William Alexander, in his book The $64 Tomato, asks the question, “If you were doomed to live the same life over and over again for eternity, would you choose the life you are living now?” It’s a thought-provoking question, but not so much as the implied follow-up question: “If the answer is no, then why are you living the life you are living now?” William Alexander says, “Stop making excuses, and do something about it.” (William Alexander, The $64 Tomato, Algonquin Books, 2007, p.245; www.PreachingToday.com)
But that’s the 64 million dollar question: what do I do about it? If I don’t like the life I’m living now, what do I do to change it?
Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis 44, Genesis 44, where we see Joseph’s brothers undergoing some very real change in their own lives. They have been jealous and bitter for most of their lives. Their families are starving, and wow for the 2nd time, they have gone to Egypt to buy food from a very powerful Egyptian ruler.
They don’t know that this Egyptian ruler is their brother, Joseph, whom they betrayed and sold into slavery more than 20 years previously, and they don’t know what he’s up to. He has accused them of being spies, but he fed them from his own table. Now, he sends them away with some very unusual instructions for his steward.
Genesis 44:1 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. (NIV)
This is the silver they used to buy food.
Genesis 44:2-12 Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said. As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’ ” When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.” “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.” Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. (NIV)
Benjamin was their father’s new favorite son since Joseph had disappeared. Are they going to betray him too and go free at Benjamin’s expense? No.
Genesis 44:13 At this, they tore their clothes (a sign of extreme distress). Then they ALL loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.
Instead of returning home with another lie for their father, they ALL returned to the city with Benjamin to face the music together.
Genesis 44:14-16 Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?” “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.” (NIV)
They are innocent of stealing Joseph’s cup, but they are not innocent of stealing his freedom more than 20 years previously. In fact, Judah himself was the one who suggested that they sell Joseph into slavery. Now, it is Judah himself who, on behalf of his brothers, admits their guilt and accepts the consequences of their own sinful behavior. They had sold their brother into slavery. Now, it’s only right that they all serve as slaves. Judah didn’t protest being treated “unfairly.” Rather he admitted, “We are only getting what we deserve.”
Wow! What a difference in attitude compared to 20 years ago. These brothers are experiencing real change, and they show us how to change our lives as well. My dear friends, if we don’t like the lives we are living now, then real change begins when we, like Judah must…
SUBMIT TO GOD’S DISCIPLINE.
If we want our lives to be different, then we must stop resisting and start accepting God’s loving correction. Stop crying “fowl” every time hardships come. Instead, welcome the change God is working in us through the hard times.
Hebrews 12 says, “In your struggle against sin… do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
“Endure hardship as discipline,” Hebrews 12 says. “Submit to the Father of our spirits and live,” because “God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
That’s God’s promise to us as his children. So when the hard times come, don’t resist them. Instead, submit to their purifying influence in your life. None of us like pain, but trying to avoid it can actually lead to greater suffering.
You Chicago Bears fans will appreciate this. Just a few years ago, the Chicago Tribune ran a story about William “the Refrigerator” Perry. He was a defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears when they won the Super Bowl back in 1985. He was so big and wide he looked like a refrigerator running down the field. That’s why they called him “The Refrigerator.” Perry was also a friendly man with a wide grin.
Now, Perry was not afraid of anybody on the football field, but unfortunately for his grin, he apparently was afraid of the dentist. He was so afraid that he didn’t go to the dentist for 20 years! He didn’t go to the dentist even though his teeth and gums hurt terribly. He didn’t go to the dentist even when his teeth started falling out. Eventually he lost half of his teeth – some he pulled out himself! – and his gums suffered chronic infection. He was suffering!
Finally, as he neared the age of 45, he went to a dentist, who had to pull out all of Perry’s remaining teeth. He had to insert screws in Perry’s jaw and implant new teeth. Now, all of this would have cost Perry $60,000, but the dentist did the procedure without charge for a little publicity.
