Turning Off the Cruise Control
Acts 17:1-9
Did you know that there are awards given for the most ridiculous lawsuits won in the course of a year? THIS YEAR’S AWARDS GO TO:
5TH PLACE (TIED) Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was awarded $780,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving toddler was Ms.Robertson’s Son.
5TH PLACE (TIED) 19 year old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Mr. Truman apparently did not notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal the hubcaps.
5TH PLACE (TIED) Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania was leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up since the automatic door Opener was malfunctioning. He could not re-enter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation and Mr.Dickson found himself locked in the garage for 8 days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found and a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the homeowner’s insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The Jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.
4TH PLACE Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas was awarded $14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten by his next door neighbor’s Beagle dog. The Beagle was on a chain in its owner’s fenced yard. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have been a little provoked at the time as Mr. Williams, who had climbed over the fence into the yard, was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.
3RD PLACE A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania $113,500 after she slipped on a soft drink and broke a bone. The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier, during an argument.
2ND PLACE Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware sued the owner of a Night Club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out two of her front teeth. This occurred whilst Ms. Walton was trying to sneak in the window of the Ladies Room to avoid paying the$3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.
1ST PLACE This year’s runaway winner was Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new Winnebago Motorhome. On his trip home from an OU football game, having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver’s seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mr. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him in the owner’s manual that he could not actually do this. The jury awarded him $1,750,000 plus a new Winnebago Motorhome. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit just in case there were any other complete morons buying their recreational vehicles."
Ever wished you could just put your life on cruise control and go make yourself a cup of coffee and relax? While there is nothing wrong with a little rest and relaxation, be careful that you do not mistake the cruise control for autopilot. You may not make it to the jury for an award. The result may be that you realize your final reward!
The problem with being content
is that it is one step away
from being comfy.
To be content means
“to limit oneself in requirements, desires, or actions”
Contentment means that I do not feel that I have to put pressure on myself to what needs to be done. I can simply sit back and let the cruise control maintain the speed I travel.
To be comfortable means
“to enjoy ease, free from stress, tension, worry”
If I get too content with my circumstances, I might be like Mr. Grazinski and put my life on autopilot and just wait to see what happens. The easy way is not always the best way. Just because we have followed a certain pattern before does not mean that that way will work today!
If I always do what I’ve always done,
I’ll always get what I’ve always gotten!
- Dr. John Maxwell -
The chapter of the life of the Apostle Paul we are viewing today has God sending Paul on a detour from the comfortable plan. God loves to do just that to us: take us away from the comfortable so that we will learn to depend on Him.
The Apostle Paul is on a mission:
Checking up on the converts!
Acts 15:36
36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing."
(NIV)
The mission is not too strenuous. After all, they are going to go back where they have been before, where their friends will welcome them, provide for them, take care of them, and help them to the next stop. There is not much risk in travelling down the same road you travelled before. When the mission is not too difficult or you’ve been down this road before, it is easy to just simply set the cruise control and enjoy the company and the scenery.
So they pack their bags and start on the road recently travelled. But God puts some roadblocks in their path and their plan and sends them on a detour.
Acts 16:6-10
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
(NIV)
Why does God send us detours?
God has a bigger plan than we do!
Jeremiah 29:11-13
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
(NIV)
God’s detour will always….
….cause you to prosper,
….will not permit harm to come your way,
….will help you perservere and gain hope,
….will provide for your future,
and prepare you to pray
Acts 17:1-9
1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said.
4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.
5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.
6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here,
7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus."
8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.
9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
(NIV)
Acts 17:6
"These who have turned the world upside down have come here too….”
(NKJ)
Acts 17:6
"These people are out to destroy the world, and now they’ve shown up on our doorstep, attacking everything we hold dear!”
(The Message)
To turn our world upside down, we must have a…
Discipline in Our Lives
Acts 17:1-3
1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said.
(NIV)
Did you notice that Paul, although on a detour, did not allow the detour to stop him from doing what he knew he needed to do? Verse 2 states that it was his custom, his habit, to go to the synagogue. He didn’t stop doing what he knew to do just because he was on a detour to what he had planned.
When some people get sidetracked they quit doing the normal stuff. They take their hands off the wheel and let fate drive their lives, instead of being controlled and steered by their faith. Being driven by fate rather than faith will cause your life to rollover! When faith takes the wheel and your life is controlled by the Spirit of the Living God, no matter where the detour takes you, you know God is in charge!
To turn our world upside down, we must have a…
Daring in Our Faith
Acts 17:4
4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.
(NIV)
To turn our world upside down, we must have a…
Demonstration of His Power
1 Thessalonians 1:3-6
3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,
5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.
6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.
(NIV)
