a Wonderful World' is simply about appreciating the beauty of your surroundings.
I see trees of green, Red roses too, I see them bloom, For me and you
And I think to myself, What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue, And clouds of white, The bright blessed day, The dark sacred night
And I think to myself, What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow, So pretty in the sky, Are also on the faces, Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands, Saying, "How do you do?", They're really saying, I love you
I hear babies cry, I watch them grow, They'll learn much more, Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself, What a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself, What a wonderful world
Ooh, yes!
On this last day of 2023, I want us to remember that this world was created wonderful. And it’s still a wonderful world because it belongs to God. And if you belong to God this morning, I want you to be able to say, “What A Wonderful World” I live in.
I want to give you three reasons this morning of “What A Wonderful World” it is if you know Jesus!
1. Look Back; 1 Cor. 10:6
1. Look Back; 1 Cor. 10:6
6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
Paul is addressing the Corinthian church warning them not to do like the children of Israel did after God delivered them from bondage in Egypt.
[v. 1-4] This is a type of salvation [deliverance] followed by separation [Red Sea] from the bondage of sin into fellowship with God.
“Baptized into Moses” is a type of our water baptism being and outward expression of our inward identity in Christ.
They all ate and drank of the spiritual table set before them in Christ [walking by faith, not by sight]
[v.5] The wilderness is a type of what happens to believers today. It is a very hard and hostile environment and Israel had to trust in God completely to meet their daily needs, and not grow weak and be tempted by what they left in Egypt [v. 6-10-13]
What happened to them physically can happen to us spiritually.
We need to look back to our day of salvation and separation in Christ, see how God has blessed us and confirm our walk with the Lord!
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
We need to make sure we have not fallen back into old desires and sins, for even the best of christians can stumble.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
What a “wonderful world” we live in, where God gives us a guidebook for life, with examples for us to look back at and learn from, and if we have stumbled, we can confess our sin and He will forgive us!
2. Lunge Forward; Phil. 3:13-14
2. Lunge Forward; Phil. 3:13-14
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
After settling the past we need to take a lunge forward.
Reaching- to seek strongly, trying harder
Lunge- a sudden forward thrust of the body, typically with an arm outstretched to attack someone or seize something
Too many christians think they have “apprehended” [arrived], that’s why they are miserable, wretched, poor, blind and naked. They have a lukewarm life. They forget that the christian life is a battle and they are walking into it non-schelantly every day and the devil is kicking their behind!
If Paul didn’t apprehend on this side of glory, what makes you think you have. Paul continuously, to the day of his death, pressed toward and upward to complete the call Christ placed on his life!
I’m so glad in this “wonderful world” that we live in, that as every day dawns and the devil is waiting for me to get out of bed so he can start disrupting my life, God has given me full battle fatigues to wear and use to gain the victory in Christ!
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
3. Live Righteously; 1 Pet. 2:11-12
3. Live Righteously; 1 Pet. 2:11-12
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
While we are only passing through this “wonderful world”, God desires for us to make a difference in it while we go. We may not be able to make drastic changes in the economy or the environment, but we can make helpful changes spiritually in everyone’s life by the way we live.
Living Righteously is being determined to win the war against the flesh every day!
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
With Honorable Conduct/conversation- this simply means that what we say and what we do need to line up with the behavior/lifestyle of Lord Jesus Christ.
16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me.
17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.
11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.
[Ills.] Saul was afraid of and jealous of David and yet David never once retaliated against Saul, even when he could have and was coaxed to do so. David simply took the high road and it did affect Saul. Listen to what Saul said about David’s conduct.
17 Then he said to David: “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil.
18 And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me.
19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.
20 And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.
What a “wonderful world” we live in that if we will conduct our lives in Godly behavior, God will be honored by many who see Christ in us, and many will be saved!
Close;
So as we leave 2023 and press forward into 2024, let us do so with the attitude that we do live in a “Wonderful World” because it belongs to God and so do we. Let’s seek to walk in victory every day, because we have the Lord’s peace over our sin and in the troublesome times in which we live.
And above all, looking forward to “What A Wonderful World” this will be when Christ returns to rule and those who know Him by faith will reign with Him forever!