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/
