“If I’m Supposed to Be In Control of My Life, Why Can’t I Program My VCR?”
"What is man that you are mindful of him...You made him ruler over the works of your hands." Psalm 8:1-9
A sermon by Kenneth Wright - Sunday, October 29, 2006
Introduction
We live in a wonderful age of technology don’t we?
• We have things in our homes that we couldn’t even dream about 50 years ago - television set, electric can openers, smoke detectors and dish-washers.
• Some of these things are wonderful - and some of these things are invented to drive you crazy.
Take the VCR for example.
• It’s a little black box with 153 separate wires that have to plug into the right holes on the back of your television set ---- and when it’s done correctly - you can program it to tape your favorite football game or movie - even when you’re away from the house. Right?
• WRONG!
• I can’t even get the digital clock on mine to stop blinking 12:00...
• My grandkids come over and they hook it up to play all their veggie tales or little mermaid movies and I can’t even get it to cooperate with me enough to watch and old Jeremiah Johnson film.
Look at Psalms8:1-9 (READ)
• Key in on verse 4 and 6
The Listener’s Question
"If I am made to have control over my life -why can’t I program my VCR?
1. I DON’T HAVE CONTROL OVER MY LIFE BECAUSE THE EVENTS IN LIFE ARE JUST TOO RANDOM.
• I’m on the mountain top one minute and in the valley of darkness the next.
• You can’t control something that you can’t see coming.
Remember the old television program "Truth or Consequences?"
• Contestants were asked a question and if they got the answer correctly they won some sort of prize.
• If they answered incorrectly, they were taken to some silly sort of ordeal where they would make a blind choice between two or more things.
• One item in their lineup was hidden gift while there were other blind choices that lead to getting a pie in the face or doused with water or some other silly ordeal.
Life is a lot like that old program.
• Events may be random in life but if you know the answer to the original question you can side step many of the ordeals.
• You can control a lot of things in life - the problem is most people go through life making blind choices.
Genesis 13:11 - So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east.
• Cf. Gen 19 (Summarize)
2. I DON’T HAVE CONTROL OVER MY LIFE BECAUSE I’M TOO BUSY.
• My job takes me away from the important things I need to be doing.
• My kids have so many activities that I have to manage.
• I’m being pulled in every direction all at the same time.
• Everyone wants a piece of me.
Every one has 24 hours a day to accomplish things in their lives.
• The problem is simply a matter of priorities.
• If you control your time you can get a handle on your life.
Exodus 18:13-33 (Read)
3. I DON’T HAVE CONTROL OVER MY LIFE BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL PROBLEMS.
• The bill collectors call at all hours of the night
• They call when I sit down to dinner
• The phone wakes me up in the morning and the voice on the other end want another payment that I don’t have
• The creditors are calling me on my job
• If I just had more money I could make it.
Money isn’t the answer to your problems.
• There are people all over the world with a lot less money than you who don’t have your problem.
• It was money that created your problems - you didn’t have it to begin with and you over-extended yourself.
• You made some choices in life and now you have to learn to deal with the consequences.
1 Timothy 6:10 - For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Eccl 5:10 - Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
Luke 16:1-14 (Read)
4. I DON’T HAVE CONTROL OVER MY LIFE BECAUSE OF MY SOCIAL STATUS.
• I never got a break when I was growing up I was born into a poor family and my education is limited.
• You can’t control life while you’re flipping burgers for minimum wages.
• It seems as though everyone try’s to put me down because of who I am.
• I’ll never be able to get away from the stigma of my environment.
We live in a country where every person is provided with the opportunity to better them selves.
• You can choose to be a victim or you can choose to better yourself.
• Does it mean you’ll have to work at it? Surely.
• No one ever turned their life around without making continuous effort.
Eccl 2:13 -I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.
Eccl 7:8 - The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
Psalm 118:8 - It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
Phil 4:13 -I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Answer to the Listener’s Question
The Bible says that God cares for you as an individual.
• He know you and he knows everything thing there is to know about you.
• He wants you to have a rich a fulfilling life -but the choice is yours.
• You will have to make an effort to follow his direction for your life.
• Look at Matthew 6:25-34 (Read)
Application of Insights Gained
There are several things you can do to regain control of your life.
• First, be careful of the choices you make in life
• Second, learn to prioritize you life
• Thirdly, make a budget of your finances you’ll never have more if you can’t handle what you’ve got
• Fourthly, Start Trusting God’s way rather than your way
Conclusion
What is man that you are mindful of him --- you made him ruler over the works of your hands...
• You have choices to make every day of your life.
• God knows you and he cares about you.
• He made you to have control over your life and he’s given you a guide book to tell you how to live in control.
• If your life is spinning out of control right now - you need to return to God and follow the directions he has given you.
• They might not be easy for you to follow - but you’ve been living your way long enough - try it his way - I’ll guarantee your life will take a turn for the better.
