Perfectly Position…For A Rest
#CoronavirusWeek3
OKAY – this morning we are wrapping up our 3 week series on the Coronavirus.
AND LISTEN – I got to be honest, back in December of 2019 when I began thinking about what conversations I needed to have in the year 2020…
A series on a Coronavirus Pandemic was nowhere on my radar.
BUT YET – here we are on March 29, 2020.
Things happen and times have changed in so many ways…
NOW – we have talked about some pretty powerful and significant things the last 2 weeks, LIKE…
About how during this current crisis (or any crisis) for that matter… God wants to remember these 5 things
• That He is still on His throne
• That He is in control
• That He can be trusted
• That He is our help (“I lift my eyes…”)
• That He is great and He is good
AND – when we remember those truths among other things…
• We will not fear, we will trust
• We will worry, we will pray
And we also talked about how we do not what to miss the opportunities that are not only within the current difficulties that we now face (brought on by COVID19) but opportunities that are within every difficult circumstance we have ever faced or will face in our future
• Don’t miss the opportunity to grow in your faith (remember you don’t just have to GO through this, you can GROW through this)
• Don’t miss the opportunity to deepen your relationships, and
• Don’t miss the opportunity to show the world the beauty of our Christ and His church
AND – a final thing we talk about was to not over complicate our response… and that our response needs to be a simple as ABCD
• A – attitude is everything
• B – be flexible and fluid
• C – center your thoughts of Jesus
• D – determine who you want to be when we get to the other side of this
NOW NEXT WEEK - is Palm Sunday and we are going to take a look at this powerful event of Jesus riding into Jerusalem through the eyes of people who were actually there that day 2000 years ago.
BUT THIS MORNING – 3/29/2020
I want to unpack a conversation that I am calling…
Perfectly Position… For A Reset
QUESTION – have you ever had to reset… your computer, phone, your router, cable box, a breaker?
AND – what would cause you to have to do a RESET?
Basically because your device is not working as it should…its too slow, its locked up…
NOW – in a computer or data transmission system a RESET clears any errors and brings a system to a normal condition or to an initial state.
MGCC
BROTHER AND SISTERS
FRIENDS
I am convinced that this Coronavirus Pandemic has perfectly positioned us for a reset
YOU SEE – there are some key areas of our lives that our not functioning properly and need to be brought back to their normal or intended condition, and that is what I want to unpack today.
HOWEVER – before we go there I have something extremely important to share with you…
A few ‘bad dad jokes…’ SO – are you ready.
• What concert costs just 45 cents? 50 Cent featuring Nickelback!
• Why couldn't the bicycle stand up by itself? It was two tired!
• Why do melons have weddings? Because they cantaloupe!
• What's the difference between a poorly dressed man on a tricycle and a well-dressed man on a bicycle? Attire!
• How many apples grow on a tree? All of them!
• Why do you never see elephants hiding in trees? Because they're so good at it!
• Why did the invisible man turn down the job offer? He couldn't see himself doing it!
• "How do you make a tissue dance? You put a little boogie in it."
• "Why did the math book look so sad? Because of all of its problems!"
• "What do you call cheese that isn't yours? Nacho cheese."
I like telling Dad jokes. Sometimes he laughs!
LISTEN – laughter is a good thing…
A joyful heart is good medicine… - Proverbs 17:22
OKAY – let’s do this… perfectly positioned for a reset.
I. RESET - You’re Smaller Than You Thought You Were
UNDERSTAND – if there is one thing that this coronavirus pandemic has taught everyone, and I mean everyone is that we are much smaller than we thought we were.
I MEAN – the smartest and most powerful and influential people in the world are trying to figure this thing out.
Trying to get ahead and get control of this microscopic invisivle enemy.
YES – without a doubt one thing everyone has figured out is that despite their power, the letters after their name, and financial resources at their disposal…. This pandemic is so much bigger than they are.
SURE – a couple of months ago they may have believed that they were powerful and in control of their life and world…
BUT LISTEN – that was just a self-induced illusion,\.
AND SO - now they know, and now we all know… that despite how intelligent, how capable and how big they (and we) may have thought we were we are actually pretty small.
(kind of like this dog on the screen, like he was feeling pretty big until this other dog showed up)
RESET
You are not as big, as you thought you were
You are not as capable, as you thought you were
You are not in control, as much as you thought you were
AND BROTHERS AND SISTERS – that is totally okay because there is someone who is.. (as we sang just a few minutes ago)
SO MUCH BIGGER
Than you thought He was.
AND UNDERSTAND – that someone is Jesus!
Listen to how Scripture describes him…
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together. – Colossians 1:15-17
Sounds like Jesus is pretty big, AMEN?!
IN – when Isaiah chapter 40 opens up God’s had been going through difficult circumstances for several generations…
times of - famine, economic hardships and foreign oppression.
