|
|
The
manager of a local charity realised that his organization had never received a
donation from the town's most successful lawyer. He called him to persuade him to
contribute.
"Our research shows that out of a yearly income of at least £500,000, you
give not a penny to charity. Wouldn't you like to give back to the community in
some way?"
The lawyer mulled this over for a moment and replied, "First, did your research
also show that my mother is dying after a long illness, and has medical bills
that are several times her annual income?"
Embarrassed, the charity worker mumbled, "Um ... no."
The lawyer interrupts, "or that my brother, a disabled war veteran, is blind
and confined to a wheelchair?"
The stricken charity worker began to stammer out an apology, but was
interrupted again.
"or that my sister's husband died in a traffic
accident," the lawyer's voice rising in indignation, "leaving her
penniless with three children?!"
The humiliated fund raiser was completely beaten, said simply,
"I had no idea..."
On a roll, the lawyer cut him off once again, "So if I don't give any
money to them, why should I give any to you?"
This
passage is about giving, sacrifice, re-evaluating things.
I
hope that as a result of hearing this,
as we drive home
we shall be able to re-evaluate the car we drive in,
as we enter our
homes we shall be able to re-evaluate what it means to us,
as we eat our
dinner we’ll be able to re-evaluate the plenty we have
as we watch TV
this afternoon we’ll be able to re-evaluate the electronics we depend on.
In
short I hope we’ll take a new look at what we have, who we are and what we do
and hear God’s call anew through that.
1. Jesus calls us to re-evaluate. When we become His person He re-evaluates everything in our
lives and he calls on us to continue to follow His thinking.
So
- what does He think of the things
we value - I don’t know what you value - skills, nationality, ethnicity,
heritage, home, car, pension etc. What does Jesus think about these?
Paul
had things he valued. It was his background and tradition - his heritage. He
was passionate about being a Pharisee. Look at how he describes it -
circumcised on the 8th day - bang on the law’s requirements - from the start
his little life was ‘just right’ - up to standard.
As
far as racial purity is concerned an Israelite, of
As
far as the law is concerned a Pharisee - keeping the law & being a
policeman or magistrate.
As
far as enthusiasm for God is concerned he put his money where his mouth was -
persecuting the church
As far as legalistic righteousness is concerned -
‘faultless’.
Yet
he was forced to reckon with the fact that he actually had nothing! Nothing of
real value!
(Sheryl
Crow - Gonna soak up the sun) - I don’t have digital / I don’t have diddly squat / It’s not having what you want / Its wanting
what you’ve got
Some
here have digital and everything! - a good job,
career, family, home, car(s), background, education, money, pension. Life’s
been good to you! And no doubt you thank
God for it, but Paul tells us that actually you have nothing!
The
car will rust, the home will flatten, the pension will fail, the clothes will
rot, the family will disappear when you die. The
education and knowledge you built up will die with you. Jesus told us to put
treasure away where moth and rust don’t eat them away, treasures that will
last, treasures that will be eternal.
It’s
time for us to re-evaluate what is valuable to us.
Paul
tells us that he’s pressing on to the glories of heaven besides which these
things pale into insignificance. ‘Forgetting what is behind I strain on towards
what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has
called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.’
We’re
on a camping trip through life. That’s the picture right through the Bible. People of no settled city. We’re travelling light. My
daughter has a caravan and there is a community of caravanners . You would
think that the whole idea of caravanning is to get away from the house full of
possessions. You can’t load the car down too much. But they’re only too
delighted to show you their latest gadget, home-made or designed to be lighter
weight and easier to cart around.
The
film Labyrinth shows a teenager hunting for her brother who’s been captured by
goblins. In one scene she comes upon the ultimate bag lady. She carries all the
possessions that have cluttered up this girl’s life, that
one time seemed so precious and the bag lady proceeds to off load them on her.
But what are they compared to what is important?
If
we’re on a camping trip through life we need to travel light and when it gets
tough loose hold of those things we otherwise cling so tightly to. One day we’ll get home - and that’s what Paul was aiming for - home
with Jesus. In the meantime we’re just passing through and here to be
his messengers and servants to other campers.
2.
Jesus calls us to something better than what we have.
It’s
important to reflect on the fact that many people have lived a basically good
life.
Saul
had. He was religious, he had a great family tradition
which he maintained. He honoured God, he sought to obey God, he sought to be
righteous and with enthusiasm! To him at the time none of these were actually
wrong. Even most of them on reflection after his conversion weren’t wrong or
sins. In the light of his revelation so far he was righteous.
And
that was his problem.
The
revelation he had so far been open to was limited. It
was based on law, standards and perfection. He hadn’t yet seen what God in
Jesus offered him and what he was turning from.
And
how difficult it was for him to become a Christian!
And
how difficult it is for someone today who has lived a good life, a charitable
life, caring, responsible, sacrificial - downright GOOD!
I
want to challenge those among us who have lived a good life - not perfect but
you’ve always tried to and keep the Ten Commandments, to put the Sermon on the
Mount into practise.
And
it’s difficult when some seem to ‘get it so wrong’ yet have been saved by
Jesus!
Your
challenge is to consider this as loss, dross, refuse, perhaps at best a barrier
or distraction in the way of getting the real thing! And that isn’t a good life or religion it’s Jesus himself.
It
is time to recognise our goodness for what it is in God’s eyes. It isn’t the
fact that our works are sinful in themselves, but they keep us away from a true
relationship with Jesus Christ who died for us to give us a home, not made with
our acts but built with his pierced hands.
We
need to recognise that our righteous acts are - as God through Isaiah describes
them - like filthy rags. Isaiah actually doesn’t say ‘filthy rags’. He uses the
term ‘menstrual cloths’. That is God’s verdict on our good acts that get in the
way of walking with Him.
I’m
not criticising your good deeds - they’re great! And he’ll give you new power
to do more later, but you’ve never come to Jesus,
never felt the need - and now you do!
Or
perhaps as a result of hearing this series you’ve heard God’s call to something
new or deeper. He’s giving you another calling, or the same calling with a new
heart - a new vision.
Of
course you can come to Jesus privately, of course you can pray without anyone
else knowing, of course you can be a secret disciple.
But you may need to take a step that marks for you, the change from good life
to Jesus life, from rags to riches, from loss of little to gain of everything!
Something that goes against the grain!
That’s
what baptism is for, being part of His Church and putting your money where your
mouth is – living commitment to Him.