Theme: Time Management
Introduction to Theme:
Benjamin Franklin said, “Do you love life? Then do not squander time, for
that’s the stuff that life is made of.”
The world we live in knows the importance of Time Management but where they miss the mark is on what they prioritize - which usually is some of following financial success, fame and power. The Bible also speaks about Time Management but God through His Word prioritizes things differently than our world. His big three in regards to Time Management are faith in Him, fellowship with Him and others and sharing your story with others.
God want us to use our precious time wisely and not foolishly and we use it wisely by investing it in eternal things rather than temporal things. The goal of time management according to Jesus and His parables is to use your time wisely and not waste it on the wrong thing. We need to be focused on the Kingdom of Heaven/The Kingdom of God. We need to build on its foundation the rock which is Jesus.
So what is effective time management according to Jesus? Paul answers that question for us in Colossians 3: 23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Series: Short Stories – Giant Ideas – Jesus Parables!
Introduction to series:
A Bible Parable is, "a short, simple story designed to communicate a spiritual truth or a religious principle, or it could communicate a moral lesson; it’s also a figure of speech in which truth is illustrated by a comparison or example drawn from everyday experiences" (Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Nelson Pub., 1995, p.943).
Jesus’ Parables illustrate spiritual truths and teach principles of eternal life in the here and now. His Spiritual truths and life principles are for the most part invisible and abstract, so He used parables to give them a graphic presence to the ones listening to them, but the key to a parable is applying it to the hearer's life. (Adapted from Nelson's, p.943).
Jesus' Parables also intentionally hide truth from the Hypocrites - the religious teachers of the day. He used the teaching method of parables to hide certain teachings from the hypocrites so as to keep them in check and from going completely off on Him before His time (see Luke 8:9-10 NIV).
The Hebrew and Aramaic word for parable also means "a riddle." I don’t know about you but when I decide to figure something’s meaning out I have a tendency to remember it more- how about you? Jesus spoke like this to see who really was hungry for the truth if they did not understand then Jesus would explain later the meaning of the Parable.
Sermon 2: Who is Keeping Score?
Matthew 20:1-16: The workers in the Vineyard
1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3“About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5So they went. “He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 7“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ 8“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ 9“The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ 13“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Questions to Ponder about our Giant idea today:
• What would you have done if your boss had done something like this to you?
• How many times in your life do you get upset because someone else, in your view, is treated better than you? Are you living your life comparing yourselves to others?
• Do you use the words, “That is not fair!” frequently in your life? What does it mean to be fair or generous to another?
Introduction:
How many people here wished that life was fair? How many people here can see why the ones who worked all day were upset with the landowner? They were just saying to the landowner “Be fair – life should be fair!”
“That’s not fair!’ These words ring from the play grounds of schools all across America, “That’s not fair!” These same words ring out in homes all across America as children and teens cry, “That’s not fair!” Many coaches can testify to hearing those same words from their players, “That’s not fair!” We hear these same words in the business world from co-workers “That’s not fair!” It’s an all too common phrase in our country and we hear it heard echoing across this land of opportunity! “That is not fair!”
Craig Shirley in his sermon “That’s not fair” tells this story from one of Bill Cosby’s books:
You know, comedian Bill Cosby says that you aren’t really a parent until you have at least two children. When you have only one child and you walk into the room and find the lamp broken, it’s difficult for an only child to say, “It wasn’t me!” The father found himself in the uncomfortable position of having to arbitrate a dispute between his two young sons. The argument was about to boil over into a fight when he decided to step in, hoping to call upon the Wisdom of Solomon. Back and forth the accusations went, accompanied by finger pointing and name-calling. “He started it.” “No, he did.” “Did not!” “Did too!” After a while the father realized that no matter how much “active listening” he did, there was no way this was going to end in a win-win situation, so he made his decision. “Okay,” he said with all the authority he could muster, “both of you – up to your rooms and stay there until you can act as brothers should.” Just as he was feeling pleased with himself he became the target of his son’s anger. “No fair!” the youngest one protested. “He started it. I didn’t. He gets away with everything!” The older one protests “Why should I get punished? It was his fault. He’s such a baby about everything! You’re not fair.” It had turned into a lose/lose situation. Finally, totally at wits end, Dad summed it all up in a very fatherly way. “Hey kids, life’s not fair. Live with it and get to your rooms – now!”
