Friday, March 2, 2012

Sermon: Don't Waste Your Life (Luke 7:18-35)

This sermon was originally preached on February 26th at Folsom Community Church by Tim Lewis.


Don’t Waste Your Life
Luke 7:18-35

Introduction: The Saddest Verse


In the Pixar movie “Cars” do you remember the lead character, Lightning McQueen?  He said, “I’m a precision instrument of speed and aerodynamics.”  He was designed for the NASCAR race track. So much so that, part way through the movie, you realize that he has no real headlights, they are just stickers. Then there’s Mater, the beat-up ol’ tow-truck. Not the brightest car on the lot.  I am a precisional instrument of speed and aromatics.” But you find out that he is an expert a driving backwards, using his rear-view mirrors. Pretty useful for a tow-truck. Why were Lightning McQueen and Mater so good at their jobs? Because they were purpose-built. Doc Hudson and the dirt track, Luigi the tire changer, Mack the 18-wheeler. Each was uniquely put together; designed for a specific job.

Did you know that “We are made by God for a specific purpose”?

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

From now until the day that you did, there is a Plan A for your life.  “We decide whether we will cooperate with that purpose.” Or we can choose Plan B. God will do what he wants to do—no one stops God—but we have a choice as to what part we will play: Plan A or Plan B.

“No one is an expert on God’s purpose except God.” The Bible says that, left to our own choices, we will wander.  (Isaiah 53:7) People say “Just follow your heart.” But our heart lies. (Jeremiah 17:9) It is like following your nose: the direction changes every time you turn your head. 

We were purpose-built by God for an amazing purpose. We are the Lightning McQueens (ka-chow!) of the spiritual world, we just need some help finding the right racetrack.

This afternoon, I am going to teach you one of the saddest verses in the Bible. If you were just browsing through the book of Luke, you might miss it. But there it is, tucked away right in the middle of the 7th chapter. By the time you leave, you will know this verse and, more importantly, you will know the first step for anyone who wants to find God’s purpose for their life. Ready?

It says:
But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John. – Luke 7:30

So sad. They rejected God’s purpose for themselves. They rejected God’s purpose. They rejected God. They took God’s plan and decided, somehow, to give it the big thumbs down. So many questions. Why did they reject God’s purpose? Do we do the same thing?
Four parts:

1.       But…
2.       The Pharisees and the experts in the law.
3.       Rejected God’s purpose for themselves.
4.       Because they had not been baptized by John.

Let’s break this down and talk through each part. Let's memorize it and its message together.

But

The first part of the verse is “but”—one word.
But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John. – Luke 7:30
Now for those of you who remember your grammar, this is a conjunction (not a noun!) It connects and contrasts this rejection of God’s purpose with what has been going on before. Jesus’s ministry is really taking off. Just in this chapter, he healed the Roman commander’s servant and brought the widow’s son back to life. But as Jesus’ star is rising, John the Baptizer’s ministry has hit a snag. Called by God to get people ready for the Messiah, he was doing great right up until he told the king that sleeping with his brother’s wife wasn’t kosher in God’s eyes, which earned him a do-not-pass-go-do-not-collect-$200 trip to jail.
So John sends a pair of his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one or should we expect someone else?” (vs. 19) What a loaded question! When you are in jail, can’t see very much and John really wants to know: “Did I do my job? Did I fulfill my purpose? Did I do the job God had for me? Or did I just waste my life and tell off the most powerful man in all of Judea for nothing?”
Here is the key point: God is at work all around us. Sometimes we imagine that God is passive; that he needs a rest or maybe he doesn’t care enough to get up and intervene. John was in prison. If the kingdom of God was really taking off, should one of the star players be on the bench, on prison. But John is wise enough to know he does not have the whole picture. And, like John, we can’t always see God at work. We need help to see what is going on, because the work of God does not consist of buildings and programs and budgets; instead it consists of healed lives, of restored vision, of mended relationships—of Good News. These don’t make the headlines; but they are what matter most.
So Jesus connects the dots—shows John the bigger picture of how God was at work.
So that’s the first part of the verse. But. But what?

The Pharisees and the Experts in the Law


The second part of the verse is “the Pharisees and the experts in the law”. “But the Pharisees and the experts in the law.”
But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John. – Luke 7:30
Here is the key point: God invites us all to join His work. He doesn’t have favorites based on family background or religious background or economic background or political beliefs. So what does God care about?
Who were the Pharisees? They were a faction within Jewish social life who acted like monitors for political and religious correctness. They monitored public morals, to make sure people were acting the way that God’s people should act.  These were good people. If I had a daughter, I’d be looking for a young Pharisee boy for her to marry. They were good, upstanding, well-behaved, hands-to-themselves sort of people. What about the “experts in the law”? These were experts in Bible interpretation. When someone wanted to know what God thought about X or Y, they would pick apart the verses of the Old Testament to provide an answer.
So how did they reject God’s purpose for themselves? What’s worse, look at the type of people who were getting it right. Back up one verse:
All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. – Luke 7:29
“But the Pharisees and the experts in the law…” Why were the good citizens and the Bible readers out and everyone else in the kingdom of God?
God has a plan and the job description for people he wants to work with did not consist of how many Bible verses they had memorized or how many church services they had attended or how many rosaries they said, or how they didn’t do any of the big bad sins. No, it was this: they “acknowledged that God’s way was right.”
The problem that the Pharisees and the experts in the law had was that the Bible should have prepared them to hear God’s message of repentance and Good News through Jesus, They were so worried about the “other” people that they missed the growing hardness of their own heart. In the mean time, those who would have been considered the least likely members of Jewish society to be ready for God’s message—like tax collectors—were all over Jesus’ message.  
[Missionaries to the Philippines. Talk about how I and my wife Helen felt we were really qualified to be missionaries to the Philippines, but it was exactly that attitude that led to us not being able to go so that God could work on that entitlement attitidue in our lives.] Any time we look at ourselves or someone else and think, “What an asset I am to the kingdom of God!” That is the time to watch out. God once decided that his prophet Balaam wasn’t doing a good enough job, so he had a donkey speak the truth instead.
God invites us all to join His work. It doesn’t matter where we’ve come from, as long as we are willing to say, “God, your way is right. Forget my way, God, your way is the highway”
Repeat with me: “But the Pharisees and the experts in the law…”

Rejected God’s Purpose for Themselves

The third part of the verse is “rejected God’s purpose for themselves”.

