Why Would We want to Settle for less than the Best?
Am service March 8th 2009
Hebrews 1:1-4
Introduction
The other day someone told me about the movie “City of Angels?” In the movie, an angel longs to become human so that he can experience the relationship between a man and a woman. My thought as I was listening was: Why would an angel ever consider giving up the best relationship possible- one with God- to settle for a human relationship?
Then it hit me- we do it all the time. Adam and Eve had the perfect relationship with God in the Garden of Eden but they were willing to give it all up on the chance that the serpent might be telling them the truth and there might be something more that they could gain by eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil?
Judas was in the perfect place- one of Jesus’ chosen disciples. He got to spend quality time with Jesus every day. But He was willing to trade it all in for thirty piece of silver.
There are times when I go into the office to study and I end up checking emails or playing around with the church’s website, I know that I have chosen less than the best.
It doesn’t make sense, does it? Logic would tell us don’t settle for less than the best but Adam and Eve did; Judas did; and so do you and I.
The writer of the book of Hebrews, right from the start, is going to get in our face and tells us that when we are looking for a relationship with God we better not settle for anything less than Jesus Christ.
And so today I want us to see how sometimes we do indeed settle for less the best. I want to know, given where we are in life and the struggles we encounter, how we could ever allow ourselves to settle for anything less than the best – anything less than Jesus Christ.
Read Scriptures: Hebrews 1:1-4
I. We are more comfortable settling for a powerless religion than we are a relationship with a Holy God that might require something of us.
Hebrews 1:1-2 “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.”
Judaism was a powerless religion. It could not provide a relationship with God; it could not provide a relationship with Jesus. All it could do is point out that you have this gigantic hole in your heart for which you need a relationship with God; for which you need a relationship with Jesus. But rather than embracing that relationship with God; they remained steadfast to their powerless religion because it was more comfortable to them.
We are a Southern Baptist Church and many of you are members of this church. But I am here to tell you today that this church and this denomination is powerless to get you to heaven. If you would have to stand before God today and He asked you why you should you enter My heaven, a good answer would not be that I was a Southern Baptist or I was a member of First Baptist. I am afraid being a Southern Baptist or a member of First Baptist does not have any clout with God in eternity.
Now don’t get me wrong- there is nothing wrong with being a Southern Baptist- there is nothing wrong with being a member of First Baptist. And you ought to be a member of a local church. But if you are using that membership in a church or a denomination to replace an ongoing personal relationship with Jesus you are settling for way less than the best.
And the reason why we settle is: it is a lot more comfortable to be a member in a church or a member in a denomination than to have a personal relationship with Jesus because God will always require more of you than this church or this denomination will.
But today, with the world the way it is, I would not want to be settling for a powerless religion. I will gladly take Jesus and cheerfully do what He requires of me knowing that I got the best than settle for a powerless religion.
II. We are more comfortable being entertained by a powerless message that brings no Holy Spirit conviction than we are a message that pierces our hearts and shakes up our lives.
Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
A powerless message tells you what you want to hear, not what you need to hear. I am told by church hoping preachers that many times as they sit down to talk with a church about a pastor opportunity, the church addresses with the potential pastor what kind of sermons that they want to hear and what type of sermons that they don’t want to hear. Let me tell you something if I have to get my sermon material from my congregation rather than God it is time for me to leave.
I would rather be in a church whether it is five in attendance or a thousand and five in attendance where God knew ahead of time the heart of every person that was going to be here today and God has chosen to lay on the pastor’s heart exactly what they need to hear.
A powerless message can certainly entertain you but it won’t change you. I can entertain you at a Valentine party; I can entertain you at a Christmas party but I am not here to entertain you on Sunday morning. I am here on Sunday morning to tell you what you need to hear from God because that has the power to change you. It is His Word that is alive and active and able to change your heart. I don’t need to chase a whole lot of rabbits or tell you a whole lot of cute stories, I just need to tell you what God has to tell you.
And at the end of the sermon you can tell if you heard from God. If you walked out of here feeling pretty good about yourself, chances are you probably did not hear from God. Because if I have heard from God my thoughts have been judged today and my attitudes has been judged today and I can assure you not anyone of us in this room has met the standard- God’s standard.
But I will settle for a powerless message because I would rather be entertained than convicted. I would rather like to think that I am OK just like I am rather than having to make changes in my life to please God.
III. We would rather give our heart and soul to a powerless god then give our heart and soul to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 1:8 “But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.”
Money is a powerless god. Oh, money has some power but as compared to Jesus Christ it is like it has no power. I don’t care how much money you have today if you are on your death bed all the money in the world is not going to give you one more breathe of life- only God can do that.
Your job can be a powerless god that you can give your heart and soul to quite easily. You will easily sacrifice time with God for your job; you will happily sacrifice time with your family for your job; you will sometimes even sacrifice what you know is the morally right thing to do for the sake of your job. But when you find yourself backed up in a corner and no where to turn and needing a miracle it is not going to be that job that is going to be able to give it to you. If you need a miracle the only one that is going to be able to give you your miracle is Jesus.
Not even an angel created by God would make a God substitute for Jesus. Hebrews 1:14 tells us that angels are ministering spirits sent to serve. So, if they are sent to serve then they are sent by someone which means they take orders from above them. And so, if they are subject to someone else so how could we worship angels. We need to worship the one who sends them and that is Jesus Christ.
Why would we settle for a powerless god? Only one reason that I can think of. We have this false impression that whatever powerless god we are serving will come through for us in a pinch. And I am here to tell you that is simply not going to happen.
Conclusion
If you are settling for less than Jesus Christ you are robbing yourself today?
If you are settling for less than Jesus Christ you are robbing your family today?
If you are settling for less than Jesus Christ you are robbing this church today?
You say, how am I robbing myself, my family, my church family if I am settling for less than Jesus Christ? The answer is real simple: you are not allowing yourself or others to see Jesus Christ in you and what He can do through you. And if I saw that in your life it might just be enough to encourage me in my life.
(Thanks sermoncentral contributor, Preacher’s outline and sermon bible, Dr. Dave Hartson)