I can recall as a child having these types of disputes and arguments with my brothers and with my mom. I also recall hearing these words coming from 3 beautiful little girls from time to time in my own household. The truth is I even hear these words coming from people in the church. I imagine this scene happens over 1,000 times a day and God hears it all day long. “That’s not fair God!” “That’s not fair God!” “God that’s not fair!” “It’s not fair!” on and on it goes!
Back to my opening question: Don’t you wish that life was fair? Be honest with yourself now – don’t you?
Personal Story: I recall the time when God spoke to me about a court case I was thinking of pursuing. I had been discriminated against because of a previous back injury and I had been laid off because of this perceived back injury. I had been released from the Doctor who said I was totally healed and fully capable of doing my job. But the employer laid me off any way citing my injury – and even told me their insurance made them get rid of me – so this was the reason for my lay off– they even put it in writing. A month or so later I was roofing a house and the lady invited me in for lunch so we had lunch and I ended up sharing my story with her. I discovered she was a civil rights lawyer so she ended up helping me put my case together and encouraged me to press forward for justice. It really was a divine intervention. I was praying whether I should proceed with the case or not and I felt the Lord speak to me. The Lord gave me a scripture verse in Romans which communicated the following to me, “When you are judged by sinful men you shall prevail!” So after receiving this confirmation I pressed forward with my case. I did prevail and I did win the case and received a large amount of money which I used to put me through Bible College. But during the ordeal I had to endure people lying about me. I remember one day saying to my friend “That so unfair what they are doing!” I had to deal with being miss-treated and unjustly accused of all kinds of things I never did by these people. But even though life was not fair to me in this moment of time Jesus was faithful. My unfair situation eventually turned out to be a blessing in the end!
Here is a thought from Johannes about this world of unfairness: “We live in an evil world! Life as a Christian is not always a dance on roses. We live in an evil world with lots of misery and problems. Sooner or later things happen, and when we wonder, why is this happening, and why is it happening to me? The answer we may never get is … (But) Life is not always fair! The Bible tells us about several persons that had to face terrible things even though they had done nothing wrong. One example is Joseph (now there was a guy who could say “That is not fair!” (Genesis 37, 39-41) He was innocently thrown into a pit and then he was sold as a slave by his own brothers! (Do you think that was fair?) You can imagine how he felt when he was treated like this, by his own brothers. But Joseph didn't give up, because he knew that God was with him and would help him through the unfairness (from Johannes Jonsson 2002).
T.S. – The fact of the matter is “Life is unfair” and we have to learn to accept that it is! We need to quit spending valuable energy trying to change something that will not change in this sin filled world. We must learn to expect it and be willing to push through unfair situations with God’s assistance. But we need to realize that life with in the Kingdom of Heaven can be perceived to be unfair too and this is what our short story - giant idea talks about today.
I. The parable of the workers in the vineyard
a. Jesus shared this giant idea of how life works within the Kingdom of Heaven to give people a reality check to the generous ways of the Lord Jesus. He also wanted to teach His followers that life is not always fair – but God is faithful to His word.
i. Question: "What is the meaning of the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard?"
