“WHATEVER IT TAKES” Luke 4:38-44
INTRO – WWJD – extremely popular a few years ago. Bracelets, t-shirts, bumper stickers – all sorts of things with these letters on them. Had one of these on when on a youth mission trip once. Went into a fast food restaurant. Teenage girl waiting on me saw it and asked what it meant. Thought I would take this opportunity to witness to her. So I asked her what she thought. Her response: “Why would Jesus die?” Whole new perspective for me! Gave her my bracelet!
Of course, most popular interpretation of WWJD – “What would Jesus do?” As we continue in this month of considering “Whatever it takes,” we can definitely agree that in asking “What would Jesus do,” He would have a “WIT” attitude and heart. There’s no doubt that this is how He lived His life and how He conducted His ministry. He led others to consider WIT for their own lives. His calling of His disciples was a call to them to do WIT to come and follow Him.
• Luke 5 – Called Simon Peter and Andrew to follow Him and He would make them fishers of men. “So they pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything, and followed Him.” – v. 11
• Matt. 4 – Called James and John to follow Him. “Immediately they left their boat and their father and followed Him.” – v. 22
• Luke 5 – Called Levi (Matthew) – “Levi got up, left everything, and followed Him.” – v. 28
Why would these guys leave everything and follow Jesus as they did? Why would they sacrifice it all for Him? Why would they end up becoming martyrs, dying for their faith and commitment to Christ and the Gospel? B/c Jesus had a WIT heart that shaped everything He said and did. He modeled it for them every moment of every day. And in the greatest display of WIT love the world has ever seen, He died for them on the cross.
Jesus definitely had a WIT heart. And the call is for us to follow Him and have that same heart. He faced and overcame obstacles that could have derailed His WIT commitment. You and I will face some of these same obstacles. We can overcome them w/ His help and strength. What are these obstacles?
I. TEMPTATION – v. 1-13
A. Mark it down. Make a serious commitment to follow Christ w/ a WIT heart, and the temptations will come.
a. Henry Snowden pulled in to the drive-up window at the Burger King in Deltona, Florida. He ordered, paid for his meal, and eased away from the window. When he finally pulled over to eat, he got the shock of his life.
There was nothing wrong with his burger or fries. His drink was cold and good. But the clerk working at the window had shoved two bags out the window at the 31-year-old man. Snowden discovered $4,170 in the second bag. And you thought it was another fast-food franchise that dispensed "happy meals," didn’t you! What happened was a mistake by a store employee and a challenge to Henry Snowden’s character.
The particular Burger King in question puts its day’s receipts in one of the same bags it uses for food orders. The idea is to have an inconspicuous burger bag rather than an inviting bank deposit bag sitting there in case of a robbery attempt. But the clerk working the window that fateful day mistakenly reached over and picked up both Snowden’s bag and the deposit bag a store manager had just plopped down.
What was the response when Snowden opened the second bag and found all the money? He knew that taking it back to the restaurant would be the right thing to do. "But I’ve got to admit I was definitely tempted!" he said. So he returned the money Saturday morning. "I’m glad I was able to do the right thing," he said. "And I feel better than I’ve ever felt." A good conscience will do that for a person!
B. Your temptation might not be like Henry Snowden’s, but the attacks will come when you have made a significant spiritual decision.
a. News reports this week that UBL and Al-Qaeda forces are regrouping and planning new attacks.
b. I’ve got some other news for you – Satan and his terror networks are planning new attacks on you and me.
i. 46 people signed WIT response forms last week.
ii. Ladies that went to Beth Moore conference this weekend.
iii. Others who have made some sort of significant spiritual decision.
C. Jesus just baptized. Beginning His earthly ministry – 3:21-23a. First thing that happened after that? Encountered Satan. Endured 40 days of temptation.
a. Satan tempted Jesus to doubt His Father’s love for Him since He was so hungry.
b. Tempted Him to separate the physical from the spiritual – to compartmentalize His life
c. Tempted Him to eliminate the need for the cross by worshipping him, to take the easy way.
d. Tempted Him to question G’s faithfulness and try G’s patience.
