June 3, 2007 - A Few More Things I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me

INTRODUCTION

• Today marks the fourth consecutive Graduate Sunday I've preached on the theme: Things I wish someone would have told me
• Now you might have hoped that I'd have run out of this stuff by now
• Particularly when none I remind you that none of them will help you become rich, famous or successful in your career
• But my prayer is that maybe- just maybe- they'll help you-
• Live a happier life
• Avoid a few costly mistakes
• And have a closer faith walk with Christ
• So with all that in mind- let's get started

IF YOU AREN'T WILLING TO OBEY GOD- DON'T EXPECT TO RECEIVE MANY OF HIS BLESSINGS

• It amazes me how many Christians fail to understand this principle
• Take a couple who choose to have sex before marriage
• They need to understand that's a deliberate decision to reject God's command to practice-
• Sexual purity before marriage-
• And sexual fidelity within marriage
• Now think about this with me-
• Given their lack of faithfulness and obedience
• Why should they expect God to bless them?
• Don't get me wrong: God is always willing to-
• Forgive you of your sin
• Give you a fresh start in life
• And shower you with His grace and blessings
• But-
• If you want to experience all of God's power and presence in your life
• You MUST...
• Be obedient to Him
• Trust in the plans He has for your life
• Read what the Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11-13
• God wants to do something wonderful in your life
• God wants to bless you beyond anything you can imagine
• But you must trust and obey Him- PERIOD!

MARRY THE PERSON YOU WANT TO MAKE HAPPY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

• Graduates- the two most important decisions you'll ever make are:
• Number one- Accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord
• And two- Choosing the person you will marry
• Which raises the question: How do you decide who you should marry?
• Ask most people that question and they'll say: Marry the person who makes you happy
• WRONG ANSWER!
• If your goal is to marry the person who makes you happy:
• You'll be miserable for the rest of your life
• And chances are you'll wind up in divorce court
• See here's the thing:
• If you look to marry the person who makes you happy
• You're not marrying for love-
• You are marrying for entirely selfish reasons
• And selfishness is a cancer that will DESTROY the fabric of a marriage
• See real love...
• Is not about what makes YOU happy
• Is a sacrificial commitment you make to another person
• Read what it says in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
• You won't find any selfishness in 1 Corinthians 13's definition of love
• It's about what you will do for the other person
• Not about what they're going to do for you
• Some of you might be thinking: Wait a minute Steve.
• What about MY needs?
• Who's going to take care of me?
• Well- it's like this:
• If.../ And if your...
• You marry the person you want to make happy for the rest of your life
• Husband or wife has married the person THEY want to make happy for the rest of their life
• Your needs will be met- their needs will be met- and you'll have a marriage that will last a lifetime

IT'S POSSIBLE TO ACCEPT ‘EVOLUTION'- AND STILL BELIEVE IN THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD

• If someone were to ask me if I believed in evolution
• I'm not going to get indignant and say: No way! I believe in the Bible!
• My first reaction would be: What kind of evolution are you talking about?
• If you're talking about something called macro-evolution my answer would be: Absolutely not!
• Macro-evolution is the theory that says the Universe- and life itself- is a cosmic accident
• That a Big Bang occurred- the Universe was formed
• And then over billions of years life sprang from a stew of inorganic compounds
• Macro-evolution says human beings...
• Evolved from other primate species
• That ultimately human beings are just the current state of the art in evolutionary natural selection
• In other words: Macro-evolution rejects God and the revelation of His Word- and I reject it!
• On the other hand- if you're referring to micro-evolution I have no problem with that
• Believing in micro-evolution-
• Sometimes called Intelligent Design
• Is absolutely compatible with the infallible, inerrant Word of God
• micro-evolution:
• Says the Universe- and life itself- is the result of the work of a intelligent Creator-God
• Recognizes that over time species adapt to their environments and change
• Acknowledges that genetic mutations can result in...say...different breeds of dogs
• But mostly importantly- micro-evolution recognizes that human beings were uniquely created in the image of an awesome and holy God!
Genesis 1:26-27
• Young people- being a Christian doesn't mean you have to-
• Check your brain at the front door of the church
• Or check your faith at the front door of your school
• God wants you to use the intelligence He's given you to explore and ask questions about the nature of His Creation
• But He expects you to ask those questions within the framework of Biblical revelation
• The fact is-
• God is the Intelligent Designer of the Universe
• Life on this planet is a result of God's Creative genius
• You have been fearfully and wonderfully made by your Heavenly Father
• Those are the facts- and don't EVER forget it!

