THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING
Have you ever had one of those days where you wanted so bad for it to just be over? Because you knew that tomorrow had to be better. Because there’s just no way that any two days could ever be this bad.
Last summer my dad and I flew back to Wisconsin to hook up with his brother (my uncle), my two cousins and a guy they called “Brother Bill” for a guys fishing trip up into Canada.
I had the greatest expectations because it sounded wonderful. Seven days at a secluded lodge on a lake full to overflowing with Northern Pike, Walleye, and Trout.
After looking at the brochure and the outfitter’s website, I was pretty excited. I was ready for some male bonding and extreme fishing in the beautiful outdoors of Canada.
But how many know that usually when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
Cabin/ plot of land/ screens/ bunks/ outhouse/ 100 degrees/ boiling water on propane stove
Through some masterful foresight two frozen chickens were brought along on the trip. They were in a large red cooler for the entire journey. All told, about 31 hours. Needless to say, the chicken thawed in the cooler on the trip and so we ended up with a cooler full of this raw chicken syrup. It chills me even now to remember watching in horror as my uncle drained the cooler and with a maniacal laugh began making Kool-Aid in it.
Scooping it out with their hands. I’m like, “Can you say salmonella?!”
The first night was an eye-opener, literally. I think I slept a grand total of about 30 seconds. Ravenous mosquitoes/ Luke piercing screams/ Jesse just gave up - feeding station/ So the next night I sought sanctuary underneath the sink. (Expound / duct tape, towels and sheets)
Leeches (Me and Brother Bill) (Blastomychosis) You’ve probably never heard of it… I hadn’t either. And I re-checked the brochure and it wasn’t even mentioned as an option. (Expound)
I learned a valuable truth about myself. I’m a city boy. I enjoy the amenities that civilization affords. (Running water/ sanitary food)
Through it all I had to come to grips with some things. I couldn’t think about the day before… it was to bad. I had to force myself trudge through the unpleasantness of the present. And all the while cling to the hope that in time it would all be over and I would have my reward. A one-way ticket out of my personal glimpse of hell and back to civilization.
And I believe that the same principle can be applied to the spiritual life of the believer. That we need to leave the past behind. Look beyond the drudgery of today. And live ever mindful of the future.
It’s been said that mankind tends to live on one of three levels. The first level is survival. For some, this survival is literal. They are poor and destitute, and they must spend every waking moment trying to make it through another day. For others, survival means making it to another weekend. Their struggle is simply to exist. But it’s really not much of an existence.
The second level is success. Some people live to make it big. To get a big salary, a big car, and a big house. But nothing they get every brings the satisfaction that they thought it would… and there’s always something bigger and better just out of reach.
The third level of living goes beyond survival and beyond success. And it is ultimately the focus of my message this morning. And that is the level of significance. Living a life of significance depends on finding and following God’s purpose for your life. Your divine destiny.
The people who have the highest impact are not the most educated. Not the most wealthy. Not even the most powerful. The people that make the biggest difference and find the most fulfillment in life are those with the clearest sense of God’s purpose for their lives.
God has a destiny for each and every one of us here this morning. And I don’t know about you but I want what God wants for my life. (Expound)
TEXT: Lamentations 1:1 - 9
Lamentations isn’t a book that will birth a laughing revival. Written by Jeremiah, the weeping prophet it is just as it’s name implies… a book of lament. Of sorry at the misery of captivity and desolation.
But I believe that in it we can find a great truth that can help us this morning. And that truth comes from verse 9 of our text. Basically the first 8 verses are setting up just how much it sucks to be Israel at this point in history.
And in verse 9 it tells us why.
From the New King James version,
“Her uncleanness is in her skirts; she did not consider her destiny; therefore her collapse was awesome…”
How many know that God has a plan for each and every one of our lives. That we’re all called to fit into the kingdom of God in different capacities and facilitate the working of the will of God in the earth. (Body)
But it’s easy to lose sight of this in the daily grind. The devil tries to divert us, the world tries to distract us, and our own flesh just wants immediate gratification. None of which are conducive to being who God wants you to be. (Expound)
I. Leaving the Past
Have you ever met someone that’s stuck in their past?
Whether it’s good or bad, they just can’t seem to get over it?
(Some tragedy - “I just can’t forgive myself.” “I know my parents divorce was my fault.”)
(Some past glory - “I was the Homecoming Queen.” “I was Employee of the Month at Jack in the Box… twice!”)
But how many know that if you’re going to live a happy, quasi-normal life, you’re going to have to let go of your past. Especially as a Christian. And I’m not talking about forgetting where you came from… but what I am talking about is putting your past in proper perspective.
Philippians 3:13 and 14, Paul writes,
“… forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,”
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
But you see it everywhere… people desperately trying to hang onto their past in some futile attempt to re-live their glory days.
(Megadeth is still putting out albums / they’re probably kicking off their 2004 tour at some kid’s birthday party)
Let it go. Because until you’re willing to let go of your past… you’ll never be able to move on into what God has for your life.
Demas has always interested me. Because he makes a fascinating study in human nature.
