Welcome to this week's edition of the Weekend Sermon. I am glad to be able to post this sermon, and I pray that it will be a blessing to you all this week.
This week has been going pretty well at work. We have been very busy, so it makes the time seem like it goes by faster. Please continue to pray that all will go well on the job.
I would also ask you to please pray about the weather in my part of the world as well. Once again, bad storms are forecast. Please pray that these do not develop. Storms scare me. I freely admit that. I think I learned this fear from my Mom. She was always worried about tornadoes.
In prayer this week, let us continue to pray for peace in the many troubled areas of the world. Pray for peace in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Ukraine and Afghanistan. Let us continue to pray for the situation in Nepal.
Last week, we continued in our series of messages on I Peter finishing chapter 3. Today, we will take a one week break from that series, and we will resume with I Peter next week.
Today, I would like to talk about two different standards of success according to Jesus. There is a standard of success according to the values of this world's system, and there is a standard of success according to the teachings of Jesus.
One day as Jesus was preaching, a man requested that Jesus tell this man's brother to divide the family inheritance with him. Jesus said, "Who made me an arbitrator over you?" Jesus wasn't going to involve Himself in something like that.
Jesus went on to say, "One's life does not consist in the abundance of things that He possesses." To illustrate His point, Jesus told the parable of a rich man who was foolish. This rich man had such an abundant harvest one year that his barns could not contain his bounty. He decided to tear down his old barns and build bigger barns in order to store all of his grain. This man then said that he would eat, drink and be merry.
Jesus said that this man was a fool. That same night, the man's soul was required of him.
This world and the majority of people in it have a standard of what makes a successful life. According to most people, the standard of success is the same standard the rich man in this parable had. If a person is able to make a lot of money and acquire a large amount of possessions, this world views that person as a success. Often, another worldly standard of success is fame. If a person can become well known in their profession, this world's system will classify that individual as a successful person.
However, this is not the standard of success according to the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. According to Jesus, wealth is not the barometer of success. Jesus made it quite clear in His teachings that an individual may be extremely wealthy, but if that person is not rich toward God. that person's life really has not amounted to very much.
Let's delve into this a little bit deeper. Jesus stated in the Sermon on the Mount that His followers cannot serve both God and money. He went on to say that we should lay up treasure in Heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt and where thieves do not break in and steal. In other words, all of this world's wealth and possessions are passing away. They are of no eternal value. Only the treasure that is laid up in Heaven will remain.
Jesus also spoke on this theme in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man had it all, but when he died, he found himself in torment. Lazarus was a homeless man who was sick and destitute. However, when he died, Lazarus received his reward in Paradise.
In the time in which Jesus lived, the religious authorities and people in society at large viewed wealth as success. Jesus turned all of these values upside down. Jesus said that those who followed Him and did His will were really successful because these people had an eternal perspective.
A successful life in the eyes of the Lord is a life devoted to following the values of Jesus. We lay up treasure in Heaven when we spread the message of the Gospel. We lay up treasure in heaven when we feed the hungry, visit the sick and cloth the naked. We lay up treasure in Heaven when we act like Jesus in this world.
Many people have the riches and the accolades of this world system. As far as eternity is concerned, all of this is worthless because it is temporal. The goal of life and a successful life is one that when life is over we stand in the presence of Jesus and hear Him say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant."
One day, we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account of what we have done with our lives. Many are producing in their lives what the Bible refers to as wood, hay and stubble. When these works are tried by fire, nothing will remain. We should lay up gold, silver and precious stones. These are the works of righteousness that when they are tried by fire, they will remain for all eternity.
I hope that you are not trying to be successful based on the standard of this world system. I hope that you are striving to be successful according to what Jesus said true success really is.
In my own life, I went through a period seeking success in the way of the world. I thought that if I could become a famous author and make a lot of money that that would make me a success. It is striving after nothing.
I found out in the Great Recession how fleeting this world's wealth is. I lost almost everything I owned.
What I have decided to do in life is to try to follow the Lord Jesus and focus on what I can do for Him. That is the reason I started this blog. I wanted to devote my writing and my work to serve Him like I know He called me to do when I was a boy. It is my hope to expand in ministry and try to reach more people. With the Lord's help, I will keep trying.
Devote yourself to the service of the Lord. Seek after His ways. Try to be a success in the eyes of Jesus. That is what is truly important in life. This life is about serving Jesus so that we might be with Jesus and enjoy Heaven with Him for all of eternity.
Next week, I will post the verses on Monday. I hope to have a review on Wednesday, but I am not certain about this. We will continue our study in I Peter next week, May God bless you. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment