Three Things on a Cruise

February 14, 2011

Today’s sermon was a shorter sermon but it was still good (I think). I would recommend listening to it. If all you do is read the notes you won’t get much out of it. You can listen to the sermon at the bottom of the post or on iTunes. The scripture was John 10:10-11

Prayer: Be all that we need.

3 pieces of paper on a cruise illustration.

You now have one left. I don’t know what you wrote. Maybe you wrote

spouse

kids

food

laptop

cell phone

any number of things that in the right context are wonderful and helpful

And when you think about it you live by this last card more than you realize.

There is a saying that says “I can tell what a person cares about by their calendar and their checkbook.”

If you examine your calendar and your checkbook you probably spend more time and money on this last card than you do anything else.

However, if that last card in your hand isn’t Jesus then it won’t last.

Hebrews says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

- Nothing else you wrote on that card is like that.

Hebrews 2 says that Jesus had to become flesh and blood like us so that he could break the power of the devil, the power of death. That only through this way could God save those who have been slaves to the fear of death.

That last card, if you wrote anything other than Jesus it will not keep you from death. It will not save you. It might be a good thing but until you are willing to give that up and make Jesus your number one card nothing else matters.

This must be what Jesus means when he says you must love me and hate your family. Because if you have to pick between Jesus and your family it will look like hate but only one will give you true life.

If you want that last card to be Jesus there is no magic sinners prayer, there is no ritual or anything that will make that happen. It is about you scratching out whatever is on there and putting Jesus down. And then it is about living as though Jesus is your last card.

It is about making your calendar and your checkbook follow a life of Jesus. It is about your heart that beats for the God who made the universe and made you. Hebrews 2 says that God desired to bring his children (all of us) into his glory.

So then, what is on your card? Will it last? Only Jesus will last and only following Jesus will last.

End with video “That’s my king.”