August 28, 2005

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like

Sitting On a Three-Legged Stool

Matthew 13:47-51

Opening Words: This is sermon number six in a six part sermon series I have called “The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like.” There came a point in Jesus’ ministry when he was no longer welcomed in the synagogues. The leaders of the orthodox faith were now in open opposition against him. The Master found himself leaving the sanctuary of the synagogue and using the sanctuary of the seashore. It was in this setting that Jesus really develops his use of parables. It is at the seashore that we find Jesus today. In the thirteenth chapter of Matthew we find seven parables. Six of those seven parables begin with the phrase “the kingdom of heaven is like.” Hence, we find the series title. Each one of these parables answers a basic question about the kingdom of heaven. Today Jesus answers the question, what is your response to the Kingdom of Heaven? This is my question for you today, where do you find fulfillment in your life?

The parable that we look at today is the last parable in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew. It is called the parable of the dragnet. It is a story that must have fascinated the disciples. Fishing was a big part of their lives. Now, it was not their custom to employ line fishing. In line fishing you put a certain kind of bait on a hook to catch a certain find of fish. They used net fishing. Where you dragged the net through the water and anything in the net’s path was scooped up. Once dragged to shore the fisherman would go through his catch to determine what was to be kept and what was to be discarded. Jesus said that is how it will be on judgment day. Let us hear these words together.

Introduction

I love the story of the woman who was sitting in a lifeboat as the Titanic was sinking. She realized she forgot something so she asked for permission to return to her stateroom. She was given three minutes. She got out of the boat and raced across deck that was already dangerously slanted. She raced through the gambling room, where piles of money had fallen on the floor. When she got to her stateroom she didn’t look for her expensive jewelry. However, she did go to a shelf beside her bed. She grabbed three common oranges and returned to the lifeboat. She would need those oranges to survive. What makes that story so incredible is that thirty minutes earlier that woman lived for her jewelry and her money. However, death had boarded the Titanic and her priorities changed.

Have you ever had an experience or an event in life that changed everything? Perhaps, it was Pearl Harbor. The world has not been the same since December 7, 1941. Perhaps that event was the assignation of Jack Kennedy or the attacks of September 11. The world changed in a matter of minutes. Perhaps the experience that changed your life was much more personal. It may have been a trip to the doctor’s office or phone call in the middle of the night. It may have been the passing of a loved one. Have you ever had an experience in life that changed everything? Generally speaking they happen without warning.

Body

Today, Jesus is giving us a warning. The event that Jesus speaks of is both historic and personal. Jesus is speaking of the end. Jesus is speaking of the final judgment. It is the day that we all stand before God and will be held accountable. Jesus describes it as a great dragnet. When that day comes everything will change. The things you may value today may have no value at all. Let me say this clearly. Judgment day is coming! We need to be prepared.

Can I make a little confession? This was not an easy passage for me to address. I do not want to turn this sermon into a futurist choice between heaven and hell. Instead, I want to help you find fulfillment in this world now! I believe if you find fulfillment now you will be prepared for judgment day. So let me ask you the question again. Where do you find fulfillment in your life?

The world tells us that fulfillment comes from three places. The world tells us fulfillment comes from money. Will the world remember Howard Hughes as a happy person? The world tells us fulfillment comes from power. The world also says it is lonely at the top. If you don’t believe me then ask David Sweet. The world tells us fulfillment comes from popularity. Elvis Presley once said he would give one million dollars to walk through the streets of Memphis alone. If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ then you really don’t care what the world says. You really only care about what Jesus said.

Jesus tells us that fulfillment comes from three other sources.  Fulfillment comes from loving others. Fulfillment comes from loving yourself. Fulfillment comes from loving God. If you can keep those three things in balance in your life then you are going to live a more fulfilled life today and you are going to be ready for judgment day. They are like a three-legged stool that must be kept in balance. If you love God then you are going to love others. If you are going to help others then you must love yourself to reach your full potential. It is like sitting on a three-legged stool. We are going to look at each leg of the three-legged stool. So if you are ready to become more fulfilled in your life, then say, “Amen!” Where do you find fulfillment in your life?

