OPEN: I’d like you to sing the first verse of Amazing Grace with me:
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see.
This morning, I want to focus on one phrase in that great hymn: I once was lost, but now I’m found.
Have you ever been lost?
I have.
Lost is generally not a pleasant place to be.
ILLUS: When I first got to Logansport I had to be in Monticello one day (a town due West). By the time I got to Winamac (a town to the north) I realized I was going the wrong way. A trip that should have taken me about 20 minutes ended up costing me nearly an hour and a half.
I was frustrated and angry with myself.
Preparing for this morning’s sermon, I went on Facebook and asked people on a couple of the groups I’m part of there, to share of times they got lost and how they felt when it happened. Amongst their stories, these two stood out:
• I remember as a child being separated from my mom in a large dept. store. It was terrifying not knowing who to turn to or who to trust. (John Murphy)
• When our oldest boys were little (pre-cellphone/gps days) I got us lost in Louisville due to misunderstanding some construction signs. We ended up in what most of us would call a "bad neighborhood." No working streetlights, few working traffic lights, every stop sign vandalized, boarded up buildings, angry faces staring at us at every corner... Though I tried not to show it, I began to feel the terror rising up within me... What if a group decided to surround our vehicle? What if we ran out of gas or broke down here? I was so frightened, I would not even attempt to stop and ask for directions - I just kept moving... When I finally caught the glimpse of that red, white, and blue interstate sign a few blocks away, I was so relieved I almost burst out crying. (Scott Gamel)
Being lost isn’t generally fun. It can be annoying, unpleasant, and even scary.
You’ve lost your directions…
You can’t get your bearings
You might sense that you’re in danger… (like that guy in Louisville).
And you might get this horrid suspicion that you’ll NEVER get out of that situation.
ILLUS: It feels kind of like the story of a man who was walking thru a graveyard at night, when he fell into an empty grave. Startled, but unhurt, he tried climbing out of the hole… but each time, the earth crumbled in his hands and he fell back into the grave. So he just sat down in a corner to wait for help to come.
A couple of hours later, a drunk comes stumbling thru the cemetery and fell into the grave. He tried jumping and clawing and climbing his way out… but to no avail.
The other man watched this for a few moments, and then quietly said
“You’re never going to get out of here.”
(pause) But he did.
There’s something scary about being so lost you feel trapped in hole from which you’ll never get out.
ILLUS: About 50 years ago, man named Hugh Morehead – and he had a hobby. His hobby was writing to famous philosophers, scientists & authors and asking them one question:
"What is the purpose of life?"
And what was depressing was that none of Moorhead`s correspondents could really tell him what the meaning of life was.
* Joseph Heller, the author of “Catch-22” wrote, "I have no answers to the meaning of life and I no longer want to search for any."
* Isaac Asimov wrote back, "As far as I can see there is no purpose to life."
* Famous American Psychiatrist Albert Ellis said, "As far as I can tell, life has no special or intrinsic meaning or purpose."
* American Philosopher Thomas Nagle, "I'm afraid the meaning of life still eludes me."
* Nietzsche said: “Life is an unprofitable episode that disturbs an otherwise blessed state of non- existence”
* Karl Jung, the Austrian psychiatrist, wrote, "I don't know what the meaning or the purpose of life is but it looks like as if there were something meant by it."
Now, as you can tell from their comments, these people had no idea if life any purpose or value or “direction”. And people who have no direction in life are literally “lost.”
And you know, there are lots of people in this world are the same way. Life has no direction, no purpose. These folks can end up feeling really… lost. Like they’re trapped in a hole from which they’ll never get out.
But Proverbs 16 tells us – life doesn’t have to be that way.
IF we follow God we will know where we’re going… and the road will be much pleasanter if we invite God along for the ride.
Proverbs 16:9 says “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”
What its saying is this: EVERYBODY makes plans for their lives.
I make plans every day.
I’ve got lists of things I want to do at the office and at home
And there’s nothing wrong with making plans.
Proverbs 20:18 says “Plans succeed through good counsel...”
And Proverbs 21:5 tells us “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”
There’s nothing wrong with making plans. But Proverbs says no matter what plans you may make, God decides where those plans will take us.
The Bible teaches us that there’s nothing wrong with making our own personal plans
You can know where you want to go…
But as Proverbs 19:21 “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.”
You can make all the plans you want to make… but you better figure God in there somewhere, because without God in your plans… you’re going to feel REAL lost. Your life is going to feel empty and meaningless.
