DIRECTION AND DECISION
LUKE 3:1 18
There is a story about a man named Fred who inherited $10 million... but the will said he must accept it either in Chile or Brazil. He chose Brazil.
Sadly, it turned out that in Chile he would have received his inheritance in land on which uranium, gold and silver had just been discovered.
Once in Brazil he had to choose between receiving his inheritance in coffee or nuts. He chose nuts. Too bad! The bottom fell out of the nut market and coffee went up to $1.30 wholesale...unroasted! Poor Fred lost everything he had to his name.
So he went out and sold his solid gold watch for the money he needed to fly home. It seems that he had enough for a ticket to either New York or Boston. He chose Boston.
When the plane for New York taxied up, he noticed it was a brand new super 747 jet with red carpets and wine popping hostesses. The plane for Boston then arrived. It was a 1928 Ford trimotor with a sway back and it took a full day to get off the ground.
It was filled with crying children and tethered goats. Over the Andes one of the engines fell off. So our man Fred made his way up to the captain and said, "I'm a jinx on this plane. Let me out if you want to save your lives. Give me a parachute.
The pilot agreed, but added, "On this plane, anybody who bails out must wear two chutes. So Fred jumped out of the plane...and as he fell dizzily through the air he tried to make up his mind which ripcord to pull.
Finally he chose the one on the left. It was rusty and the wire pulled loose. So then he pulled the other handle. This chute opened...but then its shroud lines snapped.
In desperation, the poor fellow cried out, "St Francis save me!" A great hand from heaven reached down and seized the poor fellow by the wrist and let him dangle in mid air. Then a gentle but inquisitive voice asked, "St Francis Xavier or St Francis of Assisi?"
Decisions...decisions
Poor old Fred is an extreme case...but we all have and will face decisions that will change the direction of our lives forever. And this morning I want to speak on the subject "Direction and Decisions"
READ Luke 3:1 18
John the Baptist would probably be called the most unforgettable character anyone could ever meet. He was quite a colorful person, and many factors went in to making him what he was.
He was a man of the desert...a first century prophet who roamed the hills and plains announcing the coming of the Messiah. But he was not just some homeless vagrant or wild mountain man living off the land in the Judean wilderness.
His father was a Jewish priest...and so John knew all about religious thought and practice...and he knew what normal Jewish life was like. But he possessed none of the graces of normal, polite society. He was not the kind of guy you would normally want your daughter bringing home for dinner.
His words and deeds were rough and tumble...and his patience was short. He charged the religious leadership with hypocrisy and confronted the people with unfaithfulness. He was truly the voice that roared throughout the land.
And it seemed he feared no man, because he even charged the king with an unlawful marriage. But in spite of all of that, great crowds would flock to see him wherever he went. Many people may have been attracted to the novelty of this voice crying in the wilderness.
Yet many of them also found their conscience and their ways of life called into question. John preached a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." And this meant that he challenged the people to radically alter the direction of their lives...and then to give public evidence of that by being baptized in the Jordan River.
And I find this man so amazing. You wouldn't think that people he referred to as "a brood of vipers" would stay around long and listen to him...but they did. And not only did they stay, but many of them responded to his moral and ethical demands.
His fiery speech and surprising popularity even caused the king to fear him. And eventually John's strong voice against sin would cost him his life at the hands of king Herod.
But his influence could not be stopped...and he created the necessary environment that would bring the focus to the one who followed him... Jesus of Nazareth.
The mission and the message of John the Baptist signaled the beginning of the gospel...or the good news of Jesus Christ. So to learn about Jesus we must start with John...that one who described himself as the forerunner...pointing to one to come who was greater than he.
John was a man who could definitely get the attention of the crowd. But anyone can draw a crowd momentarily. Just stand on a street corner some time and begin staring up in the air...pretty soon you'll have a crowd beside you trying to figure out what you see.
But keeping the attention of a crowd is far different. Someone said that John the Baptist was a man that brought his listeners to the "raw edge of excitement" ...but not because he was an oddball, or did something strange or weird.
What so gripped the people was the fact that he addressed the greatest of all life's questions... a question that even today remains one of the most troubling of life..."What shall we do?" What must I do to satisfy that desperate need for fulfillment and peace.
