We live in a world where the value of something is determined by supply and demand.
Most people are oblivious to the true value of something, because our judgment is greatly influenced by some marketing strategy.
My background is auto repair and after 36 years in the business and watching other owners gouge their customers and have the customer thanking them for it, proved to me that people are not concerned with true value. When I offered the same repair for a fair market value they thought I was short-cutting the job because the other guy was so much higher and they would let the rip-off artist steal their money.
Yesterday [Dec. 2, 2013] I paid $3.13/gal for gas @ Walmart and most of us will complain every time we pull up to the pump.
What if your vehicle ran on
Krispy Kreme coffee: $1.75 20oz cup…100.00$ per gallon
Vicks NyQuil Cold & Flu Cherry Liquid: 6.42$ 8oz bottle…103.00$ per gallon
So the next time you pull up to the gas pump just be thankful your vehicle doesn't run on Nyquil or KrispKreme…
It’s easy to settle for less than the best when our value system has been tampered with.
Most of what we do is usually to avoid a loss or to gain some benefit and this is not necessarily bad.
Jesus said in Mark 8:36 “What good does it do for a man to gain the whole world and yet forfeit his soul?”
Jesus is saying that we should look for the most important and work to gain that…
In Math. 6: 19,20 He tells us not to lay up earthly treasures, things that will rot, or rust or might be stolen…
He said to lay up treasure in Heaven which won’t rot, rust or be stolen from us…
In other words…DON’T SETTLE FOR SECOND BEST
Don’t settle for things that won’t last while neglecting the very best…it’s ok to have stuff…
Boat…street rod…these things will one day be useless…they won’t last…
My relationship with Christ will last throughout all eternity.
Ph. 3: 7-11 gives us three way we can avoid settling for less than the best.
1. Don’t allow the good to rob you of the best: 7-8
Paul says that all the things he thought were gains, turned out to be liabilities to the very best things.
When he compared the accomplishments he made in his life to knowing Jesus Christ, he realized that what he had was good but Jesus was better.
Paul had a pretty good start in life.
Being a Hebrew, Paul was consider to be of the purest of God’s chosen people.
Being a Pharisee, Paul held one of the most respected positions in his culture and time.
His zeal against the Church gave him there reputation of “Defender” of the Jewish faith.
His obedience to the Law made him perfect in the eyes of the Jewish people as well as his own.
YET, when Paul cam face to face with the resurrected Jesus, on the road to Damascus, things changed.
Paul was blinded in order to regain TRUE sight.
He realized that all of the goods things in life were only obstacles to the best thing…a personal relationship with Jesus Christ…
What are some of the “Good” things that could get in the way of the best thing?
Could family be an obstacle to the best thing?
Pastor Dana Chau was talking to a lady about receiving Jesus. She said “You mean that if I ask Jesus Christ into my life, right now, I will go to heaven…but if my family doesn't they will not?”
The pastor simply said “Yes”
The lady’s response just blew me away…“Well I just can’t do that!!”
See she allowed a good thing, her family, to keep her from the best thing…Family, in this case became a liability to her receiving Jesus Christ as her personal Savior, which is the best thing.
How about a career?
How about a reputation?
Remember what Jesus said? “What good does it do to have all these good things and give up the best thing.” What good does it do to gain all this stuff and give up your eternal soul?
The second way to avoid settling for less than the best is to:
2.Humbly Receive that which we can not earn, ourselves: v9
The word, righteousness, as used here means to be in right standing with or to have peace with God.
Paul began to understand that he Law of God was God’s tool to show us our inability to earn that peace or that right standing with God.
Here’s the reality of this…If my pride is not broken by the Law of God and I see my inability to measure up to God’s standard…I will just compare my life to yours.
When I do that I can find enough stuff wrong with you and you with me that we would feel we have earned the right.
God’s Word is to be used to cause us to compare our lives against His righteousness.
When I do that I can see my inability to measure up to His standard and this becomes a humbling experience. One in which I can finally receive His solution.
If you are still trying to earn righteousness…you are settling for less than the best and you are missing out on so much…
The third way to avoid settling for less than the best is to:
3. Follow the One who knows the way: 10,11
Paul wanted know everything there was to know about Jesus and the power of His resurrection.
He wanted this power for his own life.
Paul didn't settle for what others had to say…he found out for himself about this idea of life after death.
What is on the other side of death? Can you tell me? Can anyone?
Christ is the only one who is qualified to answer that question. No one has ever died…come back to life…received a new body…and ascended into heaven, except Jesus Christ.
All of those who were raised from the dead have one thing in common…they died again and their bodies are still in the ground…
One day we will experience the resurrection…and if we trust in Jesus, it will be glorious.
1Thess. 4: 14-17 “14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
I read a story about a retired general who got in trouble with the law.
Before his trial, he went to the Palace to see the king and ask him to come and defend his.
The king agreed to send his best attorney to defend the general but the general refused to settle for the attorneys.
He said to the king…”Your majesty, when you were at war, I didn't send my best soldiers to fight your battle…I went, myself.” Holding out his arms, the general continued, “these marks on my body are the battle scars I received on your majesty’s behalf.”
When the king saw the scars he decided to go and defend the general, himself.
Mark 8: 38 Jesus makes a pretty hard statement.
He said that if you are ashamed of Him and His Words in this world, as evil as it is…He will be ashamed of you when He stand before the Father in heaven….
If you stand with Him now, you will be able to take your place in the great resurrection.
To do otherwise is to settle for less that the best.
