A CHANGED LIFE REQUIRES NEW PRIORITIES
“A Changed Life---Priceless”
3-14-04
1. A woman was sitting next to an empty seat at the Super Bowl stadium. A man asked the woman about it. The woman explained, “It was my husband’s…but he died.” The man said to her, “I’m surprised that another relative or friend didn’t jump at the chance to take his seat.” She answered, “I don’t understand it either. But, they all decided on going to his funeral instead.”
2. A farmer ran this classified ad in the Quay County Sun: “Farmer with 160 irrigated acres wants marriage-minded woman with a tractor. When replying, please send picture of the tractor.” [AP release, June 1978, Tucumcari, New Mexico]
3. We all have priorities!
a) We are in a five week sermon series called: “A Changed Life---Priceless.”
b) Two weeks ago the first message was: “A Changed Life Requires Faith.”
c) Last week, Dan’s message was: “A Changed Life Requires Service.”
d) Today’s message is: “A Changed Life Requires New Priorities.”
4. A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in two’s for the day. That night one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the weight of a 200 pound deer. The other hunters asked, “Where’s Bob?” The lone man said, “Oh, he had a stroke of some kind, he’s a couple of miles back up the trail.” The other hunters were shocked and asked why he left Bob laying there to carry the deer instead. “It was a tough call,” the hunter said, “but I figured no one was going to steal Bob.”
5. Whether we think about it or not, we all live according to priorities.
a) A “priority” is something that has first importance in our life.
b) It’s those things that we place higher value on than other things.
c) The Bible is a book of priorities…God’s and man’s.
6. A pilot came on the intercom of his plane: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I have good news and bad. The bad news is that we’re lost. But, the good news is that we’re making excellent time!”
a) Some people don’t stop and ask directions when they’re lost, they just speed up…
b) The Bible encourages us to check the map of God’s Word to see if we’re still on the right road.
7. It is wise to examine where we are in our life.
a) Where is our life headed?
b) Is there any difference between God’s plans for our life and our own life-goals?
c) Will the road we’re on, lead us to heaven…or elsewhere?
I. THERE’S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TEMPORARY AND ETERNAL PRIORITIES
1. 11God…has planted eternity in the human heart…
Ecclesiastes 3:11 New Living Translation (NLT)
a) We’ve been created with a spiritual thirst that nobody and no thing can satisfy…but God.
b) That emptiness makes us search for what’s missing.
2. Paul’s letters in the New Testament encourage us to examine the priorities of our life.
a) Is our main goal pleasing ourselves or pleasing God?
b) Paul says: “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called.” 1 Timothy 6:11-12
c) He tells us this because, 13…there is going to come a time of testing at the Judgment Day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. 14If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward. 1 Corinthians 3:13-14 New Living Translation (NLT)
3. Making a living and making a life are two different goals.
a) The Bible tells us to lay up treasures in heaven: 18…do good, be rich in good deeds, and…be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:18-19 New International Version (NIV)
b) God’s priorities and ours are often in a struggle.
c) An Indian chief was telling his young braves about this inner struggle.
• The chief told them, “It is like two dogs fighting inside of us,”
• “There is a good dog who wants to do what’s right but the other dog always wants to do what’s wrong.
• Sometimes the good dog seems stronger and is winning the fight.
• But sometimes the bad dog is stronger and is winning.”
• A young brave asks, “Who will win in the end?”.
• The chief answered, “The one you feed.”
a) As we look over the priorities in our lives, we may be feeding the wrong dog.
4. History records, eleven millionaires were on the Titanic when she sank.
a) One of the few millionaire survivors was Major A.H. Peuchen.
b) He left $300,000 of his money, jewelry and securities in a box in his cabin.
c) He said, “The money seemed a mockery at that time. I picked up three oranges instead.”
d) Money is a fickle friend.
5. Having the wrong priorities in our life is like buttoning our coat incorrectly.
a) If we get that first button wrong, all the others line up according to that misplaced first one.
b) In the same way, when we get the first button right, all the others will line up where they are designed to be.
c) This is why the Apostle Paul suggests; fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-19 New International Version (NIV)
d) What we do for God has eternal rewards!
A. THERE ARE CHOICES THAT MAY LEAD TO SHORT-TERM HAPPINESS
1. Many years ago, two paddleboats left Memphis about the same time. They traveled down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled side-by-side, sailors from one ship taunted the sailors of the other about their snail’s pace. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South. One boat began falling behind. Not enough fuel. There had plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. As one boat dropped back, an enterprising young sailor began to take the ship’s cargo and toss it into the boiler. The sailors saw that the supplies burned as well as the coal. So, they fueled their boat with the material they’d been assigned to transport. They ended up winning the race, by destroying their cargo.
a) If you were the owner of that ship, what would you have done to the sailors?
b) We are stewards, not owners of all that we have.
c) The pace of our life often takes priority over the most important things God wants us to focus on.
