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Wednesday, August 26, 2009 TITLE: Turtle Top Theology TEXT: Luke 9:46-50 OPEN: One of Dr. Seuss’s more famous poem is called “Yertle the Turtle”
On
a far away island of Salama/sond - Yertle the turtle was king of the pond “With this stone for a throne I am too low down He ordered nine turtles to swim to his stone and, using these turtles, he built a new throne He made each turtle stand on another’s back; and he piled them all up in a 9 turtle stack Then Yertle climbed up. He sat down on the pile. What a wonderful view! He could see ‘most a mile!
“All mine!” Yertle cried. “Oh the things I now rule. I’m king of a cow. I’m king of a mule! I’m king of a house! And, what’s more, beyond that/ I’m king of a blueberry bush and a cat! I’m Yertle the Turtle! Oh, marvelous me! For I am the ruler of all that I see!”
As the poem progresses, Yertle wants to be more and more powerful He wants to rise higher… so that he can have more - to see and to rule over
Then, he notices the moon rising above him as the night approaching. And looking at the moon, he says: “What’s THAT?” snorted Yertle. “Say, what IS that thing That dares to be higher than Yertle the King? I’ll call some more turtles. I’ll stack ‘em to heaven! I need ‘bout 5000, 600 and 7!”
And then as he starts to get that done… in an echo of God’s statement that… “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall”… Proverbs 16:18 … the bottom turtle burps, and the entire tower of turtles come tumbling down. … leaving Yertle the Turtle as the King… of nothing but mud.
When you compare the story of Yertle the Turtle… …with the story told here in Lk. 9 (same as in Mt.18 and Mk 9) … you find that the disciples had become Yertles …they are motivated by the same mindset that drives the king of the turtles
ILLUS: They were acting almost like a couple of Richard Nixon’s aides back in June 1974. Nixon’s administration was falling apart due to the Watergate scandal. So, to divert everyone’s attention from that, he planned a trip to Russia and Italy… … and two of his closest aides came along… Alexander Haig and Ron Ziegler Even tho’ Nixon’s presidency was collapsing, these two men were concerned with which of them was the most important man in his administration. In fact, their rivalry became so intense that (during the trip) each of them had a team that actually measured, down to the inch, … the distance from THEIR beds to President Nixon’s!
These men were both Yertles They both wanted positions of importance and influence to the point of absurdity.
But as I was thinking about their story… it suddenly occurred to me… … that Haig and Ziegler weren’t all the much different than many of you and I.
Almost of us want to be valuable… to be important... to have influence And there’s not a thing wrong with that. The problem doesn’t lie with the DESIRE to be valuable/ important/ influential… The problem lies with how we go about getting those things.
Look with me to Luke 9:46: “An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.” Now notice what Jesus says at the end of verse 48: “…he who is least among you all— he is the greatest.” Or, as Jesus said in Matthew 23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
??So, can you become a great person in the Kingdom? (wait for response) Yeah! You can have value/ importance/ great influence But you can only have that… if you’re willing to do it God’s way. OTHERWISE, you risk becoming a Yertle.
So, my point is this: there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be great in the Kingdom of God But if you’re not careful, we can end up using others for our own ends
There’s an old saying: “Absolute power corrupts, absolutely” It’s considered a true statement… because it happens so often. You give enough power to any turtle, and eventually he becomes a Yertle. A person with unlimited power begins to think they can do whatever they want to do.
But it doesn’t have to be that way… …and the way to avoid that trap is to learn the lessons of Yertle the Turtle. What are those lessons?
1st –Yertle’s biggest problem = he didn’t think anybody should be higher than he was He looks up at the moon and he snorts: “Say, what IS that thing That dares to be higher than Yertle the King? HE WAS THE KING… and it was HIS kingdom
And amongst the disciples, there was a similar problem James and John asked to sit on Christ’s right and left in His kingdom… … and the other disciples became angry. “Say… who are James and John that they dare to try to be higher than we are?” How dare they usurp our power and our prestige. … this is OUR kingdom they’re messing with. In fact, when a competitor sets up shop down the road they get upset: In Luke 9:49 John complains "Master, we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."
What was John upset about? “He’s NOT ONE OF US!” It’s our kingdom… not his.
Really??? Excuse me… whose kingdom is it? (It’s Jesus’s kingdom) It belongs to Jesus, not us.
I’ve seen this happen in other churches… people forget who the church belongs to.