In their endless search for direction, human beings repeatedly raise that very same question. Many of you have asked the very same thing...though maybe not in those same words. But until we find the answer we search...in a hundred different areas.
And when there is a range of options given to that question, human excitement is at fever pitch. And that explains John's popularity...he presented them with options. The word got around that there was a man who had the answers to the questions of the soul.
You see, people are always looking for direction. We all want to live life with a purpose...not just kind of drifting along aimlessly. Most all of us want a sense of movement that is not chaotic, but has stability and purpose. We want to know where we are going...and why!
And "What shall we do" is the question asked by serious people everywhere. And John had the answers...answers that were practical and right to the point.
Like.."Whoever has 2 coats must share with anyone who has none" and "whoever has food must do likewise." This prophet was specific...he wasn't just making generic statements...but he was targeting the needs as he saw them according to whoever he was speaking to.
And his answers went a long way toward defining the changed lives his baptism represented. The crowds that followed John apparently were greatly helped by his teaching and direction.
But somehow, it wasn't enough. The repentance John insisted upon did lead to new ways of thinking and acting. And the ethical demands placed on these newly baptized people were gladly implemented. But still, something was missing.
And John knew this. And that is why he said that one was coming who was more powerful...one so great that he wasn't even worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. One who would baptize them with the Holy Ghost and fire!
As important and significant as John's work was for those who responded to him, he still could not meet their fullest and final expectations. Another kind of question was needed for that purpose.
John had been able to deal with the question of direction...the one that asked "What shall we do?" But beyond that is an more basic question that asks, "To whom shall we go?"
And this is where so many "church goers" miss the boat. We need more than just someone to tell us the moral and ethical answers of life... we need more than a pastor...or teacher...or insightful friend who can give us a measure of biblical truth.
We need someone who is worthy of allegiance...one who is able to meet the hurts and hopes of people...one who is capable of providing both forgiveness and renewal of the human soul. We need someone who will give real meaning to life...not just temporarily but eternally!
John clearly understood these questions that burn in the human heart...and he pointed others, as well as himself to the one who had the answer...he pointed them to Jesus. He later said to them as Jesus approached, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."
Jesus is the only source of spiritual power that we can draw strength from...that we can speak to and have fellowship with...that we can truly and honestly depend upon.
When the crowds asked John the Baptist, "What shall we do?" they were searching for direction. And whenever that second question is raised, "To whom shall we go?"...there is an inescapable need for decision.
We seek direction...we make decisions. And when it comes to deciding about a guide and a guardian for this journey of life, careful, deliberate commitment is required.
Now, some say they serve no one...that they make their own decisions and don't need anyone telling them what to do...they don't need any "crutch" to make it in life...!but that is pure and simple delusion.„Ç
It's inevitable that we will attach ourselves to something or someone. And it may be to something good or bad...but it will be to those persons or forces that give our life some sense of meaning. But even that will never be enough...not in this life, and certainly not in eternity.
But a decision to follow Jesus is the surest and safest commitment that can possibly be made. He alone is the one who is trustworthy and true. And that is what this advent season is all about. That is why we turn our attention to Jesus' birth...to His entrance upon the human scene.
As the New Testament says, "In the fullness of time" God came to us in the person of Jesus...and provided the direction that will enable us to make the right decision about where our loyalties lie.
We have direction. The question is, "Have we made the decision?" In this holiday season where we get so busy..so caught up in all of the activities and celebrations...that we often forget the reason for the season.
What better time than at the beginning of this advent season to ask, either for the first time...or in retrospect..."To whom shall we go?"
There are many here this morning who have answered that question and have responded to the Lord by committing their lives to the one who came so long ago that we might have eternal life.
But there are also some who may be faithful to church, but have never really settled the question personally by making that commitment to accept Christ as your own Savior.
For some reason or another you have been directed here this morning.. but each of you are also faced with a decision...the most crucial of your life. I'd like you to think carefully about that decision.
On the top of a hill in a mid-western state stand s a courthouse that is situated in such a way that raindrops falling on one side of the roof travel by way of the Great Lakes into the Atlantic...while drops landing on the opposite side find their way through the Ohio and Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
Just a breath of wind one way or the other may determine whether a single raindrop will end up either in the Gulf or in the Atlantic. Just like that, one single decision is enough to determine your eternal destiny...either heaven or hell. Have you made the right decision?