2. God warns us to take a good look at our priorities.
a) Making ourselves #1 doesn’t bring contentment.
b) He directs this warning to people who live only for themselves:
c) 5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." 7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. Haggai 1:5-7 New International Version (NIV)
3. On Judgment Day I believe God will check on at least these three measurable priorities during our lifetime:
#1—Our schedule.
What do we spend most of our time doing? For whom?
Charles Francis Adams, a 19th century politician and diplomat, went fishing with his son one day. His son Brook Adams kept a diary in which he wrote, “Went fishing with my father—the most wonderful day of my life!” His father, Charles also kept a diary in which he wrote: “Went fishing with my son today—a day wasted.”
The founder of McDonalds, Ray Kroc, was asked by a reporter about his order of priorities. He said, “I believe in God, my family and then McDonalds.” Then he added, “When I get to the office, I reverse the order.”
How much of your time do you give to God?
#2—Our spending.
Would we be embarrassed if God saw what we bought and how much we spent?
Our checkbook is a record of what our priorities are in life.
Our spending reveals our priorities.
Preparing us for the Final Exam, Jesus counsels us, 19Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. 20Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. 21Your heart will always be where your treasure is.
Matthew 6:19-21 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
28Jesus replied, "Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule…anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields--whatever-because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life.
Matthew 19:28-29 The Message (MSG)
We can invest in an earthly kingdom or in a heavenly kingdom… 32Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself. 33"Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bank robbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. 34It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
Luke 12:32-35 The Message (MSG)
We need to invest in the Kingdom of God!
He deserves the first and best from every paycheck.
#3—Our speech.
We will be judged by our words.
Do spiritual things excite us or do they bore us?
To test the condition of our heart Jesus says, 45Good people do good things because of the good in their hearts. Bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart. Luke 6:45-46 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Our words show what condition our heart is in!
B. WHAT CHOICES LEAD TO LONG-TERM JOY?
1. People say, “I want to be happy.”
a) Did you know, happiness depends upon chance “happenings?”
b) It comes from the word “hap” which means “luck.”
c) Happiness is based on circumstances and on chance.
d) Happiness is external.
2. Joy is internal.
a) God is the source of deep, satisfying joy.
a) One of the names for God in Psalms 43 in the Hebrew Bible is El Simchathgali.
b) The name literally means “I am the God of exceeding joy.”
c) Psalm 43:4 says, I am the God of overflowing, abundant joy. I will go to the altar of God, to God--the source of all my joy.
Psalm 43:4 New Living Translation (NLT)
d) Deep, satisfying joy comes from a good relationship with God.
II. THREE WAYS PEOPLE CAN DEAL WITH LIFE
A. WE CAN TAKE THE ROAD MOST TRAVELLED
1. Most people are content to live a “Normal Life.”
a) They fit in with what the majority considers to be the good-life.
b) The Bible refers to this as “the broad road…the easy road.”
c) Jesus says to us, 13’Go in through the narrow door. The door is wide and the road is easy that leads to hell. Many people are going through that door. 14But the door is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life that lasts forever. Few people are finding it.
Matthew 7:13-14 New Life Version (NLV)
d) Paul says, 2Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.
Romans 12:2 New Living Translation (NLT)
God wants to change us into the person He wants us to be.
He wants to change the things we prioritize in life.
He wants to be the focus of our love and attention.
2. Many years ago I read the Jules Verne novel: The Mysterious Island.
a) Five men escaped prison by hijacking a hot air balloon.
b) The wind blew the balloon over the ocean.
c) After much time, the balloon began dropping toward the water until they were just above the surface.
d) To get rid of excess weight they threw overboard nonessentials like shoes, coats and weapons…the balloon rose slightly.
e) As it sank again, they tossed over their food.
f) “Better to be alive in the air and hungry, than dead with a full stomach.”
g) But, soon, the balloon began to sink again.
h) Next, they cut away the basket they’re standing on and hung onto the ropes.
It worked!
The balloon rose!
They were saved!
i) Not a minute too soon, they spot land and arrive on the Mysterious Island.
3. They learned: That as long as they surrounded themselves with things they thought essential they continued to sink toward death.
a) To survive they had to get their priorities right.
b) Jesus said 32…pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:32-34 New International Version (NIV)
B. WE CAN PURSUE THE THINGS THAT WE THINK WILL MAKE US HAPPY
1. A farm boy said to his girlfriend, “Look at that cow and calf rubbing noses in the pasture. That makes me want to do the same.” His girlfriend said, “Well, go ahead. It’s your cow.”
a) In the eternal scope of things, our priorities may end up as important as rubbing noses with a cow.
b) Romans 8:7-8 The Message (MSG) says, 7Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. 8And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.