But it doesn’t have to be just about church… it can be about other parts of your life as well
But once you become a Christian… that’s no longer true These things aren’t YOURS any more/ no longer belong to you… they’re just on loanWhen you became a Christian you gave everything to Jesus… … they’re all His now, not yours.
And that’s true, because, now you realize there is someone who is more exalted than you are … there is someone whose throne is higher than yours … there is someone who OWNS everything (by virtue of / fact = He’s the creator) His name is Jesus.
But Yertle didn’t think anybody was higher than he was… and that was his 1st problem Now, Yertle’s 2nd problem stemmed from his first… …he felt that what he had was his because he deserved it He was king by virtue of his own ability and strength of character. He was king because he deserved to be.
And the disciples had gotten to believing that their position as Christ’s followers was deserved They were HIS disciples… because THEY were special They were special because He saw in them abilities and powers beyond those of mortal men. … at least, that’s what they THOUGHT
So Jesus set the record straight. Look with me to Matthew 18:1-4 (which tells us a little more about this incident): "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And He said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
To become great in Christ’s Kingdom Jesus said we need to become like a little child. But why would Jesus use that little boy for His lesson? · I mean, there wasn’t anything special about this little boy · He doesn’t seem to be rich, or wise, or important · He had no special abilities that we know of · SO, why bring this little boy into the discussion?
Ø Or because of what he owned, or what he could give Jesus. · This boy’s value lay in his willingness to obey o he did exactly what Jesus told him to do Ø The little boy came to Jesus and allowed himself to be used.
When we’re willing to humble ourselves… … to the point where we think of ourselves as God’s children … then God can use us.
Or as Jesus said “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 14:11
One woman said it this way: “I’m just a pencil in the hand of God” i.e. = I’m only useful as God uses me and writes His will with my life. I’m just a tool… and I pray that God uses me! When we’re humble enough to look at God in that way… … then God can lift us up and make us a great people
But how does God want to use me? Look again at Luke 9:48 Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all— he is the greatest."
Yertle type people aren’t interested in little kids They’re ok to kiss on the campaign stops… but not much beyond that
ILLUS: At one church I know about, some of the church members complained about the wear and tear that the youth group activities was having was on the basement carpet. Why were they upset? It was their money that paid for the carpet… not the kids Essentially – it was their carpet… it belonged to them, not the kids. But God tells us that if we’re going to impress Him, we need to be
… to be able to repay our kindnesses.
Ruth Harms Calkin wrote a beautiful poem that says: You know, Lord, How I serve You with great emotional fervor in the limelight. You know how eagerly I speak for You at a Women's Club. You know my genuine enthusiasm at a Bible study. But how would I react, I wonder, if You pointed to a basin of water and asked me to wash the callused feet of a bent and wrinkled old woman day after day, month after month, in a room where nobody saw and nobody knew?
Philippians 2:3-5 tells us that Jesus
is our example in this: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
That’s the example of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords And God’s promise to us is that when we humble ourselves as He did… He will lift us up. Wednesday, August 19, 2009 TITLE: Have You Tasted My Jesus? TEXT: II Timothy 4:1-8 OPEN: Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham is a long repetitious poem that ends this way:
For @ the 20th time Sam-I-Am asks: You do not like green eggs and ham? And in frustration the friend continues:
I
could not, would not, on a boat. I will not, will not, with a goat. Not in the dark! Not in a tree! Not in a car! You let me be! And I will eat them in a house. And I will eat them with a mouse.
APPLY: As a parent, I’ve read that story many times to my kids. They never seemed to grow tired of it as they grew up. But I did!… it was always a fairly boring story… … over and over and over again Sam-I-Am repeated the same phrase again & again … the only difference was that he’d change one or two words each time he… … tried to convince his friend to try “green eggs and ham”
Now, hold that thought. In II Timothy 4, Paul is writing to his protégé – Timothy – who’s a preacher in Ephesus Paul is in Prison and will soon be executed for his preaching… and he’s willing to die this way… … because - as he reminds Timothy – their message is critical for the world. … there’s going to come a day when Jesus will come again… … and when He comes, He “will judge the living and the dead.” 2 Timothy 4:1
Timothy’s job was essential… because the fate of 100’s of people depended on his faithfulness People would either go to heaven or hell, depending on how faithfully Timothy did his job… … and Paul was commanding Timothy to stand in the gap. ILLUS: An atheist once told William Booth (founder of the Salvation Army) "If I believed what you Christians say you believe about a coming judgment - and that impenitent rejecters of Christ will be lost - I would crawl on my bare knees on crushed glass all over London, warning men, night and day, to flee for refuge from the coming day of wrath!"
