Living Large-Satisfied
Gary A. Shockley, Lead Pastor
Cornerstone Church
September 9, 2001
This morning we launch a new message series I’m calling, “Living Large” based on a passage from the gospel of Matthew commonly referred to as the Beatitudes in chapter five.
“Living Large” is one of those phrases floating around “out there’ that means different things for different people in our culture. When I asked a teenager what “Living Large” meant they replied: “being popular, having lots of neat stuff.”
When I asked an adult they said: “a great job, financial security, getting ahead.”
This is a phrase I’ve heard our Worship Arts Director use from time to time. Dean, in twenty words or less, what does “Living Large” mean to you?
The beatitudes come right at the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. He is beginning to establish His ministry and lay the foundation for God’s kingdom on earth. There he stands at the top of this long lush-green hillside—this natural amphitheatre. Over to his left is the beautiful Sea of Galilee. He’s watching the steady stream of people coming from every which way to dot the landscape like dandelions on a spring lawn. We can picture these folks, who have long waited for some definitive word from God, leaning forward straining to hear so as to not miss one syllable that departs Jesus’ lips.
They have been religiously well indoctrinated from their childhood. They’ve had the religious leaders tell them repeatedly, “It’s not who you are but what you do that gets you into God’s good graces.” They’ve had the law of Moses and worse yet the law of man wrapped around them so tightly they couldn’t move for fear of offending God. Now they come to Jesus expecting to hear more of the same all the while hoping to hear something different…something life-giving…something about “living large” in the best sense of the word.
And what they hear from Jesus is not another list of do’s and don’ts. Not another impossible formula for winning God’s favor.
What they hear from Jesus are principles for living large—for being real, for becoming the kind of persons God really intended for them to be. I think that day they were surprised. I trust over these next several weeks we will be too! We’ll learn from Jesus what it means for us, today, to live large. So let’s get started!
Kingdom Principle Number One: Living Large means Finding True Satisfaction in God.
Matthew 5:3, “God blesses those who realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.”
You know--there are some pretty smart people in the world. I’ve heard Bill Hybels from Willow Creek Church talk about some of them like little Sidney who was an exceptionally bright boy. At 22 months of age he began studying Hebrew, and by age four, he could read and write in nine languages. Not bad, huh?
How about a 10 year old boy who recited 16,000 pages of Buddhist writings, word for word, from memory.
Mac Radall taught himself to use an electric typewriter when he was three years old, and by age four, he was writing novels and stories. What were you doing when you were four? I think I was still learning to tie my shoes. We didn’t have “Velcro” back then.
But, you know, as smart as these kids were they still can’t compete with a guy in the Bible named Solomon. In my daily devotions I’ve been reading about Solomon in the books of Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. Solomon was King of Israel during it’s best days. He was so smart, so wise, so discerning the Bible says no one before, or ever to come after him, would match his brain power.
Let me tell you a little about the smartest guy in the world and what he thought “living large” meant and how he eventually found what Jesus describes in Kingdom Principle #1 as true satisfaction in life.
As a young king Solomon used all his intellect, power and influence to build up Israel until it became a wealthy world power. Kings and Queens from distant countries would travel to Jerusalem just to marvel at its splendor.
Later on in his life Solomon wanted more. He knew there had to be much more than what he had already accomplished and so he set his sights on putting all his brain power, all his wealth, all his influence on a quest to find the secret to satisfaction. In spite of everything he was, had or did Solomon felt something was missing from his life. Some of you this morning understand that all too well because you sense something significant is missing from your life and like Solomon you’re on a quest to find out what it is.
