Paradise Lost?
Luke 23:32-43
Pastor Ryan Akers
Me- What is your greatest fear? Different for us at most stages in life. Children fear dark, bullies, monsters, youth fear rejection, not making the team, not getting into the college they want, adults fear losing a job, not getting a promotion, not being able to have kids, not making enough money etc...
(Snake story)
We- All people have one common fear, fear of dying. Why? Because we fear the unknown. It’s the fear of not knowing what will happen next. It’s the fear of being forgotten. It’s the fear of losing what we have. Or maybe its the fear of what will happen when we die. Maybe we fear death because we know we haven’t lived a life that God desires for us and we are afraid of what He will say or do.
Why do we always accept who we are? Why do we always let ourselves fall back to living in a life that only leads to pain and selfishness? Why do we think, “There’s always tomorrow?”
There have been many nights that I lay in bed frustrated asking God why He called me to be a pastor? Because, honestly I am incredibly impatient. And I easily get frustrated with people who keep going back over and over and over to their old life.
If anyone shouldn’t be a pastor its me. But God always says to me, “Ryan there is always hope for that one person who will believe in me, and not just believe in me but truly live for me, but not just live for me but be willing to die for me. And that one person may be young or they may be lying on their death bed, but don’ t give up until you find that one. Don’t quit preaching until you find that one.”
God- Jesus himself was always searching for the one. Who was going to be the person that would understand why He came? I can imagine Jesus lived a life of frustration.
Background of Christ- not who people expected to be savior.
Disciples fought about which would be the greatest- Luke 9
Didn’t understand what he was teaching – mark 8
People worshipped him because of his miracles- Luke 19
Left him when he called for true devotion- John 6
Who would be the one? Time after time Jesus taught and did miracles and proved who he was yet nobody understood. The people had Jesus right there with them yet they always wanted one more miracle before they would believe. It had to be frustrating that not even among the 12 was there one who would truly give up their life without hesitation. But Jesus would find His one. And He would find his one person in the most unlikely place.
He found him hanging on a cross right next to him.
Luke 23:32
The thief hanging on the cross was the one Christ was looking for because even though he never saw a miracle, never heard Jesus teach. Even though he saw Christ at his absolute worst state, hanging on a cross bloodied and beaten, weak and tormented. Even though his own disciples stood by and did absolutely nothing this thief, this criminal looked over at christ and just believe. He saw Jesus in this horrible state and he just knew Jesus was God. That is why he was God’s one true follower. Because he believed with everything in him without God having to prove anything to him.
You- To be God’s one you must make a choice. Be half hearted, or be His one.
You become God’s one when there is nothing in this life more important than him. He died so you could live. Not so you could kind of believe. Not so you could sort of experience. Not so you could witness a couple of miracles. You become His one when you don’t need miracles, you don’t need a sign, you don’t need anything but to know that He is with you to the end.
When you reach that point then there is nothing that can happen in this life that can effect you. There is nothing in this life that will phase you because you know that God has already conquered it.
Take This Home: One life, One Way.
We- We hear messages like this all the time. At least once a year we hear pastors make please from a platform that we all need a savior. I’m not stupid. I know that most in here will walk out unaffected by this message. And that’s frustrating. But I also know that there is always hope that that one person God is looking for is here right now, and that is all the hope I need to keep preaching His word. One life, one way. Will you be His one that he’s been looking for?
COMMUNION