Timothy’s job – and our job – is to realize how critical our message about Jesus is… He’s coming again… and only those who belong to Him are promised heaven. … everyone else faces an eternity of regret.
And we hold within our hands, the mission to use every method we can think of… … to talk our friends and relatives into coming to Jesus
?How can we talk to them about Christ? Well, we could learn a few things from – Sam-I-Am. While “Green Eggs and Ham” is a children’s book, Sam-I-Am uses many of the... … same principles we can use to convince people to “try” our Jesus.
1st – realize that you’re going to encounter rejection Why WOULDN’T Sam-I-Am’s friend taste the green eggs and ham? (The Eggs are GREEN) Had he ever really tasted Green eggs and Ham? NO But they couldn’t be normal! They were Green… they couldn’t possibly taste good!
ILLUS: I talked this week to another preacher who’s younger brother had come to live with his family for a few weeks. The preacher had come downstairs and told his kids he was going to make omelets for them that morning. Then he offered his younger brother an omelet… “NO” his brother replied. So the preacher shrugged his shoulders and went into the kitchen to cook omelets for his kids.
After a few moments, his brother came into the kitchen and sheepishly asked: He’d never tasted an omelet before… but it had a strange name. They couldn’t possibly taste good!
That’s why many people reject Christ They’ve never really “tasted” Him But He’s “different” He’s the Son of God/ He’s risen from the dead/ He’s sinless And – in order to be a Christian… you have to belong to this Jesus He’s not “normal” … He can’t possibly taste good! And so… repeatedly they’ll turn us down when we talk to them about Jesus/church.
Paul tells Timothy: A time is going to come when people “…will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” 2 Timothy 4:4
Get used to it… but never give up with the simple message: Taste my Jesus… Which leads to my 2nd point… 2nd - keep it simple Green Eggs and Ham was a book written by Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) to challenge himself He wanted to see how many simple one-syllable words he could use to tell a story Of the 50 words in this poem… 49 have only ONE syllable (Boat, Goat, Tree, etc)
And in this simple story, has only one message = taste my eggs and ham… just try them and you’ll see they taste good. Sam-I-Am kept it simple
And our message is simple: taste Jesus… try Him!!! and you’ll see He tastes good. Or Jesus said: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:51
Taste Jesus That’s our message… nothing else matters except getting people to taste our Jesus.
ILLUS:
Every year at the University of Chicago Divinity School, they stage a picnic lunch where they invite in some great
theological mind to lecture while the students and faculty of the University eat their lunches.
After about 30 seconds, an old, dark skinned preacher stood up in the back of the crowd. "Docta Tillich, I got one question," He
reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and took a bite. "Now, I ain’t never read them books you read..." another bite... and I can’t recite the Scriptures in the original Greek"...another bite ... " I don’t know nothin’ about Niebuhr and Heidegger"... He finished the apple and then said.... "All I wanna know Mr. Tillich – was this apple I ate - was it bitter or sweet?" Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered in a scholarly tone: "I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven’t tasted your apple." There are all kinds of “scholars” out there who have rejected God’s truths… … for the myths of modern theology and heretical scholars. We may not be able to read the Bible in the original Greek/Hebrew We may not have read all the great commentaries on Scripture. And you and I may not be great theologians But then neither were Peter, James and John They didn’t appeal to “scholarship” when talking to people about Jesus… … they simply told folks how Jesus tasted to them.
John writes in I John 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched— this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.”
We’ve tasted of Jesus! John says. And when he preached, John invited people to taste of Jesus.
So… 1st we need to realize we’re going to face rejection 2nd we need to remember to keep it simle
And 3rd – we need to stay “on message” Sam-I-Am never strayed from his objective – try my eggs and ham He kept repeating his offer… over and over and over again He stayed on message.
Now, there are times when Christians get “off message.” They try to sell their friends on something OTHER than Jesus. Congregations try to get people interested In how good their preacher is, or how beautiful their building is… … or tell folks what a marvelous youth program they have … or in how moral their congregation is … or in how upscale and important their members are And they get so caught up in attracting people to the “impressive” things about their church… … they forget the simple message – I want you to taste Jesus Taste Jesus… and everything else will be ok.
