SERMON: THE DESERT LIFE

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Psalm 42:1-2a

1 As the deer pants for streams of water,

    so my soul pants for you, my God.

2a My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

            -- Bugs Bunny once famously said that he took a wrong turn in Albuquerque -- having been back for a week now from my trip out there, I fully understand what he means -- I took a wrong turn out there, too

            -- earlier this week I found myself getting sick, and now it has developed into a full-blown summer cold, and I blame it all on Albuquerque -- traveling puts stress on the body -- and being in an airplane for extended periods of time can lead to you catching whatever anyone else on that plane has

            -- but traveling to Albuquerque put me under a different stress without me even knowing it -- because Albuquerque is in the southwest, I thought it would be a lot hotter than it was -- I was surprised at how cool it was and how pleasant the temperatures there actually were in the afternoons when we finally got out of our class and were able to go out and explore

            -- but that’s when I took my wrong turn -- because it was so cool and because I had been suffering through the unusual 100-degree heat here in south Georgia, I got off my normal schedule of hydration -- I didn’t carry a water bottle with me and I didn’t drink as much water as normal and I ended up getting dehydrated, which probably helped lead to the cold I’ve got now

            -- it turns out that Albuquerque is considered a high desert area -- when we think of desert regions, we typically think of places like the Sahara or the Mohave -- areas with vast amounts of sand and sand dunes and no vegetation -- areas that are extremely hot and dry during the day -- since Albuquerque wasn’t like that, it never crossed my mind that it might be a desert, too

            -- it turns out that Albuquerque is in a region that they call “high desert” -- a high desert occurs at higher elevations -- the city of Albuquerque is actually at about 6,000 feet, and we traveled up to the top of the Sandia mountains, which were over 12,000 feet -- so, high deserts are literally high

            -- and, they are dry -- you don’t realize it because the temperatures aren’t blistering hot like in the Sahara and there’s vegetation out there, but the area just doesn’t get the amounts of rainfall you would expect -- it gets so little rainfall -- and what it gets just evaporates away -- that it is considered a desert -- and, so, because I didn’t get hot while I was out there, I didn’t drink water like I should -- and that put me in a state of dehydration -- adding the dehydration to the stress of being away from home and the stress of traveling through airports and being stuffed in an airplane for hours on end resulted in my body getting weakened and the cold I have now picked up

            -- so, yes, like Bugs Bunny, I took a wrong turn in Albuquerque and ended up getting sick

II.  Wrong Turns and Desert Living

            -- wrong turns happen to us all the time, and if we’re not careful, wrong turns in our spiritual lives can lead us into deserts just like those in Albuquerque and the Sahara -- not physical deserts -- but spiritual deserts -- places of spiritual drought and dryness and a lack of connectedness to the River of Life and the springs of refreshing that come from the Holy Spirit

            -- here in Psalm 42, we see the Psalmist has taken a wrong turn and ended up in just such a place -- look back at verse 1 again

1 As the deer pants for streams of water,

    so my soul pants for you, my God.

2a My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

            -- he is in a dry and dusty land -- he thirsts for God and the presence of God -- just like the deer pants for streams of water, the Psalmist says that his soul pants for God

            -- if you’re like most people, you understand the Psalmist -- you know what he’s going through because you’ve been there, too

            -- all of us have been through times of spiritual dryness in our lives -- all of us have walked through spiritual deserts from time to time -- it happens to even the most devout Christian -- it happens to you and to me

            -- spiritual dryness can take many forms -- hopelessness -- depression -- sense of lack of purpose -- lack of meaning -- lack of results

            -- we find ourselves serving out of duty and not out of an anointing or calling by God -- we’re just going through the motions -- just doing programs and doing things for others while we feel disconnected and distant from God -- apart from Him and from His presence and power

            -- our faith is no longer contagious -- others do not sense God’s presence in us or in the things we do -- we’re in a spiritual rut -- just drifting along in our lives without meaning or purpose -- dry -- dusty -- thirsty -- seeking something or Someone to quench our thirst

            -- we’re like David as he calls out in Psalm 63:1, ‘You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.’

            -- we’re in a desert, even if we didn’t recognize it at first

            -- look back at the second part of verse 2

2b When can I go and meet with God?

3 My tears have been my food

    day and night,

while people say to me all day long,

    “Where is your God?”

4 These things I remember

    as I pour out my soul:

how I used to go to the house of God

    under the protection of the Mighty One

with shouts of joy and praise

    among the festive throng.

            -- the things of God no longer quench the thirst of the Psalmist -- he goes through the motions of religion -- he goes to temple -- he goes to church -- he seeks God as in the past -- but he doesn’t find God like he used to

            -- people recognize God is not with him any longer -- they ask, “where is your God? -- why are you going through this? -- why are you sad? -- why are you depressed? -- why are you angry?” -- it’s noticeable -- this spiritual dryness permeates his very being

            -- he remembers how it used to be -- how he used to go with the multitude to the house of God -- actually leading them there -- how he used to come to church in joy and thanksgiving -- knowing that God would meet him there -- knowing that God would be there and that God would be in his life -- but he hasn’t felt that way about church in a while -- he hasn’t felt that way about God in a while

            -- it’s just like Allen Parr wrote: “Have you ever gone through a season where you’ve felt spiritually disconnected and dry? -- I mean at one point in your life you can remember that you were “on fire” for God.

