By: Rev. Steve Bass
June 4, 2006
INTRODUCTION- Did you know that cells from her child's body will remain inside a woman for decades after she gives birth?
- It's true!
- If you're younger than say 30-35 years old, your mother still carries a part of you inside of her!
- I love learning things like that!
- I guess you'd say I'm a hard-core, lifelong learner
- It's the reason I love to read- surf the Web- listen to public radio- and watch educational television programs
- Graduates- this morning's sermon is a result of a life- time of learning- and applying my heart unto God's wisdom
- There's nothing particularly original or earth-shattering about the things I'm gonna share with you
- But I do wish that somebody would have told me these things when I was your age
- According to the experts- Barbaro was a once in a lifetime "super horse" who was going to...
- Destroy the competition at the Preakness- go on to win the Belmont Stakes
- And become the first Triple Crown winner in more than 30 years
- But Barbaro didn't win
- He shattered his ankle within the first hundred yards of the Preakness Stakes on the 20th of May
- And now- even after extensive surgery- has about a 50-60% chance of survival
- Young people- there are no sure things in life
- Plans you've made- and worked towards- for years can be destroyed in an instant
- Read what the Bible says in James 4:13-14
- Given the absolute uncertainty of life you need to do two things:
- Be sure you have a personal faith relationship with Jesus
- If you take care of that essential- you'll have nothing to worry about
- It's like the old saying:
- You may not know what the future holds-
- But you can know WHO holds the future- and that counts for everything!
- Don't waste your time on things that don't really matter. Read what Jesus says in Matthew 6:19-20
- You know what Rush Limbaugh's fans call themselves?
- Ditto-heads
- As in: DITTO! I agree with everything Rush says
- You know- I've never understood why some people only want to listen to people who think like they think
- I know what I think!
- I want to know what the other guy thinks!
- Turn with me to 1 Kings 22:4-8
- I want you to notice the difference between the kings of Israel and Judah
- Ahab surrounded himself with people who told him exactly what he WANTED to hear
- Jehoshaphat insisted on listening to the person who was willing to tell him what he NEEDED to hear
- Graduates- if you want to build a successful life:
- Follow Jehoshaphat's example
- Granted, it's- / But it's-
- Easy and comfortable to surround yourself with Dittoheads
- Critically important to hear the cranky voice that says: Wait a minute! You'd better think again!
- I hope that someday soon the world's two most annoying people- Tom Cruise and Jennifer Anniston- will learn this truth
- Maybe then they can find true love and happiness in a marriage
- And I won't ever again have to see their pictures in the checkout line at the grocery store!
- Here's what Tom & Jen can't get through their over-sized heads: The red-hot intensity of new love is a temporary phenomenon
- It's fun while it lasts
- But you can't build the life-long relationship of marriage on it!
- The problem is a lot of confused people spend their whole life looking
- For the person who lets them live out a short-term, breathtaking romantic fantasy
- Instead of the person who will bring them the love, fidelity, stability and predictability you need to make a successful Christian marriage
- Here are six questions you can ask yourself before you get married- to see if you've got what it takes to STAY married
- Am I still attracted to her when she doesn't have any make-up on?
- Does it drive me crazy when he wears the same pair of Bermuda shorts five days in a row?
- Am I comfortable when we take a trip and don't say a word for a hundred miles?
- Can I tolerate the fact she has bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and face cleanser lined up in the bathtub?
- Am I able to sit in one room watching Grey's Anatomy while he's in the next watching Sunday Night Football?
- Do I still love being with him or her even when we're having another boring night at home?
- If you answered "Yes" to each of the questions:
- You've got what it takes to create the comfort-table rut
- That will produce a lifetime of happiness and joy in marriage
- Someday someone is going to REALLY hurt or disappoint you
- It may be because- Or it may be because-
- They were deliberately trying to be cruel
- They were too dumb to know any better
- But it's going to happen
- The question is: How will you react when it does?
- The easy, human way is to be consumed with anger and resentment
- The hard way is to forgive them and love them in the name of Jesus Christ
- Here's some godly advice: Choose the hard way
- Not because the person deserves your forgiveness- or even wants it
- Forgive them because it's what JESUS wants you to do!
- In Bible times numbers were more than just numbers
- For instance- the number "7" symbolized wholeness or perfection
- So when Peter offered to forgive his brother up to seven times for sinning against him
- He wasn't asking for Jesus' permission to punch the guy's lights out on the eighth time
- Instead he was asking the Lord: What does it mean to practice perfect forgiveness?
- In telling Peter to forgive not seven times, but seventy-seven times- Jesus was making a point:
- There is no limit to the forgiveness I want to offer people who sin against you
- Because there is no limit to the forgiveness God has offered you!
- Folks- that's why you need to learn to forgive others just for the heaven of it
- Do it...