ILLUS: A preacher announced a special men's meeting in his church, proposing to give the men a chance to air their objections to Christianity. Over 1,200 showed up. The first objector said, "Church members are no better than others." Another said "The ministers are no good,". "Hypocrites in the church; "The church is a rich man's club" "Christians don't believe the Bible anymore." There were 27 objections to Christianity in all. When they were through, the preacher read off the whole list… then he tossed it aside: "Friends, you have objected to preachers, to church members, to the Bible, etc., etc., but you have not said one word against my Master!" And in a few simple words, he preached Christ to them as the faultless One, and invited them to come to Him, and believe on Him. 49 men responded. The problem for that crowd had been that they’d never been asked that simple question: Would you taste my Jesus?
Now, just because we need to keep our message simple, doesn’t mean we can’t get creative Sam-I-Am kept changing his approach: Would you could you on a train, would you could you in the rain? Would you eat them with in a box, could you eat them with a fox? He always tried something different to get his friend to taste eggs/ham
He tried suggesting different places: in a house, on a train, in a tree, in a car So… try introducing people to Jesus in different settings: 1. At church is a natural one 2. But many here came to Christ because of a study in their house. 3. You could invite your friend over to your house for a cookout… or play a game… … or a religious movie you like. 4. You could invite to a Christian concert 5. Or on a church trip (like the one we’re taking to Indianapolis Museum this fall) 6. Or to a campground – like we’re doing next week.
ILLUS: One seminar I went to asked a simple question: If you didn’t like Opera… what would convince you to go to one? Free tickets? A fancy meal afterwards? And would you go with someone who could barely stand that kind of music themselves? … Or would you prefer to go with someone who was so excited about it that … they hardly ever missed a performance?
Think about it.
CLOSE: Have you tasted my Jesus? A skeptic promised a famous British preacher (Alexander Maclaren 1826-1910) … …that he would attend his church for 4 Sundays Maclaren told the skeptic during those sermons he’d present reasons why = believe in Jesus.
The skeptic was true to his word and showed up each Sunday - listening intently to the sermons. After the fourth message he stepped forward to become a Christian
Maclaren was delighted but he couldn’t resist the impulse to ask… … which of the four sermons brought about this decision.
The skeptic replied, "Your sermons, sir, were helpful, but they were not what finally persuaded me." He said that after church one Sunday as he was helping an elderly lady on a slippery walk, she looked up into his face and said, "I wonder if you know my Savior, Jesus Christ. He is everything in the world to me. I would like you to know Him too."
For that woman, there was only one theological question to ask: Have you tasted my Jesus? Sunday, August 9, 2009 TITLE: The Places You’ll Go TEXT: James 4:13-16
OPEN: Dr. Seuss once wrote a poem entitled: “The Places You’ll Go” – part of it goes like this: You have brains
in your head. APPLY: Like all of Dr. Seuss’ works, this is a cute poem It tells children that they have potential. They have feet in their shoes that enable them to go places They have brains in their heads & they “know what they know” And thus they don’t need anyone to tell them what to do with their lives. They can figure out a lot of it - all on their own.
This is an uplifting and powerful message. You have ability and talent You can stand on your own 2 feet You can make your own decisions You’re not some mindless robot to be programmed You’re not an animal that can be trained to roll over and play dead. You can think, reason and come to your own conclusions.
I agree with all that… And yet… when I first read the poem it made me uneasy. … And I think what made me uneasy was that it’s terminology… .. seemed eerily like what I’d read in James 4.
Look at what James tells the people of his day James 4:13-16 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city…… spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.
These folks had brains in their heads – they were businessmen who made money. They had feet in their shoes – they could travel to distant cities They had a direction they had chosen – they’d made decisions and planned ahead. And they made those decisions because “they knew what they knew”… … so THEY were the ones to decide what they’d do.
Now, this was a pretty good business plan. They had everything figured out… (pause) or almost everything When were they going to set out to do their business? “today or tomorrow” It was a decent business plan… but it left one thing out. What had they left out? (God!) God was nowhere in their plans. And God wasn’t happy about this. He condemned what they did as “evil” and “boastful” God implied that they were proud and arrogant men.