            -- “You were active. -- You shared your faith. -- You invited people to church. -- You were excited. -- You felt the presence of God through worship.

            -- “Your prayers were passionate, specific and you prayed believing God would actually answer you. -- You were convicted about the sin in your life.

            -- “But somewhere along the line your fire went out. -- Worship seemed like a ritual. -- You began to feel like you were going through the motions. -- Your prayers got shorter and if you were honest, you secretly doubted God would even answer them because to you so many others have gone unanswered. -- And…it became easier to sin without conviction”

            -- that’s exactly where we find the Psalmist -- he took a wrong turn in Albuquerque, and now he’s lost in a spiritual desert

            -- verse 5

5a Why, my soul, are you downcast?

    Why so disturbed within me?

            -- why? -- why are our souls downcast? -- why are our souls so disturbed and so dry and so distant from our God? -- that is the question that the Psalmist asks -- that is the question that we need to ask when we find ourselves in spiritual deserts, too

            -- there are many wrong turns that can lead us into deserts of spiritual dryness and disconnectedness from God:

            -- Physical exhaustion -- physical trauma -- physical sickness -- when you are tired -- when you are hurt -- when you are sick -- you don’t feel like going through your normal spiritual routines -- you take a left turn and find yourself moving away from God

            -- you might still pray, but your prayers are self-centered -- “God, heal me from my pain and suffering -- heal me from my sickness -- make me feel better”

            -- when we are physically exhausted or sick -- when we are worn down and tired of just doing life -- it’s hard for us to engage with God in a real and meaningful way -- this can quickly lead us into a spiritual desert

            -- along those lines, spiritual exhaustion can cause us to take a wrong turn in our relationship with God -- doing too much ministry -- giving out too much of ourselves to others -- serving others and not taking care of ourselves -- these can lead to dis-ease in our spiritual lives

            -- when I was on the plane traveling to Albuquerque and back, I heard the ubiquitous safety briefing that every traveler hears on a plane -- and there’s one piece of advice they give that is important for us in our spiritual lives

            -- they tell you that if the cabin pressure drops, that oxygen masks will drop out of a ceiling panel and they tell you how to put them on -- but, they say, if you are traveling with a child or someone who needs help putting on their mask, don’t help them -- first, put your mask on and then you can help them

            -- there’s a spiritual lesson in there for us -- sometimes, we need to take time to put our masks on -- to get out of the desert and get filled back up with Living Water -- we have to do that first, before we can help anyone else -- to do otherwise will just continue to dehydrate our souls and our spirits and lead us just that much farther away from God

            -- the third wrong turn we can make is being distracted -- it is so easy in our day and age to find something to do other than spend time with God -- we’ve got our phones -- we’ve got tablets -- we’ve got TV and Netflix and 400 channels to watch -- we’ve got podcasts -- we can download books and magazines to our phones or tablets and never have to get out of our chairs

            -- all of these things distract us -- they distract us from life -- they distract us from people around us -- just go to a restaurant and watch how many people sit at a table together on their phones without interacting with each other -- and, they can distract us from God

            -- these things are not necessarily bad -- but they can cause us to neglect God and our relationship with Him

            -- criticism and negative thoughts or comments can cause us to turn away from God -- it just takes something out of you when you’re trying to serve God and minister to others and all you get is negative comments or criticism from others

            -- “that person is just trying to rip you off” -- “that person is just trying to take what they can get” -- “that person doesn’t really care -- they’re never going to change, so why are you wasting your time on them”

            -- it’s just like Nehemiah when he was working on the wall around Jerusalem -- the Gentiles in that land would gather around and make fun of the Jews -- they’d make dispiriting comments about their work -- how their wall wasn’t ever going to get done -- how their wall was just not that good -- and it caused the Jews to start to lose heart and lose hope

            -- this happens to us all too easily -- mean-spirited comments and negative or toxic people can sap your strength and cause you to turn away from the God you are serving

            -- sometimes we find ourselves in a desert because our lives are changing and we’re resisting the change -- we’re moving into a new cycle of life -- our old routines and our old way of doing things has changed, and we haven’t adapted our spiritual lives to this new normal

            -- you see that in parents whose children are moving out for college or because they get married -- the empty nest syndrome -- you see that in couples who find themselves taking care of elderly parents or others in their lives -- putting all their time and energy into others rather into taking care of themselves

            -- moving into new phases of life can throw you out of your normal means of grace and of receiving refreshing water from the Lord -- life gets weary -- life feels like it’s just an endless morass of drudgery with no way out

            -- this is a desert that requires intention to find God again -- where you once found streams of living water may not be present in this new life -- you have to find new streams of Living Water -- news way of connecting with God -- just like God had Moses bring water out of a rock when he was leading the Israelites through the wilderness, we need to find new sources of refreshment and renewal in these desert areas

            -- finally, sin and disobedience can lead you into a desert -- when you disobey God, you harm your relationship with Him -- when you don’t do what He says and turn away from Him, you can’t expect Him to pour out His presence and graces in your life in the same way

            -- a desert may be His way of calling out to you -- of getting your attention -- of causing you to come back and to seek Him again

            -- when you’re looking at the reasons why you are in a desert, looking at your spiritual life and whether you have unconfessed sin is a good place to start

            -- as Tony Evans says, “Yielding to sin and being too busy to worship God quickly leads to a divided mind and heart.”

