Blessed are the Yielded

Well a single Bible and open it together. Luke chapter 7. This first Sunday of the new year, new century. Good grief, RI, Luke chapter 7 Navy did bring a Bible about borrowing our copy of the Bible were to be on page 730 in our copy page 730 in our copy Luke seven.

Can you guys here okay in the lobby raise and God bless you guys out there. We love you honestly do. I know you know as we begin a new century seems like the whole world is consumed with list making about the old century and so I thought you might enjoy some of these you know the best of this in the best of that type of time magazine put this list together.

First of all, the best speech of the century Valley, I found this. Think of this, what I do for living saw very interested in this. Actually, the number four best speech, Franklin Delano Roosevelt December 7, 1941 a day that will live in infamy third best beach, Franklin Delano Roosevelt first inauguration 1933 we have nothing to fear but fear itself right exactly number two best speech of the century John Fitzgerald Kennedy inaugural speech 1961 astronauts what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country, and the number one best speech of the whole century August 1963 here in Washington. I have a dream.

Martin Luther King Jr. really was never heard a speech like that before. Now here some other best of best soft film of the century citizen Kane 1941, directed, and starring Orson Welles best comedy routine of the century who's on first, Abbott and Costello see you laugh and you and you seen it. That's how good it is 1938 Abbott and Costello, a best musical of the century carousel Rogers and Hammerstein 1945. This book of the century children's book of the century.

Charlotte's Web 1952. Best invention of the century, indoor plumbing, while yeah I mean who wants to drive a Ferrari and use an outhouse. I mean really you know makes sense to me.

All right best athlete of the century. Michael Jordan unbelievable. Okay. And finally the person the time suggest selected as the person of the century, Albert Einstein. In fact, time magazine, says Einstein was so daringly farsighted that only now 45 years after his death has the rest of physics begun to catch up." You know though when it comes to looking into the future, my friends, Albert Einstein didn't get it all right either. Even he did. For example, he rejected what was at the time the newly developing theory of quantum mechanics, saying it was wrong and it is gone on to become the basis for all of our modern technology and electronics.

He also said after World War II that he believed there was going to be one world government that was going to take over the world so that nuclear weapons could be kept from proliferating what was wrong about that too. And finally when he was told by the scientists working on the Manhattan project, the development of the atomic bomb from World War II when he was told by one of those scientists that it was really his formula equals MC squared that lay at the very heart of the atomic bomb project.

Albert Einstein said and I quote I never thought of that at all."

Albert Einstein didn't think about. So you see my friends even a genius like Albert Einstein sometimes get surprised now as we enter a new year a new century, a new millennium as followers of Jesus Christ we find ourselves in the very same position as Mr. Einstein that is, no matter how smart we are, no matter how farsighted and wise we may be going to be some things that happen in the year 2000 that are going to catch you and me completely by surprise things we could never have anticipated things we could never have expected and some of these things are, but to be wonderful. They're going to be great. And these are not the things I'm here to talk to about today is if somebody gives her brand-new Porsche. You don't need me to help you respond to that you know you'll do just fine all by cell. However they going to be some things that are going to happen in the year 2000 other things other unexpected happenings that are going to test our faith as followers of Jesus Christ that it will be hard things talk things, hurtful things, even tragic things that are going to challenge our walk with God.

That's what I'm here to talk to you about what I want to do today is give us a strategy that God gives us in the Bible that will allow us to handle any surprise that gets sent our way in the year 2000.

Without that surprise, ruining our faith.

Without that surprise, hurting our walk with God, and I hope you'll pay very close attention to me this morning because I promise you. Everyone here today is going to need this strategy at least once next year this year to hold conflict with me and let's talk about now strategies found right here in Luke seven, so let's look together. Luke seven beginning at verse 18.

Were talking about a fellow named John the Baptist Luke chapter 7 verse 18. Now John's disciples told him about all the things Jesus was doing and so calling two of them. He sent them to the Lord to ask are you the one who was to come, or should we expect somebody else and when the men came to Jesus. They said John the Baptist sent us to you to ask are you the Messiah, who was really to come, or should we expect someone else now friends are passage centers around the sky, John the Baptist, and John is in jail. He's been thrown into jail by King Herod, because he had the courage to confront Herod on Herod's adulterous relationship with his brother Philip's wife is always in jail and in jail he hears about what Jesus is doing on the outside.

All the miracles and healings raising people from the dead, teaching the word of God and so he sends his disciples from the jail cell to asked Jesus a question and here's his question.

Jesus, are you really the Messiah or should we be looking for somebody else. Now that is an amazing question for John the Baptist to be asking. I mean, the whole mission of John the Baptist was to announce the coming of the Messiah. I mean, he was the one who walked around and pointed to Jesus. John chapter 1 and said, behold, here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

So how could the guy who introduced Jesus to the world as the Messiah now be asking the question, are you really the right one. Well I'll tell you the answer is very simple.