1. Answer: Jesus tells the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) in response to Peter’s question in Matthew 19:27: "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"
a. Peter wanted to know what reward would be given to those who give up everything to follow Jesus. In response, Jesus explains this truth about the kingdom of heaven.
i. Leave it to Peter to say: "What’s in this thing for us?" Jesus basically tells Him mercy-grace and forgiveness – you get the same free gift as others will after you – I choose freely to give to those who surrender to me. Now if I was Peter I would have thought “That does not sound fair Lord!” “I should get more than those who just squeeze into the Kingdom!”
b. One author remind us of the historical background of Jesus day: Planting, maintaining and harvesting vineyards in first-century Israel was strenuous work requiring hard physical labor in the heat of summer. Often, additional laborers were required to get all the work done. The owner of this particular vineyard went to the marketplace at the first hour of the morning (6:00 a.m.) to find workers for the day. His offered wage of one denarius, a Roman’s soldier’s pay for a day, was generous indeed…When the time came for the wages to be paid, the first group of workers saw the last group being paid a denarius and were naturally thinking they would be paid more since they had worked the longest. Their anger against the landowner spilled forth when they saw they would all be paid the same, even though they got exactly what they had agreed upon when they were hired. The landowner was forced to defend his actions to the first group, even though he had dealt them in perfect fairness according to the contract.
i. The ones who worked all day were enraged that they got the same amount of money as the others. Jesus was making the point that this first group of workers were like the religious leaders of the day who hated Jesus teachings that all who believed could go to Heaven at the time of repentance. They had falsely believed that the Kingdom of Heaven was reserved for them only and those others were unworthy to enter it.
ii. Got Questions states; “They despised Jesus for offering the kingdom to poor, oppressed, weak sinners whom He made equal to them. In verse 15, the landowner asks, “Is your eye evil because I am good?” The “evil eye” was a Hebrew expression referring to jealousy and envy. God’s goodness and mercy produced in the self-righteous Pharisees the evil eye of envy. The rest of the workers received their wages without complaint or envy of others. In the same way, as Christians, we should rejoice when others come to the Savior, as we should rejoice in the service others render to Him. He is faithful to reward us for our service as He has promised, and how He rewards others should be of no consequence to us, nor should it affect our devotion to Him.”
c. Jesus tells this parable to say that the “The landowner, whose decision to pay all the workers the same was an act of mercy—not injustice—he represents God, whose grace and mercy are shed abundantly upon those of His choosing. “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy” (see Romans 9:15-16). (From Got Questions).
d. Note: Of course, Scripture also teaches that there are different rewards in heaven for different services, but the ultimate reward of eternal life will be achieved by all equally.
i. Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/parable-laborers-vineyard.html#ixzz3CxPtMwoO
b. This parable teaches that God will give forgiveness to whoever asks at whatever time they may be in this life – their reward is Heaven if they repent and believe in Him– redemption does not cost any of us it’s a free gift from the Lord – forgiveness and mercy is a priceless reward and we should be grateful to have been given it – because we can never earn it on our own – it’s His gift to give to all who respond to His call.
i. This parable tells us to make sure we don’t say to the Lord, “That’s not fair God – he gives His heart to you on his death bed and I labor for you my whole life and we get the same reward – really – Jesus say’s “It’s my gift to give a way not yours!”
T.S. – Our parable raises the issue “fairness in the Kingdom of Heaven” it causes me to ask another question “Do we have a right to say to God, ‘That’s Not Fair!’” Do we have a right to somehow keep a score card with God about what He owes me for serving Him? Wow these are good questions are they not? Let’s go back to my first question once again, “Should not life to be fair?”
II. Life is unfair at times so we need to accept it and even expect it.
a. God never promised that life would always treat us fairly and equally he uses a different scoring system than most of us do.
i. Actually the Lord speaks of the how unfair the world will be to us.
1. Matthew 10:22, “All men will hate you because of me…”
2. 2 Timothy 2:3, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
b. So why do we in the church have the idea that everything in life should be fair?
i. Answer: Because most of us have created our own score cards for life – our scoring system is different than God’s scoring system of life.
