I Just Need A Little Help: Will Jesus just fix my problem. . . and leave the rest of my life alone?
- Often when people call on God, they’re not looking to make a big change. They just need a little help with a problem.
- They’re not looking to put God first in everything; they just want Him to keep them from getting laid-off.
- They’re not looking to “take up their cross and follow Him”; they just want Him to pull their 23-year-old back from the drug lifestyle He’s in.
- They’re not looking to make God the love of their lives; they just want Him to heal the cancer.
- What they’re basically saying is this: “Just fix my problem, God, please. . . and leave the rest of my life alone!” (Not that they’d be so rude as to say it like that.)
- This is not to say they aren’t sincere in their prayers. It’s not say they aren’t contrite and even humble in their prayers. They know they need His help. That’s the reason they’re asking – they don’t have anywhere else to turn!
- But within that sincerity and humility there is also a clear understanding that they are not interested in a larger change of lifestyle or a shift in who is usually calling the shots.
- We want help without giving up control.
- Note: I am not saying that if we start with one problem, while being open to God for whatever else He has in mind, that He won’t start there with us.
- I am saying that if we go to Him for a quick fix for one part of our lives while keeping the doors closed to the other parts of our lives, that’s not a plan that works very well, either from God’s willingness to do that or from the success of that arrangement if He does help us.
- As I think we’d all agree, this (wanting help without giving up control) is a very common way that people approach God. So our passage today, which outlines Jesus’ thoughts on that approach, is an important one. Maybe that’s why it was “truth worth repeating” three times (in three gospels).
Two Ways We Would Like This To Happen:
- This brings us to our passage for this morning. The two brief parables He tells here are obviously similar in their point, but there is a slight difference between the two.
1. I want Him to just fix one part of my life while leaving the rest alone.
- Mark 2:21.
- If you try to sew a patch of unshrunk cloth onto a old garment, the subsequent washing and shrinking will create an even worse tear. What does that mean as far as our spiritual lives go?
- I think this points to those times when we want God to fix one part of our lives while leaving the rest alone.
- “Will You fix my marriage, but leave my porn habit alone?”
- “Will You fix my kids, but leave my anger problem alone?”
- “Will You fix my bitterness, but leave my envy alone?”
- But asking God to fix one part of my life while not touching the rest is like trying to sew a piece of new cloth onto an old garment. It’s not going to work – the end result is going to be an even bigger tear.
- Let’s talk about some specific examples:
a. Like trying to sew self-control onto my heart that’s embraced the “me-first” culture.
- Let’s say I have an anger problem. I yell in traffic daily. I sometimes even bang a table at work or let an argument with my spouse escalate into regrettable words being shouted back and forth.
- What I need is some self-control. That’s the patch of new cloth that I want God to bring into my life.
- The problem is that the rest of my life has been organized around the “me-first” idea. I believe I should have what I want when I want it. I believe the world owes me. I believe I should not be inconvenienced. And therefore I get upset when things don’t go the way I want them to.
- Now, how can I expect to have self-control in one area of my life (anger) while simultaneously wanting unlimited self-expression in the rest (what I want is most important). The two ideas are incompatible. In fact, they’re pulling in opposite directions.
- Now, I may be sincere in wishing I would quit having road rage. But I am naïve to think that I can accomplish it in one area of my life while wanting the exact opposite way in the rest of my life.
b. Like trying to sew patience onto my heart that’s embraced immediate gratification.
- Let’s say that my kids, like all kids, make a lot of mistakes. My default response is to swoop in, scold them, fix the problem, and walk away shaking my head wondering how things would ever function without me. In a moment of clarity, though, I realize that I need to be more patient with my kids and let them work through their problems to be able to solve them themselves.
- What I need is patience. That’s the patch of new cloth that I want God to bring into my life.
- The problem is that rest of my life has been organized around immediate gratification. If a webpage takes more than a second to load, I mutter, “C’mon, hurry up.” If I’m shopping and see something that I really want, I just put it on my credit card. My house is littered with projects that need done, but they’d just take too long.
- Now, how can I expect to have patience in one area of my life while simultaneously wanting immediate gratification in the rest. The two ideas are incompatible. In fact, they’re pulling in opposite directions.
- Now, I may be sincere in wishing I could do better with my kids. But I am naïve to think that I can accomplish it in one area of my life while wanting the exact opposite in the rest of my life.
- Wanting God to fix one thing while leaving the rest alone just doesn’t work.