The answer is that when Jesus first appeared, and John proclaimed him as the Messiah. John had some expectations about what was going to happen next. If you want to see him turn back with me to Luke chapter 3 couple pages keep a finger in chapter 7 were coming back, but turned back to chapter 3 and look at verse 16 and 17 of chapter 3 it says here. Verse 16 John said, I baptize you with water, but one more powerful than I will call him the phones of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork to come his expectations. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the good wheat into the barn but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. See John expected Jesus was going to clean house.

John expected that Jesus was going to clear his threshing floor gather his good wheat into the barn and burn up everything that was in good people like King Herod would be done for the Romans would be driven out of Israel, the kingdom of God would be now established in Israel and John's expectations. I have to tell your friends were based on some very good Old Testament teaching. Isaiah 35, for example, says your God will call him he will come with a vengeance with divine retribution.

He will come to save you. And so John steps out and he announces that Jesus is the Messiah, only expecting that Jesus is now going to clean the house. Look what happens next.

What happens next is John rebukes Herod's wrongdoing.

It ends up rotting in a Roman jail and what happens next is the Jewish people begin to systematically rejecting their Messiah and what happens next is that the Romans remain in ask firm control of Israel as ever. And what happens next is that there is no day of vengeance, no kingdom of God anywhere on the horizon.

In short, nothing, nothing is going the way John expected nothing and so John Spaeth get shaken. He begins to wonder maybe he's gotten something wrong and maybe Jesus really isn't, though, isn't it baby Jesus really isn't the Messiah. Maybe there is something or someone else coming and here's the critical point that I want you to get this morning. What had shaken John's faith is the simple fact that things were just not going the way John expected somebody see that body with me because that's that's the central databases of this whole passage. All right, now what does Jesus say to John is go back to chapter 7 and will show you Jesus answers this question by telling them to think the first thing he tells them is John not to worry.

I really am the Messiah. Look what he says. John Jaramillo chapter 7 look with me. Verse 21 verse 21 at that very time with John's messenger standing right there. Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits. And he gave site to many who were blind, so he replied to the messengers you go back and report to John what you've seen and heard that the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear the dinner raised and the good news is preached to the poor. See the news the Old Testament had also given signs that the Messiah could use and would use to prove that he really was the son of God, signs ways of identifying the Messiah and in fact in Isaiah 35 the very same passage. John was thinking all day appear John. Isaiah 35 goes on to say that the the ears of the blind will be open the store. The eyes of the blind will be open the ears of the deaf will be on top. Then the lame will leap like a deer and the mute will shout for joy and so by doing all of these miracles in the sight of John's disciples.

Jesus sends them back and says you tell John all of these signs. The Old Testament said the Messiah was going to do you just saw me doing tell John not to worry there's nobody else common on the Messiah that folks let me take a break here for just a moment and say it's interesting you know when you look in the New Testament.

The Jesus constantly pointed to his miracles as the proof of his Messiah ship John chapter 10 verse per example verse 25 he says the miracles that I do in my father's name they speak for me, that the father is in me and I am in the father. Jesus realized that any thinking, rational person should understand this impact when Nicodemus, the great Jewish rabbi.

The great Jewish political leader who at the time was not a vile follower of Jesus Christ when he came to me Jesus in John chapter 3, he starts the conversation by saying this rabbi, we know that you are from God, for nobody can perform the miracles that you do unless God is with if you're here today and you never embraced Jesus Christ as your personal savior and maybe the reason for that is that you frankly have some doubts about whether Jesus really is the Messiah whether he really is.

God wrapped in human flesh, may I say to you, you can drop those doubts because he did things nobody else has ever done. Do you know for example, there's only 30 days of Jesus's life recorded in the Bible when you look at all the miracles that are in there.

Don't spread them out over three years of ministry don't spread them out over 33 years of living there only spread over 30 days friends. Can you imagine what he really did John even says in the end of John's Gospel. If we were to write down everything he really did.

You couldn't get it in every book in the world and Jesus did all those things not because he wanted to show off.

Not because he wanted to boast about how powerful he was.

He did all those mighty works to prove to you and to me to validate that he really was what he said he was the Messiah, God wrapped in human flesh people followed him around the Israelites. When you read the Bible are always saying we never seen anything like this. We've never seen anything like this. We never seen anything like this will of course not. It's not every day you see, God wrapped in human flesh for sure.

Haven't seen anything like this. If you're here and you've never trusted Christ and want to tell you something you need validation the Jesus is who he said look at the validation he gave you all of these miracles, and oh by the way, even his greatest critics never doubted that he did the miracles he did.

They never doubted because they couldn't but it was a second answer, the Jesus sent back to John the Baptist. He said John person I want to tell you is on the Messiah is nobody else, so I need to tell you one other thing John and that's in verse in that's verse 23 he says John blessed is the man who does not fall away, does not stumble on account of me you salon.