After it was all said and done, William Perry said of his new teeth, “It’s unbelievable… I love them… I got tired of my mouth hurting all the time.” (“A Story with some teeth: Fridge gets a new smile,” Chicago Tribune, 12-20-07, section 4, p.2; www.PreachingToday.com)
Are you tired of your life hurting all the time? Then stop trying to avoid the “minor” pain of God’s healing discipline. Instead, let him put a new smile on your face as he puts new peace and joy in your heart through the hardships he allows in your life.
If we want to change our lives, then it starts when we submit to God’s discipline just like Judah did. Then like Judah, we must also…
ADMIT OUR SIN.
We must acknowledge that we have indeed done wrong. We must confess our own wickedness and depravity. Judah could have protested his innocence. He didn’t steal the Egyptian ruler’s cup. Instead, he remembers stealing Joseph’s freedom and says (vs.16), “God has uncovered your servants’ guilt.” We are sinners, all of us.
Judah admits it, and that’s what we must do if we want to see real change for the better in our own lives. The problem is most of us think, “We’re not that bad.” In fact, if we’re like most people, we’re all way above average at almost everything, at least in our own minds.
Psychologists call this the state of “illusory superiority.” It simply means that we tend to inflate our positive qualities and abilities, especially in comparison to other people.
Numerous research studies have revealed this tendency to overestimate ourselves. For example, when researches asked a million high school students how well they got along with their peers, none of the students rated themselves below average. As a matter of fact, 60 percent of students believed they were in the top 10 percent, and 25 percent rated themselves in the top one percent.
The same thing happened with college professors. Just two percent rated themselves below average; 10 percent were average and 63 were above average; while 25 percent rated themselves as truly exceptional.
Of course this is statistically impossible. One researcher summarized the data this way: “It’s the great contradiction – the average person believes he is a better person than the average person.” (“Study: Self-Images Often Erroneously Inflate,” ABC News, 11-9-05; www.PreachingToday.com)
But that’s not the way to get better. That’s not the way to experience real change in our lives. Rather, it starts when we admit our own sinfulness. It starts when we admit that we have failed. True change for the better begins when we admit that we are going in the wrong direction.
That’s what Captain Cézar Garcez failed to do and it led to a terrible tragedy. He was piloting Varig Airlines flight 254 out of Brazil’s Maraba airport on September 3, 1989. Under normal circumstances the hop to nearby Belém would only take 48 minutes. Captain Cézar Garcez consulted a computer-generated flight plan and read the number 0270 which corresponded to the magnetic heading from Maraba to Belém. But Garcez inadvertently dialed 270 into the Horizontal Situation Indicator. Minutes later, flight 254 took off and climbed to an altitude of 29,000 feet. Instead of heading northeast toward the Brazilian coastline and the city of Belém, the plane turned west and headed straight toward the Amazon forest.
Captain Garcez sensed something was wrong. At this point in the flight plan he expected to be able to have visual contact with the Belém airport. Frustrated, the captain executed a 180-degree turn, not recognizing the absurdity of his due west/due east course. Having been notified by the flight attendants that the passengers were wondering what was happening, Garcez lied. He announced there was a power failure at the Belém airport, and that he would circle the area waiting for the power to be restored.
Despite not knowing where he was, Captain Garcez informed the Varig flight coordinator on the ground he estimated the plane would be landing in Belém in five minutes. He then ordered the flight attendants to serve a fresh round of drinks to the bewildered passengers.
At 7:39 p.m., when the flight was 68 minutes overdue, the first officer identified the problem and started to explain to the captain his mistake. But the captain dismissed his explanation. Refusing to ask for help, he began counting the minutes until the plane would run out of fuel. All the while he searched the ground hoping to find an airport where he could land the plane.
About an hour later, out of fuel, Garcez made a remarkable crash-landing in total darkness in a dense tropical forest. The plane was 700 miles from the intended destination. Although all six of the crew survived, 13 of the 48 passengers were killed. Both Captain Garcez and the first officer had their commercial licenses revoked. They never flew again. (The Mercer Island Reporter, 12-12-02; www.PreachingToday.com)
This happened all because Captain Garcez refused to admit his mistake and accept correction.
