Matthew 16:24-28
Always Worth It
Woodlawn Baptist Church
October 1, 2006
Introduction
Display Bud Light billboard on the projector. Have you seen this billboard? This week as I was driving back to Denison from Sherman, it caught my attention. No, not because I was thirsty for a beer, but because of its subtle message. I’ve read it many times, but for the first time I finally read it. You have probably seen the commercials advertising this idea. I got online yesterday and found some of them to watch. Admittedly they can be funny to watch, but what about this idea being promoted? As I drove along, I began to think about what that phrase, “Always Worth It” really says.
Is it always worth buying? Is it always worth drinking? Is it always worth it? Always? I wondered if we asked the two young boys I know whose father verbally and emotionally abuses them when he’s drunk would say “It’s always worth it.” I wondered if the wife whose husband spends more time hanging out with the guys knocking them back would say, “It’s always worth it.” I wonder if we were to look at the enormous costs to our taxpayers for medical care and the criminal justice system whether they would say, “It’s always worth it.”
We could go on and on. Is it really always worth it? Always? Now my intent today isn’t to preach about drinking or alcohol. In fact, you should know by now my position on drinking and drunkenness. If you don’t then we can discuss it later.
The truth of the matter is that it’s not always worth it when it comes to Bud Light, or any other intoxicating drink for that matter. But there is an intoxicator available to you that is worth everything you have, and IT, or HE is truly worth it all the time! In Ephesians 5:18, the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers,
“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”
In other words, don’t bother being intoxicated or controlled or influenced by some drink, but instead be intoxicated or controlled or influenced with the Spirit of God. Alcohol isn’t the issue at all – we can be intoxicated by a world of things. Some are intoxicated or controlled by their jobs, by dope, by the applause of man, by power or prestige or money. Some are intoxicated with religion, but even that is just a thing. The thing doesn’t matter.
We say by our choices that these things control us, that we’re captivated by them. What we don’t realize along the way is that subtly, little by little we begin to adopt an “It’s Always Worth It” attitude about them. For instance, some of you are controlled by your jobs, but is it always worth the hours you put in? Is it worth the cost you’re paying at home? You’re controlled by the applause of man, but is it worth the demands placed on you to get it? Think about the whole Fear Factor culture we’re living in that says It’s Always Worth It to get the pot of money, to get the fifteen minutes of fame, no matter what the cost. So you have people eating roaches and worms and doing outlandish stunts and abusing themselves to win the prize. That may be an extreme example, but it is the voice of our culture.
When Jesus was tempted, the real battle was whether He would be controlled by the three things Satan presented Him. Would He be controlled by food? Would He be controlled by power? Would He be controlled by great riches? God says that we’re not to waste our lives being captivated and controlled by the things that present themselves before us, but rather to be captivated and controlled and intoxicated with the Spirit of God, and that is always worth it!
As I’ve searched the Scriptures, I’ve found that the life that is controlled by the Holy Spirit is markedly different from the average life; it is above average if you will. In fact, there are two distinguishing marks of the life intoxicated by the Spirit of God that I want to share with you today. When your life is controlled by the Holy Spirit…when you are intoxicated with or captivated by the Holy Spirit, then…
Your Desire Will Be To Imitate Jesus Christ
Imitating Jesus Christ. That’s really what our lives ought to be about. Paul wrote about it frequently. Jesus talked about it. God commanded it. Every time you hear me say that God is after total life transformation in us I’m talking about imitating Jesus Christ. We ought to be like Him.
Just in this section of the book of Ephesians we’re given a great idea of what that means. Just look through chapter 5. Paul begins with a simple order. “Be ye therefore followers of God.” That word followers comes from a Greek word for mimic, or to imitate. How? Walk in love, like Christ. How did Christ love? He sacrificed His life for the good of others. Then we’re told to imitate Christ by living a holy life. Verse 3 says that we’re not to let any of those sins be named among us. That means we’re in control of our choices. It means that we’re responsible for living holy lives before God.
