If I'm Supposed To Be In Control Of My Life, Why Can't I Program My Vcr? Series

“If I’m Supposed to Be In Control of My Life, Why Can’t I Program My VCR?”

"What is man that you are mindful of him...You made him ruler over the works of your hands." Psalm 8:1-9

A sermon by Kenneth Wright - Sunday, October 29, 2006

Introduction

We live in a wonderful age of technology don’t we?

• We have things in our homes that we couldn’t even dream about 50 years ago - television set, electric can openers, smoke detectors and dish-washers.

• Some of these things are wonderful - and some of these things are invented to drive you crazy.

Take the VCR for example.

• It’s a little black box with 153 separate wires that have to plug into the right holes on the back of your television set ---- and when it’s done correctly - you can program it to tape your favorite football game or movie - even when you’re away from the house. Right?

• WRONG!

• I can’t even get the digital clock on mine to stop blinking 12:00...

• My grandkids come over and they hook it up to play all their veggie tales or little mermaid movies and I can’t even get it to cooperate with me enough to watch and old Jeremiah Johnson film.

Look at Psalms8:1-9 (READ)

• Key in on verse 4 and 6

The Listener’s Question

"If I am made to have control over my life -why can’t I program my VCR?

1. I DON’T HAVE CONTROL OVER MY LIFE BECAUSE THE EVENTS IN LIFE ARE JUST TOO RANDOM.

• I’m on the mountain top one minute and in the valley of darkness the next.

• You can’t control something that you can’t see coming.

Remember the old television program "Truth or Consequences?"

• Contestants were asked a question and if they got the answer correctly they won some sort of prize.

• If they answered incorrectly, they were taken to some silly sort of ordeal where they would make a blind choice between two or more things.

• One item in their lineup was hidden gift while there were other blind choices that lead to getting a pie in the face or doused with water or some other silly ordeal.

Life is a lot like that old program.

• Events may be random in life but if you know the answer to the original question you can side step many of the ordeals.

• You can control a lot of things in life - the problem is most people go through life making blind choices.

Genesis 13:11 - So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east.

• Cf. Gen 19 (Summarize)

2. I DON’T HAVE CONTROL OVER MY LIFE BECAUSE I’M TOO BUSY.

• My job takes me away from the important things I need to be doing.

• My kids have so many activities that I have to manage.

• I’m being pulled in every direction all at the same time.

• Everyone wants a piece of me.

Every one has 24 hours a day to accomplish things in their lives.

• The problem is simply a matter of priorities.

• If you control your time you can get a handle on your life.

Exodus 18:13-33 (Read)

3. I DON’T HAVE CONTROL OVER MY LIFE BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL PROBLEMS.

• The bill collectors call at all hours of the night

• They call when I sit down to dinner

• The phone wakes me up in the morning and the voice on the other end want another payment that I don’t have

• The creditors are calling me on my job

• If I just had more money I could make it.

Money isn’t the answer to your problems.

• There are people all over the world with a lot less money than you who don’t have your problem.

• It was money that created your problems - you didn’t have it to begin with and you over-extended yourself.

• You made some choices in life and now you have to learn to deal with the consequences.

1 Timothy 6:10 - For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Eccl 5:10 - Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.

Luke 16:1-14 (Read)

4. I DON’T HAVE CONTROL OVER MY LIFE BECAUSE OF MY SOCIAL STATUS.

• I never got a break when I was growing up I was born into a poor family and my education is limited.

• You can’t control life while you’re flipping burgers for minimum wages.

• It seems as though everyone try’s to put me down because of who I am.