It’s okay to be human.

Steve Brown:
Hey, it’s okay to be human. Let’s talk about it on this edition, of Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
This is Key Life with our host, author, and seminary professor, Steve Brown. He’s nobody’s guru. He’s just one beggar telling other beggars where he found bread. If you’re hungry for God, the real God behind all the lies, you’ve come to the right place.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. If you were listening yesterday, I was talking about how bad news has to be faced in order for good news to be really good. And at the end of the broadcast, I said, let me tell you some things that every Christian has in common. And then I realized I didn’t have any time. So, we landed the plane and I told you that I would do that today. So, let’s do it. Here are some things that human beings who belong to Jesus have in common. First, we struggle, and sometimes we fail big time. I’ve spent considerable time during this broadcast talking about the doctrine called radical and pervasive depravity, and the Holy Spirit simply won’t let us forget it. Not because he wants us to be miserable and have a bad self image, but because if we forget, we miss the joy of forgiveness and grace. Not too long ago, someone told me a story and a riddle.

There was a perfect man, who met a perfect woman. After a perfect courtship, they had a perfect wedding. Their life together was of course perfect. One snowy, stormy Christmas Eve, this perfect couple was driving along a winding road when they noticed someone in distress. Being the perfect couple, they stopped to help. And they noticed that the person who needed help was Santa Claus, and he had a huge bundle of toys. Not wanting to disappoint any children on Christmas Eve, the perfect couple loaded Santa and his toys into their vehicle. Soon they were driving along, delivering the toys. Unfortunately, the driving conditions deteriorated, and the perfect couple and Santa Claus had an accident. Only one of the passengers survived. Who was the survivor? The answer? The perfect woman, dummy. There is no Santa Claus and no such thing as a perfect man.

Well, there’s no such thing as a perfect woman either. I was talking to my friend and mentor, Fred Smith, a number of years ago, and he had been speaking for the fellowship of prison inmates and said that he had a great time because they knew who they were, and nobody was pretending. We do a lot of pretending, don’t we, in the church. And it’s time we got honest about the struggle. The struggle with sin, it never stops until we get home. And then secondly, not only is there a struggle and we fail sometimes. Secondly, we are finite. Don’t you hate being human? The Psalmist says.

As for a man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field so he flourishes; for the wind passes over it and it is gone, and its place is no more.

There are a lot of implications of being human. For instance, we’re going to die. And between now and then, there is going to be a lot of pain, a lot of fear, and a lot of failure. One time, USA Today had a news report saying that if people have one drink of alcoholic beverages, the risk of death is reduced significantly. They didn’t say anything about the risk of divorce, or of automobile accidents, making a fool of oneself, or of alcoholism. I thought that I had read the report wrong. How does one reduce the risk of death? I thought, that’s crazy! The risk of death can’t be avoided. It’s 100%, and the statistic is 1 out of 1. The funeral director who signed his letters, eventually yours, was quite right. Not long ago I suffered from a bout with kidney stones. I know, I know, that isn’t a big deal, but I never felt significant pain or suffered from significant physical debilitation before. I thought I was going to die. And just before the nurse at the hospital told me it was kidney stones, I was wondering about how my wife was going to do after I was gone. Who would get my library, and what Bible teacher would take my place at Key Life. The kidney stone episode, just so you know, resulted in two surgeries and a considerable amount of pain and anxiety. Old people like to talk about their operations and restaurants. By the way, I went to a great pasta restaurant recently. The whole episode with the kidney stones was good for me. You know why? It reminded me about being finite, about pain, about the existential fact of my own death. I hate it. It’s a struggle. But it’s a struggle with which all of us must deal until we finally get home. Then there’s something else we’re all afraid. As some of you know, I don’t like airplanes. I spend a considerable portion of my life flying on them. And as I’ve told you before, I’ve never put my entire weight on one yet. A couple of years ago, we were flying back from Canada from a Key Life board meeting there. And a wonderful time with great folks on our board, our Key Life Canada board. They have been with us for years and I love them more than I can tell you. At any rate, we made a stopover in Pittsburgh, where shortly before there had been a major plane crash, killing everyone on board because of turbulence in that area. I was thinking about that crash as we approached the Pittsburgh airport. That was when we were hit with the worst turbulence I had ever experienced. It was almost as if God picked up the airplane the way a child picks up a piggy bank and shook it, shaking out all of the coins, scared me to death. During the turbulence, the only thing next to me that I noticed was a lady. And you know what she was doing, and it was really irritating, that lady was sleeping. And not only was she sleeping, she was snoring. When we finally landed in Pittsburgh, the lady woke up, yawned, and stretched. And I said to her, Lady, we almost died, and you don’t want to sleep through your own death. You slept the whole time. One ought to be fully awake. And you were snoring. I’ll never forget what she said to me. Mister, she said quietly, I can’t fly this airplane. Now, I don’t know if she was a Christian or not, but her words were a wonderful illustration of the fact that we don’t have to be God. And that we don’t have to fly the airplane, the airplane of our life for the world. I’ve used this illustration in a number of sermons teaching God’s people about the importance of trust. So Steve, you say? That’s how you get over your fear of flying? How you learn to trust God and everything? No, not quite. I do preach better, but I’m still afraid of airplanes and cancer, and that I won’t be able to make the mortgage payment next month. I still wince when I drive on the expressway. And I still perspire a bit when I think of making a public fool of myself. Christians love to quote II Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and sound mind.

If we’re afraid, it must be because we aren’t really Christians or not very good ones. But we sometimes forget that the same man, the apostle Paul, who wrote those words to Timothy also wrote to the church at Corinth.

I was with you in weakness. In fact, in very much trembling.

So you’re human. Deal with it. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thank you Steve. If you are just joining us in this series, we are taking a deep dive into the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. And as always, if you want to re-listen to any episodes or you know, maybe share them with a friend, you can stream all our broadcasts for free at keylife.org. Hope you’ll join us again tomorrow. And if you are on this journey with us, there’s a free resource we would love to put into your hands. It’s a booklet called Questions About the Holy Spirit. I think it could really help as we explore this topic. To get your copy, call us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] to ask for that booklet. To mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses. Again, just ask for your free copy of the booklet called Questions About the Holy Spirit. And last thing, if you value the work of Key Life would you join us in that work through your financial support? Giving is easy. You can charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or now, you can give safely and securely through text. How does that work? Easy, just pick up your phone right now and text Key Life to 28950 that’s Key Life, one word or two. It doesn’t matter. Just text that to 28950 and then follow the instructions. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. Both of those organizations assure financial accountability. You can be sure we’re using your money wisely. And as always, Key Life is a listener supported production of Key Life Network.