III.  Coming out of the desert

            -- so, you’ve realized you’ve taken a wrong turn -- you’re in a desert -- what do you do about it?

            -- the first thing you must do is admit where you are -- recognize your need -- cry out for God’s presence once again -- cry out for God -- trust in Him and put your hope in Him again

            -- look at the second part of verse 5

5b Put your hope in God,

    for I will yet praise him,

    my Savior and my God.

            -- when the Psalmist realized his distance from God, he turned back -- he admitted he had taken a wrong turn -- he was in a spiritual desert -- but he trusted God -- he put his hope in God -- he continued to praise God, knowing that God would save him, once again

            -- turn over to James 4:7-10 and let’s finish up there

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

            -- in this passage, James gives us the steps to correct our path -- he gives us the map to lead us out of the desert

            -- first, we submit to God -- we turn back to Him -- we give Him all that is going on in our lives -- our physical and spiritual exhaustion -- our hurts -- the pain from the criticism -- the pain from the negative and toxic people -- the distance we feel from Him

            -- we cry out to Him -- we turn to Him -- we submit and give ourselves to Him once again

            -- and James tells us that if we come near to God, He will come near to us -- God will hear us when we pray -- God will come to us when we submit

            -- James goes on to counsel us to turn from any sin in our lives -- to confess and repent and wash our hands and purify our hearts -- to choose a different path -- to humble ourselves before God and trust that He will lift us up

            -- the Psalmist in this passage did not give up when he found himself in a spiritual desert -- he still hoped in the Lord -- he still trusted in the Lord -- and he sought Him with a thirst that comes only from someone who has wandered in dry and dusty places

IV.  Closing

            -- I don’t know where you’re at today -- I don’t know how your walk with God is -- you may be experiencing times of refreshing and renewal with Him -- you may be like the Psalmist in Psalm 23 -- with the Lord in green pastures beside the still and quiet waters

            -- but you may be where the Psalmist in Psalm 42 is -- in a desert -- in a dry and dusty land -- far from where you used to be -- far removed from the streams of Living Water and the renewing presence of God

            -- if you are in that place today, then you must choose to seek God again -- do what Jesus told the church of Ephesus in Revelation -- go back and do the things you did at first -- go back and seek your first love again like you did when you first got saved -- seek Him with all your heart and He will come to you

            -- it becomes trite for me to tell you to just read your Bible and pray, but this is the path back to God -- force yourself to do that, even if you don’t feel like it -- call out for God and seek Him where He can be found -- over in verses 7 and 8 in this Psalm -- after the Psalmist has turned back and intentionally begins to seek God again -- he writes: “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls -- all your waves and breakers have swept over me -- by day the Lord directs His love -- at night His song is with me -- a prayer to the God of my life”

            -- God not only quenched the thirst of the Psalmist, but He brought forth a waterfall of His presence -- waves and breakers overwhelmed and swept over him -- the dryness was overcome by the presence of God’s Living Water -- and God’s love was there day and night

            -- seek God where He may be found -- that is in His word -- that is in prayer to Him -- that is in His church -- call out to God from this dry and dusty land, and hope in Him and trust in Him and know that He will pour out His living water -- His streams of refreshment -- in your life again

            -- one more thing, and I’ll close -- as I was working on this message -- as I was thinking about being in a desert and getting out of it all week -- all I could hear in my mind and in my heart was Crowder’s song, “I read the red letters”

            -- maybe that’s a message for us today -- go back to the red letters -- go back to what Jesus said -- go back to Jesus -- and He will lead you out of your desert and into the green pastures by the still and quiet waters of His love

            -- let us pray

SERMON VIDEO: GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES

You can see the video of the message delivered at Naylor Methodist Church in Naylor, Georgia, by clicking here.

Note that this will open the Facebook page for Koinonia Church.