Let me quickly summarize Solomon’s quest as it is recorded in the 12 chapters of the book of Ecclesiastes.
a. Solomon begins his quest with a study of philosophy. He threw himself into everything that attempted to explain the origins, meaning and purpose of life. And when he finished every book, talked to every philosopher, dissected every world view he concluded in 1:17, “So I worked hard to distinguish wisdom from foolishness. But now I realize even this was like chasing the wind.” So he checked philosophy off his list and went on to something else.
b. In chapter 2 Solomon tells us how he threw himself headlong into the pursuit of pleasure-- self-gratification, self-indulgence. He drank the best wines in the world. He surrounded himself with the most beautiful gardens, parks and ponds. He hired the best musicians to play for him non-stop. He found the most beautiful women in the world to fulfill his every desire. He wrote in 2:10, “Everything I wanted, I took. I did not restrain myself from any joy.” At the end of the road called pleasure Solomon sat back, reflected on it, and said again. “Hey, like philosophy, it’s all so meaningless. It too is like chasing the wind.” “There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.”
c. Power didn’t do it. Philosophy didn’t do it. Pleasure didn’t do it. So how about possessions? Solomon set out to build some of the most fabulous structures ever made. It took him 13 years to complete one of them and the Bible says he put precious stones in the foundation walls! Talk about overkill! He dressed up the place with gold, silver, gems and cedar—in every room! On top of all that he acquired the largest herds in the world, planted the best vineyards and forests ever seen, gathered priceless art and treasures from all over the world. When Solomon set out to do something he set out to do it right!
After his pursuit of wealth and possessions he concludes in 5:10, “How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! What’s the advantage of wealth except to watch it run through your fingers.”
For seven more chapters Solomon, the smartest guy in the world, writes about how meaningless it all was. And he arrives at his conclusion as to how to experience genuine satisfaction. He says in 12:13…drum roll please…”real satisfaction comes through fearing God and following Him fully.” And as a little tag he writes, “And this applies to every person—no exceptions!”
I wonder how many of us really believe that. Are totally convinced that the only true way to relieve the aching emptiness of our souls—that God-sized hole we try to fill with other things-- is to acknowledge our own need for God? To come to the point of realizing, as Solomon did, that only God can satisfy the deepest longing of our souls?
That’s what Jesus’ first kingdom principle is all about. Hear it again, “God blesses those who realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.” It took Solomon the better part of his life to come to that conclusion.
I wonder how many of us really believe that true satisfaction is only found in a real, growing, personal relationship with God? I have a sneaking suspicion that many of us are still secretly holding out hope that we’ll be able to find true lasting satisfaction in life apart from fearing and following God. And so we work harder, we buy more things, we fill our lives with endless activity. And when we sit in the dark alone with our thoughts the emptiness inside becomes unbearable! You know what that feels like. You’ve been there. What are you doing to find real satisfaction in your life?
Before you take another step I want you to remember Solomon—the smartest guy in the world. He took the pursuit of power, wealth and possessions, unbridled pleasure-seeking all the way to the end. He had all the resources to do that—a lot more than anyone here will ever have--and he concluded that each path led to an even deeper emptiness.
Listen again to Jesus’ first principle of the Kingdom of God: “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.” God’s kingdom is given to those who acknowledge, accept and abandon themselves to God. Here’s what you have to do--
a. Acknowledge God as the author of everything that is;
b. Accept His love for you, personally, by accepting His Son Jesus Christ; Accept His forgiveness of your sins; Accept the freedom He gives you to become a new person;
c. Abandon your quest for satisfaction in other “things”- abandon your attempts to go at this journey alone. Abandon yourself to God.
If you haven’t done that then you’re still running up and down blind alleys like a mouse running through a labyrinth looking for the cheese hitting walls and dead ends.
Jesus came to show us the way. In fact he said, “If you want to find true satisfaction in life—I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” You can follow me all the way to the Father and he’ll satisfy the deepest longing of your soul!
If you are seeking that kind of satisfaction—I want to pray for you this morning. I will ask God to meet you right where you are. If you’ve experienced that satisfaction in a personal relationship with Christ then I want to pray for God to help you continue to grow in it. Let’s pray…