Leg Number One: Others. There is an old preaching story about a little boy who went to the seashore everyday. When he found a starfish that had washed up on the shore he tossed it back into the ocean. One day a hurricane came to his beach. The next day the little boy found thousands of starfish washed upon the beach. He began to throw some back into the water. An old Florida retiree saw him and asked, “What are you doing. There are so many starfish. You can’t save them all! You can’t make a difference.” The little boy picked up a starfish and said, “I can make a difference to this one.” And he threw it back into the water.

In a world filled with so many problems there is a temptation not to try at all. What kind of a difference can we make? You may not be able to save the world but you can make a difference to someone. It may be that child who needs to learn how to read or that old man next door who has just lost his wife of many years. You may get involved in that walkathon to help your favorite cause raise money or mason jars to be sent to Africa, where they have no other way to store food. You won’t be saving the whole world but you will be making a difference.

Do you know what is truly amazing? You start off wanting to help someone else but who you really help is yourself. The more you travel in someone else’s shoes the better your shoes feel. I experience that everyday of my life. I leave my home in the morning thinking about my problems. When I return home in the late afternoon my problems don’t seem so bad. Why? Because I have worked with people with real problems throughout the day. Research tells us the people who help others live longer happier lives. If you would like to live a longer happier life then say, “Amen!” The first leg of that three-legged stool is others. The second leg of that three-legged stool is yourself. Where do you find fulfillment in your life?

Leg Number Two: Yourself. An American tourist in Paris went to a trinket shop and bought a cheap necklace. On her way back home she was stopped by U. S. customs, who examined the cheap necklace. She was forced to pay a high duty and was not happy. She took that necklace to an appraiser to find out why the duty was so high. He told the lady he would buy that necklace for $25,000. She asked, “Why? It is just a trinket.” He pointed to a small inscription that could only be read with the help of a magnifying glass. The inscription read, “From Napoleon to Josephine.” The original owner made that necklace so valuable.

Did you know you are valuable for the same reason? You are not valuable because you are so good looking. You are not valuable because you are so talented. You are not valuable because of your possessions or your social standing. You are valuable because you are a disciple of Jesus Christ. You belong to Jesus and you are so valuable that Jesus died for you! There are many times in life that we don’t find ourselves very lovable. We know our mistakes and our shortcomings. We know your broken dreams and our disappointments. I would bet you are more critical of yourself than you are of others. It is at that moment you need to remember to whom you belong. You are a disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus died for you because you are so valuable. Psychologists tell us it is impossible to love someone else before you first love yourself. If you find yourself loveable at this moment then say, “Amen!” The first leg of that three-legged stool is others. The second leg of that three-legged stool is yourself. The third leg of that three-legged stool is God. Where do you find fulfillment in your life?

Leg Number Three: God. This one ought to be as clear as the nose on your face. Jesus was born in the ordinary way, yet he lives an extraordinary life! He never committed a single sin but his reward was the cross. He was dead on Friday. However, on Sunday Jesus walked out of that tomb and walked the face of this world for forty days. I cannot tell you how Jesus walked out of that tomb. If I could I could explain a miracle. But I can tell you that the scriptures tell us clearly that all people of faith really walked out of that tomb with him. If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, death has no hold on you! The only thing that God wants from you is to include Him in your life. What parent does not want to spend time with their children?

Conclusion

I love the story of John Wesley. Someone once asked him what he would do if he knew Jesus was going to return in exactly twenty-four hours. The founder of Methodism said, “I would go to bed and get some sleep; wake up the next morning and go about my work. For I would want Him to find me doing what He had appointed.” John Wesley sat on that three-legged stool. He loved God. There is no doubt about that fact.  John Wesley loved others and changed the history of Great Britain. John Wesley loved himself and that is why John Wesley could maximize his gifts. If you knew Jesus was coming back in twenty-four hours what would you do? Where do you find fulfillment in your life?

Jesus is warning us! He says the kingdom of heaven is like a great dragnet. The fisherman drags his net up on the shore and separates the good from the bad. On judgment day God will separate the good from the bad. Those who will be rejected will follow the ways of the world. They will have to look for fulfillment in money, power and popularity. Those who will be accepted will have found fulfillment by loving others, themselves and God. Let me ask you the question one more time. Where do you find fulfillment in your life? Judgment day is coming. Are you ready?