Don’t Play Games
Luke 13:1-9
As many of you know, I received a really cool sewing machine for my birthday. It has the ability to embroider designs on material. I have been playing with the machine since I got it. I now can make some really cool designs. But it did not start that way. Let me show you some of my mistakes. This was my first try, see how bad it looks. This is what I call my blue shirt, because the longer I work on it bluer I became.
Then a few days ago, I really messed up. I sewed the sleeve of my shirt to the front of my shirt. You didn’t, YES I did. I sewed the loom into the shirt. I had to cut the shirt apart to get me loom back. I really messed up. I make a mistake. I had to change how I was doing things. I needed a restart.
Just because I made mistakes, does not mean my time sewing is over. I did not do two things, 1. I did not quit sewing, put away my machine, and throw up my hands in dispare. 2. I did not continue to do things the way I have always done it before, I had to change.
I have found in life there are people who know the direction they are going is not the right one. But still they don’t change. They are like me, they have sewn their loom into their shirt, but instead they continue to do what they have always done. I ask why.
Did you Jesus talked about this, he said they are three games they play. Jesus dealt with these three games in this passage.
Don’t Play the COMPARISON game
Luke 13:2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?
I love this story. Jesus is surrounded by thousands of people. Some of them come to him and tells him about some Galileans who were put to death in Jerusalem, in the temple, and Pilate’s soldiers slaughtered them while they were making their animal sacrifices. They blood then mixed with the blood of the sacrifices.
The people who came to him were implying that these people died because they were really bad people.
Look at how Jesus handled this game.
2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Jesus said, The people who died are not any better, or worse than you are.
There were falling for the old comparison game. You have heard it, so have I. In all honesty, I have said it before. Have you heard this before, “I know I am not perfect, but I am not as bad as other people.”
We think that we can justify our actions by looking around and finding someone we see as not as good as us.
Have you noticed that when we play the comparison game, we never compare ourselves to the best, holiest, most loving person we know. Why, because then we would have to be honest and say, “I’m not living up that that model.” If you were to ask the best, holiest, and most loving person you know about how good they are, they would, no doubt say, I am not good. Only God is good.
You see the comparison game is a game where you always lose. Jesus said, “ But unless your repent, you too will all perish.”
He said this not once, but twice here. Why did he stress repentance?
Because Jesus knew we all need a re-start. We all need to start over at times.
I was driving from Ithaca to the Brethren Home to visit with some of our members this week. I had a sermon by Andy Stanley of the radio, and was just driving and listening. I was really into the sermon and turned on the wrong road. I turned onto 722 and kept driving. As you know 722 did not take you to Greenville, or to the Brethren Home. I realized a few miles down the road, I was going the wrong way. What did I do? I turned around. I made a three point turn on the road, and returned to 503. I realized that if I kept going, I would not end up where I wanted to go. Repentance means to stop, turn around, and start again.
“Repentance says, your past mistakes does not need to define your future.”
Jesus said, don’t fall for the comparison game, you will lose. But he also said….
Don’t Play the GRACE game.
Luke 13:7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
Jesus said, there was a land owner who owned a vineyard. He has been waiting for three years for a tree that should be producing fruit, but was still bearnen. Imagine him the first year making the walk to look at the tree, he was expecting fruit, his hopes where high, his mouth watering for the refreshing taste of fresh fruit. He gazed up checking each branch, only to be disappointed. The second year, he make the same track, this time with less expectations. Instead of going into the field hungry, he grabs breakfast at McDonalds on the way. When he reaches the base of the tree he glances up and see again, no fruit. The third year, he returns, this time with no expectations. He stops for the Sunrise Breakfast at Bob Evans on his way to vineyard, sure, there will be no fruit, and planning on removing the tree, and planting another one. He arrives, and set his plan in action. He tells the manager to remove the tree. To his shock, the manager takes the side of the worthless tree against his boss. “Let me give this tree another chance,” he says. The owner agrees…
This is grace. Was the tree fruitless, YES. Was it take up the ground from a tree that might grow delicious fruit? YES. Did it desire to be removed? YES. But look at the grace. Let tree alone, let it live, give it another chance. Maybe the tree will change.
The manager knew the past does not predict the future.
Jesus is still talking about repentance, a re-start is about grace. But Jesus also knows that grace does not last forever. Each of us needs to repent, to change our direction before it is too late.
“Repentance says, your past mistakes does not need to define your future.”
While some people play the comparison game, others are playing the grace games, God will never judge me, Still others are playing a really dangerous game called the waiting game.
Don’t’ Play the WAITING game
Luke 13:9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ”
The owner of the vineyard not only said yes to I will let it grow, give it another chance, extent grace. But the owner also said, “if it bears fruit next year, fine!” But he did not stop there, he went on to say, “If not, then cut it down.”
There is no reason to believe that God is not going to bring judgment. God is going to be judgment. It is appointed unto man and woman once to die, and after that the judgment.
Many people I know would say, “yes, God is going to judge each of us.” “Yes, I am not ready to be judged.” But then they say, “I plan to repent, but not now.” “I still have time.”
I was the chaplain at Holzer hospital in Jackson, ohio. A call came for me to go directly to the emergency room. As I was on my way down the stairs to the first floor, when there was a code blue in the ER. When I came through the doors, and nurse met me and said, “We have a motorcycle accident. The victim is in number one, and his wife is in room two. I went into room one, and it was the code blue. His lifeless body laid there covered in his blood. The doctor was calling the time of his death. I realized I needed go visit his wife. The first question she asked me was, “Have you seen me husband, is He O.K.” Just then the doctor followed me in and told her, matter of factly, her husband was dead. I stayed with her. During our conversation she told me she was a follower of Jesus. Then she asked me, throught her tears, “Did you talk to him before…. Did he repent?”
I still remember her words, “Did he repent?” “Did he repent?”
I had to be honest with her.
Maybe he had said, “I know I need to repent, to change, but I have plenty of time. I am in my twenties, I am still young, I can wait.”
He was playing the waiting game.
Maybe some of you are still playing these games. Some of you are still comparing yourself to others. Still trying to justify your actions, your behavior, your conduct, by looking at others and saying, “I’m not so bad.” But in the moment when you are honest with yourself, you know your life is not going well, you are going in the wrong direction, and you can see how your decision are effecting you marriage, your family, your work life. Maybe it is time for you to try a different direction, maybe it is time for you to repent.
Maybe you are convinced that God will not judge you. You that God is love, and that God is filled with Grace. So you believe you can live like you wish and still trust in God’s grace. But you really know, Grace is not always going to be there. You know that You are going to live forever somewhere. Maybe today is the day to insure that you will live forever with God in heaven.
Or maybe you are playing the waiting game. You might be young. You might think nothing will ever happened to you. You are too young for God to really judge. But, again, young people die. All you have to do is watch the news, how many young people are making mistakes that can lead to end of their lives.
It is time to repent. To re-start.
As we stand, and sing the first verse of “I want to be a Christian.” If you would like a restart. And another chance. If you would like a change in direction, to repent. Then meet me here at the front of the church to pray. If you come forward, others here will come. Some will come to pray with you. Others will come because they also need a restart. They need to repent.
