You Deserve It!
Deserving
I once had a boss that one day she drove up with a nice expensive brand new car! I commented how nice it looked and she said, “I deserve it!” I thought that was a weird reply but tried my best not to let me poker face give me away that I thought it was a weird replay. Wow, I thought, She thinks she deserved it?
I’m wondering in my mind why she deserved it. Shrug.
There was a commercial by McDonalds that said, “You deserve a break today at McDonalds!” Do you remember that one? Why do you deserve that break today at McDonalds? They don’t say. It was a very popular ad. I can only imagine how many people actually thought that they DESERVE to go to McDonalds. To me that’s not saying much! Maybe they do deserve it?!
Loreal had a commercial that had a slogan that said, “Because I’m worth it” or “Because you’re worth it” It was again very popular! They don’t say how these people are worth it, they just are!
The word, “deserve”, implies being paid back, reimbursement, or paid what is owed.
To be worthy of; merit: synonym: earn.
"She deserves a raise. He deserves to be treated with respect."
Similar: earn To earn by service; to be worthy of (something due, either good or evil); to merit; to be entitled to.
"the laborer deserves his wages; a work of value deserves praise."
The Text
Luke 13:1-5
1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
Now this was something heinous that happened during Pilate’s time. There were Jewish Christians worshipping and Pilate scooped them up and killed them and then mixed their blood with the sacrifice to his god. You can imagine how everyone was appalled at this and it was the talk of the town! … and not in a good way!
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.”
People of the time were going to Jesus to get His reaction to why did this bad thing happen?
At the time, people thought bad things happened because that person or someone in their family sinned!
We do that too. If something goes well we ask, what did we do to deserve this?!
And when something goes bad, we also ask, what did we do to deserve this?!
We somehow think our sin or lack of sin determines our fate in life!
Comparison
When we compare ourselves against other people, we often come out smelling pretty good! I mean, we haven’t killed anybody, right?
Now of course, as we walk with God, we seem to think that over time we should get more blessings as times goes by. Instead, as we get older, we realize we don’t deserve anything and if we got what we deserved, we’d be in trouble.
God doesn’t compare us against other people, instead, He compares us against His holiness. At that point we come out smelling pretty bad.
The bible tells us:
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a
For the wages of sin is death,
So if we really got what we deserved, we would be in trouble.
Back to the text
So why do bad things happen, is it because of sin! Yes, sadly we all are sinners so what do we all deserve? We deserve bad things to happen! None of us wants that!
So Jesus is sort of asking them, comparatively, do they think they are any better or “gooder” than those people who died gruesomely by Pilot or by the tower falling on them?
In their eyes, maybe they thought so? Everyone assumes that they are good people when they aren’t? If you ask anyone if they are a good person, they will tell you yes most likely!
If anyone asks you if you are a good person, don’t lie to them and tell them you are! At best, you are trying to be!
Mark 10:18
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
So, in God’s standards, there is no one good but God, we are all sinners, and since the wages of sin is death, don’t we all deserve death? Uh huh! Do you want what you deserve?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So how does a person become good?
By works? No!
Romans 3:20
20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
What was Jesus’ answer: To repent!!!
What does Repent mean - to turn over a new leave - do something different!
Being good is not based on what you’ve done in the past.
It has to do with going down a different road.
The road to salvation only happens one way, by faith in Jesus!
Only Jesus can remove sin and change your “fate”.
Ephesians 2:8,9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Jesus was trying to show them that they all have a sin problem and that they all deserve what the other people got because they are just as sinful as they are and if they want to survive, they most get rid of their sin, and there is only one way to do that, and the Bible tells us that is by putting your faith and trust in the one who can forgive sins - Jesus, God’s Son!
Did those people who died by Pilot and the tower falling on them deserve their gruesome deaths? Yes, unfortunately we all deserve a gruesome death becase we all have sinned!
Romans 3:10-12
as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
The Hope
But there is hope!
Romans 3:21-26
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
So, because of sin, we are all sentenced to death, even the second death!
But, even though we all deserve death, we can escape our fates by putting our faith in Jesus the Savior!
You can get away scott free today! Imagine being able to get away with something that’s the worst thing! A get out of jail free card! And so much more - you can be reconciled with God and have a new abundant life in heaven someday!
God loves you so much that He doesn’t want to give you what you deserve, but instead He wants to give you life and give it more abundantly!
God wishes that none should perish!
2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
I hope everyone will choose life and reject sin and getting the punishment you deserve!
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Trust in Jesus today!