AND SO – God says to Isaiah…
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her… - Isaiah 40:1,2
AND LISTEN – one of the ways God has Isaiah comfort them (a nation who was feeling really small) was by reminding them of just how big… huge… He is.
HE was and is as we sang earlier… ‘bigger than we thought He was.”
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?...
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust… Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing…
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the wear and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:12-31
LISTEN, LISTEN…
WHAT - I am trying to say, what God is trying to say to you during this time
IS THAT - you are smaller than you think you are…
BUT – that is okay because GOD is so much bigger than you thought He was.
UNDERSTAND
HE – is in control…
HE – is before all things, and over all things and he holds all things together..
AND - He wants you to lean on, trust in and depend on Him… ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’
HEY – do you know what else God says (in addition to proclaiming His hugeness) in order to comfort His people and comfort you, in Isaiah chapter 40…
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young. – Isaiah 40:11
Maple Grove – God is bigger than you thought… and God cares about you and what you are going through more than you thought he did (does)
NOW – I love this Psalm of David…
A prayer He cried out when He was feeling really small.
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. – Psalm 61:1-2
Lead me to a Rock that is what?
QUESTION – isn’t that what we need right now?
NEXT
II. RESET - We’re More Alike Than You Thought We Were
NOW – I do not know if you have noticed but our world loves to point out and magnify all of the ways that we are different from each other…
- Race
- Skin color
- Education
- Careers
- Where we live (east coast – west coast)
- Age
- Social economic status
- Republican or democrat
- Liberal of conservative
HOWEVER – the coronavirus… has reminded us that we despite what we may have thought or have been fed, are not all that different…
I MEAN – we have seen in recent… sports stars, movie stars, rock stars, politicians, royalty, young, old, democrat, republican, male, female, first responders, correctional officers and prisoners, people in big cities and in small cities… people all cross the country and all across the globe…
ALL - test positive for the Coronavirus…
AND – not only that but we all have the concerns and the same unanswered questions.
AND – we all are washing our hands more than any time in our lives…
That is why I believe that we are perfectly positioned for a reset
We’re More Alike Than You Thought We Were
Which should not surprise us…
After all we read the following in the very first chapter of mankind’s story
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:27
UNDERSTAND – there is no a single human being on the face of this planet or that you have or will ever lay eyes on that is not created in the image of God.
AMEN!
RESET…
We’re More Alike Than You Thought We Were
AND – I think that now is a great time for us not only to recognize this truth and focus on the all the ways that we alike… but to take steps to bring our world together and help bring an end to all of this division….
Because as Jesus said….
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. – Luke 11:17
RESET…
We’re More Alike Than You Thought We Were
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! - Psalm 133:1
YEAH – let’s hit the reset button and do our part to things good and pleasant. AMEN!
III. RESET - Stop Attaching Your Life To Things That Won’t Last
NOW – I am sure that most of us have played the game of monopoly at least once…
And the goal of monopoly is the same as the goal for any game – To Win.
AND - in monopoly to win means that you own all the best property, the most expensive property
(Boardwalk – Park Place – Pennsylvania Ave) –
and you own 1 or 2 of the rail roads
(The B & O, Pennsylvania, Reading or Short line).
IT MEANS – that you have several houses, a bunch hotels, have avoided both jail and the luxury tax and of course that you have a boat load of cash….
Ever play the game? Ever win? Ever do really well.
I MEAN - you have tons of money, you own all the rail roads, the bank is borrowing money from you and you have more hotels then the Holiday Inn…
BUT let me ask you a question – WHAT happens when the game is over? It all, every hotel, every house, every piece of property, every dollar, it all goes back in the box…
AND BROTHER AND SISTERS – so it is with our earthly life…
NOW UNDERSTAND - it's not a bad thing to play the game well. BUT – we must make sure that in the process of playing the game, that we never forgot this one thing – that one day the game will end…
YES - it all goes back in the box–houses, cars, jewelry, titles, clothes, bank accounts, stocks, bonds, even your body – it all goes back in the box…
UNDERSTAND BROTHER AND SISTERS – this Coronavirus Pandemic has perfectly positioned you for a reset.
Stop Attaching Your Life To Things That Won’t Last
NOW – the apostle John in his very first letter tried to warn us of this very thing.
Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever. – 1 John 2:15-17
This world and everything in it is what?
Passing away
Not going to last
UNDERSTAND – even your own physical life if not going to last.
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. – James 4:14
QUESTION – are there any attachments in your life right now that are passing away?
HEY – if you enter a time machine and found yourself in Southampton, England on April 10, 1912.
Would you purchase a ticket and board this ship?
(picture of Titanic)
Why not?