SEE SOMETHING BESIDES THE BEACH AND THE MOUNTAINS IN YOUR LIFETIME

• I just got back from a beach vacation-
• Loved it!
• There's nothing that says vacation quite like feeling a gentle ocean breeze and breathing in the warm salt-air
• I also love going to the mountains-
• The views- the low humidity- sitting beside a cool mountain stream
• It may not be heaven- but it's about as good as life gets here on Earth
• Unfortunately- a lot of people go through life and never venture beyond the beach and the mountains
• Pam's mother was one of those people. I think she went to Florida a couple of times
• But beyond that it was...mostly the beach
• Ocean Isle Beach
• Same house. Year-after-year-after-year
• Young people- here's what I want you to remember:
• God has created a wonderful world- filled with interesting people and fascinating places to see
• If it's possible give yourself the blessing of meeting these people and seeing these places during your lifetime
• I know my own life would be so much poorer if I'd never had the chance to:
• See cities like New York- San Francisco and New Orleans
• Visited incredible places like the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park
• Traveled to Mexico, Canada, England, Honduras and the Holy Land
• Participate in a number of the mission trips we've made
• As your pastor-
• I want you to experience the sheer pleasure of seeing God's wonderful world
• But I'll be honest: Mostly I want you to have eyes that are open- and hearts that are sensitive- to people around the world who need Christ
• Turn with me to Luke 10:1-2

OWN YOUR STUFF- Don't LET IT OWN YOU

• As many of you already know-
• I buy most of my clothes at thrift stores
• I've gotten to the point where I can't stand paying off-the-rack prices
• On the other hand-
• Pam and I recently dropped a couple grand buying one of those Select Comfort Sleep Number beds
• I don't get want you to think I'm living a life of poverty and austerity
• Thanks to God's grace- and the extra money Pam generates writing for Lifeway
• We have all of our needs- and many of our wants- met
• And that's fine
• There's nothing wrong with making money honestly and having nice things is not a sin
• UNLESS- you allow money- and the things money can buy- to become your master
• Turn with me to Luke 12:16-21
• I want you to notice what God says to this farmer
• He calls him a fool
• The Bible defines a fool as someone who doesn't believe in God
• Now I doubt this man ever said the words I don't believe in God
• But in his heart he didn't love and trust God as much as he loved and trusted his stuff
• And THAT was the great tragedy of his life
• Folks- Jesus said you can't serve two masters
• It's going to be God- or it's going to be your stuff
• So make it a regular habit to ask yourself a simple question:
• Do I own my stuff?
• Or does my stuff own me?

CHRISTIANS AREN'T EXEMPT FROM GRIEF- BUT WE DO HOLD A HOPE CARD

• The first funeral I ever conducted was also the second funeral I had ever attended
• I was 24 years old- and no one in my family had ever died
• In other words: I had absolutely no idea was it was like to struggle with grief
• In the intervening years I've had plenty of experience with grief
• I've conducted hundreds of funerals- and lost many loved ones
• And here's what I've discovered: Christians aren't exempt from grief
• Let's put it this way:
• When Lazarus died the Bible says Jesus wept
• Now if.../ It's...
• The only begotten Son of the Living God wasn't exempt from grief
• A given that we aren't exempt either
• In the 23rd Psalm David speaks of the valley of the shadow of death
• And that's what grief is- even for a Christian
• Grief is a long, hard, frightening slog through a land filled with tears- and sadness- and loneliness- and a feeling that life will never again be the same
• I still find it hard to watch videotapes of Pam's parents
• It's been nine years since her mother died
• And it's still painful to hear their voices- it makes me realize how much I miss them
• But here's the thing: As a Christian I carry a card called HOPE
• Hope that says Jesus died for my sins
• Hope that says Jesus Rose Again- the first fruits of them that sleep
• Hope that reminds me of Jesus' words: Because I live you will live also
• Hope that confirms that I can look forward to a wonderful reunion with friends and loved ones who've gone on before me
• Hope that assures me that someday I will see my Savior face-to-face
• Psalm 16:8-11
• Graduates-
• If you've never had a friend or loved one die those words may not mean that much to you
• But if you live long enough- and Jesus doesn't return first- someday you'll be glad you carry a card called Hope

GOD'S GRACE IS ALL YOU NEED

• Pam and I recently discussed buying a hybrid vehicle
• We figured it would be good for the environment- and getting 50 plus miles per gallon of gas would be GREAT!
• Unfortunately we discovered that at this time we don't have what we need to buy a hybrid. Namely-
• A down-payment
• A paid for trade-in
• And the cash difference between the car payments we have now- and the car payments we'd have then
• You know- a lot of people think God's salvation is like that
• They WANT to be saved
• But they don't think they have what they need. Things like-
• Perfection- good deeds- religious devotion
• And what they call a "Christian" lifestyle
• If you feel like that I want you to read what the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9
• Let me translate: If you want to be saved...
• Perfection, good deeds, religious devotion and a ‘Christian' lifestyle is not what you need
• All you REALLY need is God's grace
• Now the word grace means undeserved acceptance and love received from another
• In other words:
• You don't have to EARN God's love and acceptance
• Trust is- you CAN'T earn God's love and acceptance
• Grace means God's already decided to save ANYONE who accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord- and that includes YOU!
• Read what the Bible says in Acts 16:25-31
• What was true for a Philippian jailer 2000 years ago is still true today
• God's grace- and faith in Jesus the Christ- really is all you need
• Let us pray