Greatness Waiting To Happen
1/22/ 94 Exodus 12:31-42 John 12:23-28
When you get up and look in the mirror each morning what do you see? Do you see a person who can’t wait to change his or her appearance in order to be more presentable to the world, or do you see what God sees. God sees greatness waiting to happen, if the right decisions are made throughout the day and there is a willingness to serve God..
One of the reasons God sees what He does is that God created you. He knows what a difference He could make in your life if given the chance. God knows that your potential for greatness far exceeds, your willingness to pursue and to obtain it. Just as a sculptor sees not just a large rock, but rather the magnificent statute hidden inside, when God looks at you, God sees something wonderful that you can be chiseled and shaped into greatness.
Travel with me for a moment to the land of Egypt, on the night when the people of Israel are finally leaving 430 years of slavery. You will see the greatness of a people that was waiting to happen. God causes so much havoc and destruction upon Egypt for their oppression of his people, that whatever the Israelites ask of the Egyptians, they give it to them. They ask for gold items, silver items, designer clothing, pearls and other jewelry and the Egyptians gladly give it to them in order to get rid of them.
The one thing about greatness is that it is not found on easy street. In order to reach greatness that matters, one has to reach God for that is where the ultimate greatness in majesty, in power and in authority is. There is but one way to God Jesus says "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me." But Jesus never says, "come to me and you will forever be happy". He never says there will be no more pain, no more hunger, nor more sickness and no more death. Instead he says, come follow me.
In order to get in touch with the greatness that is within you, you’ve got to get in touch with God. Being in touch with God goes far deeper than an occasional or even a consistent attendance at church. You can go to every Cavalier game that ever was, but that will not make you a player on the team. You can sit around the Cavs locker room and buy you a uniform that looks just like theirs, but that will not make you a player on the team. Until you’ve entered into a contract with Cavalier’s owner, you’re just a fan.
We can go to church all our lives, but until we have entered a personal contract with Jesus Christ on terms that He has established, we’re nothing more than a fan of the church. Unfortunately, being a church fan, even good church fan, will not allow us to reach the greatness God has in mind
When the people see Moses telling Pharaoh, God said let my people go, the people see greatness. Moses is greatness waiting to happen. Look around this morning. It does not matter whether you look to the right, the left, in front or behind you, you will be looking at greatness waiting to happen. He or she may not look like much at the moment but take one more look and you may see a person whose going to make a difference in this world, by making a difference at home, at work, at school or in the church.
When Moses looks over all the people that are leaving out of Egypt, he likewise is looking at greatness waiting to happen. Yet the sad reality is that sometimes greatness waiting to happen is never allowed to fully come forward
What holds us back from reaching our greatness?. Do you know why there is often an emptiness in our lives even when we get things that we thought would truly make us happy? George MacDonald wrote, "Man finds it hard to get what he wants, because he does not want the best; God finds it hard to give, because He would give the best, and man will not take it."
I am amazed at how quickly we can forget God and forget how bad our situation use to be where we were. God brings us back from our dying bed, and yet we are know more faithful in our service than we were before we made all those promises to God of what we would do if given another chance.
God’s best is sometimes pushed aside when our circumstances change.. Less than a month after they leave left Egypt, Pharaoh and the Egyptians get upset that they had let God’s people go and they go after them. Not only have the Egyptians forgotten the power of God, but so do God’s people. Pharaoh is approaching with his chariots and soldiers. The people of God see them coming. The sea is in front of them so it looks as though they are trapped
. It says in Exodus 14:10-12 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ’Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"
You know men, it wasn’t the women who were telling Moses this, it was the men. They are ready to give up and go back to Egypt. They’re voluntarily giving up on the greatness that God has for them. Forget God’s best, give us what’s the easiest to get under the circumstances.
We all say, I want what’s best for my life, but do we truly. Isn’t what we really want, is that we want to do what we want to do , when we want to do it. We then equate that with what is best, because we think that’s what’s going to make us happiest. I’ve met married men who settle for far two little in marriage. They seek only food and sex and think that’s all there is to know.. The tragedy is, they will never know what greatness is in a relationship because they will not allow themselves to grow beyond that view
Thank God for men who understand, that true joy in a relationship is found when a man humbles himself to please his wife and to live for her best interests. The word of God tells us we are to love ourselves, and men it specifically says to us, a man who loves his wife loves himself. Many men are afraid to reach for greatness because it means sometimes they have to change.