1. Labor weekend we had some friends from Madison come visit with us – we went boating and we talked church (He is a pastor too), we talked about life and even had some time to play the board game - “Ticket to Ride.”
a. Tom loves games – he is very passionate about games and the first time he played he was the big winner. This time I won and Vernon won. Tom came in last both games and on the inside “I was doing the jig!”
i. Tom is also very passionate about explain the scoring system of the game so everyone is clear on how to win and win fairly.
b. I remember the inner feeling when I won – I did not express it out loud – but when I won my inside was “Jumping up and down – you beat him and Kathy – the king and queen of the games!”
c. But soon reality sets in – When the game is over it all goes back in the box and it really does not matter who won or lost at “Ticket to Ride” it’s just a game.
c. John Ortberg shares some thoughts on keeping score from his book “When the Game is Over It All Goes Back In The Box!”
i. Epictetus stated, “This is our predicament. Over and over again, we lose sight of what is important and what isn’t.”
ii. The illustration of the Balloon stomp game from John’s book pages 35-36.
1. This illustration shows that different people score games differently. So who really is the winner?
2. Really it’s all about how you keep score!
iii. The truth is we all keep score – whether you want to admit it or not: There are 3 ways we keep score in life:
1. 3 ways we keep score:
a. We keep score by comparison.
i. We do this 3 ways too:
1. Upward comparison – comparing ourselves with people better off than us.
2. Lateral comparison – comparing ourselves to those on same level.
3. Downward comparison – compare ourselves to people worst off than us.
ii. Have you ever wondered why people focus more on their jobs than their relationships it’s because it is easier to keep score. Forbes Magazine does this for us! People like the numbering system to keep score.
b. We keep score with others by competing with others.
i. We see this happening in the sports arena – to be the best – one upping the other – when someone beats another they dance or do the jig – I beat you – I scored!
ii. I see this mindset in the twins – they are currently in the competition stage of life over everything.
1. Who is taller – who is older – who is heavier – who did better at a game!
iii. John notes, “Competition is not all bad but when it leads to toxic levels of envy and jealousy. This leads many too cheating to win at all costs. It poisons the soul when ‘winner’ and ‘loser’ become labels of worth and identity”
iv. By the way we can turn church into a competition too – we can turn our spirituality into a competition as well – the religious leaders of the day did this – the truth is if our hearts are in the wrong place while we are keeping score bad things can take place.
c. We also keep score by Climbing above – or “Climbing the ladder.”
i. John notes, “Some people live in Ladderville and life is all about getting ahead of the person on the ladder in front of you. Truth is those stuck on the ladder only look up to see who they can pass.”
ii. Life becomes the scoring game of passing the ones on the ladder in front of you!
iii. Life is a game and we are racing up the ladder to see who is going to be on top of the hill heads above everyone else.
iv. But we need to ask the question “How does God keep score?”
1. Ortberg notes, “…Paul talks about how God keeps score. He says: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.” The entire life of Jesus isn’t the story of somebody climbing up a ladder; it’s a picture of someone coming down…The problem with spending your life climbing up the ladder is that you will go right by Jesus, for he’s coming down…Serving in self-giving love is the most Godlike thing a human being can do” (Page 45).
a. He adds, “In the new game, people who try to make themselves servants-humbly, honestly, and joyfully-keep getting revealed as the biggest winners. People who recognize and embrace their smallness keep getting bigger in God’s eyes. It’s the oddest scoring system” (Page 46).
v. We see from our Parable – a giant idea - “God scores things differently than we do!”
d. In Scripture I find the example of the Apostle Paul who considered unjust ways as part of the cost for following Jesus. To Paul this is what he expected from a lost and sin filled world- “Life was going to be unfair.”
i. I believe Paul was actually grateful to the Lord for life being unfair.
1. I want to go back to my original question: “How many here wish life was fair?”
ii. The truth is and Paul understood this if life was fair we would all be doomed to destruction.
1. Paul realized that if the Lord was fair then none of us would make it to Heaven.
a. He would have been banished to Hell-lost forever! By the way so would you and I!
