Seizing the Moments

Moments of Life

John 10:7-10

 

Opening Words: We believe in an omnipresent God. In other words, we believe God is universal. He has the ability to be in all places all the time. He is not limited to the sanctuary of this church, He is everywhere. There has never been a time when you were orphaned by God, He has always been with you. That divine truth is part of the Good News. I am in the middle of a seven part sermon series that celebrates God’s omnipresence. I have called this sermon series Seizing the Moments. May God give you ears to hear this morning’s Gospel lesson, John 10:7-10. I have called this morning’s message Moments of Life.

 

John 10:7-10 7Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

 

Gen. William Nelson was a Union General during the Civil War. He faced many battles in his life without harm. As the story goes he was in Kentucky, the battle was miles away when a fight broke out in a bar. Someone fired a single shot and that bullet ended up in the middle of General Nelson’s chest. He knew the end was near. The priorities in his life suddenly changed. Nelson uttered just one phrase, "Send for a clergyman; I wish to be baptized." If it wasn’t so tragic, it would have been comical. He never had time as an adolescent or young man to be baptized. He never had time as a private or after he became a general to be baptized. Just stop and think about it. His wound did not stop or slow down the war. Everything around him was left virtually unchanged--except for the general's priorities. With only minutes left before he entered eternity, the one thing he cared about was preparing20for eternity. The clergyman arrived in time and the General was baptized. Thirty minutes later Nelson was dead. The General illustrates for us the importance of priorities. What priorities do you hold in your life? How great of a priority is Jesus to you?

 

On this World Communion Sunday Jesus is challenging us to reevaluate our priorities. We find ourselves in the tenth chapter of John. The Master is telling one of his famous parables, the parable of the good shepherd. His generation lived in an agricultural society, so this story was easily understood. It is so easy to understand that our urban society can understand it. A shepherd is out living with his sheep. His primary job is to protect the sheep so he builds a pen to prevent the sheep from wandering too far. The pen had a single gate where the animals would enter and exit. The shepherd watched the gate and the walls of the pens carefully so unwanted visitors wouldn’t come to harm the defenseless animals. Jesus doesn’t just describe himself as a shepherd, who is just doing his job. He describes himself as a good shepherd who loves and cares for the sheep. Verse ten is key to us this morning. The Master ends by saying, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” To Jesus’ generation the thief were the orthodox leaders of the faith. To our generation the thief is anyone or anything that leads us away from the good shepherd, Jesus! The point is clear in both generations. Jesus must be our top priority. How big of a priority is Jesus in your life?

 

The times are changing. The theological priorities of our country have changed drastically in the past fifty years. Jesus used to be right at the top of the list. He was our top priority. I am not so sure that is true today. We live in a time of “political correctness.” We are taught daily by 24/7 news and Hollywood that there are many ways to heaven. If you say that Jesus is your only hope of salvation, then you are seen as narrow minded and judgmental. The church, herself, is no longer in the mainstream of society. Fewer and fewer good people go to church all the time. They believe they can learn their theology on their own. How many good people do you know are building their theology on their own political beliefs, opinions and prejudices? The end results of this practice are obvious. Many good people today are living out of balanced lives. They have invested heavily in the temporary things of this world and invested very little in the eternal things of God. They are existing but not really living as God intended from the very beginning. The20parable teaches us to keep Jesus a top priority in our lives. If you do then you will really live.

 

Mark Twain once said, “Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.” This morning I am going to help you live to the fullest. That happens by making Jesus the top priority in your life and living life as God expected us to live from the very beginning. We are going to discover what that means by going through the back door. We are going to look at the opposite by looking at four groups who aren’t living to the fullest. I want you to learn from their negative example. I will be honest with you. I did not create these four groups in my own mind. They came from the mind of James W. Moore, who is the retired pastor of the St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston. They caught my attention because be uses terms that we use to describe death. I hope you don’t find yourself in them. On this communion Sunday my words will be brief. So if you are ready to start living to the fullest say, “Amen!”