Now, as I was studying this text, something struck me as odd. God condemns these men (in James 4) as proud and boastful. But it didn’t seem to me that what they were doing was all that proud or boastful
I mean – when I think of a proud/boastful person… … I visualize someone who goes around saying things like: “Hey, look at me! I’m pretty good” “In fact, I’m so good, I even surprise myself sometimes.” “You don’t know how lucky you are to have me around.” “I’m so good that I don’t think you folks could hardly survive without me around” Now, that’s a proud person. (they might not say these things/ but that’s how they come across) You can tell they’re proud because they figure you NEED them/ indispensable.
ILLUS: I read a cute poem that talked about people like this: (the author is unknown to me) pause Sometime, when you’re feeling important Sometime, when your ego’s in bloom Sometime when you take it for granted, You’re the best qualified man/ in the room.
Sometime when you feel that your going, would leave an unfillable hole, Just follow this simple instruction, and see how it humbles your soul.
Take a bucket and fill it with water - put your hand in it, up to your wrist, Pull it out… and the hole that’s remaining, is a measure of how you’ll be missed.
You may splash all you please when you enter, You can stir up the water galore, But stop… and you’ll find in a minute that it looks quite the same as before.
The moral of this quaint exampleIs do just the best that you can Be proud of yourself, but remember, There is no indispensable man.
Proud people think of themselves as indispensable… …They don’t need anyone else – they are self-sufficient. In their every word and action you can tell: they don’t need you/ they don’t need God. THESE are the people WE THINK OF when Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6 They’re so obviously proud and self-centered that this must apply to them.
But now, the thing about pride… is that it kind of sneaks up on you. Scripture tells us “The heart is deceitful above all things…” Jeremiah 17:9 If I were a proud person, I probably wouldn’t realize it… I wouldn’t think of myself as being proud… … this is just how things are. … and proud folks… well – they’re just the other guy – not me.
And these folks in James 4 probably didn’t think of themselves as proud and boastful… They were just self-sufficient… … they need didn’t anybody else (let alone God) to tell them how to run their business They didn’t think of themselves as proud – but God said they were And frankly, I had trouble figuring out WHY God called them proud
Then it occurred to me what God was saying. You see – in their plans – these businessmen didn’t even think about God. They were probably religious men… but God was something they did on the weekend. That was church… this is business. When Church was done, they’d put God up on a shelf… …and they only intended to take Him down when they really needed Him. But – for the most part – they didn’t NEED God.
So, here’s the first clue that you might be suffering from pride. God isn’t included in your plans You don’t pray about your work, family, You do church once or twice a week and you put God up on the shelf/rest of week … If that’s what you’re doing - God probably sees you as being a proud person. Why? Because a proud man/ woman is one who acts or talks like they don’t need others… or God. They are self-sufficient. They can get by without your/my help or God’s.
The pride and boastfulness of the businessmen in James 4 was shown… … in the fact that they behaved like they didn’t need God.
They had feet in their shoes They had brains in their heads But they acted like God had nothing to do with those blessings. And they’ve forgotten where those things came from. Did they create their feet? (no) Did they create their brains (no)
But every advantage you and I have in this world ultimately came from God Your body is a marvelous creation… granted, it may have it’s quirks and shortcomings… … it might not even function very well right now…. … but there isn’t a scientist on earth that can reproduce the… … intricate workings of what God has given you.
Do you have feet in your shoes? – every time you take a step, you use 200 muscles Do you have brains in your head?–your brain stores 5xs more information=Ency. Britannica
We have been created in the image of God… and we owe everything we are… … and everything we can be – to Him
And this points to another mark of a proud personA proud man is an ungrateful manThey’re rarely if ever satisfied/ happy Or, as Henry Ward Beecher said it A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.
In one of his parables, Jesus tells the story of a rich farmer… … who decides to tear down his barns so he can build bigger ones And Jesus tells us that God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ And then tells us "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:20-21
The rich farmer was a proud man He didn’t think he owed anything to God… so why be grateful to Him. Why be rich to a God who didn’t do anything for him?
And by that standard, a lot of people in our world are proud They think that what they have is deserved… … and that which they don’t have = is owed them.
ILLUS: 10 things on paper – blessings Tablet of paper – things they don’t have/ things that have gone wrong in their lives
The business men in James 4 aren’t grateful men… … because what they plan is all about THEM. Ø they are going to this or that city Ø they are going to spend the year there Ø they are going to make money o It’s all about them… and God is neither consulted nor thanked.