Here’s a man that Paul chose above all others to take with him on his missionary journeys. A man Paul called a fellowlabourer. Who shared not only in the joy of the work of the ministry but also, at times, the hardship of cold dark Roman prisons.
And yet, in spite of Demas’ great zeal for the work of God, there was something from his past that he refused to deal with. And throughout his time with Paul it called to him. And slowly, over time it festered and spread until in the end Paul writes to Timothy of the tragedy of his beloved friend,
2 Timothy 4:9-10,
“Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:”
“For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica;…”
I John 2:15-17 says,
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
I can’t help but think that day by day in the life of Demas he felt the pull… the tug of the old ways… of the glory days… the days of thoughtless indulgence. He missed them. He missed his sin (Expound)
And somewhere inside the call of this world struck a cord and eventually the seed he allowed to grow in the soil of his heart began to bear fruit. And he forsook Paul.
I’ll admit, my past was a blast. I enjoyed the things I did. So did you. No doubts. I mean, let’s be honest sin for the most part is fun. We’re not always hip on the consequences, but sin can be incredibly fun.
But like Moses we need to realize that it never lasts.
Hebrews 11:24-26 tells us,
“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;”
“Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;”
“Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.”
This is the perspective we need to cultivate in our own lives. Not only toward our past but also toward the present. Because the present won’t always be bliss and joy. And we need to learn to see beyond the here and now… and look toward the destiny of God.
II. Looking Beyond Today
Hebrews 11:32 - 38 says,
“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:”
“Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,”
“Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”
“Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:”
“And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:”
“They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;”
“(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”
* Q * How could these early Christians endure this?
They, like Abraham before them, “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Expound)
People today are so stuck in the here and now. Living for the moment. With no thought of the future. No thought that there are consequences to their actions. No thought of how their decisions are going to pan out down the road and how those decisions will effect their life and the lives of those around them.
This is a self-centered age we live in. Can you say amen?
“It’s all about me.”
“What do I get out of this?” What’s in it for me?” “What have you done for me lately?”
And we can fall into the same trap if we’re not careful.
“God this isn’t what I’d planned on.”
“God this isn’t working out the way I thought it would work out.”
(Gehazi / “This junior prophet thing bites!”) (Expound)
We see this in the life of Jacob. The conniver. The supplanter. He was the second born. Missing out on the birthright.
A selfish young man. Probably feeling cheated because the had missed the blessing by mere moments. (Expound)
And when his brother Esau finds himself in a time of weakness and hunger… there’s Jacob. “Hey, look at this. A bowl of beans. You’re probably pretty hungry. Don’t these smell good? I’ll let you have them… for a price. Your birthright.”
He deceives his own father and literally steals the blessing.
But God tracks old Jacob down. And the encounter leaves Jacob a changed man. (Expound)
We later find him working 14 years for his Rachel. Willing to give. Willing to sacrifice. Willing to endure the trial of today because his eyes were on the prize. And every day was one day closer to the end.
Genesis 29:20 says,
“And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.”
It’s a whole different ballgame when your hearts into it and you see things from a proper perspective, isn’t it.
That’s what God is looking for from us. To look beyond today and live for the future.
III. Living for the Future
Because if we can do that we can be free from the chains that bind us to the here and now and truly become strangers and sojourners… biding our time in a land that is not our home.
Hebrews 11:13 & 14,
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”
“For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.”
In this case, the end really does justify the means. You can’t let anything stand in your way! You must do anything necessary to get to where you need to be!
You must cut off any relation that hinders your destiny.
Break any ungodly habit.
Deny any unwholesome affection.
Relinquish anything that captivates your dedication.
Does this mean that we have to pine away our days as spiritual robots? The only words out of our moth, scripture? Not doing anything but reading our Bibles and praying? Not at all!! It’s all about priorities. God must be first and foremost in your life. And his destiny for you must take priority.
The sobering truth is that every area you refuse to surrender to the will of God, you allow to dictate your destiny.
In our text Jeremiah stands in the midst of burning buildings and the ruins of the city of Jerusalem… and with the hopes of his people broken and smoldering he warns us…
“She did not consider her destiny, therefore her collapse was awesome.”
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can beat the odds. It can’t be done. Better men and women that us have tried.
We’re born. We live. We grow old. And at the end of the road waits a plot of dirt with a head-stone. You will not beat the odds.
And as that last breath of life rasps from your lungs and you succumb to the numbing truth that life is fleeting… you’ll step through that thin veil… and find that waiting for you there isn’t your bank account. It’s not your car. Or your boat. Or your house. It’s not any of our toys or any of the things that the world today holds in such high regard.
On the other side of our last breath you’ll find your maker. Your creator. The God of all eternity. He’s waiting for you even now. Watching your decisions. Desiring above all else that you would serve Him. Accept His blessing and provision. And do His will.
And I don’t know about you but all I want at that point is to hear 7 words.
“Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
I’ll close with one final thought…
* Q * What is it that captivates your heart this morning?
Be it God or earthly treasure… fame or fortune… material or spiritual… temporal or eternal… know this… it dictates your destiny.
Jeremiah 29:11 says,
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
The New King James puts it like this,
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
