An older gentleman was driving home from work when his cell phone rang. His wife was on the line in a panic and said, "Honey, be careful driving. I just saw on the TV that some maniac is driving the wrong way on the interstate!" The old man replies, "One? There's hundreds of them!"
That story would be more humorous if I didn't read about once a month of that actually happening somewhere in the country. It is easy to go the wrong way! This is true in life and it is true spiritually.
2 Corinthians 11:2-4
2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
2 Timothy 4:3-5
3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
1 Timothy 4:6-8
6If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
Myth #2 Jesus died on the cross for your sins. Truth: Jesus died on the cross for you.
I Corinthians 6:19-20
19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
An Army GI was had the weekend off and went to the beach. On Monday he was reprimanded and faced a possible court martial. Why? He didn't use sunscreen and he was sunburned. His charge? Destruction of government property! GI stands for Government Issue. He was not his own, he belonged to Uncle Sam.
You may not belong to Uncle Sam, but you do belong to the LORD.
Ultimate selfishness…making salvation about me!
Humanism crept into the church - "Please accept Jesus, He will give you
• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Fulfillment
• Purpose
• Take you to Heaven when you die.
You don’t come to Christ for yourself and what you are going to get out of it.
Don’t try and bargain with Almighty God telling Him, “I’ll serve you if you give me such and such!”
I don’t come to Christ for me, I come to Christ for Christ, that He would get what He paid for – me!
Imagine I took $10,000 to buy a new car. I paid for it and then went to the car and vacuumed the inside and dumped the contents in a shoe box. Then I emptied the ashtray into the box and I found a couple of old French fries in the back seat and some other garbage in the trunk. I put it all in the box and drove home. My wife asks me “What did you get for $10,000?” And I show her the contents of the box! She would maybe try to slap some sense into me! Why? I bought the car; the trash just came with it. I didn’t spend $10k on the trash.
AUCTION
(Have an item to eat like a granola bar or something to drink like a Gatorade. Be sure to make it something you can eat or drink quickly - chewy granola bar not regular one and not a hot drink. Tell the congregation, “You don’t usually get to eat at church. But you are getting permission. I am auctioning off this granola bar. You must have the cash with you.” Bring up high bidder, take their money, and then begin to eat the granola bar! Give them the empty wrapper, thank them, and tell them they can have a seat! You may get some boo’s! Ask “What’s the big deal?” Bring the guy back up, give him his money back, and pull out of your pocket a hereto forth hidden identical granola bar and tell him to enjoy).
You were upset that he didn’t get what he paid for. He got the wrapper (the trash) but not the item. It’s the same with us when we give Jesus our sin and not us. He bought us, not just our sin.
May the Lamb who was slain receive the just rewards of His suffering on the cross!
He paid for YOU and He deserves you, not just your sins.
If you have given Him your sins and tried to bargain with Him, would you be bold enough to admit it? Lord, today I give you my heart, my life, control, everything – I give you me!
Let’s pray…
