Identity Theft
March 26, 2006
Stolen by Success
Intro: Do you remember the board game – LIFE. I loved to play it when I was a boy. You start w/ nothing but a goal to win and to accrue as much wealth as possible. But along the way something happens… life! And as you experience life – you discover new priorities, you get a job, you gain a family, but despite these new additions, the goal of the game remains the same – WIN. In fact, the winner of the game is determined by who has amassed the most stuff w/ the fewest number of setbacks. Sound familiar?
Trans: In many ways what I’ve just described is the American dream – get all you can, can all you get, eat what you can and can what you can’t.
Insert: Can I let you in on a secret? God’s dream for you isn’t the American dream. His dream is far greater and far more important than the comforts of today – His dream has eternity in mind.
Trans: We‘re in a series entitled Identity Theft where we’re investigating the (4) greatest threats to spiritual I.D. Theft. So far we’ve looked at what do to prevent being Robbed by Relationships and Mugged by the Mirror. Today we’re going to interrogate the topic of being Stolen by Success.
Note: When we started this series I introduced you to a toy that requires you to place different shapes into a bucket. In particular, we talked about how you can’t fit a square peg in a round hole no matter how hard you try. Likewise, we talked about how Solomon tried to fill the God-shaped hole in his heart and failed.
Note: If you remember, the Bible says Solomon tried, “Everything under the sun” only to realize that “It’s all meaningless. It’s just like chasing after the wind.” Why? B/c you can’t cram a square peg into a round hole and you can’t use the things of this world to fill the God-shaped hole in your heart. But boy how we try. In fact, many people try to fill the hole w/ stuff b/c they think that more stuff they have the more successful they are.
Insert: I recently received an e-mail entitled, The House that Golf Built. The house was amazing; I can hardly describe how immaculate and beautiful it was. One wall was missing open to the Pacific Ocean overlooking one of the Hawaiian Islands. At the end of the slideshow it read, “This is one of Tiger Woods homes.” But do you think for one second Tiger would choose his stuff over his dad whose health is failing. Do you think he is successful b/c of all of his stuff? Man may say yes, but that’s not what God says. I think Solomon had it right, he wrote:
Verse: I have also learned why people work so hard to succeed: it is b/c they envy the things their neighbors have. But it is useless. It is like chasing the wind. Ec. 4:4
Note: What’s Solomon’s point? Whoever has the most toys only thinks he wins, but he’s only fooling himself. B/c success isn’t measured by how much stuff you own or how many games you win, but by whether or not God has your heart.
Insert: Just yesterday, my two daughters had their first soccer games. And I must confess that I was one of those idiot parents running up and down the field yelling for their kids – I don’t know what happened. But when Madeline scored her first goal, I wanted to yell like a Spanish soccer commentator – Goooooalie! I didn’t but I wanted too. Why? B/c I was proud of her. But listen! Even if she would not have scored, I would’ve been just as proud of her b/c of who she is. What she does is neat, but she is so much more than a goal in a soccer game.
Trans: Nonetheless, of the (4) threats to our identity, the drive to succeed might be the most difficult to apprehend, b/c we so desperately want to be liked/respected. Face it – we’ve been groomed from birth to win. The scary thing is that in many ways we believe that “whoever has the most toys wins” is as great of a truth as “God so loved the world.” That’s why we try to tie deeds to grace.
Insert: The question is why do we have such an insatiable desire to succeed and be #1?
Story: When I wrestled, I wanted to win at all cost. I’m not proud to tell you my philosophy was to pin my opponent as quickly as possible. If I couldn’t pin him, then I’d hurt him. If I couldn’t hurt him, then I’d run up the score to end the match early. I’d do whatever was necessary to not have to go 6 min. and ensure that my opponent feared ever having to face me again. Why? B/c I was wanted to be the best – to win and to dominate. What’s the phrase, “Everyone loves a winner?” I believed it, and I wanted to be loved. After all, I had an image to establish and uphold – and winning feels better than losing.
Insert: If you want to see image management at its best and worst, attend 20 year class reunion and watch your classmates. The guy voted most likely to succeed still wants to be considered successful while the guy voted most likely not to succeed is determined to prove everyone wrong. It’s like the new Enterprise commercial, a guy rents a suit, a car, and a date to try to impress people he has not seen in 20 years. That’s rational? We’re all into impressing people we don’t know hoping that they will think better of us once their gone.
Funny: It’s like the doctor who saw his 92-year-old patient out w/ a very attractive, much younger woman on his arm. The old man said to his doctor, “Hey doc, thanks for the great advice.” The doctor said, “What advice was that?” The old man replied, “You told me to get a hot mama and be cheerful.” The doctor said, “No, I didn’t. I said you have a heart murmur; be careful.”
Note: Now I’m not saying success is inherently evil. Success can be a good thing. But success at all cost is neither good nor godly. The Bible explains that the drive to succeed by placing your trust in your achievements and accolades over trusting God is plain foolish. Jesus clearly stated this truth in Luke 9.