BECAUSE – you know the outcome, that in less the 5 days, in the early morning of April 15th this mighty unsinkable ship, would sink.
UNDERSTAND – God is 1 John is warning us of the very same thing.
That we already know the outcome.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
What is seen is?
What is unseen is?
What is temporary is… the hardships, the pain, the difficulties, the suffering, the setbacks…
AND – what is eternal is… our final and forever VICTORY in Christ Jesus…
UNDERSTAND – we know the outcome and knowing that the outcome is victory changes how we view the setbacks along the way.
NOW – as a New England Patriot Fan yesterday 3-28 was a holiday.
And I celebrated it by watching Super Bowl 51.
The greastest comeback in Superbowl history
With only a few minutes left in the 3rd quarter the score was
NE Patriots 3, ATL Falcons 28.
When I watched the game on Feb 5, 2017… I was not enjoying it at all and was extremely stressed.
HOWEVER – yesterday I was not stressed at all watching the first 3 quarters, because I knew the outcome would be a 34-28 victory on overtime.
AGAIN – this Coronavirus Pandemic has perfectly positioned you for a reset.
Stop Attaching Your Life To Things That Won’t Last
Which leads us to our final reset…
IV. RESET - Start Attaching Your Life To What Really Matters
NOW - one day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, he used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers, he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.”
Then he pulled out a two-gallon, wide-mouthed pickle jar and set it on the table in front of him.
Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class answered, “Yes.”
Then he said, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks.
Then he asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?”
By this time the class was on to him.
“Probably not,” one of them answered.
Good!” he replied.
He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand into the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question. “Is this jar full?” “NO!” the class shouted.
Once again he said, “Good.” Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim.
Then he looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”
One eager student raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!” “No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point. Instead, the truth this illustration teaches us is:
If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”
YOU KNOW – life can get kind of crazy at times (do you agree?)… AND – we get so busy with the water, sand and gravel that we have no time left for the big rocks…
NOW – we know that the big rocks are important…
I MEAN - we don’t deny that…
IN FACT - we are often heard saying…
"Hey, SOMEDAY I’ll get around to what matters, when things settle down (when I get my finances in order/when the kids are all grown/when I get a better job/when I retire
(you fill in the blank)…
YEAH - someday… I’ll starting doing all the stuff I know I should be doing and make time for those big rocks…
BUT – the truth is things are not going to settle down – someday is never going to come. And if you keep waiting for things to settle down before you get around to doing what really matters in life, you NEVER will get to them.
YOU NEVER WILL - do what God made you to do.
You NEVER will – give back to the world the things God created you to give back….
YOU NEVER will, become who God made you to become.
AND YOU – never will love the people in your life the way you want to love them…
Someday. One day. When. If. Then it’s over…
In the book One Month To Live the author compares our life to a roller coaster ride…
Life is unpredictable; you never know what’s coming next. Sometimes you go around sharp turns and think the wheels are coming off… Sometimes you go into dark tunnels where you can barely see your hand in front of you… Soon though, you pull into the station and the ride has ended. It seems as though the ride of life just gets started and then it is over…
HEY, LISTEN UP – (I’m about done… but this is really important)…
UNDERSTAND - everyone in this room is holding a 2 gallon pickle jar… Me, you the person sitting next to you…
AND – this jar is your life… And we only get one. We only get one shot at this thing…
AND – let me I tell you this Coronavirus Pandemic has perfectly positioned you to hit the
AND – to start connecting your life to what really matters.
YOU SEE – it’s at times like this I begin to see the difference between what is urgent and what is important…
UNDERSTAND – the important is seldom urgent and the urgent is seldom important…
SO – I guess the question of the ages is, what is it that will really matter when we get to end of our road…
I MEAN – just what are those big rocks…
YOU KNOW – I think I’ll let Jesus answer that one…
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:34-40
SO – what are the big rocks…
Big Rock #1 Is Your Relationship with God
Is loving God with everything you got… with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
QUESTION – and listen, I really need to ask you how is your relationship with God today… 3/29/2020?
Maybe you have never obeyed the Gospel and surrendered your life to Christ…
I or one of the elders on your live feed would love to talk to you about that…
Or maybe God has been displaced a little by the water, sand and gravel of life…
Today can be a time to RESET…
Big Rock #2 Is Your Relationship With Other People
Is loving the people that God has placed in your life…
Is loving them the way God loves you, loving them the way you want to be loved.
SO – is that big rock in your jar…
Or do you need to hit RESET…
YES – (though hard and difficult…) this Coronavirus has perfectly positioned us to hit the reset button…
RESET…
- You’re smaller than you thought you were
- We’re more alike than you thought we were
- Stop attaching your life to things that do not last
- Start attaching your life to what really matters
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. – Psalm 61:1-2
Let’s Pray