D. Though these temptations did come to Jesus, He was victorious in His encounter with the enemy. The good news for you and me is that we, too, can be victorious in the face of the enemy.
a. 1 Cor. 10:13 – “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And G is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
b. I spent the last 10 days in a place I refer to as paradise. It’s down along the beach in South Carolina. What with the sand, the surf, and over 100 golf courses nearby I figure it is probably as close to paradise as I’ll ever find here on earth anyway.
Well one particular day last week I took my coffee and headed down to the beach. It was a beautiful day, sun shining brightly and the water was just beautiful. I sat there on the beach sipping my coffee watching this little boy playing in the surf.
He couldn’t have been any older than four or five. He was out there in the surf challenging the waves next to his father. Standing there steadfast, feet firmly planted in the sand as the waves broke on top of him. The waves knocked him around a little bit but he seemed determined not to fall down no matter how big the waves were.
Suddenly a very large wave washed toward shore ... Fearing he’d be knocked down he reached out and grabbed onto his father’s hand. His father held his hand tightly until the wave finished breaking over the little boy. The little guy never did fall and he stood there again with his feet planted firmly awaiting the next wave.
As I sat there I took another sip of coffee and thought about what I had just seen. I thought about how it was so much like us in our Christian walk ... How there are times when no matter how steadfast we seem to be standing... The seas can get a little rough, the temptations to sin grow. It is times like these that all we need to do is reach out and grab onto Our Heavenly Father’s hand ... And he will guide us through the rough seas, leaving us standing steadfast once again.
Just a thought over coffee! ( illus. by Kevin Romer)
II. REJECTION – v. 14-30
A. Making a WIT commitment can sometimes lead to rejection by those around us.
a. They don’t understand our commitment.
b. They don’t share our commitment.
c. They feel threatened by our commitment.
d. They come under conviction b/c of our commitment.
B. Jesus experienced this rejection by His own hometown folks. Why?
a. B/c of His WIT commitment, He preached the truth of the Gospel to them.
i. Reminded them of God’s goodness to the Gentiles, whom the Jews hated.
ii. Told them that they as Jews would have to be saved in the same way as the Gentiles.
C. This rejection did not come as a surprise to Jesus.
a. Isaiah prophesied hundreds of years before that this Messiah would be “despised and rejected by men” – 53:3
D. When we make a commitment to WIT, there are some things we need to know about rejection:
a. Expect it. It is going to come. Not everyone is going to be as happy and excited about your commitment as you are.
b. Realize that those who are rejecting you are really rejecting Christ. Remember that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood.”
c. Determine to love and pray for those who are rejecting you. Great temptation to get angry and self-righteous. Must guard against that. Jesus said to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44).
d. Go on your way – v. 30. Don’t let the rejection deter you from keeping your WIT commitment and going to those who are in need, those who are open to the Gospel, those who are in desperate need of God’s love.
III. DIVERSIONS – v. 42-44
A. Making a WIT commitment means we will have a single-minded devotion to Christ.
a. Our eyes will be fixed on Him.
b. Our hearts will be focused on Him.
c. Our minds will be stayed on Him.
B. Jesus refused to be diverted from His God-given mission of preaching the Good News of the k’dom of God.
a. Great temptation to stay there where it was comfortable.
b. Great temptation to stay there where He was accepted.
c. Great temptation to sacrifice doing the best things for His Father and keep doing the good things He was doing.
C. He knew that allowing His attention to be diverted from His Father’s will for His life – from doing WIT to preach the good news – could have disastrous consequences.
a. Nearly had terrible car wreck in Colorado Springs b/c my attention was diverted from the road in front of me for just a few seconds.
D. If Jesus had allowed Himself to be diverted from the Father’s will for His life, there would have been many people who may never have heard the good news of the Gospel.
a. Instead, He remained obedient to God’s call on His life and accomplished His mission.
E. You and I, too, must stay focused on God’s will for our lives, avoiding the disastrous consequences that can come to our lives and the lives of others when we are diverted.