(pause) Dr. Seuss’ poem “The Places You’ll Go” tells us: You have brains in your head. As I told you earlier, the first time I read this poem, it made me uncomfortable. As I read it the first time I even wondered if Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) believed in God But then I read that Geisel was a dedicated Lutheran all his life… … so I doubt that he deliberately intended to flaunt God’s power The poem was probably just what it seems… … an childhood story meant to encourage children to believe in themselves… … and that they should decide where they want to go with their lives.
And that’s a good question to ask this morning… where do you want to go with your life? You have feet in your shoes You have brains in your heads You know what you know and you can decide where you want to go
So where do you want to go?
CLOSE: You see, this life isn’t going to last forever. James tells us “…You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14 Or as Hebrews tells us “… man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,” Hebrews 9:27
One day, an ambitious university student was talking with a wise older uncle. "Joe," the uncle asked, "tell me what you plan to do after you graduate from college." "Oh, I guess I'll start my career," said Joe. "That sounds prudent," said the uncle. "What then?" "I guess," said Joe, "I'll get married and have a family." "That's wonderful," said the old man. "What then?" "Well," replied Joe, "I guess I'll make my fortune." "Good for you," said the uncle. "What then?" "Then," said Joe, "I'll buy a country home and retire." "That sounds inviting," said the uncle. "What then?" "Well, I suppose," said Joe, "that one day I'll die." "That's true," said the uncle. "What then?" Sunday, August 2, 2009 TEXT: Jeremiah 6:16-17 TITLE: The Zoad In The Road
OPEN: Did I ever tell you about the young Zoad
who came to a sign at the fork of the road? If I go
to Place One, that place may be hot/ so how will I know if I like it or not. In that case I may catch a chill and turn blue. So Place One may be best and not Place Two. Play safe," cried the
Zoad, "I'll play safe, I'm no dunce. APPLY: That poor Zoad – he couldn’t make up his mind which way to go… So what did the Zoad decided to do? He decided to not really MAKE a decision but to try to take BOTH roads. He didn’t want to make a decision… So in his indecision he actually made a decision Because he wouldn’t take a chance… he “went no place at all with a split in his pants.”
Have you ever had trouble making a decision?I have! But if the decision is important enough… I eventually I make a choice.
In the Bible, God is constantly telling His people to make a choice In Joshua 24:15 Joshua challenged the Israelites to“… choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
On Mount Carmel Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him….” 1Kings 18:21
Make up your mind! Make a choice/ decision Why? Because to decide not to decide… is to decide.
In today’s text, we find Jeremiah
telling the people of Israel
Just like the Zoad, God tells His people – you’re at a crossroads… … make a decision… decide which road you’re going to choose Because Eternity hangs on the choice you make.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus echoes Jeremiah’s words. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
There’s 2 roads (He says) And you have a choice… One road is wide and easy to travel… and lots of people choose this road The other is narrow – it leads to life – but few seem to choose that path.
But Jesus says: Make a choice/ decision… choose your road.
Now some people - like the Zoad - try to compromise The narrow road is too… (pause) narrow In fact the world has a phrase for that… …they call this path “narrow-minded” because it’s too strict/ intolerant. A little of Jesus is a good thing… but it’s possible to be too moral/ too straight laced/ too pure So, Loosen up, we’re told. Don’t be so serious. Mix a little worldliness in with your faith. Take the broad way… in fact they a word for this too! ` It’s called broadmindedness It’s tolerant. It’s accepting
ILLUS: Three years ago, the Barna research group took a survey of people in their 20/30’s They found that compared with those over age 40 - this group was
ADDITIONALLY
Their view of morality was… “take the broad way… go for the big gate Don’t be so narrow-minded Don’t go for such hard choices… just go with the flow and God will understand”
Even Christians can get caught up in this thinking. They’ll go to parties… drink with “the boys” They’ll cuss & laugh at the dirty jokes… just to fit in/ They’ll sleep with their girlfriends/boyfriends and say “it’s ok… we love each other” … God will understand. - BUT = No… He won’t – God says “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” 2Co 6:14
And "… come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." 2Co 6:17 Make a choice – God says Decide what you’re going to do. You can choose life by walking on the narrow way… and please God. You can be “broad minded” and go to hell You can’t serve two masters. (says Jesus) Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other...” Mt 6:24 YOU’VE GOT MAKE A CHOICE
You can’t simply put it off and NOT make a decision. If you do that… you’ll end up like the Zoad – not going anywhere (except to hell) By choosing NOT to decide… you will have already decided.
