A man named William Barclay once observed that “There are two great days in a person’s life. The day we are born and the day we discover WHY.”
Hmmm. the day we discover WHY we were born! Well, that’s interesting. Lots of people never even consider why they were born. I mean, they kind of drift through life without a purpose or goal.
ILLUS: But there was a man who did set a goal for his life. One man who refused to “drift through life. His name was Douglas Engelbart, and back in 1950, he was driving to his job at the Ames Research Center (which later became NASA). Just the day before, he’d asked his fiancée to marry him, and as he was driving along, a realization struck him: his dream of “getting married and living happily ever after was the last of my goals.”
(Pause) Now, being a 25-year-old engineer, he decided to calculate how many minutes of working life he had left in him, and came up with about 5 1/2 million minutes. And he decided to use those minutes to do something valuable in his life. And he did - he reshaped the entire computer industry. He became the inventor of the computer mouse, the Word Processor and the concept of “Windows”. His creative genius made it possible to use computers as we do today, all because he refused to just “get by” with his life. He had 5 ½ million minutes to do something with… and he made them count.
In our text today we have Jesus telling us that WE can make our lives count! “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”
What Jesus was saying is this: I’m going to give you a purpose; a reason to live; a reason to get up in the morning. But you’ve got to understand that in order to accept this purpose you have to be willing to TAKE UP YOUR CROSS and FOLLOW ME. You need to be willing to sacrifice your will/ your agenda/ even your life, so that you can live MY life and make a difference in your world.
Having Christ’s purpose in your life is THAT important!
So Jesus offers us purpose for our lives. And Rick Warren once (rightly) said: “Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope. … The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.” The problem is, a lot of Christians don’t start with the idea of having a purpose in their lives. The very idea that they might DO something for Jesus just never occurs to them. And part of that is the fault of modern churches. We talk to people about becoming Christians, and then we feed them, and coddle them and coax them along. And even then, all that many churches expect of folks is that they show up on Sunday mornings and sing... pray… listen… behave themselves. That’s all that’s expected. That’s how low the bar has been set. And then (because of that) when Christians don’t feel “fed” or catered to they go looking for another church where their needs can be satisfied and they can feel … “comfortable.” For many people, church exists to satisfy them.
Francis Chan wrote a book called “Letters to the Church” where he told about church leaders wanting him to talk to them about how to grow. “There is a simple exercise I walk through with (them). First, I have them list all the things that people expect from their church. They usually list obvious things like a really good service, strong age-specific ministries, a certain style/volume/length of singing, a well-communicated sermon, conveniences such as parking, a clean church building, coffee, childcare, etc. Then I have them list the commands that God asked the Church to do in Scripture. Usually they mention commands like “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12), “visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27), “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2), etc. And then I ask them… what would upset their people more – if the church didn’t provide the things from the first list (that people expected) or if the church didn’t obey the commands in the second list (that God expected).
Too many Churches, and too many Christians settle for the first list (what people expect). And I suspect we may be as guilty as the next church in not expecting more. But this sermon is all about doing “CATCH UP” - catching up with what Jesus would want us at Logansport to do.
So, the 1st question we need to ask - is this: When should people start doing stuff for Jesus?
ILLUS: A young man had recently been baptized into Christ, and a little while after that a Sunday School teacher asked him: “What have you done for Christ since you believed?” And the boy replied: “Oh, I’m a learner.” “Oh. (said the teacher) Tell me, when you light a candle, do you light it to make the candle comfortable, or do you light it to have it give off light?” The boy answered: “Oh, that’s simple… I would light it so it would give light.” Then the teacher asked: “Do you expect the candle to give light after it is half burned, or when you first light it?” The boy replied, “Well, I guess… when I first light it.” “Very well. (answered the teacher) Go thou and do likewise; and begin at once.”
GO THOU - DO LIKEWISE - BEGIN AT ONCE. Light the candle. Be the light. Refuse to be satisfied with just a ho-hum Christian existence. Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus. Do something for Jesus with your life.
Now a lot of you folks already do that! (I brag about you all the time). But, as in all churches, there are people who … don’t get beyond the basics. It’s often not their fault. They’ve just never been challenged to do more.
So, let me challenge you to do more. You could… Volunteer to drive the bus; Play an instrument with the worship band; Sing a special at church; Teach a Sunday School class/ Jr. Church; Help out on Wednesday nights; Develop a Nursery ministry; Host a Bible Study in your home; Invite neighborhood kids to come with you to church/ JAM; Visit someone in the hospital/ nursing home; Help with the outreach to shut ins – card ministry; Take communion to the shut ins; Volunteer to help the clothing ministry; Or you could help out at the free lunches given away on Thursdays.
Those are just a few ideas, and (of course) you’re welcome do other kinds of other things. In fact, just allow yourself to go wild and crazy. Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work heartily, AS FOR THE LORD and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
Deny yourself… take up your cross and follow Jesus. Do something for Jesus with your life.