Why?
Because we want to go one way… and God wants us to go another.
When that happens we end up losing our way.
We end up going the wrong way.
We end up being in conflict with God’s will for our lives.
ILLUS: It’s kind of like when a guy gets out a leash and takes his dog for a walk. The dog is forever running all over the place… running first this way and then that. He’ll get himself wrapped up around trees and poles.
Is that dog going to go anywhere other than where his master takes him? No. All that dog accomplishes is getting a sore neck hurt and frustrating his master.
“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”
You know, it would be much easier if we’d just figure out where God is heading and decide that’s where we want to go.
In fact, that’s what Proverbs 16:3 tells us:
“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” (repeat)
That echoes what Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
If we commit to the Lord all that we do, God will make our plans succeed and he will make our road easier… because our road will be a straight line.
How may of you took Algebra in school?
I’m going to ask you an algebra kind of question (but even if you never took Algebra you should know the answer:
What’s the shortest distance between two points? (straight line)
God says, He’ll make your paths straight.
God says: you go where I want you to go, and the road will be straight!!!
Abraham Lincoln once said “No one ever got lost on a straight road.”
On a straight road, there’s only one direction to worry about.
There may be little side roads and diversions and rest stops along the way, but as long as you walk along that straight road you’ll always know where you’re going.
That is… as long as you stay on the road.
But, what if you got “off road?”
What if you took a side trip and really messed things up?
Could God fix that?
Yes, He can!
When a person seeks to honor God in his life, if he trusts God will all of his heart, if he leans on God’s way of thinking, if he looks to God in what he does, Proverbs 16:4 tells us “The LORD works out everything for his own ends...”
In other words: Even if we mess up - when we belong to God - God will work it out.
One man explained it this way:
If God wants 10 and all we can manage to give Him is 7… He supplies the other 3.
If all we can give Him is 5… He supplies the other 5.
This is what Romans 8:28 tells us: “… we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
• Notice, that passage doesn’t say all things are good.
• And it doesn’t say all things are brought about by God.
BUT it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter whether the things in our lives are “good” or “bad”. It doesn’t matter if the things that happen in your life are from God, or from your own foolksh choices. It doesn’t matter. Because whatever we give God - whatever pitiful or pathetic things we may offer Him - IF we love Him and belong to Him He promises He will work with that for the good of those who love Him. For those whom He has called.
BUT, without God guiding you, you might think you know where YOU want to go, but the destination won’t really be some place you would like ending up being.
ILLUS: One man described how most non-Christians live (and way too many Christians)
“The world would have our lives guided towards the ‘S’ words – Self & Success.
Success in our careers.
Success in what we own – cars, clothes, houses.
Success in how others see us – status.
Success in how we view ourselves.
Success. Success. Success. Success. Success for me, me, me! (Steve Moore)
Jesus said that if we build our lives around that type of thinking all we’re going to have is despair and disappointment. If those are our goals, our lives will be empty.
Jesus said: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:19-20 (ESV)
You can’t hang onto those things.
The things of this earth are going to rust, decay or get lost and stolen.
There’s nothing in that this world values that is going to last.
But, Jesus said, if you really want what you need in this world, then you must “…seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
That’s the only way to be sure you’ll live a life that will have meaning and value.
Everything else will bring you disappointment and despair.
Now, one of the reasons people without God get dissatisfied with their lives is because their goal in life is all about being successful. And thus they do whatever they have to to attain that success. That often means they take advantage of others, or mistreat others to attain their goal. That ends up creating obstacles for their lives. Enemies who don’t like them, who sandbag them, who do whatever they can to hurt them and trip them up.
Now, granted – most of us are going to have enemies (people that don’t like us.)
But God promises us that: When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, He makes even his enemies live at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7
Last week, we talked about how we should treat our enemies.
We were not to rejoice when they were punished by God because God wants them to repent of their lives and change, and He doesn’t want us messing it up by stepping on others who have gotten the punishment they deserve.
But Jesus took this a little farther: “I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:27-28
When we do that, God will make even our enemies to be at peace with us. It’s extremely hard to keep hating someone who’s nice to you.
ILLUS: Years ago, I interned up in Sault St. Marie, Michigan under a preacher there named Roy Chenowith. While I was there Roy shared a story with me about a man in town who hated him. He didn’t know why, but the Roy could be walking down the same side of the street as this man, and the guy would cross the street to deliberately avoid having anything to do with Roy.
