THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
STEWARDSHIP SERMON SERIES
“THE TAKER’S TRANSPORTATION”
I TIMOTHY 4:8
©Larry L. Thompson (2003)
1 Tim. 4:8 (NIV)
“FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING IS OF SOME VALUE, BUT GODLINESS HAS VALUE FOR ALL THINGS, HOLDING PROMISE FOR BOTH THE PRESENT LIFE AND THE LIFE TO COME.”
Introduction:
We live in a society that seems to be in the constant search for satisfaction. Dr. Cal Rychener, social commentator, writes in his paper, “STUDY OF AN AMERICAN CULTURE” reports: “We are experiencing a phenomenon in our society today. Americans have more possessions, we are both healthier and wealthier than any other American generation in our nation’s history that we the most discontented of all generations.”
The question must be asked, “What is the problem?” Perhaps this was best answered by the most unlikely source, Basketball Bad Boy, Dennis Rodman. In an interview he was asked, “Dennis, you have all the money you could possibly want, you have beautiful women on your arms everywhere you go, you own your own jet and have three residences…what more do you want?” Without hesitation Rodman said, “I want it all!” The reporter continued, “What is left?” After a painful silence Rodman said, “Fulfillment!”
Clarence Darrow, world famous agnostic attorney for the defense in the “Scopes Monkey Trial” made this confession after picking up the Bible he had denied his entire life and reading Luke 5:5: “This verse describes my life.”
“SIMON ANSWERED, "MASTER, WE’VE WORKED HARD ALL NIGHT AND HAVEN’T CAUGHT ANYTHING…”
Clarence Darrow changed the we to “I” and said, “I have worked hard all night and I haven’t accomplished anything. I have TAKEN much but have NOTHING. I have lived life without purpose, without feeling and without direction. I don’t know where I came from, what I’m doing here or where I’m going when I die.”
I HAVE TAKEN MUCH BUT HAVE NOTHING!
Now contrast this outlook to what Jesus Christ said in John 10:10
John 10:10 (NIV)
“THE THIEF COMES ONLY TO STEAL AND KILL AND DESTROY; I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL.”
Jesus said I want to offer you full life now and tomorrow! However, Jesus went on to say that the full life was not a life to be discovered from the outside in! It was not going to be found in saturating our senses with every possession this world has to offer. Jesus KNEW that if you invested your entire life in TAKING to attempt to FILL the need for abundant life that your life would end empty. You may have traveled at full speed using the philosophy of this world as a means of transportation but make no mistake about this: The TAKER’S TRANSPORT WILL NEVER LEAD YOU TO THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED! Tragically, the destination of the TAKER’S TRANSPORTATION IS A DEAD END ROAD.
Jesus knew that the fullness of life begins with GIVING not TAKING. SURRENDERING not SATURATING. PEACE not POSSESSIONS. Jesus knew the ROAD LESS TRAVELED would be found when you first learn that the ONLY WAY TO SATISFY THAT VOID IN YOUR LIFE IS TO ALLOW GOD TO FILL YOUR HEART WITH HIS PRESENCE THAT BEGINS WITH YOUR PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO JESUS CHRIST! HE ONLY COMES INTO YOUR LIFE BY THE PERSONAL INVITATION. THIS IS WHERE THE ABUNDANT LIFE BEGINS. THIS IS WHERE YOU FIND THE TRAIL THAT LEADS TO THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED. When you GIVE YOUR LIFE TO CHRIST your POSSESSIONS are put into PERSPECTIVE and will be used as a RESULT of the peace in your life and not IN SEARCH for the peace you are missing.
For the month of March I will be sharing with you this sermon series entitled, “THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED.” We will identify the four types of individuals in our world today who are seeking to find that path. As we make this journey together it will be well if you identify areas in your life that may correspond to the four types of people we will examine. Those four groups are:
1. THE TAKER’S TRANSPORTATION: The Road of GRIEVOUS Living
2. THE TIPPER’S TURNPIKE: The Road of GRATUTIOUS Giving
3. THE TITHER’S TOLL: The Road of GUIDELINE Giving
4. THE TRUSTER’S TRAIL: The Road of GOD-DIRECTED Giving
LOOK again at the key verse in today’s study:
1 Tim. 4:8 (NIV)
“FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING IS OF SOME VALUE, BUT GODLINESS HAS VALUE FOR ALL THINGS, HOLDING PROMISE FOR BOTH THE PRESENT LIFE AND THE LIFE TO COME.”