2. Paul knew if life was fair he would have been struck dead on the Damascus Road. But instead of judgment on the road he received mercy and grace from the Lord Jesus. This moment in time changed his life forever!
a. Was it fair to the ones who were impacted negatively by Paul?
b. Remember Paul was instrumental in getting some Christians killed in the early church.
c. The people who were relatives of these men and women slain by Paul could have cried, “Lord that is not fair! Paul should be condemned! He should die like my brother died!”
d. But God choose the path of mercy and grace over “fairness.”
i. Is that fair? God says “I give gifts and blessings to those whom I choose – I love to be generous in mercy and grace.”
e. Paul was so grateful that life was not fair because if it was he would have been sentenced to Hell for eternity.
iii. I have come to realize that I am glad life is not fair because if it’s all about fairness – then why was I not born in a third world country, why was I not born with a handicap?
iv. The truth is if life was fair then Jesus would never have died for my or your sins.
1. Jesus would never have risen from the dead if God was all about fairness.
a. Why should He have to suffer for us – that’s not fair!
b. Why should he have to endure pain and suffering when He did nothing wrong!
i. Life is not fair but Jesus is alive because of unfairness.
ii. Life treated Jesus unfairly but God was faithful to Him.
iii. Life can treat us unjustly but God never will.
c. The truth is if life was fair then we all would be dead! Stuck down by the holiness of God.
i. Paul realized that life is not fair and he was glad about it because that meant he got a second chance!
2. We need to praise God that life is not fair! Remember it life was all about fairness you would be in trouble!
e. So why do we think in America that life should be fair?
i. Where did this false thought originate? Remember it did not come from Jesus not does it come from the Bible!
ii. Is it because we live in a delusional world which expects a false reality – like we see in the movies? Is it because the media tells us that we can on our own achieve a perfect society and everyone can be treated fairly?
1. Some in this world think we can create a perfect world by the human effort of mankind – truth is this is impossible!
2. Truth is we humans have a depraved mindset – a sin filled mindset when we are left to ourselves! This is what makes life unfair when it comes to dealing with each other.
a. The reality check is - A sin and fallen nature can never produce a “Fair World!”
b. Sin is the problem – it’s the element which creates an unfair world.
c. The whole course of nature has been affected by the depravity of man!
f. Is it because we believe the illusion of the American right to the pursuit of happiness? Do we think that America will on its own merit produce a fair society where everyone is happy?
i. Yes, our Constitution guarantee’s us this right to seek after it. But can we actually create a fair and just world without God while we all strive for “The Happy Life!”
ii. The truth is we cannot because one person’s happiness may infringe on another’s happiness and that’s not fair. The truth is a self-centered world does not care about fairness.
1. So the disease of unfairness spreads on across our land!
g. It is because of this false mindset and teaching being promoted in the schools and in our society today that we are spiraling downward:
i. Charles Sykes is the author of DUMBING DOWN OUR KIDS. The following is a list he created for high school and college graduates of things he did not learn in school. In his book, he talks about how the "system" may have created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and set them up for failure in the real world. Microsoft guru Bill Gates made these rules famous a few years ago in a speech he gave at a college:
1. Rule 1: Life is not fair; get used to it.
2. Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.
3. Rule 3: You will not make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice president with a car phone until you "earn" both.
4. Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.
5. Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger-flipping; they called it opportunity.
6. Rule 6: If you screw up, it's not your parents' fault so don't whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.
7. Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning your room, and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. So before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
8. Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades, they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life.
9. Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off, and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
10. Rule 10: Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
11. Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.
h. The reality check: The real world in which we live is not a fair place. Life is filled with arguments over fairness but it still continues to dish out unfair treatment to all of us. Our society is delusional in thinking that life will always be fair it will not. So we all need to accept this fact and quit trying to fight against it and in turn blame God for unfairness.
i. I promise each of you this – you will one day each face an injustice from another person.
ii. The question could be asked, “Are we preparing our kids in America for the real world?” Our world is not fair and it never will be without Jesus. The key is not whether we face unfair treatment but what will we do when we meet up with it in this world? What will our response be? Yes, life is unfair but God is faithful and you can expect this in this life.
i. Life is unfair at times but God is good and faithful all the time.
i. Paul knew that in spite of the unfairness in this world God is just and right in His ways.
ii. God will always be just in the way He deals with us.