- As an offering of sacrifice and praise to the One who died for your sins on the Cross of Calvary
- To free yourself from the bitterness that can destroy your life
- Because of God's gift of grace to you
- Because Jesus loves you
- Whatever you do- just do it!
- When it comes to my fellow Christians I can be rather cynical
- Experience has taught me that the average Christian can:
- Be just as rude, ill-tempered, unforgiving, devious, unloving and sinful
- As anyone else you'll meet on the street
- I have always operated on that assumption- and I'm rarely proven wrong
- Which- when you stop and think about it- makes perfect sense
- Ultimately anyone who claims to be a Christian is an imperfect and fallen sinner
- Who's put their faith and trust in a perfect and Risen Savior!
- Read what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
- Given our sordid past- Christians have an innate ability to behave like the WORST of sinners. But graduates...
- Instead of being disillusioned by that fact
- I want you to learn a better way
- Keep your eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith
- If you put your faith and trust in people... they'll disappoint you every time
- But- if you put your faith and trust in Jesus He'll NEVER fail or forsake or disappoint you!
- And by the way-
- Be sure to offer God thanks and praise for being so patient and forgiving of you
- Then ask Him to give YOU a spirit of tolerance and understanding when you're having to deal with your brothers and sisters in Christ
- Epiphanies- those moments of insight where you know EXACTLY what God wants you to do with the rest of your life- are rare things
- (Examples)
- Moses had one at the Burning Bush
- Paul had one on the Road to Damascus
- And I'm sure someone like Billy Graham must have had one
- But beyond that- I can't think of many others
- The truth is more Christians stumble into God's Will than discover it
- By that I don't mean discovering God's Will is some cosmic accident
- Rather- I'm saying that most of the time God reveals His Will for your life through time and circumstance
- When you're a young adult this can be pretty frustrating
- As a freshly minted graduate- you're ready to get on with your life
- More than anything else you want a sense of clarity and purpose: "Come on God! Tell me what You want me to DO... And tell me RIGHT NOW!!"
- Well here's the thing: Your lack of patience isn't going to altar God's timetable for your life
- He knows how to use events and circumstances to lead you in the paths He wants you to follow
- He knows the kind of experiences you need to have under your belt in order to do what He wants you to do
- He knows the level of spiritual maturity you need in order to fulfill His Will for your life
- And most of all- He knows when you'll be most receptive to the gentle impulse of His Holy Spirit
- Sometimes it can get a little frustrating- but never forget two things:
- One- God has a will & purpose for your life
- And two- He WILL make that clear to you...
- In His time
- And In His way
- Read what He told Habakkuk: These things won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day (Habakkuk 2:3 LB paraphrase)
- Every time I hear an American complaining about the cost of gasoline a cold chill runs down my spine
- Go back and read the Bible folks
- God has destroyed nations that were:
- Unjust, greedy and self-centered
- While remaining deaf to the cries of hungry and dying children
- Read what the Bible says in Amos2:6-7; 13-16
- The United States is the richest, most powerful, most pampered nation in the history of the world
- And how do we handle our blessings?
- By WHINING about the cost of gasoline- even though we don't think twice about spending $5.00 for a cup of coffee
- And MOANING about taxes- even though we're one of the least-taxed countries in the world
- And all the while somewhere in the world a child dies of hunger every 1.5 seconds
- Trust me- God has taken notice!
- Graduates- for God's sake- choose a better path than we your parents and grandparents have chosen
- Stop the whining and start listening to the cries of the poor and hungry children of the world!
- Turn with me to Hebrews 11:1-6
- It's impossible to please God without faith- but some-times it's hard to have faith
- For one thing faith requires you to:
- Trust in a God you can not see- you can not touch- and you can not hear
- Believe that something that happened almost 2000 years ago- Jesus' death and Resurrection- has a direct impact on your life today
- Accept that the only way to be saved is to have a faith relationship with Jesus the Christ- the only begotten Son of God
- But here's the main reason it can be so difficult to hold onto faith:
- Sometimes the answers a secular world has to offer
- Makes as much- or more- sense than the answers you find in the Bible
- Many times I've wanted God to do something so spectacular- so undeniable- that NO ONE would be able to question:
- His existence
- The Lordship of Jesus Christ
- And the fundamental truth of the Christian faith
- But until Jesus Comes Again- it's not gonna happen
- Instead- God is still going to require faith from His children
- Faith that-
- Is sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see
- Proclaims confidence in the power and grace and mercy of the Almighty God
- Says I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
- And where is that faith gonna come from?
- From the same One who requires it!
- Read what the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9
- Graduates if you don't remember anything else I've said this morning- please remember this:
- Faith is a gift God wants to give you
- So pray for it- seek it- expect it- hope for it- dream of it...and God will provide!
- Let us pray
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