The simple translation is: Bodily exercise has some value… The King James says, “Bodily exercise profith little” I quoted the verse that way once and a guy said, “You shouldith know!”
What it means is all the physical bodily exercise you do will only profit you for a short time and it has no eternal significance. It doesn’t mean that it is not good, it means that it won’t FILL THE VOID that is found in the TAKER’S lifestyle.
Instead Paul says that spiritual exercise is of unlimited value both for this life and the life to come. THE SPIRITUAL FITNESS MUST BE A PRIORITY!
TODAY let’s look at FIVE FAILURES OF A TAKER’S LIFE THAT KEEPS THEM IN SPIRITUAL REGRESSION AND FROM THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED! Sometimes we learn more from identifying the failures in our life, those shortcomings than we do our successes.
I. TAKE NO ACTION TO DEVLOP YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE
In other words, never make a decision or a commitment to Christ that will result in the building of your spiritual life. You must remember never to use the discipline you use in living for this temporal world for your spiritual life. If you were to commit to any spiritual discipline then you would first listen to Christ, receive Him as your Savior.
If you are a Christian and you begin to exercise discipline in your spiritual life then you know what will happen…YOU WILL BEGIN TO GROW IN THE LORD.
Listen to the way this verse reads in the LIVING translation:
1 Tim. 4:8 (Living)
“Bodily exercise is all right, but spiritual exercise is much more important and is a tonic for all you do. So exercise yourself spiritually, and practice being a better Christian because that will help you not only now in this life, but in the next life too.”
Some of you are saying, “Larry, you mean I should spiritually exercise everyday? Do I really need that discipline?”
NO, what I’m saying to you today is that if you want to just ignore your spiritually life just keep right on truckin’ down the WIDE ROAD of DESTRUCTION…where the other TAKER’S TRANSPORTS are heading. If your goal is spiritual defeat then make certain that you follow this first principle and TAKE NO ACTION TO DEVELOP YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE!
Here is what you notice about TAKERS…they will make periodic stops to pull over and observe the ROAD LESS TRAVELED, they will enjoy the HOUSE of WORSHIP that the people on the ROAD LESS TRAVELED built but they certainly will TAKE NO ACTION TO DEVELOP THEIR SPIRITUAL LIFE THAT WOULD MAKE THEM A BLESSING. Those of you that are physically fit…did that happen because one day you said, “I want to be physically fit and all of sudden while you were laying on the couch eating the hot fudge sundae the pounds just pealed off the muscles started bulging? You suddenly found yourself in shape. (That’s what happened to me…only it was a pear shape!)
Listen to what I am going to share with you: SPIRITUAL GROWTH DOESN’T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT, IT IS AN INTENTIONAL PROCESS!
A few years ago I did develop a spiritual discipline which has been the best decision for me spiritually next to committing my life to Jesus Christ; Starting EVERY day in the word of God. But do you know what I have noticed? When I get up in the morning and walk to the desk in my bedroom where I have my quiet time of studying scripture the BIBLE never just opens by itself and my pens start automatically marking the verses the Holy Spirit is using in my life for that day. I HAD TO INTENTIONALLY PICK UP THE BIBLE, INTENTIONALLY OPEN IT, INTENTIONALLY STUDY THE SCRIPTURE AND INTENTIONALLY MAKE PERSONAL APPLICATION.
If you are a TAKER this morning and want to remain in that spiritual decline then your first decision is to TAKE NO ACTION TO DEVELOP YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE!
II. TAKE EVERY PASSION IN YOUR LIFE OTHER THAN CHRIST
Have you ever been around those people that were obsessive about working out their physical bodies? If you listen to them they will tell you, “THIS IS MY PASSION!” TAKERS INSURE THAT THEIR LIFE IS FILLED WITH ANY PASSION OTHER THAN CHRIST.