BUT GOD says – make a choice: “… choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” Don’t put it off Because in your decision… or lack thereof… is Eternity
As I said earlier… there ARE times when I have a hard time making a decisionThe harder the choice, the harder it is for me – sometimes - to choose. And I can literally freeze up trying to make some decisions.
God knows that… so here in Jeremiah He tells us how to make the right choices
“Stand at the crossroads and look” God says. You’re at a crossroads… Realize you’ve got to make a decision… you can’t take both roads.
Now, sometimes it won’t be that hard to know which path is the right one The more you know God’s Word… the more obvious THE RIGHT choice will be
The problem OFTEN doesn’t lie in knowing which road is the right one The problem is facing the possibility that it isn’t going to be a fun trip … you’ll risk being made fun of/ persecuted and rejected
Jesus knew this, and so He told us Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. Lu 6:22-23 The road can be hard… but the rewards will be worth it (Jesus says)
In our nation, students have been denied their graduation diplomas … scientists have lost their jobs, … politicians have been ridiculed … and businessmen/women have been taken to court… … all because they’ve taken a stand for God
And we’ve got it easy… I recently read aboutA preacher in Vietnam, who was sentenced to 2 years in prison. When he is offered an early release, he declined saying he had a group of new Believers in the prison he wanted to disciple. In Columbia, a missionary was kidnapped and told she only had 2 hours to live. She told her captors that if she only has two hours to live, she wanted to spend it telling them about Jesus. In the Sudan, a Christian boy had his knees and feet nailed to a board and he is left to die. When rescued he said he forgave the man who did it because Jesus was also nailed and forgave him.
Don’t let anybody fool you into thinking this choice to serve Jesus is easy Stand at the crossroads… and look around Count the cost…KNOW = it might get difficult…it is a narrow road/few choose it …but also know that God is watching and will reward you… … then pick up your cross and follow Him.
Don’t just look at the roads… ask advice … because, sometimes the choice will be hard to figure out on your own
ILLUS: I’ve encountered many ‘cross-roads’ in my life Been fired from 2 churches… and right now I’ve got an issue that I find hard to solve. Even tho’ I’ve been a preacher for 25 years… I don’t’ always know what to do. So I ask for advice I go to friends/ experts/ people who’ve been where I’m at… … and I ask “which path should I take?”/ “Which road is right one
Proverbs tells us “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” 11:14 And “Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.” 15:22
So in order to choose the right road, you need to
But asking for advice is not enough… I’ve GOT to make a decision!Jeremiah says “ask where the good way is, and WALK in it” It’s not enough to simply SAY you want to walk with Jesus… I have to decide You can talk the talk all day… .but until walk the walk… …you’re not going anywhere
And that’s the message from this Dr. Seuss poem “The Zoad on the Road” The Zoad talked a good talk… but he didn’t walk the walk He’d come to a “Cross road” and couldn’t decide.
ILLUS: One preacher I read made an intriguing observation: Jeremiah says “Stand at the crossroad” And this preacher noted - it’s a "Cross" road.
Then he observed that people sometimes come to that “cross road” and just stop there
He said that back in the days of Jesus “The throngs flocked to Jesus because He fed them, and they wanted to see signs and wonders. But when, He would not just give them what they “wanted” to see/ hear they walked away. He could have given them all kind of blessings, but instead, He said, "take up the cross and follow me." It’s a "Cross" road we are asked to trod. Larry Elder
In Matthew 16:24,25… Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."
So, which path will you choose? There is the “Broadminded path” that allows you to choose which part of Jesus you want As Proverbs says “there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death” And then there is the narrow path The one few choose, because it seems “too narrow” But if you choose that path, it leads past the cross roads to an empty tomb.
CLOSE: In the Alps, there is a religious pilgrimage called the “stations of the Cross”. Every year, thousands of people make this tedious climb up a mountain… … to visit different places that commemorate the various places where… … Jesus visited on the crucifixion march to Golgotha.
One day, a tourist made the climb, visiting every station along the path… But then, when he reached the station of the Cross… … he noticed a little trail that led off in the bushes.
Curious, he fought his way through the rough thicket and… …to his surprise and came upon another shrine. It was a shrine that symbolized the empty tomb. It was neglected. The brush had grown up around it. Almost everyone had gone only as far as the cross… … and that was where they stopped. |
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