But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John. – Luke 7:30
On my desk I have an amazing computer, quad-core CPU, 16GB of RAM, 2TB hard drive, incredible graphics, Gb Ethernet connection, high-speed cable modem. I can remember when I had 128 KB of RAM and my entire high school had to share 5MB of hard drive space. I bought the new computer with all those computing resources for my work—and a little fun on the side. But a while ago I learned a lesson, when one of the computers in my house got a virus. Suddenly, all the resources of that computer, no matter how powerful or well-constructed or well-connected were useless to me, because it no longer obeyed me, but rather obeyed the virus.  It became slower and slower, popped all sorts of complaints and was effectively unusable. Finally I had to salvage what I could, wiped the hard drive and started over from scratch.
My friends, when it comes to our life, God is the operator, with his plan and his purpose for our life. Then we have our plans—that’s the virus—that’s the sin nature. Soon all our resources are consumed by our agenda, and nothing is left for God’s.  For God to salvage something, he must do something.
We are not God. God is at work all around us. And he is not hiding—he shows us what he is doing and invites us to join. At that point, we must decide—will we keep our current life or will we choose the life God planned for us? These are not usually major life events—they are usually smaller: will I smile or frown, will I forgive or hold a grudge, will I be bold or fearful.  Key point: God’s invitation leads to a crisis of believe that requires faith and action.
 The road to insignificance is paved with a million detours from the will of God.
Look at the verse again: But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves…

Because They Had Not Been Baptized by John

The final part of the verse is “because they had not been baptized by John”.
But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John. – Luke 7:30
What was so special about John’s baptism? Why did God care about the river Jordan? The river was just a river. And John was just a man. And the baptism was just a swim. How do I know all of this? Because we know from other records (Matthew 3) that, in fact, the Pharisees tried to be baptized, but John wouldn’t let them.  In fact, he told them off, calling them a bunch of snakes.
That doesn’t seem very fair. They miss God’s plan because they don’t get baptized, and when they tried to get baptized, no one would let them.  What gives? Listen to the reason John gave: “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” (Matthew 3:8)
The key was a changed heart. John recognized that they wanted baptism without the repentance—dunking without any change of heart-- just one more thing they could check off their spiritual checklist. They really weren’t interested in God’s plan or God’s attitudes. They wanted God’s blessing to somehow co-exist with the virus. Maybe if God blessed them enough, they could keep their pet virus and still function.
It seems ridiculous, but it is also what we try to do. We want  God’s guidance—but  we don’t want to listen to God.  At some point, I have to say, I am wrong. I don’t know. I am lost and messed up and hosing my life and need God just like every other person. Saying that to God and paying attention to God is the baptism. Miss that and you will miss God’s purpose for your life. Key Point: If you want God’s purpose, You must make major adjustments in your life to join God.
But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John. – Luke 7:30

Conclusion: God’s Plan for You Is Unique

You know what? I don’t want to live out this verse in my life. I don’t want to be a Pharisee. I don’t want to miss out on God’s purpose for my life. Let me turn this verse around for you:

Therefore, you and I embrace God’s purpose for our lives, because we will do anything to follow God’s plan.
Are you ready do whatever it takes? Just like the virus, God must start by a complete re-install of the operating system that we have for our lives. The old pattern is fatally infected.  The Bible says:
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  – Romans 12:2a (NIV)
If we do this, we are ready to listen to what God has to say, and we will know God’s purpose.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:2b (NIV)
I wonder about my job [computer programmer] sometimes-if God can really use it. But then, a few days ago, I got an e-mail from a software engineer I’d never met; who knew me maybe because of my book or because of some conference where I spoke. He said, “Hi Tim! I am your fan…And I have a question I want to confirm with you: Are you a Christian? Because I am a Christian” He went on to say “I am glad to get response from you , it encourages me to keep grow up in Jesus faith and software tech.  Keep in touch and God bless.”
Now is the time to get serious. It is easy to float along, day-to-day, month-to-month and soon the years are slipping by. Don’t waste your life. God takes us by the collar and shakes us and says: You were meant for more than this. Why did I give you a family? Why did I give you a job? Why did I give you a place to live? So that you could squander them, fade away, and live a mostly harmless life? No! You were meant for more than this. Don’t settle for Plan B, when Plan A is right there. You were made in the image of God, to carry his name, to bring his light and life to every dark place.
So many times I start my prayers to God like this: “I want to serve you. I make so many mistakes and from selfish motives. Can you please help me?”

1.       I want to do what God wants me to do.
2.       I don’t know how to do it.
3.       I don’t want to live another day going a different direction.
Jesus, won’t you teach me.  Jesus, won’t you change my heart. Jesus, won’t you give me joy in your plan.
But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John. – Luke 7:30



[1] Some material adapted from Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby, http://www.blackaby.net/expgod/

No comments:

Post a Comment