So, Roy decided to make the man his “project”.
The next time he saw the man out walking, the guy was walking his dog (he was always walking that dog). Roy went across the street to the man and asked “What kind of dog is that? I’ve been thinking of getting a dog, and I like how yours looks.” After a couple of words together, Roy went on his way.
The next day he saw the man, he went over and asked him “what do you feed your dog? He looks so healthy and his coat is so shiny. I want to feed my dog the same thing.” Again, after a few words, Roy moved on.
The next time, Roy asked him the name of a good vet.
And so it went, until one day, the man got to the point where he’d cross the road just to talk to Roy. Roy had won a friend.
As I said before, it’s extremely hard to hate someone who’s being nice to you.
If we honor what Jesus asked of us, God will make even our enemies to be at peace with us.
Now, there’s one more angle to this that I find helps me.
One of the great comforts I’ve had as a Christian and as a preacher is the promise from Jesus: "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or WHAT YOU WILL SAY, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time WHAT YOU SHOULD SAY." Luke 12:11-12
In that promise, Jesus echoed the words from Proverbs 16:1 “…from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue.”
ILLUS: Now, I don’t know how it is with you, but if I’m upset with someone I can get into the habit of rehearsing what I’d say to them. I can spend a couple of hours going over the indignation I’d pour out upon them. And, in my quite times of rehearsing those comments, I must say I CAN BE VERY ELOQUENT!
But then I’ll start to realize that those “eloquent” words of mine are pathetic and empty. They don’t reflect the God that I say I serve. And then I’ll start praying for God to give me the reply of the tongue.
Then, when I get the opportunity to face that person I’m upset with the words from my mouth lose their harshness and their insulting tone.
You see, after I’ve blown off some steam I realize I want to have God lead in my life. I’d rather do things HIS way… than mine. I’d rather say “Not my will, but Thine be done.”
And so I quit trying to decide what I’ll say to someone who’s offended me. Instead, I’ll relax and let God decide what words I should say.
Now, one last thing. That first verse of the song we sang at the beginning of the sermon go this way:
“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found…”
The author of that hymn had been a slave trader by the name of John Newton. For years before he wrong that song, he was one nasty piece of work. He was a very selfish, harsh and evil man who KNEW what he wanted to do with his life. He had his own agenda and his own objective. And it didn’t include God.
But one day he learned that it was all senseless and meaningless. He sensed how empty his life had been. And he turned his life over to Jesus and from that day on he made an impact on England. He became a preacher and a writer of hymns, and a tireless opponent of the black slave trade.
Now if you’re here this morning and you’re a Christian, and your life feels empty and without purpose… it could be because you’ve tried doing your life YOUR WAY. I don’t mean to make this sound condemning, because even preachers, Elders and Sunday School teachers get sidetracked once in awhile and set their lives according their own agendas.
In fact, even people who’ve been Christians most of their lives forget the promise from Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
The danger for every Christian is to put God on a shelf somewhere and make their decisions without giving any thought to what God wants.
So, if you’re a Christian here today - and you’re dissatisfied with your life - you may need to do some soul searching and ask yourself if you’ve been living life God’s way… or YOUR way.
But, now, if you’re here this morning, and you’re NOT a Christian and you’ve begun to sense how empty your life is… we have THE answer for you.
Because Jesus said He had come “to seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:10
The Bible tells me that the way I quit being lost is by accepting Jesus on His terms.
• By believing that Jesus is who He said He was. That He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, who came to die in my place.
• By accepting the fact that I’ve sinned and fallen far short of deserving to go to Heaven. And that I need to change my life and live for Him. The Bible calls this repentance.
• By Confessing that Jesus will now be the owner and master of my life.
• By allowing myself to be buried in the waters of baptism and rise up a new creation in Christ.
• And by living for Jesus the rest of my life. By seeking His kingdom and righteousness FIRST in my life.
CLOSE: Years ago I read the story of a couple who were exploring the back roads of a lovely part of Ireland. Then, they lost their way. A little worried, they spotted a farmer leading his cow to pasture and stopped him.
The wife asked "Excuse me. Could you direct us to Mohill? We're lost."
A lovely smile creased the man's leathery face,
"You're not lost at all, do y'see, for you've found me, and I know the way."
When you’ve found Jesus you’re not lost at all.
For in finding Him… you’ll know the way.
INVITATION.