Verse: What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but forfeit his soul? Lk. 9:25
Truth: As I have thought about it, in its basic form, success that steals you is about (3) things: Your image – what people think of you; your pride – what you think of yourself; and your trust – who you can really depend on.
Trans: Well, as usual, Jesus had much to say on the topic of success. In one particular event in His ministry, Jesus had a brief encounter w/ a rich young ruler who was more concerned w/ his earthly accomplishments than his heavenly need.
Note: In this story we find a young ruler who came to Jesus caught in the vicious cycle of success. He was absolutely committed to keeping up his image. You could imagine that he was young, handsome, well-liked and well-dressed. I mean, he was the cover boy for Mediterranean GQ wearing an Abercrombie toga w/ Gucci sandals. I’m sure he power-lunched at the Jerusalem Athletic Club, drove a new chariot, and lived in a big hut. Truth is, by all human appearances, this guy looked like he had life by the tail. He had it all figured out and everyone came to him for answers. People wanted to be w/ him and people waned to be like him. But in reality he was running on empty. Success had left him wanting more. So when Jesus came to town, the rich young ruler came to Jesus looking for answers to give him peace of mind and heart.
Trans: I want you to understand that in the rich young ruler, we see a man who was wealthy but not secure; religious but not righteous; good but not godly. We see a man stolen by success.
Trans: Well this AM, I want us to learn from this ruler just what to do so that we don’t get stolen by success. I believe his story offers us (3) important principles.
I Avoid the PERFORMANCE Illusion v. 18
Verse: Look at how he starts: Good teacher, what should I do to get eternal life?
Note: Did you catch his question? What must I do? B/c he was so accustomed to doing he had no clue that he was really just undone. He banked everything on his performance, but his performance was never going to be enough. He thought eternity was dependent upon his own abilities and accomplishments.
Verse: "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked. "No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ’Don’t commit adultery; don’t commit murder; don’t steal; don’t accuse anyone falsely; respect your father and your mother.’ " The man replied, "Ever since I was young, I have obeyed all these commands."
Note: Jesus gives the guy a pop quiz on God’s big 10, and he looks Jesus in the face and says, “I’m the man!” A modern translation would say, “I’m the bomb!”
Note: But I want you to notice that when Jesus clicked off a few of God’s commands, He left out the ones dealing w/ a personal relationship w/ God. Jesus only mentioned the outward commands that others see. And the guy says to Jesus, “Yeah, I got an “A”. I’m an honor student. I’ve kept these since I was a boy.
Note: Ultimately, he thought his goodness and achievements were going to gain him access into heaven. He thought that God was going to be so overwhelmed by his good works that Jesus himself was going to meet him at the front gate and parade him down Main Street towards God’s throne.
Note: Sadly, I think many of us think this way. We feel like our earthly significance and eternal destiny are somehow linked to our performance. That’s why so many people think their good deeds save them or keep their salvation secure. But the Bible clearly states that our eternal destiny isn’t linked to our goodness but only to God’s grace on a blood-stained cross where Jesus died for all of us.
Note: If you could get to heaven and have your sins forgiven by any other means than the cross, then why did Jesus have to die – b/c there is no other way.
Note: While this is the true, people still equate goodness w/ heaven and badness w/ hell. And as a result, they are stolen by success. Our goodness doesn’t make us godly or acceptable to God, only God’s grace can do that. No matter how hard we try, it will never be enough to satisfy God’s justice; we must have his grace.
II Avoid the POSSESSION Confusion v. 22
Note: If the performance illusion isn’t bad enough, the way we tend to measure our success is by how much stuff we own. We think that whoever has the most and nicest stuff is the most successful and therefore the most blessed of God.
Note: This was surely the attitude of the rich ruler. He considered himself righteous b/c of the amount of his possessions – and like many people today, we think those who have are more blessed than those who have not. And thus we have an insatiable appetite to find any short-cut to obtain the dream for ourselves.
Book: Sneetches – the star belly sneetches had bellies w/ stars while the plain belly sneetches had none upon thars… Those w/out wanted to be like those w/.
Verse: But look what Jesus says – One thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, b/c he had great wealth.
Note: Why did Jesus issue such a challenge – was he saying that salvation is based on our poverty or works? NO! Jesus is questioning the man’s allegiance and trust. The call to sell all of his stuff touched a nerve that exposed the condition of his heart and allegiance. He didn’t trust God for his life, he trusted his stuff.
Note: If you remember from our beatitudes study, the first thing we must possess to be His disciples is that we must be poor in spirit. To be POOR (ptochos) is to see yourself as a spiritually destitute beggar who is utterly dependent upon God for help. It is to understand that we have no saving resources and that we can only beg for God’s mercy and grace b/c we are spiritually destitute.