- The point here is not that you should avoid anything new because it will mess up the old stuff you already have.
- The point is that you can’t take a little bit of the new and incorporate it into the existing old system/lifestyle/beliefs that you have.
2. I want Him to just fix my inside while leaving my outside alone.
- Mark 2:22.
- The second example raises a slightly different issue.
- Whereas the garment analogy raises the issue of adding a small piece to an existing larger piece, the wine analogy has more to do with something inside affecting what’s outside.
- The problem with wine was something like this. The new wine, still fermenting, would build up fermenting gases that would split the old and brittle skin. Then both the wine would be lost and the wineskin would be useless.
- The analogy here has to do with times when we want God to do something within us while leaving what’s outside us alone. Another way to say would be “I want Him to just fix my soul while leaving my body alone” or “I want Him to just fix my spirit while leaving my lifestyle alone.”
- The problem is similar to the garment analogy in that it’s incompatibility between the two that creates the problem – this just highlights another way that we try to do that.
- Let’s talk about some specific examples:
a. Like trying to have joy in my heart while by body embraces busyness.
- Let’s say I’m down a lot and not smiling much.
- I realize I need more joy in my life. That’s the thing I want God to fill my heart with. So I pray, asking God to give me more joy.
- The problem is that rest of my life has been organized around busyness. I’ve come to believe that the busier you are, the more important you are. Putting in a ton of hours at work is a sign that you’re essential and important. Always having too much to do is a sign you’re successful.
- Now, how can I expect to have joy on the inside of my heart when all that I’m doing on the outside emphasizes busyness? Our greatest joys come from relationships (both with God and people), but my busyness means I’m spending so much time on tasks and to-do lists that I have little time for people.
- Now, I may be sincere in wishing that I had more joy. But I am naïve to think that I can have that on the inside while pursuing the very thing on the outside that undermines it.
b. Like trying to have peace in my heart while my body embraces materialism.
- Let’s say I’m worried a lot. One of my biggest worries is my job. There are rumors of lay-offs. How will I pay the bills? How will I feed my family? What if I lose my house?
- What I need is some peace. That’s the patch of new cloth that I want God to bring into my life. So I pray, asking God to fill me with His peace.
- The problem is that the rest of my life has been organized around materialism. My biggest loves are my 60” HDTV and my boat. I love getting the latest techno gadget when it comes out. We keep our house (which is huge) looking sharp, constantly buying something new to make it a little nicer.
- Now, how can I expect to have peace on the inside of my heart when all that I’m doing on the outside emphasizes money and things? The two ideas are incompatible. If I’m valuing money and things on the outside, I’m going to value them on the inside.
- Now, I may be sincere in wishing that I had more peace. But I am naïve to think that I can have that on the inside while pursuing the very things that show my values are tied to the things causing me worry.
- The old wineskins were not the Law. Jesus said that He did not come to destroy the Law (Matthew 5:17-19).
- The old wineskins were the theological teaching and traditions of the Pharisees.
What He Is Offering: Following Christ is both (a) the most amazing opportunity ever, and (b) a challenging endeavor where we should carefully consider the cost.
a. The most amazing opportunity ever.
- Matthew 13:44-46 (like a hidden treasure or a costly pearl).
- We are right to see the opportunity that Christ puts in front of us as amazing. We were without hope and caught in our sin. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, He has given us the chance for a relationship with God, as well as eternal life. He gives the power to overcome our sin and to live in victory.
- This is why Jesus said we should look at our chance to enter the Kingdom the way a man would look at a hidden treasure or finding an immaculate pearl. We should see it as the opportunity of a lifetime and see ourselves as incredibly fortunate to have had it come our way.
b. A challenging endeavor where we should carefully consider the cost.
- Matthew 10:34-36 (not peace but a sword; dividing families).
- Matthew 10:37 (don’t love your family more than Me or you’re not worthy of Me).
- Matthew 10:38 (take your cross).
- Matthew 10:39 (to find your life you have to lose it).
- Matthew 16:24 (deny yourself, take up your cross).
- Matthew 16:25 (lose life to find it).
- Luke 9:23 (deny yourself, take up your cross).
- Luke 9:24 (lose life to find it).
- Luke 9:57-62 (high sacrifice of discipleship).
- Luke 14:26 (hate family and own life).
- Luke 14:27 (carry your cross).
- Luke 14:28-33 (add up the cost before signing on).
- At the same time, Jesus did not minimize the cost of following Him. He gave a variety of different warnings (see Scripture list).
