FAIRY TALE DREAMS:
Adventure Calling
It was the call of adventure that actually drew Bilbo Baggins out the Shire. He had lived there all of his life, among people who never went anywhere. But Bilbo was a little different than the rest of the hobbits that lived around him. Often he could be found sitting on his roof, staring off into the distance, blowing smoke rings from his pipe, and wondering what lay out there. He was curious about what might be over the next hilltop. And yet he had never gone that far in all his life.
All that changed one day, of course. It was a day that began like many others. Before he knew it Bilbo’s house was full of dwarfs and a wizard. It was this day that he received the invitation. An invitation that promised adventure, fame, and wealth (and funeral expenses if necessary).
I think what amazes me most if that despite all the possible danger, despite the idea of something unknown, and despite the possibility of his own death Bilbo runs off to adventure anyway. Not only does he go, but he leaves so quickly that he later discovers that he has left behind his warm hobbit hole, he pipe and even his good, thick coat.
As you may have guess by now we’re going to be continuing the series that we started last week, entitled “Fairy Tale Dreams.” And one of the things that I really want everyone to know as we progress through the next couple of weeks is that we’re not really talking about some dream life you might have someday. Now are we talking about the idea that your life is going to be perfect or that you’ll have everything you desire in life. Most of you know that I don’t believe that. I don’t think we can just wish for something and God is going to give it to us.
I do have to admit though that this series is about you and I having content lives. Quite often I hear things like “I just wish I had a happier family life.” Or it may be, “If only my work life were better.” Maybe you’ve heard people say, “I just want to improve my spiritual life.”
In all honesty I find a problem with those statements. Because quite often it’s the same person making all those statements. What we often forget is that there is no separation in any of those lives. It’s all you. It’s all me. Your work life, your family life, your social life, your spiritual life, all make up a part of you. It’s all one life.
But the real question is how do we get to that point? How do we find what can truly make us happy? How do we get our act together? How do we live that fairy tale life so many of us want to have?
This series is so crucial for our lives. Because this series is about changing your life to become a person that is happier. It’s about becoming the kind of person that God wants you to be. Because what I’ve found in life is that when God is active in your life, when your life is centered around the things that God wants for you, you personally are more content.
But we have to get there. We have to find a way to grow and strengthen our life in Christ. That’s what this series is going to help us understand.
We began last week by saying that every good story begins with a “Once upon a time…” If you recall that once upon a time life begins with the realization that you and I need a savior. We need Jesus Christ. Because you and I are sinners he died on a cross, he paid a price for our sins, and only he can give us the free gift of salvation from those sins. This salvation can truly begin a great relationship in your personal life and in mine.
But it doesn’t end there. Saying the words, “OK. I get it. I need a savior.” And accepting him is only the beginning.
Once you’ve made that decision the true adventure really begins.
Bilbo Baggins knew that what he needed most in his life was adventure. He needed a journey. He needed something that would make him more complete. I think that deep down, even though he would never have admitted it, when he sat outside that hobbit hole he craved a different life. He wanted to be different than everyone else around him. But it took more than a bunch of dwarfs and a wizard to show it to him. It took an invitation.
So we begin today talking about adventure. You see, you have an invitation. You’ve received it already. It’s an invitation to adventure. Jesus, himself, is offering that adventure to you.
In fact what you’ll find over and over throughout the Bible is that God continuously offers people just like you and me invitations. You’ll find it occurring throughout the Old Testament. He calls forth Moses, Aaron, Abraham, Isaiah, David, and Jeremiah. He offers them a chance to have an adventure that will last their entire lifetimes with him.
But I think my favorite invitations I’ve seen come from the New Testament. Because these are personal invitations. They come from Jesus speaking directly to someone. He calls them out of the life they’re currently living and calls them into a new, a different, and an adventurous life.
Check out Matthew 4:18 – 20 with me, “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.” You’ll find that some versions say, “They immediately left their nets.”
Can you imagine it? Here by the water are two fishermen. They’ve been fishing their entire lives. It’s all they’ve known. This is their career. Chances are that they come from generations of fishermen. Even now as Jesus comes b the sea they’re doing what they, know best. “Follow me,” the call reaches at the hearts and draws them to him. Here it is the call for adventure. They have no idea what being a fisher of men could possibly mean. But it’s certainly enough to pull them away from what they know is stable.
This is the call of adventure.
It happens again. Over in Mark 2:14 we can see the call of adventure as it occurs to Matthew, “As he walked along he saw Levi son of Alphaeus witting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him and Levi got up and followed him.”