My dear friends, before you crash land your own life, please don’t be too proud to admit your own mistakes and accept correction. If you are about to crash land your marriage, don’t be too proud to own up to your part in the failure of that relationship. If you are about to crash land any of your relationships with your children, your friends, your co-workers, or whoever, don’t be too proud to admit, “I was wrong.”
Even if you have already crash landed your relationship with God, don’t be too proud to admit, “I have sinned.” For God has promised, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). That’s because Jesus “is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
Jesus paid the price for all our sins on the cross. Now, God can forgive us our sins when we admit them to Him. And that’s where real change for the better starts. It starts when we admit our sin. Then with God’s help, we must also…
QUIT OUR SIN.
We must turn around from going in the wrong direction and start heading in the right direction. To use a good biblical term, we must REPENT. In total and complete dependence upon Christ, who died for us and rose again, we must change our ways. That’s what Judah and his brothers did. They have offered to become Joseph’s slaves.
Genesis 44:17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.” (NIV)
Joseph gives them an opportunity to go free at the expense of their younger brother, but Judah won’t allow it. Look at him as he pleads for the release of his brother – one of the finest and most moving petitions in all of Scripture.
Genesis 44:18-34 Then Judah went up to him and said: “Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’ “Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’ And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’ But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’ But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ “Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’ “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’ “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father.” (NIV)
More than 20 years previous, Judah sold his younger brother into slavery. Now, he pleads to be enslaved himself so another younger brother can go free. Judah is a different man. By God’s grace and work in his life, he is no longer jealous and bitter; he is no longer selfish and self-centered. Instead, he is willing to give up his own freedom to preserve the freedom of another favored son.
Judah has changed his ways, and that’s what we must do if we want to see real change in our own lives for the better. We must not only admit our sin, we must quit our sin. Now, if admitting our sin is difficult at best, then quitting our sin is well-nigh impossible.
That’s what a 2006 medical study revealed. Roughly 600,000 people have heart bypasses a year in America. After their bypasses, their doctors tell them that they must change their lifestyle. The heart bypass is a temporary fix. They must change their diet. They must quit smoking and drinking. They must exercise and reduce stress.
In essence, the doctors say, “Change or die.”
Well, you would think that a near-death experience would get their attention and these patients would make the appropriate lifestyle changes. Sadly that is not the case.
Ninety percent of the heart patients do not change. They remain the same, living the way they always lived. Study after study indicates that two years after heart surgery, the patients have not altered their behavior. Instead of making changes for life, they choose death. (Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger, Simple Church, B & H Publishing Group, 2006, p. 229; www.PreachingToday.com)
Change is that difficult for people even when their lives depend on it. That’s why Jesus died on the cross. He died not only to deliver us from the penalty of sin, but also from its power in our everyday lives. So if you don’t like the life you’re living, put your trust in Him. Depend on Christ to help you make the changes you know you need to make.
If you want to experience real change in your life, just submit to God’s discipline. Then with Christ’s help, admit and quit your sin.
In August, 2003, Europe’s biggest-ever lottery, the Super Enalotto, stood at 66 million euros. The amount was too much for an Italian man living on his old-age pension to resist. Hoping he would be the long-shot winner, he purchased a ticket outside of Milan.
But on the day lottery officials revealed the winning number, the man was so preoccupied with the details of his daughter’s wedding, that he didn’t redeem his lottery ticket. According to Italian news agencies, by the time he realized he had the winning ticket, the deadline for claiming the largest jackpot in Europe’s history had passed. What was in his grasp and reserved for him, passed him by. Feeling faint, the man, who wished to remain anonymous, was hospitalized. (Reuters News Service, 8-19-03; www.PreachingToday.com)
Dear friends, a new life from Christ is in your grasp right now, and it’s much better than winning any lottery. Please, don’t get so preoccupied with your old life that you miss the opportunity. Just trust Christ with your life today, and let Him give you the life you really want to live forever.