The Bible instructs us in Mark 12:30 (NIV)
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
Takers need to be sure not to allow this one scripture to really take root in their life because I promise you that if you replace any passion that occupies your heart with a passion for Christ then YOU WILL GROW and you WILL FIND YOURSELF walking on the ROAD LESS TRAVELED.
However, tragically the Bible speaks about TAKERS in the last days:
2 Tim. 3:1-4 (NIV)
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. [2] People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, [4] treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
If your goal is to stay secure on the Taker’s Transport then insist that you fill your heart with love and passion of anything this world offers you but DO NOT FILL YOUR HEART WITH A LOVE FOR CHRIST! Once you develop a passion for Christ, loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength then you can’t help but have a heart that is passionate for CHRIST!
I’m warning you…if you TAKE INTO YOUR LIFE A PASSION FOR CHRIST you will start doing RADICAL THINGS.
• Balancing out your work so you can spend more time with your spouse and your children.
• You become bi-lingual…learn a whole new language without cuss words!
• Your sense of humor changes.
• You begin to insist on making Sunday a priority for developing your spiritual life.
• Some have gone so far and become so radical that they have left their TAKER’S TRANSPORTATION and they actually have started giving their time, their talents and their treasure.
• If you get really passionate you start hanging out with Jack Wehrell, smiling and telling people about Jesus.
• THEN THE UNHEARD OF HAPPENS. YOU BEGIN TO WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ETERNITY. YOU SUDDENLY REAIZE THAT SATAN’S WORD THAT DRIVES HIM IS “TAKE”…BUT NOW BECAUSE OF YOUR PASSION FOR CHRIST YOU FIND YOURSELF LOVING THE NEW LIFE THAT CENTERS NOT ON TAKING BUT ON GIVING. THAT IS REALLY RADICAL!!!
• SOME OF THOSE RELATIONSHIP RADICALS EVEN GIVE 10% OF THEIR INCOME AND THE ONES THAT HAVE REALLY LOST IT GIVE MORE AND THEY EVEN THINK IT IS A JOY!
WHY? Because when Christ is the passion of your life you begin to care about the things that Christ cares about. YOU WANT TO SEE OTHERS IN CHURCH, YOU WANT TO SEE THEM KNOW CHRIST, YOU WANT TO SERVE, YOU WANT TO SEE THEIR LIVES CHANGED AND SO YOU WANT TO GIVE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN! Why? Because you realize that someone gave so you could be reached.
THAT IS WHAT A PASSION FOR CHRIST WILL DO…HE WILL RUIN YOU AND CAUSE OTHERS TO SHAKE THEIR HEADS AND SAY, “WHAT ON EARTH HAS GOTTEN INTO HIM?” YOU LISTEN AND THEN SAY, “What’s on earth got out of me so what’s eternal could get into me!” That’s when they run!
III. TAKE NO OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN A BIBLE
Takers take everything except the time to open their Bible and to allow the Word of God to speak to their hearts and to receive God’s word and obey God’s word. Takers want to avoid at all cost the directive from I Peter 2:1-3.
1 Peter 2:1-3 (NIV)
“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. [2] Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, [3] now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
Growing Christians CRAVE the pure milk of God’s word because like infants they understand it is essential for their spiritual growth and they take in the word of God daily so they can GROW UP in their salvation. They know that the fully developed spiritual body drinks spiritual milk. (Possible picture of reading bible with milk moustache)
If you really want to maintain your status as a taker on the highway of life then you must reject spiritual discipline, ignore the desire to allow Jesus Christ to the be the passion of your life and whatever you do NEVER take the opportunity to open the Bible and read the WORDS of LIFE.
IV. TAKE NO CHRISTIAN FRIENDS INTO YOUR LIFE
YOU CAN’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU…If you want to continue enjoying the TAKER’S TRANSPORTATION then you better make certain that you don’t make the mistake of being friends with any fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. THEY WILL RUIN YOU. These people are highly contagious and if you are around them long you could very well get what they have…an abundant life full of the Joy that Christ brings to every heart.
