NOTE: I am putting my weekly sermons on the church website. It will be on for two weeks (usually posted on Friday) and then placed in the Archives area by date. You can download in a matter of seconds.
Let me know what you think. The church Email is: SLUMC@att.net, Phone: 480.895.8766
Wednesday, February 9, 2005
Sermon: “Intentions Must Follow Through”
Scripture: Matthew 4: 1-11
Reverend Larry Gerber
Rejecting conventional wisdom concerning the importance of success, Jesus challenges us to take the long view and focus on eternity.
The Nasdaq creates and wipes out fortunes in a single day, fashions inspired by hip-hop are completely unpredictable, and all we know for sure about next year is that we'll all need new computers. It's easy to see why the smart money is on getting it while you can, however you can, as fast as you can.
We may not have appeared on reality TV, talked to Regis, or be a rock star, but we understand the "get-it-while-you-can" mentality. We work 8 to 5, raise the kids, take a vacation now and then. We're steady, honest and decent folks.
And vulnerable.
Like Jesus. This "flash-in-the-pan" mentality was part of the temptation Jesus faced when he spent his 40 days in the wilderness. After all, the Devil suggested he turn a stone into bread, saying, in effect, "Go ahead, Jesus - get it while you can!" And he offered him all the kingdoms of the world, "Go ahead, Jesus - get them however you can!" And he tested him by challenging him to throw himself off the temple and into the hands of God, "Go ahead, Jesus - grab hold of the Lord's protection as fast as you can!"
What's interesting is that God was already working to provide Jesus with all these tantalizing things. They would come to him eventually ... at the right time, in the right place, according to the divine plan. Jesus would certainly be fed with nourishing bread. And he would definitely become the cosmic King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus would even be rescued from the finality of death by the power of God.
But not yet.
We just don't get it. But Jesus did. He knew that temptation is so often connected to impatience. You want something that is really quite innocent in itself - a piece of bread, a chance to be a leader, a sign from God - but you get into trouble because you want it now. You're unwilling either to wait for it or to work for it, so you take shortcuts - and end up getting into trouble.
Picture this: You're hungry, you crave an elegant meal, you walk into a five-star restaurant. You order up a feast - one you really can't afford - enjoy it immensely, and then charge the whole thing on your credit card. Then, because you can manage only to make the minimum payment on your monthly balance, you pay for this dinner for years and years and years, and your hundred-dollar meal ends up costing you thousands and thousands.
The problem
is wanting it now. You want to be a "flash" or to have your "flash-in-the-pan."
The solution is to resist the lure of the moment and trust that God will satisfy
you in the fullness of his own divinely-appointed time.
Bread can satisfy our deep hunger, except when God says, "No, not now."
World-class leadership is a goal worth pursuing, but not at the expense of making
a deal with the Devil. Being a child of God is a cherished blessing, except
when you challenge the Lord to a fast and dirty test of his love. The Devil
so often takes good and graceful gifts and corrupts them - luring us into wanting
them now, grabbing them however we can and getting them fast.
As Christians, we don't have to join the rush. In this season of Lent, this springtime of the soul, this time of slow growth and spiritual maturation, we don't have to fall into the trap of feeling that we need to grab everything we can in our flash-in-the-pan world. In the face of our society's fleeting, superficial and increasingly sinister and seductive style of success, Christianity challenges us to take the long view and focus on eternity.
We need to be intentional about what we want. We need to call upon God, through Jesus Christ, to guide us, and we need to follow through in a timely manner. Our goals in life should be long term, and we need to follow the rules of the game.
Jesus reminds us, a little later in Luke, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (12:34). He knows that we tend to throw our money at things that matter to us, whether we are committed to acquiring the latest CDs or alleviating the suffering of a neighbor. The season of Lent is a good time to reflect on where our treasures and our hearts are located, and to take the time to move them, if necessary, to a healthier and holier place.
With our use of money - as well as our use of time and talent and effort and involvement - it is so important to take the long view and be mindful of eternity. Truly good things take time to develop, and we cannot expect a harvest overnight. Like a farmer who works the soil, cultivates, waters and weeds, we need to take time to invest ourselves in activities that will bear a good and lasting fruit. If we resist the lure of the quick buck, the flashy image, the easy answer and the tempting moment, God will satisfy us in the fullness of his own divinely-appointed time.
Janis Joplin was a card-carrying member of the live fast-die young set that included Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and others in the early 70s. Joplin, who, during her Austin, Texas, days was routinely called the "ugliest person on campus," yearned for acceptance and love. That's why she suggested when love comes around, we should "Get It While You Can."
Janis says, "Get it while you can," but Jesus says, "Give it up while you can," because it is through giving up and letting go that what is good and useful comes back to us.
Tonight begins a 40 day self examination. Do I begin with good intentions. Do I follow through in a timely manner, or do short circuit, stop short, become distracted? Good intentions must have follow through, less they become self serving.
Let us join together in “The Thanksgiving Over the Ashes” on the top of page 4 in the bulletin.
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Sources:
Martel, Jay. "Hot Strategy: Milking It," Rolling Stone, September
14, 2000, 120. "Parenting bookshelf: Jobs often prove costly to teens who
don't save,"
The Detroit News, April 1, 1997.
Let me know what you think. The church Email is: SLUMC@att.net, Phone: 480.895.8766