1. Psalm 9:16, “The Lord is known by His justice…”
iii. God will always be faithful to his Word.
1. God will never change the rules on us!
2. Rev. 16:7, “True and just are your judgments…”
iv. God will never go against the way of love.
1. 1 Cor. 13, verifies this fact!
v. God will never act inconsistent with His commandments.
vi. God will always go beyond our expectations and show more grace than any of us deserve.
vii. God will always forgive the ones who genuinely repent.
viii. God will never leave us nor forsake us in these times of hardship.
j. Paul knew a key truth that one day he would stand in front of the Great White Throne for judgment from God and He would be judged fairly and justly by the only one who could do this. God Himself – He is the only just judge!
i. This is why Paul seems to be able to deal with the injustices that he regularly faced for his stance on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. He expected unfair treatment because Jesus said it would come with your Christian witness!
2. So when Paul faced these unjust moment in time he accepted it as part of God’s plan and he pressed through them.
ii. Paul had put on the mind of Christ and he had died to himself and this act of surrender helped him to be able to deal with the injustices in the world.
1. A major key to understand to help us deal with injustice is to be like Jesus and die to yourself. Then these moments of injustice don’t affect you if you are already dead to self!
iii. The message from Paul and from the Acts New Testament Church is “Life is not always fair, but God is always faithful!”
T.S. – When life’s not fair and troubles come our way it’s not the complaining that counts but what are you going to do in those moments of unfairness. How will you react to God and to others in times of unfairness?
III. When life does not treat you fairly what do you do?
a. Paul was being held in jail because of false accusations and lies by the Jews and its religious leaders in Acts 21:17-36; Acts 22:1-23:11. But he reacted in a way that honored God!
i. Remember Paul acted like Jesus in the midst of this situation.
ii. The judges were crooked and sinful men who were playing politics with Paul’s life rather than administering fairness and justice. So what should Paul be doing in this unjust scenario?
1. What would you have done if you were in Paul’s shoes?
a. Would you scream – yell – fall down and kick your feet?
b. Would you quit and roll over and then give up?
c. Would you commit suicide?
d. Would you pick up a gun and shoot others?
e. Would you forsake God because you are mad at Him?
f. Would you curse God and die?
g. Would you compromise your integrity?
h. Would you appeal for justice with a higher court?
i. Would you hire a better lawyer?
j. Would you trust God?
k. Would you pray more or less?
l. Would you stay true to the faith?
b. The truth is or we could say that the reality check is this “Life is not fair” but how we react to unfairness determines our destiny.
i. Life is not always fair but the lesson to be learned is “How do we deal with unfairness?”
1. Paul was being unjustly kept in prison with no sound charges against him in Acts.
a. They really had no legitimate reason to keep the man in prison!
i. But they did any way!
b. The first Governor wanted a bribe but Paul refused to give him one – instead he gave him the Gospel.
i. It made him afraid!
ii. Paul stayed the course though!
iii. But he still remained in prison.
c. Paul did appeal to Caesar because he knew where his destiny lied and that was in Rome – before his arrest Paul was spoken to by the Lord that he would be a witness in Rome just like he was in Jerusalem.
i. Paul knew that this path of injustice was the path the Lord had chosen him to walk down and he needed to be faithful to the call of God.
ii. Paul chose the path and was obedient to the call and God blessed him in the end!
iii. I have often heard the quote “Life is unfair then you die!”
1. I have thought about this quote is that a bad thing – to be mistreated and then die as a result?
2. Paul did not think that was a bad deal – he would rather be with Christ then in this world – Paul knew what really mattered in life – it was the afterlife that counted not this temporary place!