SERMON: BUMPER STICKER THEOLOGY: “GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES”

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Ephesians 2:8-9

Ephesians 2:8-9 New International Version (NIV)

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

-- one day at work, a friend of mine dropped by my office and started talking about a book she had read on faith and works -- she asked me, "Have you ever heard of the 'Parable of the Bicycle?'" -- and then she shared with me this parable

-- there once was this little girl -- about 6 or 7 years old -- who decided that she wanted a bicycle really badly -- so she went to her father and told him, "I want a bicycle and I'm going to earn it all on my own" -- he told her that when she thought she had enough money to buy a bicycle to let him know, and he'd take her to the store to pick it out

-- so she started doing jobs around the house -- unloading the dishwasher -- taking out the trash -- things like that -- and every time she did something, her parents would give her some change -- a quarter here -- a dime there -- until finally, she felt that she had enough money to get her dream -- she told her daddy she was ready to buy her bicycle

-- so her father carried her down to the store and they hunted and hunted and finally found the perfect bicycle -- she walked up to it, looked at the price tag, and her face fell -- there was no way she could ever buy that bicycle -- it cost way too much and she had only earned $0.67 -- but then her father stepped in and paid the rest and she walked out of that store just beaming because she had gotten her bicycle

-- the point of the parable, my friend told me, is that you do all you can and then Jesus steps in and makes up the difference -- another way of summing up the point of this parable is by the phrase, “God helps those who help themselves”

            -- this morning, we are finishing up our sermon series on Bumper Sticker Theology -- for the past five weeks we’ve been looking at those familiar verses and clichés that we all know and we have all heard and we’ve all said -- the idea was to turn a critical eye to them and to see if they were true and if they really mean what we think they mean

            -- we looked at Philippians 4:13 -- “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

            -- “God will not give you more than you can handle”

            -- “God needed another angel” -- a common phrase we hear when someone dies

            -- and, last week, we look at “Everything happens for a reason”

            -- today, we’re going to close this series by looking at the familiar phrase, “God helps those who help themselves”

II.  God Helps Those Who Help Themselves

            -- this is one of the most common sayings in America -- pretty much, everyone has heard this -- and a lot of us have said it or thought it

            -- in a very real sense, the idea that we have to help ourselves first sums up what we, as Americans, believe -- in a general sense, we are a people who believe in hard work -- in self-sufficiency -- in self-initiative -- we don’t sit around waiting for a hand-out or for someone to do our work for us -- no, we believe that people should work for what they have and that they will be rewarded for their work

            -- that’s a foundational belief for most Americans -- you could make the case that this is the bedrock of our political and economic systems -- if you want something, you take the initiative and you start working -- you help better yourself and your situation and then God will bless you

            -- that mindset is what drove our founding fathers -- it’s what led to the western expansion -- when you remember the stories of the early frontiersmen and the early pioneers, you think of people who took the initiative, who helped themselves by working hard and doing what was right, and who succeeded because they did that and because God saw their hard work and blessed them

            -- that’s the general idea behind this phrase -- that’s why this phrase is so accepted in America today -- in fact, it was a founding father that popularized this proverb -- Benjamin Franklin published this in his “Poor Richard’s Almanac” as a proverb that all of us should look to and take to heart and it just took off -- because it is a generally accepted idea -- we need to take responsibility for our lives and work hard and help ourselves and trust that God will help us when we do so

            -- if we’re honest with ourselves, that’s one reason why we tend to look down on people who can work but who don’t -- on folks that are just dependent on the Government or others without raising a finger to help themselves or to help their families

            -- and we think, “You need to get up and start working and help yourself, and then we will help you -- and then God will help you”

            -- do you agree? -- have you ever thought that? -- have you ever encouraged someone to get up and start working for that reason? -- certainly, you have -- if nothing else, you’ve used this principle with your kids, right?

            -- “if you want me to take you to the store, then you need to get out of bed or get off the couch and get in there and help with the chores -- you get started -- you help yourself, and then I’ll do something for you”

            -- it seems like commonsense -- so, it’s easy to see why God would use that same mindset with us -- “you get started -- you help yourself -- and I will step in and help you” -- just like in the parable of the bicycle I shared with you

            -- I’ve had that same thought -- I’ve put that some condition on others -- there have been times in our ministry where we have just poured out into people -- spiritually -- physically -- materially -- we’ve done a lot for them -- we have sacrificed our time and our money and our resources for them -- and, yet, no matter how much we do, they always seem to need more -- to want more -- to expect us to do more for them while they’re not doing anything to help themselves or to help their situation

            -- and, I have to admit, there have been times when this phrase has come to mind -- “God helps those who help themselves” -- and, I’ve thought to myself, “it’s time for you to do something -- you need to get up and start doing something on your own and then God will meet you there and help you -- don’t just sit there passively, doing nothing -- but get up and do something and God will help”

            -- am I alone in this or are you with me? -- is that the way you understand this phrase?

            -- but let me ask you this -- is this proverb true?