2. God let Solomon experiment with the pursuit of pleasure (to save us the trouble of wondering if happiness is found there).
a) 1I said to myself, "Come now, let’s give pleasure a try. Let’s look for the `good things’ in life." But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2"It is silly to be laughing all the time," I said. "What good does it do to seek only pleasure?" 3After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. While still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I hoped to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. 4I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself…I also owned great herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who lived in Jerusalem before me. 8I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I…had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! 9So I became greater than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. And with it all, I remained clear-eyed so that I could evaluate all these things. 10Anything I wanted, I took. I did not restrain myself from any joy…11But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile… Ecclesiastes 2 New Living Translation (NLT)
3. A young successful executive approached Jesus.
a) Jesus understood and tested his priorities:
b) 20"…the young man replied. "What…must I do?" 21Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 22But when the young man heard this, he went sadly away because he had many possessions. Matthew 19:20-22 New Living Translation (NLT)
c) Many possessions owned him!
a) 16Don’t you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey?
Romans 6:16 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
C. WE CAN SEEK GOD’S PURPOSE FOR OUR LIFE
1. The payoff of investing in the things of God—“Is out-of-this-world!”
2. To be on track, our priorities should parallel Jesus’ priorities:
#1 Jesus prioritized spending time alone with God in prayer. 35In the morning before the sun was up, Jesus went to a place where He could be alone. He prayed there. Mark 1:35 New Life Version (NLV)
#2 He spent His life teaching others about God.
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
Matthew 9:35 New International Version (NIV)
a) Throughout His ministry, Jesus used every opportunity to teach people how to best understand and please God.
b) We try to do this in church sermons, Sunday school lessons, TLC group Bible studies, women’s studies…
c) “Get plugged in with us”… prioritize God.
3. He protected His time from O.P.A’s (Other People’s Agendas).
The people tried to set Jesus’ agenda: 14The people saw the powerful work Jesus had done. They said, ’It is true! This is the One Who speaks for God Who is to come into the world.’ 15Jesus knew they were about to come and take Him to make Him king, so He went to the mountain by Himself.
John 6:14-15 New Life Version (NLV)
4. Jesus made it a priority to save people.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
Luke 19:10 English Standard Version (ESV)
5. These are the priorities we should have as well.
a) A woman in Biloxi, Mississippi made the news. She had no purpose in life and decided to jump from the wharf to commit suicide. A young man saw her jump into the water. Forgetting that he didn’t know how to swim, he jumped in to save her. He immediately began to sink. The woman forgot her own problems…saved her “savior” and pulled him to shore. She told reporters; in that moment her life had purpose. She had something to live for. In saving someone else, she saved herself.
b) If you have been part of bringing someone to Jesus…
c) It will impact your life!
d) It is why God created you—to help save others.
6. First Christian Church has a mission.
a) We want to connect people everywhere with Jesus Christ.
b) This is the priority of this church.
7. I’d like to end with a newsletter article I saved while I was in Bible College:
a) The author was a Christian church pastor named John Greenlee.
b) He died of cancer shortly after he wrote this article to his congregation.
c) It speaks of his priorities.
d) “I believe that in the end I would rather have given it all away and have been counted a fool than to have played it cozy, careful and cautious and missed the reckless joy of giving.
I believe that I would rather have been laughed at by the cynical, cruel world for having trusted everything to God, believing that He will provide, than to have lived by the cold, cash-register codes of Wall Street or Century City.
I believe that I would rather have had a door slammed in my face or have been bluntly turned away than never to have had the courage or compassion to knock on someone’s door and speak to him about Jesus Christ and His body of believers.
I believe that I would rather have trusted and been betrayed, have loved and been hurt, than to have withdrawn or held back for fear of being wounded, denying myself and those around me the sheer joy of loving and trusting.
I believe that I would rather have spent my life proclaiming a Gospel that relatively few people ever took seriously, than to have filled my years with a profession which benefited no one but myself and my banker.
I believe that I would rather have had magnificent dreams, even if only a few ever really came true, than to have lived in a careful, secure, “realistic,” dead world with its drudgery of playing it safe, where people never fail because they never dream impossible dreams.
I believe that in the end of things I would rather have lived by these beliefs in the God who reveals Himself in Jesus, about whom I know rather little and can “prove” practically nothing at all, than to have settled for the limited, passionless, intellectual routines by which most live and because of which most die.
I believe that I was not called to be cautious, but to take risks…not to be careful but to be caring…to give and not to worry myself about the return…to walk by faith and not by sight.
I believe that I would like for the record one day to show that one fine day in June a body of believers in the Lord so gave of themselves and their possessions that the mark of their faith and sacrifice is indelibly etched in the eternal record of things…that a church stood up to be counted for the Lord.
And I believe…in you!!
John Greenlee