2. Life can be filled with unfair or un-just circumstances like the one being faced by Paul. Life is filled with unfair moments – think about it!
a. A boy dies on a corner for being at the wrong place at the wrong time in New York.
b. A baby dies of Cancer and the parents have no explanation why?
c. A war breaks out between two governments in Africa and a 1,000 innocent lives die – children, and women who had nothing to do with the battle suffer for the choices of others.
d. Innocent men, women, and children are being murdered daily in Iraq because of car combs and suicide bombers. These people are innocent and want nothing to do with this so-called holy war but they suffer for the sins of others.
ii. Lives every day across this globe are impacted with unjust acts that cause death, pain, injuries, torment and the like. So why is it in Christian America we think we should be exempt from being mistreated by another?
1. Life is touched, ripped apart, blown up by people who do unjust acts toward innocent people all across this world. It’s a fact of life and we need to understand it’s going to happen and our response to it makes a difference.
c. How did Paul react in his unfair circumstance of life?
i. He kept his integrity and did not try to bribe the governors.
1. Titus 2:7, 8, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”
ii. He stayed content in his situation.
1. Philippians 4:11, 13, “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances…I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
2. 1 Timothy 6:6, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
iii. He did not try to manipulate people to get what he wanted.
1. Romans 5: 3, 4, “…rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
iv. He prayed to the Lord instead for strength to persevere.
1. 1 Timothy 4:16, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
v. He did not do the woe is me syndrome.
1. Phil 2:14, “Do everything without complaining or arguing…”
2. He did not whine and complain to everyone else about his unjust situation.
d. How should we react to unjust circumstances in life if we look at Paul’s reaction to injustice?
i. We need to keep our integrity.
ii. We need to be content in our life situation.
iii. We must resist the temptation to try to manipulate the situation with our own cunning ways.
iv. We need to learn the discipline of prayer to stay the course of the Lord in our lives.
v. We must learn the discipline of patience.
vi. We must not become consumed with the “woe is me” disease.
1. We must not become whiners.
vii. We must make the best of our situation and seek God’s wisdom, and direction.
e. Scroll Publishing on their website addresses our question: How do you handle an injustice?
i. Their writer responded the following way:
1. Recently I was talking with a person who had given years of dedicated service to her local church and had suddenly been removed from her position. The hurt was obvious and deep as she shared with me how unfairly she felt she had been treated. The advice I gave her is the same I give to myself when I feel another has done wrong to me: What happens in me is more important than what happens to me.
2. The key to gleam from this article is his thought, “What happens in me is more important than what happens to me.”
a. If we grasp this and apply this to our lives we are on the road to spiritual maturity!
f. Thoughts on our subject from a sermon preached by Reverend John T. McFadden at First Congregational United Church of Christ, Appleton, Wisconsin on September 19, 2004.
i. His great thought: “Life is not fair and the reason it isn’t is because we are the ones who determine what is fair and what isn’t. In almost every situation that can be cited, the opposite side can justify their case.”
1. He goes on “Entitlements for the poor do not seem fair to the guy who works two jobs to make ends meet. The minority political party resents the majority party’s power. Workers who go on strike to try to preserve or create better working conditions and wages for everyone, resent those who are willing to step in and take over jobs for less pay and less benefits. Both sides find justification in shouting “It’s not fair.” And perhaps both sides are right and there is not much more that we can say than “You’re right. Life’s not fair. Live with it!”
Conclusion:
What do we need to learn from this message?
? God is all about mercy, grace and forgiveness not fairness!
? If God was about fairness we would all be lost!
? We need to accept the fact that life is not fair.
? We need to change our entitlement mindsets.
? We need to score life God’s way not our way.
? When we use God’s score card of life then we will find happiness and contentment in life.
The key lesson from our Parable today is, “Life will be unfair at times so expect it and handle it gracefully!”
Closing quotes to recall this week:
“What happens in me is more important than what happens to me.”
“God is not into fairness but are you not glad that He is not?”