III.  Salvation and Works

            -- let’s go back to the parable of the bicycle that I opened with -- the little girl who couldn’t buy the bicycle on her own, so her father stepped in and made up the difference -- just like Jesus does with us

            -- that sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? -- we do what we can -- we do our part -- and then Jesus steps in and pays the rest of the price for salvation -- that’s what this parable teaches -- we do what we can -- we help ourselves -- and then Jesus helps us

            -- this parable -- and the proverb, “God helps those who help themselves” -- are great and noble sentiments, but, they’re not true when it comes to salvation

-- this idea that God only helps those who help themselves -- that God only saves those who do something first -- who take initiative and try to better their lives first -- illustrates two problems that a lot of us have in understanding salvation and the role of works in salvation

-- the first problem that we have is thinking that we have to do something to get saved -- that we have to do good things or good works -- go to church -- be nice to people -- help people out -- read our Bible -- go to Sunday School -- something -- anything -- to be saved

-- we understand that the Bible tells us that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose on the third day proving victory over sin and death -- we understand that we receive salvation when we accept Him as Lord and Savior through faith

-- but if we're honest with ourselves, there is some place deep in our hearts that believes it can't be enough to simply believe in Jesus and be saved -- that is too easy -- we have to do something to make up for all the bad things that we did in our lives -- we have to do all we can -- and then, just like the parable of the bicycle says, Jesus will step in and make up the difference and pour out His grace and save us

-- what's wrong with that way of thinking? -- aren't works part of the Christian life? -- doesn't Jesus expect us to go out and serve Him and do good things and come to church?

-- hold your place here in Ephesians and turn over to James 2:14-17

James 2:14-17 New International Version (NIV)

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

-- James says that faith without works is dead -- it seems like he’s saying that you are justified by what you do and not by faith alone -- isn't that exactly what this parable teaches? -- isn't this what we really believe in our heart of hearts? -- that simply trusting in the death and resurrection of Jesus is not enough to be saved?

-- all of us -- to some extent or the other -- tend to believe that we need works in our life in order to be saved -- we need to help ourselves first before God will step in and save us

-- we may disparage those other religions who put an emphasis on works as the way to salvation -- but we do it too

-- in our minds, we have this little checklist that we carry with us through the day -- and as we do good things, we kind of mentally check them off in one column -- and when we do bad things, we check them off in the other column -- and then at the end of the day, we compare our good things with our bad things and then decide how our day was -- was I good enough to be saved today?

-- but, is that biblical? -- is that what James is really talking about in this passage?

-- look back again at Ephesians 2:8-9 and let's get a different perspective

Ephesians 2:8-9 New International Version (NIV)

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

-- Paul tells us quite plainly in these verses that it is by grace that we are saved -- not by works -- not by anything that we did or anything that we might do in the future -- we are saved merely by the grace of God -- received through faith -- and works has absolutely nothing to do with it

-- sounds like James and Paul are on different pages here, doesn't it? -- so, what's the truth? -- is the parable of the bicycle right? -- does God only help those who help themselves?

-- do we have to do all that we can -- do we have to do all the good works we can -- and then Jesus will step in and make up the difference? -- or is this proverb wrong?

-- Paul was quite adamant in his teaching that you are saved solely through the blood of Jesus -- solely because of the death and resurrection of Christ -- and nothing more -- in Romans 11:5-6, Paul said that we were chosen and saved based on grace and not on works -- he said that if it were by works, then grace would no longer be grace

-- now we know that grace is God giving us something that we don't deserve and can't earn on our own -- grace is a gift from God freely given -- so what Paul is saying is that God has offered us the grace of salvation through Jesus Christ -- and that if we try to pay Him for that offer of salvation by doing works, then God's gift is no longer a gift -- grace is no longer grace

-- it would be like this -- what if I were to invite you over to my house for dinner -- and you came and accepted my offer of a free meal -- and then, after the meal, you wrote out a check to cover your portion and left it on the table -- that meal is no longer a gift -- Paul is saying that it is the same way with salvation

-- in Galatians 2:16, Paul writes, "We, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified." -- Paul is very consistent in his teachings and in his understanding of salvation -- salvation is a free gift of God -- it comes by grace and it is received through faith -- not by works -- in fact, if you try to earn your salvation through works, then you have negated the grace of God and are not truly saved

-- so, what about James? -- is James teaching something different than Paul? -- it seems like Paul and James are in a heated argument -- each disapproving of the other's gospel -- but that is not really the case

-- Paul and James are using similar language but they are addressing two different questions -- Paul is addressing the question of how one becomes a part of God's people -- how one becomes saved -- and he is quite clear in saying that you are saved by grace through faith and not by works

-- James, on the other hand, is not addressing salvation in his discourse but is addressing a different question -- how do you know if your faith is real or not? -- James says that if you are saved -- if you have been transformed into a new creation by trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior -- then you demonstrate -- you prove -- your faith through your works -- through your actions

-- there were many in the church in James' day that claimed to be Christians, but who were not showing evidence of a transformed life -- James was calling them to discipleship -- to living up to the name they claimed -- "faith without works is dead," he wrote -- in other words, if you claim to be a Christian, then you need to show the fruit of your salvation through your works -- for both James and Paul, works come after faith as evidence of a transformed life

-- so, on this point, the parable of the bicycle is wrong -- works are not required for salvation -- you don't need to show Jesus $0.67 so He will forgive your sins

-- now, let's look at the other problem this parable brings out

-- the second problem -- which is related to the first -- is in thinking that we could actually do something that was of any value to God in the first place -- in other words, this parable assumes that when we go to church or when we help someone else or when we do something good, God counts it on the plus side of His ledger -- but does He?