Note: In other words, the issue here isn’t wealth or ability. You can be rich or poor, able or unable, and still be empty and lost. Jesus is saying that the issue is your heart. Who or what has it? This guy’s image—his possessions—had stolen his affection, stolen his worship, and stolen his identity. As a result, he walked away from eternity w/ God for a few trinkets that eventually faded away.
Story: It reminds me of an article I saw on H. Hughes — He wanted more money so he parlayed his inherited wealth into a multi-billion dollar pile of assets. He wanted more fame, so broke into the Hollywood film scene as both a director and star. He wanted more sensual pleasures so he paid handsome sums of money to indulge his every sexual urge. He wanted more thrills so he designed, built, and piloted the fastest aircraft in the world. He wanted more power so he secretly dealt political favors so skillfully that two US presidents became his pawns. All he ever wanted was more. He was absolutely convinced more would bring him true satisfaction. Unfortunately, history shows otherwise. Instead, he finished life emaciated, colorless, sunken chest, fingernails in grotesque inches long corkscrews, rotting black teeth, tumors, innumerable needle marks from a drug addiction. He died believing the myth of more.
Verse: Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; b/c your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be. Lk. 12:15
Truth: When it’s all said and done what will really matter – your stuff or your soul? You can’t take it w/ you. And just like the board game, when life is over, it all goes back in the box – all the money, the cars, the family – back in the box!
Quote: To me, life boils down to one thing – movement. To live is to keep moving. Unfortunately, this means that for the rest of our lives we’re going to keep looking for boxes. When you’re moving your whole world is boxes — that’s all you think about — boxes, where are the boxes. You wander down the street in and out of stores asking, “Are there any boxes here, have you seen any boxes? It’s all you think about. You could be at a funeral. Everyone around you is mourning, crying. And you’re looking at the casket and think “that’s a nice box. Anybody know where that guy got that box. When he’s done w/ it do you think I could get it. It’s got some nice handles on it and my stereo would fit nicely right in there. I mean that’s what death is, the last big move of your life. The hearse is like the van. The pallbearers are your close friends and the only people you can really ask to help w/ such a big move like that. And the casket is that great, perfect box you’ve been looking for the whole of your life — only then you no longer need boxes. Seinfeld
Trans: Things can never satisfy. They may bring temporary excitement, but if they have no eternal value, they’ll lose their luster and will fade away. And those who live for the accumulation of things — either by purchasing or by constantly longing for what they can’t afford — will degenerate into a shriveled soul. B/c you can’t seem to enjoy the blessings when your looking for the next big score.
Note: So just what did Jesus mean when He said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God?”
Note: First of all, Jesus isn’t talking about trying to get a camel to crawl on its knees through a gate in a wall. What Jesus as saying is that it is absolutely impossible for a person who trusts in their wealth and possessions to get into heaven.
Trans: Where does that leave us? W/ God alone; and w/ God all things are possible.
III Accept God’s POSSIBLE Solution v. 27
Verse: The people who heard him asked, "Who, then, can be saved?" Jesus answered, "What is humanly impossible is possible for God."
Note: Just like today, in Jesus’ day there were many people who thought they could get to heaven on their own achievements and abilities – and Jesus simply cleared up the confusion. He said that it was not by a man’s abilities, but solely by the miraculous hand of God that a person is forgiven of their sin and brought into a relationship w/ God. And once forgiven, it is God who must remain in control or else the abundant life that He promises will not be very abundant.
Note: Did you know tht God wants to accomplish the impossible in and through your life. Think about that for a second. You’re not here to take up space and suck up air – you’re here b/c the Creator of the universe wants to work in and through your life for an eternal and abundant purpose. He wants to take a dirty, good-for-nothing, sinner like you and me and redeem our lives for something remarkable for His glory.
Note: In fact, you know what I’ve learned in my lifetime. There is nothing more prestigious than knowing and being used by God. It doesn’t no matter who you are, what you do, or what you’ve done. God wants to do the impossible in and through a soul ultimately committed and dependent upon Him alone.
Note: W/ God, all things are possible. He can take a broken life and make it whole and He can take people like you and me and change the world – if we’ll let him.
Book: You Are Mine, Lucado – Our friend Punchinello escapades continue. In this book he sells all he has and gives up everything that’s important for boxes and balls. B/c someone started a fade that became a rage of collected boxes and balls, Punchinello got caught up in the success game and found himself racing to the top of Wemmick’s Peak to see who could have the most and the highest. I want you to here what happens to him on his journey to the top.
RESOURCES
Sermons: Mike Breaux – Stolen by Success from Identity Theft Series
Joey Rodgers – Nine Essentials for Living Large for a Lifetime
Joey Rodgers – It All Goes Back in the Box from Dare to be Great
Series Joey Rodgers – Poor in Spirit from Be-Attitudes Series
Robert Travis – The Rich Young Ruler. www.sermoncentral.com
Books: Hughes – Commentary on Luke
NIV Commentary on Luke
Max Lucado – You Are Mine
Dr. Suess - Sneetches
PREACHED
Date: 3/26/06 @ FBC White House