You know men, you recognize that for a team to be great its got to be willing to change. You may have one of the best teams that runs the ball well. But if you come up against a good team that has the best defense against the run, you’d be smart to alter your game plan to include throwing some passes. It doesn’t make you any less of a team, because you changed based on who you were playing against. Those same kinds of adjustments need to be made in relationships. Some of us are having some problems in our marriages, and its not necessarily anyone’s fault as much as it is, its time for a new game plan. Any intelligent coach will seek help from others to ask, how did you handle this team. That’s what’s Black Men who Excel is here for, as a coach that has played some of the teams that we face..
I’ve seen fathers who do not understand greatness in a father. Instead of children they desire living toys that come alive when they want them to , and that they can turn off when other things have grasped their interests. Children need a live human being that’s present to love and to comfort them. Thank God for everyone of you men who is at home today.
. To reach one’s greatness as father means an investment of one’s time, energy, money and love on the child’s timetable and not the parent’s. The other night at session meeting, John Hays gave us a testimony which I thought was the greatest I’ve ever heard of a father’s love with his children. He said, you know why Jonnie and I can’t stay in Arkansas? It’s because we have to get back to our kids.
Especially my girls, I just miss our girls. That kind of love isn’t there on there other end of the age spectrum, when you’ve not spent the time to build the relationship over the years when God gave you the chance to do so.
Young men strive for greatness in the way you deal with the young women that God sends into your lives. Treat them with respect. Let them know, they don’t have to worry about you leading them into sexual sin. Let them know that they are safe with you, and that when you take them on a date, you’re only looking for the kind of evening in which when it’s over you can hear God say to both of you, well done, for I am greatly pleased with your behavior of honoring each other and honoring me. That’s allowing your greatness to begin to manifest itself.
A desire for pleasure, a fear of pain or an unwillingness to wait any longer, keeps us from getting the best that God has in mind for us. They keeps us from reaching the greatness that is lying in front of us all. So many people settled for disastrous choices of mates because they were afraid time was passing them by. Sometimes getting ahead of God causes as far more pain than we had imagined.
Men, if you knew you could succeed at making a change in yourself, what would you do at home to make life better for your spouse of for your children? How long will you spend wishing it were so, before you actually try to do something about it? Friend, you are greatness waiting to happen. You alone decide how long that wait is going to be.
One day a drunk lost his car keys. He was looking as close to the ground as he could. He was looking under a good lamp. People stopped by to help him. A man said, "Buddy we have looked under this lamp for an hour. Are you sure you lost the keys here?" The drunk said, " no, I think I dropped them up the street but it was too dark up there to look. The light is better done here." Too many of us as men go to where we want to go to look for answers instead of looking where the answers can be found. You don’t help your marriage by asking advice of those who are not striving to become great in their own marriages.
Men, no matter what you’ve done in the past, keep your eyes on the greatness that God has in front of you. We’ve all made some mistakes in the past, but today is another chance to begin to change We all know of someone whose only glory moment is somewhere in the past. They try to make that moment of glory last forever when they need to let it go and move on.
We all grow tired of hearing the 35 year old man tell us about how he scored the winning touchdown 18 years ago, or of the guy who scored the winning basket 20 years ago, or the guy who could have made it to the pro’s if such and such hadn’t of happened. The question is what are they doing today. Are they the father, the husband, or the single man that God is calling them to be? Have they have earned the respect of families and friends because of the quality of their lifestyles? These things matter for more than any ball game. As big as the winning touchdown was in Super Bowl 8, probably not a single one of you can tell me who scored it or how, even though you probably saw it.
Men, we are on that road to greatness in some areas of our lives, but sometimes we are hindered in being great, because we still want to carry the dreams we had as little boys. Playing ball is fine, but when our families need us at home changing diapers, spending time with the kids, and loving our wives, we need to put the basketball, football, bowling ball or partying with the guys to the side and go be what a man, a father, and a husband ought to be. God has called us to be leaders in our homes, not stars on the neighborhood court, nor even the number one businessman in town. We can become so easily wrapped up in our visions, that we forget God has given us another priority in our responsibilities. The reality is, no matter how good we are, most of us here are not going to play for the Browns, the Cavaliers or the Indians.
Family is the most important thing that God blesses us to have. It’s a shame that it often takes death to get us to realize it. . No one on his death bed ever said, "could you bring some papers from the office so that I could work one last time." But do you know how many people have regretted the neglect shown to their families. Do you know how many regret how little they have accomplished for God shortly after they have died There is nothing like death to get us to see the foolishness of the priorities we set in our lives.
Jesus gives us the model for spreading the greatness that we are called to reach. Jesus said in John 12:23, " "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed, but if it dies, it produces many seeds."