-- turn over to Philippians 3:7-9

Philippians 3:7-9 New International Version (NIV)

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

-- Paul says that everything that we do is considered a loss in the eyes of God -- he says that they are considered "rubbish" -- the KJV goes even further and calls them "dung" -- absolutely worthless -- of no value at all

-- so, going back to our parable of the bicycle, what Paul is saying is that this little girl might go out and work and work and work trying to earn money for her bicycle, but that everything she does has no value at all and won't amount to one penny in real money -- in other words, there is nothing that we can do on our own to help ourselves that is worth anything to God

-- in John 15:5, Jesus said "apart from Me, you can do nothing" -- apart from God, our works and our acts of service and goodness are nothing -- they are rubbish -- they are dung

-- Alistair Begg gave a great illustration of this point -- he likened it to a person who goes into a bank several times during the month to make deposits -- you physically go into the bank -- you hand the teller your deposit slip with your money attached -- and you know they received it so you have a pretty good idea of what your account balance should be

-- but then, at the end of the month, when the statement comes in, you are shocked to find that you have no money at all -- it turns out that instead of crediting your account every time you made the deposit, they actually subtracted those amounts from your account -- so everything you did trying to build up your account actually ended up going in the negative column

-- Paul is making the same point here -- you can't be saved through works because your works have no value -- no matter how much you try to help yourself -- no matter what good things you do -- they have no value to God at all

-- in Romans 7:18 it says, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature" -- because of that, we can't do anything to help ourselves and pay some of the cost for salvation -- try as hard as we might, we can't even earn the $0.67 that the little girl supposedly earned in this parable

-- which brings us back to the entire point of this message -- the saying, “God helps those who help themselves” is not true -- you cannot be saved by works -- you cannot add anything to your salvation through works -- you cannot, in any way, contribute anything to the forgiveness of your sins -- you can’t help yourself be saved

-- there is absolutely no way on earth for you to be saved -- when Jesus told His disciples that it was as hard for a rich man to be saved as it was for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, the disciples said, “Who then can be saved?” -- Jesus replied in Matthew 19:26, "with man, this is impossible -- but with God, all things are possible”

-- it is impossible for us to save ourselves -- we can’t help ourselves be saved -- it is only through the grace of God -- it is only through the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ -- that salvation is possible

-- “God helps those who help themselves” is false -- the truth is that God helps those who cannot help themselves -- and for that, we praise Him this morning

            -- let’s pray

SERMON VIDEO: EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON

You can see the video from the sermon delivered at Naylor Methodist Church in Naylor, Georgia, by clicking here.

Note that this will open up the video at the Koinonia Church Facebook page.

SERMON: BUMPER STICKER THEOLOGY: “EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON”

I.  Introduction

            -- as we begin this morning, I want us to read two scriptures that will serve as the foundation of this message -- both are familiar passages that you may have memorized -- Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28

            -- I’ve got them both referenced and printed out for you in the bulletin to make it easier for you as we begin, but go ahead and find them in your Bibles and just hold your place there, if you would

            -- let’s start with Jeremiah 29:11 -- 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

            -- and now, Romans 8:28 -- 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.

            -- I just finished reading a book that has been on my list for quite some time -- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho -- time and time again this book has been recommended to me -- it seems to be a favorite of the guests on the podcasts I listen to and it has been referenced many times in the nonfiction books I have read lately

            -- I had bought it on the Kindle some time ago, but it seemed like I never got the opportunity to open it -- I was always reading something else or in the middle of a series of novels and wanted to finish them before I turned to The Alchemist

            -- but, finally, everything worked out and I was ready to begin this novel that I had been waiting for, for so long -- I got up early while it was still dark and the house was quiet and the day hadn’t begun, and I grabbed a cup of coffee, and began reading -- and, I have to say, I was disappointed -- it wasn’t what I expected

            -- instead of the inspiring novel I had been promised, what I found was simply the story of a boy who realizes his dream of finding a treasure by following omens and signs across two continents -- the theme of the book was that the universe conspires to fulfill our desires, provided we have the will and the courage to follow them -- and, as the boy begins his quest, omens and signs appear to confirm that he is on the right path -- he is constantly reminded of the phrase, “it is written,” which serves as proof that the universe is leading him in the right direction -- it’s not giving too much away to say that the boy follows all of the omens and signs and, at the end, finds his treasure and the girl of his dreams

            -- his experiences show that everything happens for a reason -- and that reason is to fulfill our personal legend and our greatest desires in life

            -- it’s easy to see why this book is so loved by entrepreneurs and young people starting out -- it seems to give them a map to follow in life -- no matter what happens, they can be assured that it happened for a reason -- they simply need to use that experience and work out the reason behind it to move forward in their personal quests for fame and fortune

            -- their mantra is “just keep believing that everything happens for a reason, and it will all work out”

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series on “Bumper Sticker Theology” -- and I wanted to talk about that familiar saying, “everything happens for a reason”

            -- that’s something that all of us have heard or probably said at some point -- while some people, like the author of The Alchemist put a new-age spin on it and attribute events to fate or to the universe working in our lives, we put a Christian spin on it and share with people who are going through a hard time, “You know, everything happens for a reason”