- He gave these warnings because “believing in Jesus” includes following Him, putting Him first in our lives, and loving Him above all else. These are things that are reasonable in the context of all that He’s done for us, but often people speak of salvation as little more than signing your name to a list of theological statements and then getting on with your life (with you still calling the shots).
- That’s not what salvation looks like.
- The big point as it relates to what we’re talking about today is that God is not interested in having part of us. God is not interested in serving as our “Mr. Fix-It.” God is not interested in “belief” that doesn’t include obedience.
- The call of Christ is a difficult call because it is a call to give Him everything – “carry your cross,” “lose your life,” “count the cost.” It is not adding to what we already have or having God on the inside but not where anyone will see Him. It changes everything.
- Am I looking for God to fix my problem and then go away? Am I wanting His help without losing my control?
- It doesn’t work like that.
- This also answers how we avoid just running after whatever the next big thing is.
- Some misinterpret these words of Jesus as saying that we should toss aside the old and grasp greedily onto the new. The point, though, is not new for the sake of novelty or change for the sake of variety.
- The call is for us to lay aside our sinful, craven lifestyles and to boldly step out to follow Christ. What is new in our lives is Christ. The goal is not newness for the sake of newness, but newness because we want to rid ourselves of our old sinful ways.
Where Does Halfway Lead? If you don’t give Him everything, the result is ruin.
- Mark 2:21-22.
- This is a point we’ve been alluding to, but let’s make it plain.
- Partial acceptance of Christ leads to disaster.
- Half-hearted obedience leads to ruin.
- We want sometimes to have the best of both worlds – the best of God and the best of the world. It just can’t work like that. Love of the world is hatred of God (1 John 2:15).
- As we’ve just gone over, trying to add a piece of cloth to an existing garment or putting new wine in old wineskins will inevitably lead to ruin. It’s in the very nature of what we’re trying to do.
- Why do I have to give Him everything? Because the alternative is ruin.
- Sometimes people complain, “Why isn’t faith working for me?” One possible reason? Because we were trying to have it on our own terms.
- He actually says that it will make the tear “worse” (v. 21).
- What makes the ruin worse?
a. False security.
- I think I’m alright because I’ve got a little bit of God. This leads me to not be ready for judgment.
b. Expecting God to come through, yet He doesn’t because I’m not actually His.
- I’m waiting for Him to do what I’ve asked, but I don’t realize that He’s not going to because I’m not even a Christian. This adds resentment and disillusionment to my struggle.
c. I’m shining negatively on God because I’m claiming to be a Christian while not living it.
- I claim to be a Christian but my life does not reflect Christ’s truth, so I’m a negative influence on those around me.
The Choice In Front Of You: Are you all-in?
- It’s all-in or ruin. (You might pronounce that emphasizing the “in” that finishes each phrase.)
- As much as we might want to go halfway, to keep one foot in each world, to hedge our bets by our compromise, we have to go all-in.
- Trying to go halfway leaves us not with the best of both worlds, but with a bigger mess on our hands.
- We need to face this head-on. If you are giving God less than your all, the end result is not going to be good.
- Ultimately, there is no such thing as “casual Christianity.”
- Embrace the change.
- Jump boldly into it.
- It’s scary and challenging to embrace the unknown, but we have to be willing to trust that Jesus has good reasons for why He does what He does.
- In the two stories that lead into these parables, Jesus is questioned.
- First, the Pharisees question why Jesus would willingly eat dinner with known “sinners” (Mark 2:15-17). To their mind, purity before God demanded staying away from people who weren’t serious about being right before God.
- Jesus replies that He’s hanging out with these folks because the sick are who needs a doctor.
- Second, the Pharisees and John the Baptist’s followers ask Jesus why His disciples don’t fast (Mark 2:18-20). To their mind, it was evidence that they weren’t serious about their faith.
- Jesus replies that fasting is essential, but that now is an exception because the bridegroom is with them.
- The fact is that following Jesus leads in directions we may not anticipate at first. He has good, solid reasons for why He points us in the directions He does, but the fact remains that we have to be willing to say yes up front, not knowing where that might lead.
- Jesus sees the way things connect more clearly than we do. He has reasons that we don’t see at first.
- This all leads back to the call that Matthew Levi responds to (Mark 2:13-14). It is simple, but open-ended to the point of being scary: “Follow Me.”
- Are we willing to go “all-in” like that? To trust Him completely with our lives?