Here are some apple seeds, how many seeds are there in my hands. How many apples are in my hand. The only way to find out is to go and plant them and see what grows, and then plant the seeds from those apples and see what grows. I could potentially be holding a million apples or I may be holding none. It all depends on what I choose to do with these seeds. Jesus is saying, we are like these seeds with our lives. Our greatness does not depend on what we look like, but on what we are willing to give up. If we want to know life, then we must be willing to experience death. . Jesus goes on to say, "the man who loves his life will lose it."
Jesus is not speaking against enjoying living. He’s saying the person who lives with himself as the center of the world, is going to lose the very thing he values the most which is himself. We all know what a pain it is to have a superstar on your team who thinks he’s the only one that can play. We use to call him a hog. He never passes the ball, always takes the shots, misses quite often, yells at those who don’t follow his plays, blames others for the loss of the game and takes the credit when the team wins. The person has a problem with pride, selfishness and conceit.
The problem comes when we don’t recognize that sometimes, we are that person in our home, on our job, and in our relationships with others. When you have a man in a home that wants everybody to serve him, obey him, and jump at his every word simply because he’s a man, that person has a real problem.
The very joy and happiness he seeks to derive from that family is going to escape him. Instead of appreciating him, the members of that family will grow to resent his very presence and when the opportunity comes, will have nothing else to do with him. That person is going to lose the very life he seeks to gain.
Jesus goes on to say, but the man who hates his life in this world, will keep it for eternal life. Again Jesus is not saying, a person has to hate having a good time in life. He’s saying that a person who realizes that there is tremendous capacity with him to be selfish, manipulative, and domineering over others, and hates that part of him, that’s the person who will know what life is all about.
There is something in us that says "might makes right." Men, this knowledge should scare us to death, because it means in the relationships in our families, we have a built in potential for abusing our wives and children. If that potential is not surrendered to God, it is going to manifest itself, and things we swore we would not do, we will find ourselves doing those very things. Knowing Jesus isn’t just some option like choosing to play basketball or going to movie. Having relationship with Jesus Christ is essential to us reaching the greatness that God has in mind for us.
God wants the very best for you. He wants greatness to be a part of your life. But also God knows that each of these things involve a cost. You can’t become a champion in life simply by saying, it sure would be nice to be a champion. Simply wanting greatness is not going to change you. You’ve got to put in the hours, endure some stress, give up some things, and focus in on your goal.
Here’s what Jesus says, "Whoever serves me, must follow me; and where I am my servant must be also. Now, here’s the road that God is calling us all to travel. Before we say I won’t do it, we must ask would God have me to do it. Jesus was the greatest leader and servant that the world has ever known, even to those who were closet to him.
If Jesus could wash the disciples’ dirty feet, should we be able to change dirty diapers. If Jesus could serve the disciples at the table, should we be willing to serve our families in the home. If Jesus could refrain from using his power to stop the soldiers from spitting on him, beating him, and nailing him to a cross, should we willing to let go of our physical strength as a means of controlling others.
If Jesus never used profanity in his group, should we be willing to let go of it as our identity as a man. If Jesus could lay down his life for his friends, shouldn’t we be willing to do whatever it takes to care and provide for those we love. Following Christ is when our main concern is "will this decision be pleasing in God’s sight." Some of us would not dare to take Christ into our realm of entertainment of books, magazines, movies, and shows that we watch. We know that Christ would find them offensive. Why aren’t we offended by them.
Christianity that doesn’t affect our lives at home is worthless. It’s like the baskets you score before the game begins or after the game is over. They don’t count for anything. Realize also, that there is no greatness apart from receiving the spirit of Christ in our lives. Oh sure you can still be a big shot, but that won’t keep you great in the eyes of those it matters the most. It won’t mean a thing to God when you have to meet him face to face.
Many of our wives saw some potential of greatness in our lives and that’s why they said "I do." Let’s be faithful and allow that potential they saw to reach its maximum level... It always boils down to our pride and to selfishness. . Nobody is going to tell us what to do. That’s the pride. "I’m going to do what I want whether you like it or not." That’s the selfishness.
It takes courage to allow the greatness within each of us to manifest itself. It takes humility to start the process because we have to confess, "God, I’m screwed up and I can’t handle this thing by myself. "I know what it is, to not be able to say I’m sorry, even when I know I’ve been wrong. I need Jesus Christ in my life, not only for the life to come, but in living today." If you are big enough to take these steps of faith, you will discover yourself on a road to greatness, far beyond anything you had thought possible for your life.