            -- but, is this true? -- let’s talk about it

II.  Does Everything Happen for a Reason?

            -- if you sit down and think about it for a while, you’d have to agree it is -- everything does happen for a reason -- that’s a natural law -- there is a cause and effect that we see at play in the natural laws of the universe -- there are consequences to actions and events -- there is a reason for everything

            -- for example, if your clothes are getting a little tight, there’s a reason -- maybe the reason is that your dryer is shrinking them -- or, more likely, the reason is you’ve been hitting up the $0.50 Frosties at Wendy’s and the Frosted Limeade Shakes at Chick-Fil-A -- but there is a reason why your clothes aren’t fitting you as well as they did before -- they don’t just start fitting tighter for no reason at all -- makes sense?

            -- so, if you think about it like that, everything does happen for a reason -- cause and effect can be seen and proven daily -- think about something as simple as your lawn -- why is your grass turning yellow right now? -- is there a reason for that? -- sure -- it’s hot as blue blazes and we haven’t had any rain in ten days -- everything happens for a reason -- it’s a fact

            -- and it doesn’t just apply to nature -- it applies to us, as well, in our lives and in our relationships and in the things that happen to us -- generally speaking, the things that happen to us happen for a reason -- and, believe it or not, there is a scriptural basis for this -- we see this principle shared with us in Scripture

            -- we see this same principle shared with us in Scripture -- in Galatians 6:7-8, the Apostle Paul talked about the principle of sowing and reaping -- let me read that for you real quick

Galatians 6:7-8 New International Version (NIV)

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

            -- there is a reason for what happens to us -- we reap what we sow -- Paul tells us that if we sow to please our sinful nature, we will reap destruction -- if we sow to please the Spirit, then we will reap eternal life

            -- what we reap -- what we receive -- is the result of what we do -- everything happens for a reason -- sometimes that reason is that we make bad decisions and do stupid things and we reap the consequences -- sometimes the reason is that we choose better, and life gets better

            -- but the principle holds in a general sense -- everything does happen for a reason

           

            -- the problem with this statement -- and the reason I wanted us to think through this today -- is because of how we apply it in our lives and in the lives of others -- when we go to someone who is suffering and share with them the idea that everything happens for a reason, what we are implying is that this is happening to them because it is the will of God

            -- when we say, “everything happens for a reason,” that is what they hear -- and this means that whatever we are going through or whatever happened to us in the past -- whether good or bad -- it was all part of the mysterious plan of God -- God wanted it to happen -- and we should just accept it and trust in Him and have faith it will all work out in the end

            -- isn’t that the popular understanding of Jeremiah 29:11? -- everything that happens to us is part of God’s plan for our lives -- everything that happens is the will of God

            -- our Calvinist brethren would affirm that this is absolutely true -- because God is sovereign, everything happens for a reason -- everything that happens is God’s will -- nothing happens to us that God hasn’t preordained

            -- but I contend that this concept leads us to a place that we need to think about -- if we are alleging that everything happens for a reason -- that everything that happens is because of the sovereign will of God -- then what we’re saying is that God is directly responsible for all the evil and tragedies that occur on earth and in our lives

            -- to believe that everything happens because it is God’s will means that it was God who sent the hurricanes in recent years -- it was all part of God’s plan for Hurricane Katrina and Harvey and Michael to cause such long-lasting destruction and suffering and misery

            -- to believe that everything happens because it is God’s will means it was God who sent the Jews to the concentration camps -- who allowed evil leaders like Napoleon and Hitler and Saddam Hussein to come to power and hurt so many people -- it was God who caused the world trade center to fall on 9/11 -- it was God who sent the fires and the floods and the tornadoes and the earthquakes

            -- to believe that everything happens because it is God’s will means that all the bad things in your life happened because God wanted it to happen -- it means when we use the phrase, “everything happens for a reason,” what we could be saying to someone is that it was God who caused that person to betray you -- to steal from you -- to hurt you -- it was God who caused you or your loved one to get sick -- it was God who took your family member in death -- it was all God -- all the time

            -- it’s just the way it is -- it’s all part of God’s plan -- we just have to accept it and trust in Him -- that’s hardly a comforting word

            -- that’s why I don’t accept the premise that everything that happens is God’s will -- God told Jeremiah that He had plans for us -- plans to prosper us and not to harm us -- plans to give us a hope and a future -- that verse is absolutely true -- but that doesn’t mean that everything that happens is God’s plan and God’s will -- sometimes, God’s will is not done and God’s plans for us are not realized

            -- we recognize this in the prayer that Jesus gave us that we call “The Lord’s Prayer” -- Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” -- this implies that God’s will is not always done on earth -- if it was, then Jesus would not have had us pray that in our daily prayers

            -- just look around you -- there’s a lot of stuff going on that is not God’s will for us or this world -- it is certainly not God’s will that we sin, but we do -- it is not God’s will that we hurt others, but we do -- it is not God’s will that people reject Him and are condemned for their unbelief, but this happens -- God’s will is not always done

