Moving Beyond The Motions

Moving Beyond the Motions

Mark 10:46-53

September 1, 2002

Morning Service

Introduction

In Japan there was a man in the imperial orchestra couldn’t play a note. Being a person of great influence and wealth, he had demanded that he be given a place in the group because he wanted to "perform" before the emperor. The conductor agreed to let him sit in the second row of the orchestra, even though he couldn’t read music. He was given a flute, and when a concert would begin, he’d raise his instrument, pucker his lips, and move his fingers. He would go through all the motions of playing, but he never made a sound. This deception continued for two years.

Then a new conductor took over. He told the orchestra that he wanted to audition each player personally. One by one they performed in his presence. Then came the flutist’s turn. He was frantic with worry, so he pretended to be sick. However, the doctor who was ordered to examine him declared that he was perfectly well. The conductor insisted that the man appear and demonstrate his skill. Shamefacedly he had to confess that he was a fake.

This story brilliantly illustrates the reality of living a life that just goes through the motions.

We’ve all heard the phrase “going through the motions” but do we know what it really means or how it might apply to our lives. Literally it means to just do the same things over and over again. It is to live out a constant routine. It is to live life in a constant rut. It is to never change for the better. Our church has fallen into a trap of just going through the motions. When we just go through the motions we will never truly experience God or His power.

We have a cookie cutter worship service that makes everyone “comfortable”. We have a ministry that repeats the same programs over and over again. We are stuck going through the motions.

How do we move beyond just going through the motions?

I. Take responsibility for your own life

“When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout.”

A. Bartimaeus had to be responsible for himself

1. No one could do this for Bartimaeus

a.) It was his own choice to seek Jesus that day.

b.) He could not be forced into action and he could not be forced to believe. It was a choice

2. Bartimaeus was just going through the motions

a.) His blindness had forced him into a life of begging

b.) He went to the same place each day to beg for money

3. If Bartimaeus was ever going to move beyond the motions it would be up to him

B. Take responsibility for yourself

1. We get stuck going through the motions

a.) We get stuck in our personal lives

b.) We get stuck in our professional lives

c.) We get stuck in our spiritual lives

d.) We get stuck in our church life

2. The fact of going through the motions is not the problem, staying stuck in that mode of living is your problem

3. You have to make a choice

a.) Stay in your life of going through the motions

b.) Make the effort to move beyond the motions

II. Believe that change is possible for your life

Rabbi, I want to see

A. Bartimaeus believed that there was hope for his life

1. The likelihood for Bartimaeus to remain a beggar all of his life was very high.

2. He believed in Jesus and that he could indeed be healed

B. There is hope for your life

1. The same Jesus that healed Bartimaeus is still working in the lives of those who believe today.

2. Never lose the hope that Christ can work in your life because Christ cannot work where there is no faith

3. If you desire want to move beyond the motions you have to come to Jesus with the desire to change

III. Clarify what you really need

What do you want me to do for you?

A. Jesus asks an important question

1. Jesus posses a serious question

2. Jesus must have an answer. There was no possible way for Him to be ignored

B. You need to clarify the needs that you have with God

1. What is it that you really need from God?

a.) Knowing what it is that you need from God is difficult because you must discover what only He can provide for you

b.) Having a need in your life met by God means that we see it and understand it and then admit it

2. You must know what you truly need in your life

a.) You need the forgiveness and grace that can only be found through Jesus