“Choking on the World”
Steve Hanchett, pastor
Berry Road Baptist Church
“Now, he who received the seek among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful."
-Matthew 13:22-
“But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first, said to him, ‘I HAVE bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come.’ . . .For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.” - Luke 14:18-20,24 -
“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
- 1 Timothy 6:9,10 -
“”For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world” - 2 Timothy 4:10 -
One man once said, “We can’t really know whether or not we have put our trust in God until something is at stake, until something grabs us by the throat and reminds us that God and this world are really going in two different directions. As long as they seem to be going in the same direction, we can’t know whether we are following God or following the world.”
Being a follower of Christ really means that we have seen the eternal value and treasure of Jesus and we choose Him over and above everything this world has to offer us. Even if it means sacrifice in this world.
Moses was just such a man. Somewhere, somehow along the way God did a work in Moses life and as a result Moses had a different kind of heart. That became evident in the choices he made.
Some people want to have it all. They want to be able to say, “Well, you know I prayed to receive Christ and was baptized, so I don’t have anything to worry about.” But at the same time they want to hold ever so tightly to this world. They want to go to heaven to be sure. But they also want all the stuff this world has to offer. So how do you know whether or not Jesus has really changed your heart? How do you know whether or not your are really saved? By the choices you make.
Moses came to one of those moments of choosing. Before his eyes were all the treasures of the Egyptian kingdom. I know that even as I say that it seems like a fairy tale, a story for bed time with no significance to your life. But look at your life right now? What is before your eyes? What is out there for you to pursue? What kind of choices are you having to make?
I think it would have been real easy for Moses to justify a different kind of choice. I think he cold have easily reasoned in his heart that he could do more good for the people if he remained in power and had all that wealth. He could probably get their work load cut down, maybe get them a pay raise, possibly work it out where they could have insurance with dental and vision benefits. Just think of all the good he could do in the position he was going to be in.
Some folks are always thinking about how much good they could do for the church and the kingdom once they strike it rich. Once they get their business going, once they get that promotion, once they win the lottery. Just wait and see how much they are going to benefit the kingdom then.
The truth is, if you aren’t faithful now you sure won’t be then.
This world is like a powerful magnet that pulls and tugs at the hearts of men. It is so powerful that only those whose hearts have been changed and are attracted to a different treasure will overcome the allure of this world. One of the great tests of faith is whether or not you and I can overcome the drawing power of this world. Isn’t interesting that so often in Jesus ministry it was the little things that kept people from fully following Him. It was a wife, a team of oxen and a few acres of land. It was a family relationship, a field that needed to be plowed and the comforts of home. You know nothing has changed.
Demas is an interesting study. Paul mentions him a couple of times. Somewhere along the way he became one of Paul’s assistants in ministry. That sounds more glorious than it could have really been. Paul was always getting thrown in jail, having rocks bounced off his head or run out of town. The last time we hear of Demas is in a short sentence in Paul’s letter to Timothy, “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world.”
I wonder about that parting of the ways. How did it all come down? What did Demas say to Paul when he packed up to leave? Did he say anything at all? Maybe he told Paul he wouldn’t be gone long and he would return soon? Maybe he just left a note? We don’t know. All we know is that there came a moment in time when Demas had to choose. He chose what he loved. This present world. And that choice confirmed what was in his heart. It showed him to be what he was. Lost, unchanged, attracted to this world more than he was attracted to Christ.
In Moses we have a better outcome. In Moses we have a man who could have chosen this world and chose Christ instead. Why did Moses chose Christ? I think this is probably the most important question we can ask. I don’t want you to miss this point. If you do you will make a grave error.
Some would assume that Moses made the choice he made because he was a man of great courage. He was a noble character. It was that inner strength he possessed. But if you come to that conclusion you will be sadly mistaken.
Moses chose Christ and the people of God simply because it was the only choice he could make. I don’t mean that he didn’t have any free choice in the matter. Obviously he did. He could have chose the riches of Egypt. But in another sense he couldn’t, because he had come to see so clearly the reality of Christ and eternity and the glory and pleasure of knowing God that it made no sense to do anything but to go with Christ.
I liken it to what the disciples said when many of those who had started out following Jesus were abandoning Him. Jesus asked the disciples if they were going to leave also. It was as if Jesus had held the door open and said go home if you want to. Forget all about me and my teaching and following me if that is what you want to do. I won’t stop you.
Peter, speaking for the group said, “Lord, to whom shall we go. You have the words of eternal life.” They didn’t leave. You know why? They had come to see so clearly what the choice really was, that the comforts of home and the income from fishing and all that their world had for them was less than nothing. In one sense they had a choice. Jesus is the one who gave it to them. But in another sense it was no choice at all.
It would be like someone setting two plates before you and on one sits a slab of raw beef liver and on the other one there is a nice well-cooked T-bone steak with baked potato and carrots and hot rolls. And they say, “go ahead and eat which ever one you want.” Well, it is a choice. But it is not really a choice is it. We take the steak. Why? Because it meets the desires of our heart and it corresponds with what we really want.
Why do some chose Christ and some this world? They chose what ever corresponds to the desire of their heart. There is no other way to put it an no other conclusion we can draw. Those who forsake Christ do so because he does not really appeal to their innermost desires like the things of this world do.
So there are some questions we ought to ask ourselves today. These questions might help us to see our hearts true condition.
1. When you have choice between the things of Christ and something else which do you normally chose?
2. If choosing Christ means sacrificing something else in life do you chose Him?
3. Where is it that you really expect to find the greatest joy and pleasure in life? In Christ or in the things of this world.
God presents choices to us for a reason. It is not that He doesn’t know what is in us. It is that we don’t. So we choose and by our choice we prove what our hearts are like and who or what we really love.