Listen, if you want to continue as a TAKER in spiritual regression then make certain the closest friends you have also take the TAKER’S TRANSPORTATION. What you need to know is this: Spirit-filled Christians are out to change the world and you happen to be in their targets! Just listen to how the BIBLE WARNS YOU HOW TO STAY ON A CORRUPT HIGHWAY FLYING IN THE TAKER’S TRANSPORT:
1 Cor. 15:33 (NIV)
“Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."
If your goal is spiritual regression and to maintain your speed in your TAKER’S TRANSPORT then it will be a ridiculous move to invite Christian friends into your life…I’m warning you. They will bring you up. You simply can’t have close Christian friends and stay down.
My friend Anthony Segreto is a classic example. He began to hang around Coach Wannstedt, I don’t want to expose his cover but he’s one of those Christians…Anthony got into a small bible study group of Christian friends and started doing all the things TAKERS ARE NOT SUPPOSE TO DO and now he’s lost! He hasn’t been riding in the TAKER’S TRANSPORTATION for over a year…he’s even changed roads and HE ENJOYS THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED and the really sad fact about Tony Segreto…he is so deceived in thinking that his life is really better off now that he is passionate about his new life in Christ. I see him every week loving on other Christian men, laughing with them, praying for them, concerned about them…it’s sickening to see what this former Taker’s life has become.
V. TAKE NO THOUGHT OF YOUR SPIRITUAL REALITY
To maintain your TAKER’S STATUS then you must REMAIN IN DENIAL. You must NEVER allow yourself the opportunity to for even one moment consider that there really may be something to the fullness of the CHRISTIAN LIFE.
The best way to insure you can live in denial is to deceive yourself by not rejecting the TRUTH, just postpone the TRUTH. In other words, just keep saying, “I’m not saying that I don’t believe in Christ nor am I saying that He is not the Savior. I’m not saying I will NEVER commit my life to Him. I’m just not going to do it today but I will someday…just not today.” THAT’S EXCELLENT because if you do that you can still live in a way that you don’t feel so guilty about rejecting the MESSIAH and yet have the perfect rationalization for your rebellious life as you DRIVE the TAKER’S TRANSPORTATION FLYING DOWN THE WIDE HIGHWAY THAT ULTIMATELY ENDS IN DESTRUCTION.
Here is how you can now if you are safely on the wrong road. When you first get on this road and start riding in the Taker’s Transportation you hear an alarm periodically. That alarm is the conviction of Jesus Christ attempting to warn you that what you doing is wrong and the way seems right to you but the end is destruction. Just like a TOLL BOOTH on the turnpike the bells go off as you speed past totally ignoring the direction. HERE’S HOW YOU KNOW YOU’RE SAFELY ON THE ROAD TO DESTRUCTION…YOU CAN RUN PAST THE SPIRITUAL ALARMS AND NEVER HEAR THEM ANYMORE! You have become so spiritually insensitive to the voice of God that now safely and securely headed to your own destruction.
CONCLUSION:
You know today if you are a TAKER who has never yielded your life to CHRIST. You are on your own highway, driving your own TRANSPORT and living life to the fullest…if that is true then why are you so empty, why do you know something is missing? Why do you long today to find THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED and the PEACE that you see in the lives of those who walk that path?
For Christians who are traveling in their false comfort of their TAKER’S TRANSPORT it is time for you to put on the brakes, get off the road and allow Christ to take you in the direction that leads to life and fullness and abundant joy.
Take a serious look into your own life right now and ask if there is any internationality in your Christian life to develop in a follower of Christ that will make a difference not only in your life but in the lives of others and together we can make a difference in SOUTH FLORIDA. The only way that is going to happen is to: MAKE THE COMMITMENT TODAY TO WALK WITH CHRIST ON THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED. THAT ROAD BEGINS AT THE END OF YOUR PEW AND YOUR DECISION TO WALK IN OBEDIENCE TO HIS WORD NOW!
