Weight Lifters
By Pastor Jim May
One of the characteristics of the church of today that I find is so prevalent is that we seem to never get enough rest. It’s a rat race world that we live in, and every day that we live we wake up to world that is on the move. It seems that the more we work and the faster we go, the more we fall behind in the race and there is always more to do when the day is done than when we started out in the morning. It’s as though the weight of the whole world was placed squarely on your shoulders and if it you stop for even a moment, your whole world will come crashing down around you.
I’m not a weight lifter like my son. He can probably bench press a lot more than his own body weight. The only bench pressing I do is when I sit on it and press it harder to the floor. I get a lot of exercise throughout the day though, just like most of you.
All day long I find myself jumping to conclusions, making a leap of faith. walking on the wrong side, drawing up sides, running off at the mouth, jumping the gun, carrying a grudge, throwing a fit, stretching the truth and tossing caution to the winds. It’s no wonder that I’m worn out by the end of the day.
We walk out the door to chase the dream of reaching a place in life where we can just relax a little and enjoy life because the bills are paid and our family’s needs are met. But somehow, along the way, at least for me, those bills never seem to go away. No matter how hard we work, or how much we try, it seems that we are caught in a cage, like a hamster just running for all he is worth, but never getting anywhere.
I am reminded of the story of once heard that comes from the Plains of the Serengeti of Africa.
Every morning when the first light of the sun breaks forth over the plains, the antelope awakens to a harsh reality. From the moment that antelope is born until the day that its life ends there is one hard fast rule that he must always remember. He knows that he must be fastest and strongest antelope of the herd or else he could well become the next meal for the lions.
On the other side of that story there is the lion. Every morning when the first light of day begins to glow upon the plains, the lion awakes to his own harsh reality. Every lion is born with the need to hunt and kill to survive and his favorite prey is the antelope. He knows that he must be fastest and strongest of the pride if he is going to catch an antelope so that he may be filled and lived to hunt another day.
The lives of the antelope and the lion aren’t much different from yours and mine are they?
Every day that I wake up, I know that I must run this race of life as fast as I can, or I will be left behind and relegated to the place of irrelevance in the minds of men. If I am unable to keep up the pace, or if I stop to rest for too long, the world will go on and I will be left behind and cast aside just like an old shoe that no one wants anymore.
There are a lot of people who woke up this morning feeling like something was missing from their lives. For many of them, it was the fact that they have no means of income. No job is waiting, hope is fading and they feel like the world has forgotten them. They are left sitting in the dust while the world creates a cloud of dust as it passes them by.
The fact is that most people don’t feel like they are fulfilled unless they have a job so that they create some sort of meaning to their lives.
That’s not all bad because God designed us that way to an extent. He created us with an inward desire to build, to grow and to accomplish things in life.
Genesis 1:27-28, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
The Bible also teaches us that we are not to be lazy, and that we are to keep on working to do what God has said and replenish the earth and subdue it.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:10 Paul instructs us, "… that if any would not work, neither should he eat."
(I think that mankind has is doing a good job at subduing the earth, but a very poor job at replenishing it. That’s why we face energy shortages and water pollution problems and all sorts of environmental issues.)
As I was reading the Bible I ran across the story of the Rich Young Ruler who came to Jesus asking how he could have eternal life. I want us to look at that story for a few minutes and see what the Lord might have to say to us through this example.
Matthew 19:16-26, "And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."
The Rich Young Ruler was representative of every one of us. We are all rich this morning. Oh, you may not have a lot of money in your bank accounts, and very little cash in your pocket. Your car may be old, your house run down and your clothes hand-me-down, but you are rich.
Let me tell you what you are worth this morning, just in the value of what you have in your possession right now.
Based on a survey published in Wired magazine it was found that vital organs are no longer the most valuable body parts. Rather, bone marrow heads the list…priced at $23 million for the average person. Your DNA can fetch $9.7 million, while extracting antibodies can bring $7.3 million. A lung is worth $116,400, a kidney $91,400 and a heart $57,000.
Of course, none of these would be helpful to you if you sold them, but they would benefit your heirs a lot. Even though it’s absolutely illegal, immoral, unethical, nearly impossible and unthinkable to sell yourself in this manner, there are people out there who would probably do it if they could find a buyer.
And that’s just your human form. What about your soul and spirit? What kind of a price tag can we place on those?
Let me tell you that God considers your soul and spirit to be extremely valuable, so much so that all the wealth of this world can’t buy even one soul. In fact, the price of your soul and spirit bankrupted Heaven for it cost God His greatest and dearest possession – His only Son. Jesus gave all that Heaven had, came down to this world, and died on a cross, just to purchase your soul. That’s how valuable you are to Him.
But the problem isn’t how valuable we are to God, but how valuable God is to us. Unless we find God’s provision for our salvation worth giving our lives for, then the price that Jesus paid won’t matter will it?
It’s all a matter of our will pitted against God’s will. Like one man said, “When the will of God crosses the will of man, somebody has to die.”
In the case of the Rich Young Ruler, that’s what is happening. His will for his own life is crossing paths with the will of God and something, or someone, is about to die. He just doesn’t fully understand what is happening while he talks to Jesus.
That Rich Young Ruler was truly chasing his dream for his own life. He was a rich man which tells me that he was running the rat race of life as fast as he could go. I doubt if there was a day that went by when he wasn’t in the market place, buying and selling, investing and looking for new ways to have a return on his money. He didn’t sit idle at home. No one gains the wealth of this world by being passive. You have to be a go-getter, a mover and shaker and you have to be willing to sell out in large degree to the system of doing business in a corrupt society.