 

Life Support

Do you know anyone who is on life support? One of the saddest scenes in the hospital is when someone is hooked up to life support. They simply can not exist on this own without outside help. If there was a power outage the individual would die. Do you know of anyone who is on spiritual life support? They can not exist on their own. They are dependent on outside help, like an individual or a group. They have no original ideas, they have no personal prayer life, no personal Bible study. They only do or believe what someone else tells them do or believe. Don’t misunderstand me. We all need a solid church to help you in the faith. We all need loving parents or good friends. However, there must come a time in your life when you stand on your own spiritually. You apply what you have learned and live out the faith.

 

In the story of Jeremiah the Hebrews were about to fall the Babylonians. They were about to loose everything, including the tablets of stone which contained the ten commandments. Jeremiah cried out, “Its not enough to have the laws of God written on stone tablets, we need a covenant written on our hearts.” In others word, Jeremiah knew what the people really needed. What they needed is what we need. A living relationsh ip with God! Do you have a living relationship with God or are you just hooked up to life support? If you want to live life to the fullest then make Jesus your top priority and develop a relationship with God. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

No Heartbeat

Do you know anyone who has no heartbeat? When you go to your doctor and he or she mentions your heart they are referring to the organ that is located in your chest. When we talk about your heart in church we are talking about your compassion. Our world is filled with all kinds of suffering and challenges. That issue is not up to debate. It is obvious. The only question is what are you doing about all the suffering and challenges? People who have no heartbeat don’t care about anyone but themselves. They are cynical, critical, cold and calculating. They will use every resources at their disposal to frustrate any missions activity because they will not benefit.

 

Do20you remember the story of the rich young ruler? He came to Jesus because he wanted eternal life. He knew something was wrong. The Master asked him what he had done for others. I give the ruler credit, he answered Jesus honestly. He did nothing for anyone else! He was the star of his own life! He went away sad and so will you if you make yourself the star of your life. Do the people in your life consider you compassionate? If you want to live life to the fullest then make Jesus your top priority and care about someone else’s problems. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

No Brain Waves

Do you know anyone who have no brain waves? As a disciple you are trying to become more like Jesus everyday! If you are going to be like Jesus then you must learn about Jesus. If you are going to learn about Jesus then you are going to have to use your brain. How many people do you know have tried to close their mind to anything new?

I love the story of the man who turned one hundred years old . A reporter came from the local newspaper to interview him. The reporter said to the old man, “At one hundred years old, you must have seen a lot of changes.” The old man said, “I sure have and I have been against everyone!” If you want to live life to the fullest then you must be open to learning new things. God does not want you to grow old and cranky. If you want to live life to the fullest then make Jesus your top priority and learn something new. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

No breath

Do you know anyone who has no breath? The Old Testament Hebrew word for breath is ruach. The New Testament Greek work for breath is pneuma. God breathed life into Adam and Eve at their creation. God breathed life into the church at Pentecost. In both cases there would have been no creation if God would not have breathed life into them. When people look at you what do they see? Do they see a corpse, who is lifeless and negative. Or do they see a person with the spirit of God in them, who is full of life and optimism? Why wo uldn’t you be optimistic! You are a disciple of Jesus Christ! Someday you are going to go to heaven for eternity. If you want to live life to the fullest then make Jesus your top priority and give yourself an attitude adjustment! God has blessed each one of us! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Let me end with this story.

 

Christopher Columbus died in 1506 in Valladolid, Spain. Today there stands a monument to the great explorer. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the memorial is a statue of a lion destroying one of the Latin words that had been part of Spain's motto for centuries. Before Columbus made his voyages, the Spaniards thought they had reached the outer limits of earth. Thus their motto was "Ne Plus Ultra," which means "No More Beyond." The word being torn away by the lion is "Ne" or "no," making it read "Plus Ultra." Columbus had proven that there was indeed "more beyond."

 

As we come to this communion table may we never forget there is more to come then this world has to offer. I hope you don’t have to be shot in the chest to discover life’s correct priorities. Jesus came to give us life and to=2 0give us life abundantly! How do you live life to the fullest? There are four ways. First, cultivate a relation with God. Second, have compassion for you the needy in this world. Third, learn something new everyday. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Forth, have a positive attitude. God has blessed each one of us. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”