            -- that’s why Jesus wept on the hill outside of Jerusalem -- crying because Jerusalem and the people of Israel would not turn from their sins and come to Him for salvation -- that they would not return to the God who loved them -- God’s will was that all of them should come and receive their Messiah and Savior -- God’s will is that everyone comes to a saving knowledge of His Son -- but the fact that this doesn’t happen is proof that God’s will is not always made manifest on earth -- the idea that everything happens for a reason may be true, but the premise that everything happens because it is God’s will is not

            -- sometimes things happen because God has given us free will and we are experiencing the consequences of the choices we have made -- if you go back to the doctrine of original sin, then you can see this and you can understand why evil and pain are present on earth today

            -- when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, their sin rippled out throughout creation, like a rock dropped on the water of a calm pond has ripples that go out from it

            -- these ripples impacted all of creation and still impact this world today -- because of their sin, we live in a fallen world -- we live in a cursed world -- far from the original perfection of the Garden of Eden -- we live in a world of natural disasters -- tornados and floods and earthquakes -- hurricanes and volcanoes and wildfires -- we live in a world with thorns and briers and weeds -- with things that try to harm us or that choke us out from a relationship with God -- a world where evil has been allowed to reign

            -- when Adam and Eve sinned, they allowed Satan to exert dominion over the world -- that’s why Jesus called Satan, “the prince of this world” -- that’s the reason why sin and evil abound -- that’s why our lives are filled with wars and rumors of war -- with crime and violence -- with physical and mental and substance abuse -- with hurtful people doing hurtful things -- as Isaiah put it, “I am a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips”

            -- the reason we see sin and hurt and death in this world is a result of the fall of man -- of original sin -- everything bad and chaotic and evil that occurs can trace itself back to this cause -- to this reason -- in John 10:10, Jesus said that the devil came only to steal, kill, and destroy -- sin expressed through our free will and the consequences our actions are the reasons we see so much evil in the world today

            -- everything does happen for a reason -- sometimes the reason is us

            -- however, that doesn’t mean that God is just a passive observer and just lets fate control our lives -- as God told Jeremiah, He has plans for us -- He wants good in our lives -- after telling us in John 10:10 that the thief had come to steal, kill, and destroy, Jesus proclaimed that He had come to bring life -- abundant life -- life to the full

            -- Jesus was sent so that God might redeem us from the consequences of our actions -- Jesus was sent so that God’s will would be made manifest on earth through His people, His church, and His Kingdom

            -- that’s the beauty of grace -- that’s the beauty of Romans 8:28

            -- look at that verse again with me

Romans 8:28 New International Version (NIV)

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.

            -- this verse doesn’t say that everything that happens is God’s will -- instead, it promises us that in everything that happens to us, God works for our good -- God brings beauty out of ashes -- He redeems people and events to bring good out of the pain in our lives

            -- although everything happens for a reason and sometimes we suffer because of the consequences of our choices or because we live in a fallen world, God works in our lives to bring about good and not evil -- to bring blessings in the face of pain

            -- let me close by sharing with you a story that happened to some people we knew when we lived in Tennessee -- when we lived up there, Kim worked at a veterinarian’s office -- it was a large practice and there were a lot of vet’s that worked there

            -- one of them had a little boy -- and after we left Tennessee and moved back home, we got the word that his family had had a bad car accident, and his little boy was killed -- this was a tragic, horrific accident

            -- did this happen for a reason? -- yes, it happened because we live in a world where sometimes bad things happen to good people -- a world where accidents and tragedies occur -- a world with hurt and pain and evil

            -- everything happens for a reason, but everything is not God’s will -- I do not believe that this was God’s will for this family -- I do not believe that God wanted their child to die and for them to suffer such pain and agony in their grief -- remember, Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus -- He shares our pain and He doesn’t want us to suffer in this way -- that is not His will -- that was not His plan

            -- but, in the midst of this tragedy, God worked to bring good -- as the people who worked at the vet’s clinic sought solace and understanding and peace in the midst of the pain of this tragedy, one of the ladies that worked in that office was touched by God -- she was an unbeliever, but through this experience -- through seeing the faith of the family of that child -- through hearing the word of God preached at the funeral -- her heart was touched and she heard the Spirit’s call and she responded in faith -- asking Jesus to save her and to bring her eternal life

            -- she shared the gospel with her roommate, who also received Christ as her Lord and Savior -- in this tragic event, God responded with grace and brought about good, just as it says in Romans 8:28

            -- so, what’s the take-home message from all of this? -- what’s the point?

            -- it’s simply this -- we must be careful in what we tell others when they are walking through pain and tragedy in their lives, because while everything does happen for a reason, that does not mean it happens because it is God’s will

            -- bad things happen to good people because we live in a world corrupted by sin -- we need to realize that and we need to share that with others -- when someone we know is going through a hard time, our message to them must be that, in spite of what they are going through, God is faithful and His grace will sustain them and redeem them, always and forever

            -- tell them that everything happens for a reason -- but make sure they know that not everything that happens is God’s will

            -- let us pray