The key to all of that is, “How far are you willing to go to be successful in the world’s eyes? What price are we willing to pay to have the better things in life? I believe that the Rich Young Ruler had decided to sell out to that system and “Be all He could be”.
What he wanted most was eternal life, but what he wanted now was the wealth of this world. It was a battle that raged in his heart, and it’s that same battle that rages within the heart of every man that walks the face of the earth. The outcome of that battle will determine our ultimate destiny.
I believe that the Rich Young Ruler already had an idea of what it would take to have eternal life. In my mind, I get the picture that he really wasn’t coming to Jesus to hear what Jesus had to say. He was really coming to reassure himself that he was already doing what it took to have eternal life and that all he was wanting Jesus to do was praise him for his good works.
That’s the way that most of the church is today. How often have I sat in counseling sessions with people who want to share their story and see what God has to say about their circumstances in life. I’m no professional counselor. All I can tell them is what the Bible says because that’s the only real source of right answers for any of us. My thoughts and my ideas aren’t infallible. I may be a genius but I have been known to be wrong a few times (HA) and my counsel isn’t anything more than my opinion. But the Word of God is true, it will never fail and it is always right on target.
But those same folks don’t really want to hear what the Bible says. All they really want to do is have a sounding board, someone to listen to them talk. They already know what their answer is but they don’t want to face up to it and surrender their will to God’s will. They just want you to agree with them that they are doing the right thing even if it is wrong.
I can only think of a very few occasions when those who came to me for help really wanted to hear what God had to say. Every one else walked away like that Rich Young Ruler, not allowing the Word of God to affect their decisions, and today many of them are lost, having gone back into the world to chase after their dream.
The will of the Rich Young Ruler came face-to-face with the will of God and the will of God for his life died that day. From that day on, that young man went on chasing his dream of wealth and power. His treasures were all on this earth, but his account in Heaven was bankrupt forever.
Every time I enter the church doors I can see that there people who struggle with the same decision that the Rich Young Ruler faced. We come to Jesus, entering into His presence with singing and worshipping. We come to hear the Word of the Lord. But the real crux of the matter is, “What will we do with the Word that we Hear?”
I want to add a little note here. I love the worship services with the songs of praise and the worship that goes forth. God wants us to praise and worship Him. I’m glad for the ministry of those who sing, play instruments and work in the church, no matter what you do for the Lord. God loves to see His people investing their time, energy and money into His Kingdom.
But as important and wonderful as those things are, they pale in importance to the bringing forth of the Word of God. The praise, worship and service are fruits that we bear in our lives to the Lord, but it’s the Word that changes us so that we can learn to praise Him more, learn why we worship Him and prepares us for even greater ability to serve Him and produce the fruits of righteousness.
But like the Rich Young Ruler, most people in the church are convinced that they are already doing enough. They already obey the commandments. They are already set in their ways of serving the Lord and they don’t need anything else. Like the young ruler, they have kept the ways of their church, and their personal convictions and that’s all they want or need. They still have questions about their life in Christ. They still wake up days wondering if they will really have eternal life. They come to church seeking affirmation but they close their ears to the real truth.
The fact is that when we come together to hear the Word of the Lord as it speaks to our hearts, there is a battle of the wills taking place. It is always my will against God’s will. It is always your will against God’s will. Whose will must die? If we come and leave unchanged then God’s will for our lives is dead for a time. If we choose to heed the Word of God, then our will is dead. You can’t have it both ways. Only one “will” will survive.
That Rich Young Ruler walked away sad that day. He made his decision to carry the weight of sin upon his shoulders. He had come to the crossroads where he could either carry the load of sin, carry the cares of life alone, stay up nights and work all of his days in gaining the vanity of riches that would never earn him eternal life, or he could cast all those burdens on Jesus and then walk on in obedience and faith, doing God’s will and trusting God for whatever came into his life.
The Rich Young Ruler made the wrong decision. He may have gained the world, but he sold his soul to the devil for the price of the good life and a little bit of gold from the ground.
It’s the same basic decision that all of us must make every day. Will we go our will, or will we do God’s will? Every time, someone’s will must die, either yours or Gods.
The sinner, hearing the gospel for the first time must make that decision. So must the Christian who is battling with the desires of the flesh. It’s always a battle of the wills.
Bruce Larson, tells how he helped people struggling to surrender their lives to Christ: “For many years he worked in New York City and counseled many people who were wrestling with the decision to surrender their will to God’s will. He often told them to walk with him down to the RCA Building on Fifth Avenue. In the entrance of that building is a gigantic statue of Atlas, a powerful man who, with all his muscles straining, is holding the world upon his shoulders. There he is, the most powerfully-built man in the world, and he can barely stand up under this burden.
‘Now that’s one way to live,’ he would say to the seeking help, ‘You’re like Atlas, trying to carry the world on your shoulders.
But then he would take them across the street. On the other side of Fifth Avenue is Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and there behind the church altar is a little shrine depicting Jesus as a little boy of 8 or 9 years old. With no effort at all he is holding the world in one hand.
In those two scenes we can see that we have a choice. We can carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, worrying about life, health, wealth and lifestyle, and whether we will truly inherit eternal life. Or we can say, ‘I give up, Lord; here’s my life. I give you my world, the whole world.’
This morning you have come face-to-face with God through His Word. The Word of God says, “surrender your will to God’s will, and you will inherit eternal life, but if you continue to do your own will, then you will bear the burden and suffer the consequences.”
The Rich Young Ruler made the wrong decision and went away just life he came. What will you do? Whose “will”, will survive this morning, yours or God’s?
God is ready and willing to assume full responsibility for the life that is completely yielded to Him. I believe that God can make the right choices for my life much better than I can. How about you?