Let’s jump on down to verse 8. How should we imitate Jesus Christ? We need to be the lights God has made us to be: reflections of the bright and shining glory of Jesus Christ. What kind of things do we reflect? Goodness and righteousness and truth according to verse 9. A concern for what God wants in verse 10, and you can keep going as you read.
Jump down to verse 16. Imitating Jesus means that we’re going to live our lives on purpose. There’s no time to waste! Imitating Jesus means honoring God in all our relationships. We’re to honor God in marriage. Honor God with our children. Children honor God by honoring their parents. We’re to honor God in the workplace. In other words, in every arena of life we’re to be imitators of Jesus Christ.
The only way that’s possible is through a total life transformation! Discipleship. You being so consumed, filled with, controlled by, intoxicated with the Holy Spirit that your greatest desire is to be like Jesus Christ in every way!
Your Concern Will Be To Live In The Will Of God
In John 5:30 Jesus said, “I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” Then in John 6:38 He said, “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” And finally on the night before He was crucified, Jesus prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
I find that when God’s people are filled with the Spirit of God their concern, like Jesus, is to be in the will of God. They ask questions like, “What is God’s will here?” “What is God’s will for my money…for my marriage…for my job…for this dilemma I am in?” They say things like, “I only want to do what God would have me to do.”
It saddens me that very few people ever ask me about how to know God’s will. That’s a telling sign that perhaps we’re not a people filled with or controlled by the Holy Spirit. We all struggle with it. After all, our sinful nature rebels and longs for control of our lives. We like to call the shots. We like to sit in the driver’s seat. I’m that way. We do the same things the same way for so long that we start living in auto-pilot. We don’t need God telling us what to do. We think we already know, so we just do it.
I want to be like David. In the 143rd Psalm he prayed, “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God; thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” If that is your prayer…if, being filled with the Holy Spirit your concern is to know and do the will of God, then what should you do?
You begin by yielding your life to His. God is in control; not you. “For you are my God…” It is imperative that every part of your life is placed in submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Second, ask. Ask God to teach you His will. What would He have you to do? What does the Holy Spirit want in your life? What direction is He taking you? How is He revealing Himself to you? Beg the Lord, plead with Him to help you know what to do or where to go or how to follow. But ask, and ask in everything. We cannot just assume that we know what God’s will is. Just because He did a thing yesterday doesn’t mean He’ll do it that way today.
Third, you must obey in absolute trust whatever the Spirit tells you. It’s not always going to make sense. You’re not always going to see where your feet will land. If you could it wouldn’t be called faith! We live by sight much more than we care to admit. In fact, very few people really ever live by faith, but a life of faith…of absolute abandonment to the will of God is the only way to live for the glory of God in this life. If you are filled with the Spirit of God, then that is going to be your concern.
Conclusion
In Matthew 16:24-28, Jesus told the disciples about following Him. Here’s what He said,
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
The question I am asking you today is, “Is it worth it?” We have already demonstrated that of all the things in life competing for control of our lives, the Spirit of God must reign supreme. We are to be filled with, controlled with, intoxicated with the Holy Spirit as children of God, and as such the desire of our hearts will be to be imitators of Jesus Christ. Our chief concern will be to live in the will of God.
Now, as we live in pursuit of Christ: as we follow Him, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. What does it mean to deny yourself? It means to let Him be Lord and not you. What does it mean to take up your cross? Your cross is God’s will for your life. Whatever that is…you must take it up and carry it. If you do not, then yours will be a wasted life. However, for those who are serious about following Christ wherever He leads – that man will find life.
What shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Is it worth it to gain the whole world and miss the life God had in store for you? But what if? Just what if you took up your cross and followed Jesus? He comes in the glory of His Father with the angels of heaven to reward you.
So I ask you again, “Is it worth it?” Is it worth it to surrender your life to Christ’s: to be filled with the Spirit of God and live the life He wants to live through you? I want to tell you today that God is ready to assume responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him. And the answer to the question is yes! Give your life to Christ today.