Here’s a man whose entire life is about to change. Levi is a tax collector. He’s probably despised by the people around him. He probably has wealth. Often what we know from history is that tax collectors were some of the most dishonest men around. Their livelihood came because they would collect the taxes for the ceasar in Rome. But what would really happen is they would collect more than what the government required of the people. They’d take the amount that the government required and turn it over to the local magistrates and they’d pocket everything else.
But then Jesus comes along. Simple words. “Follow me.” Levi leaves the tax collecting booth and he becomes the disciple that we call Matthew. His adventure has begun. His life is being changed.
This very same thing occurs with you and me today. Jesus is still calling out, “Follow me.” He wants you and me to take an adventure with him that will change our lives forever.
We just have to go.
But it never ends there. The call isn’t enough. And what I’ve found along my own journey really boils down to three things.
First off the journey is never easy. Being a Christian isn’t easy. So many people have this idea that once they become a Christian their lives will be changed and they won’t ever have to worry about anything again. They think God will just take care of everything.
It doesn’t work that way. Life isn’t always perfect and it certainly isn’t always easy.
As a kid I watched the Lord of the Rings cartoon movie. Any one else ever seen it?
Great. Then you may remember the scene as I talk about it. Frodo Baggins and Samwise are on the way to Mount Doom in the land of Mordor to destroy the One Ring. Their lives have become completely unbearable. They have had very little sleep. Gollum, their enemy, is right beside them all the time. The ring has become heavier and heavier, like a massive weight, around Frodo’s neck. One morning they are awaken to the sound of orcs on the nearby road. They are found in the spot where they are hiding, but because they are wearing orc made armor they are mistaken for orc desserters. Then they are forced to run along with the orcs toward the coming battle. All the while in this scene a song palys, “Where there’s a whip, there’s a way.” The sound of the whip snaps over their heads. (I can never remember more of the song than that.) When they finally escape, they find that they are far away from their goal again.
The Christian life can be just like that sometimes. There will be days where it seems nothing is going right. There will be days where you don’t feel like you’re progressing at all or that you’re farther away than when you started.
Over in the book of Luke, Jesus points out that life as a Christian, as a follower of him will not be easy. Let’s take a look at Luke 9:57 – 62. “Now someone said to him, “Lord, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Then he said to another, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury there own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” And another also said, “Lord, I will follow you, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is it for the kingdom of God.”
Now they are lots of different ways that we could unpack this. I’ve even heard some great sermons over this very passage of Scripture. But we’re going to try and put it simply. If you want to be a Christian, if you start this adventure there are going to be costs along the way.
The first man finds that there are times that he may not have what he wants in life. You and I are the same way. There may be times when we may have to do without things that we want. Jesus even points out that he doesn’t own a house. He has no where to sleep. He has times where he is wanting.
The second man too finds that he may miss out on things. He says, “First let me bury my father.” But it doesn’t necessarily mean that his father is dead. It meant let me wait and then I’ll come later. Let me take care of these other things first. But it doesn’t always work that way. Jesus may have other plans for us to do other than the things that we want to be doing. Those things will often have to come first.
The third man wants just to go say goodbye to his family and friends. Seems like a simple request doesn’t it? The truth is that there will be relationships that you will have to give up completely. Your belief in Christ will cost you relationships with family and friends.
The second thing I’ve learned about this adventure that I’m on is that there is no turning back.
It wasn’t that long ago that I was at work in the factory, listening to my MP3 player, with Alistar Begg in particular when a huge revelation opened my eyes to a passage of scripture. Now this verse has always been one of my favorites.
It can be found in Luke 9:47. “Then he (Jesus) said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
But what I learned that day was super important to this idea of adventure. During this time period cruxifiction, death on a cross, was becoming more and more frequent. So Jesus saying “pick up your cross daily” meant something to those he was speaking to. You see, they knew that once a person picked up the cross they were on their way to their death. It was a one way trip. There was no turning back or changing the mind.
Once you and I choose this journey the same thing occurs to us. We have to know that there is no turning back. This journey will change me but it’s a one way trip.
Finally, I have learned this, and to me this one is the one that is most important. Christ is with me all the way. He’s with you all the way through the adventure.
There is no doubting it in my mind. I know that he’s always right there. Every time I take a step Jesus is there. Every time I fall and sin again Jesus is right there. He’s still leading. He’s still carrying me more often than I care to admit. He’s still guiding. He’s still calling me to the adventure.
Let me ask you something this morning. What about you? Are you still dreaming about what might be over the next hill? Are you at least curious? You know there’s more than sitting still.
If you’re anything like Bilbo you know that there is more than just you hobbit hole and the Shire. You yearn to know what more there is. If you’re anything like me you’re really a curious creation. You want to know what else there is about everything.
Now is your chance. He’s still calling out. Can you hear it? He’s still saying, “Let’s go on an adventure.”
There it is.
Are you listening?
“Follow me.”
