Something More! Series

Several years ago there was a family movie entitled “The Wilderness Family.” The movie is about a California family that gets tired of the rat race of metropolitan life and moves to the wilderness of Alaska. I am sure each of us have felt the desire to get away from the fast pace and hurry of life. In our hearts there is a desire for something more.

When I was in seminary there was a young man named Peter Jenkins that stopped by our seminary as he searched for something more. Peter was disillusioned with life and people so he set out to find answers. In his quest he set out to walk across America. From that experience he wrote two books: Walk Across America and The Walk West. By the way, on his walk Peter meet Jesus Christ at a crusade in Mobile, Al. The wilderness family and Peter had something in common. They were looking for something more than the hustle and bustle of life.

Jesus lived a life that represented something more. He was at peace. He had a purpose. Jesus wants us to experience the something more of life. Last week I began a series entitled “Get Off Of the Freeway.” Jesus wants to help us get off of the freeway. Today we search for the something more Jesus has to offer. For a text look at Mt. 6:25. Jesus said “Is not the life more than food and the body than raiment?” Is not life more than hurry, worry and anxiety? Is not life more than the rat race? This is the focus of Mt. 6:25-34. God has something more available for us. The message of the gospel is that God has something more than the damaging stresses of life.

How do we experience the something more which God has for us? We can find several clues in Mt. 6:25 and the surrounding verses.

I. The first clue is that we go through a process of examination. This passage should cause us to do some serious soul searching. This passage raises some vital questions each of us should ask.

- What is the quality of my life the way? (vs. 25)

- What am I doing to myself? (vs. 27)

- What does my life say about my faith? (vs. 30)

- What are my priorities? (vs. 33)

Let’s consider each of them individually.

First question: what is the quality of my life. “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Will clothes make me happy? Will money make me happy?

Let me ask some questions.

- Suppose I make a million dollars by the time I am 40 but destroy my health in the process. Is that a good quality of life?

- If I build the house I always dreamed of but have no family to enjoy it with, is that a quality life?

- If I get to the top of my profession but lose my mate in doing so, is that a quality life?

Jesus said “what does it profit if a man gain the whole world but lose his own soul.”

Illustration: Chuck Swindoll has written a book entitled “Living on the Ragged Edge.” In the introduction of that book Swindoll discusses the fast paced life of California. He says many people are getting fed up with the fast paced life of California and are moving to other slower environments. In fact, Swindoll says one road leading out of California has a sign “You are now leaving California, please resume normal behavior.” (P. 10) This humor reflects the poor quality of life many people are facing (not just people from California).

A second question we should ask: what am I doing to myself? Jesus said “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”

Illustration: Another Chuck Swindoll story illustrates this principle. This new clock was ticking away on the shelf two ticks to the second as any good, self-respecting clock should tick when it began to think about how many times it was going to have to tick. “Two ticks to the second means 120 ticks per minute,” it mused. “That’s 7200 ticks per hour, 172,800 ticks per day, 1,209,600 per week for 52 weeks, and a total of 62,899,200 per year.” Horrors! Straightway the clock had a nervous breakdown.

The clock was taken to a psychiatrist who patched up the mainspring as well as he could then asked, “Clock, what’s your trouble?” “Oh, doctor,” wailed the clock, “I have to tick so much. I have to tick two ticks a second and 120 ticks per minute and 7200 ticks per hour, and.” “Hold it,” the psychiatrist cut in, “How many ticks do you have to tick at a time?” “Oh, I just have to tick one tick at a time,” was the reply. “Then let me make a suggestion,” replied the doctor. “You go home and try ticking one tick at a time. Don’t even think about the next tick until it’s time. Just tick one tick at a time. That you can do.”