And do it as a ministry for Jesus… not like it was a job. - If you are doing it because no one else will, that’s a JOB; If you are doing it to serve JESUS, that’s a MINISTRY. - If you are doing it just well enough to get by, it’s a JOB; If you are doing it to the best of your ability, it’s a MINISTRY. - If you quit because someone ridiculed you, that was a JOB. If you kept on serving in spite of someone’s criticism, it was MINISTRY. - If you’ll do it only so long as it doesn’t interfere with your other activities, it’s a JOB. If you’re committed to staying with it even when it means letting go of other things, it’s a MINISTRY. - If you quit because no one ever praised you or thanked you, it’s a JOB. If you stay with it even though no one notices your effort, it’s MINISTRY. - If you do it just because someone else said it needed to be done, it’s a JOB. But if you do it because you knew it needed to be done, it’s a MINISTRY.
- It’s hard to get excited about a JOB, but it’s almost impossible not to get excited about a MINISTRY. - An average church is filled with people doing JOBS; a great church if filled with people who are involved in MINISTRY. - If your concern is success - it’s a JOB. If your concern is faithfulness - it’s a MINISTRY. - People will say “Well Done” when you do your JOB, but the Lord will say, “Well Done” when you complete your MINISTRY.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
But, what can I DO to serve Jesus? Someone actually thought about that and commented: “Sometimes I joke about what I’d do if I had one day left to live. Eat junk, go crazy, etc. Today it hit me: Jesus knew. And He washed feet.”
Actually though, the question of “what should I DO?” is not the right question. The question should be – will I do SOMETHING/ANYTHING for Jesus?
ILLUS: When Douglas Engelbart figured out he 5 ½ million minutes of life, I doubt he said “I know what I’ll do. I’ll invent a computer mouse!” No, what he probably said was – “I’m going to do SOMETHING. I don’t know what it will be… but I’m going to do something, and I’ll not be happy until I’ve done… SOMETHING.” Then he looked for SOMETHING he could do, and he dedicated his time to discover that SOMETHING.
ILLUS: I read about a young man who told his church he’d been thinking about tithing, and it seemed to him that he should not only tithe his income, but that he should also tithe his TIME. So he got out his pencil and did some figuring. And the way he figured, there were 168 hours in a week, and a 10th of that would be 16.8 hours. He then figured the time he spent each week in church and saw realized he still had 1 hour and 20 minutes each day left. He divided that up into two 40 minute periods: And for 80 minutes each day… he determined to do SOMETHING for Jesus (Sparks)
Now, someone might say – I’m too old to do anything for Jesus! I’m past my prime…
ILLUS: Years ago there was a great baseball player named Ty Cobb. When Cobb was 70 yrs. old, a reporter asked him, "What do you think you'd hit if you were playing baseball these days?" Now, Cobb, who was a lifetime .367 hitter… but he replied "about .290, maybe .300." The reporter said, "That’s probably because of all the travel, and the night games, and the artificial turf, and all the new pitches like the slider, right?" Cobb smiled: “No. It's because I'm 70.”
What Cobb was saying was this: Age might slow me down, but I’ll NOT let my age convince me that I can’t still do Something!
Winston Churchill was 65 when he became prime minister of Britain and faced off against Adolf Hitler. Thomas EDISON was busy in his laboratory doing experiments when he was still 84. When Benjamin Franklin was 81… he was instrumental in getting some very contentious delegates to accept and approve the Constitution of the U.S.
At 80, former President George H.W. Bush jumped out of an airplane. (granted – he had a parachute… but it was still impressive). And perhaps the most impressive was George C. Selbach… who, at age 96, scored a 110 yard Hole In One at Indian River in Michigan.
You might say – “I can’t do that stuff” and you’d probably be right! But, nobody’s asking you to do THAT stuff. Those folks did what they did… because they could… and they refused to just sit around and watch the scenery go by.
Most of the stuff you can do for Jesus doesn’t take a college degree. It doesn’t even take a lot of skill. And it doesn’t necessarily take being YOUNG! All it takes is a love of Jesus that makes you willing to do whatever you gotta do to serve Him. Find SOMETHING to do for Jesus… then do it. Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus.
CLOSE: One last thought. For those of you who think you just can’t do ANYTHING for Jesus, let me tell the story of Robert Reed. He graduated from Abilene Christian University (Acapella Ch of Christ) with a degree in Latin and became a teacher at a St. Louis Junior College. Then, he went overseas on five mission trips. Then he became a missionary to Portugal. He moved to Lisbon where he rented a room and began studying Portuguese. Every day, stationed himself in a park where he distributed brochures about Christ and within six years he led seventy people to the Lord. And you might think: “Well, yeah. He’s smart and creative… not like me.” But Robert Reed had one issue in his life that would devastate most of us. He had cerebral palsy. His hands are twisted and his feet are useless. He couldn’t bathe himself. He couldn’t feed himself. He couldn’t brush his teeth, comb his hair, or put on his underwear. His shirts are held together by strips of Velcro. His speech was painful to listen to. (Max Lucado, “The Applause of Heaven”) And yet he taught in a Jr. College, he went on numerous mission trips, and when he went to Portugal… he won 70 people to Jesus. I hate to say this but “Don’t Tell Me You Can’t Do SOMETHING for Jesus! Robert Reed had an excuse but he loved Jesus too much to quit. Deny yourself… take up your cross and follow Jesus.
And the first place to follow Jesus… is to become a Christian. Romans 6 tells us that we die to our past, we're buried in the waters of baptism, and then we rise to walk - follow Jesus - in newness of life.
INVITATION