I don't get it with him. What does this mean what this was Jesus trying to say by saying this. Well friends. Jesus is saying John what shaken you up Fran what's causing you to stumble. Fran what's causing you to fall away from a friend is that I'm not running the show exactly the way you expected me to not hear what I'm telling you John Islam running the show. The way I want to. I'm running the show. The way I know is best and my message to you John, is this blessed is the person who lets me run my business my way. Not allowed to call this the forgotten beatitude. You know the Beatitudes are all in the sermon on the Mount Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Blessed are the pure in heart. But here is a Blessed that got broken off from the group the forgotten beatitude, but it's just as powerful and it's just as life-changing. Blessed is the person who lets God run his business, his way and this is the beatitude the Jesus sends back to John.

John, you need let me run my business my way soon.

Don't tell me how to run my business and if I want to come and not draw the Romans out that's my business if I want to come and let you be in jail. That's my business and I want to come and leave thinking Harrington power. That's my business.

Have I want to common there be no day of vengeance right now and no kingdom of God right now water that's my business. John stay out of my business.

I'm running to my way, you, John. Just trust friends want tell you some John's will need this beatitude big time because let me show you what happened. You don't need to turn their will put it on the screen. Let me show you what happens next. Old John on Herod's birthday. The Bible says the daughter of Herodias. This is the woman that he was having the affair with dance for them, and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her what ever she asked.

Prompted by her mother. She said give me on a platter.

The head of John the Baptist and the king was distressed, but because of his oath and because of all of his dinner guests. He ordered that her request be granted and he had John beheaded in the prison and his head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl who then gave it to her mother so can you imagine now when they come to get John in prison and they take his hands in a chain his hands behind him and then they walking outside without chopping block is and they bend his knees and they making it down and then they making put his head down on the chopping block as that act starts to go up what you think old John saying to himself. I'll bet you he was saying something like Blessed is the man lets me run my business my way. Blessed is the man lets me run my business. My wife Blessed is an analytical run my business my way. He was going need this beatitude and you and I needed to friends that that's the end of the passage, but it leads us to ask a really important question that this is the first time this millennium that you get to do another first service already got the first time of the millennium, but you still get the first time the third service gets to do this in the millennium so you're ready now.

Let's make this a worthy effort, shall we are ready. 123. What a great way to start a century. All right say Launcelot, what difference does it make to my life. You Blessed is the man lives in run does my what was absolutely well let me tell you folks as we look forward to a new year. As followers of Jesus Christ. All of us have expectations about how God should run our lives in the year 2000. Yes we do in 2000, God should keep me and my family healthy in 2000, God should make my career prosperous and provide me with all the financial wherewithal I need to do everything I want to do in the year 2000, God should make my car run all year without ever needing a repair in the year 2000, God should rescue me from every stupid thing I say and do in the year 2000, God should that never let anything bad happen. Any my children, my grandchildren, in the year 2000, God should let all let none of my appliances break in the year 2000, God should so fill me with this spirit that I should scratch golf. We have our expectations for next year now.

Did you notice something interesting about that list. Did you notice that none of these expectations of ours. None of them had anything bad happening to us next year to notice that and please don't tell me that your list is different. Please don't tell me that you got heart attacks and car accidents in bankruptcy that you have got cancer and death in the family all emotionally plan them for this next year because I won't believe now I will believe you know why because none of us are wired that way you're not I'm not none of the sort were all wired to expect the best for all wired to believe God's going to give is nothing but peace and happiness and ease and calm and comforting as you're sitting in a daydreaming about the future.

That's exactly what your dream looks like is your just like me. So my dream looks like the friends want to tell you in the year 2000. It is certain certain God is not going to meet all of these wonderful expectations we have in our business plan and I'll tell you why, because our business plan that we cook up for ourselves is always centered around living a life full of ease and comfort and human happiness but you see God's business plan for our life is very different. God's business plan for your life in my life as followers of Christ is to make us into men and women of God and his business plan that business plan.

A building you into a man or woman of God.

Rarely, if ever, leads through the canal of comfort. What that means is is a God's business plan for us in our business plan for ourselves, almost always in conflict there almost always in dynamic tension and that's why God says. Isaiah 55 for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways your business plan is not my business plan says God for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Listen as followers of Jesus Christ.

The bottom line is that God loves us deeply. God cares intimately about the affairs of our life.

We are God's business friends were God's business and the message that God is sending you and me as we begin a new year is the very same message that he sent John the Baptist.

Blessed is the person who lets me run my business.

Your life my way.

Blessed is the person who will allow me to disappoint any expectation they have. If that's how I decide things to go in their life.

Blessed is the person who leaves me as God totally free to take them wherever I feel they need to go in order to build them in the men and women of God that now you say it will wait a minute. I understand what you're saying but you know what no person lives like this lot is not a human being a live lives like that. Well I beg to differ.

In fact, I would like to enter into evidence. Three people, not just one. Their names are Shadrach me shack and Abednego Daniels three friends and I like you to turn back with me to the book of Daniel chapter 3 is page 627 if you're using our copy of the Bible. Daniel chapter 3, and I'd like to show you that there are some people who live this way. Remember King Nebuchadnezzar set up his huge statue that every body was supposed to bow down and worship. Remember, as Shadrach me shack and Abednego said were not doing it.

And the king said if you don't do it.

Let me tell you what is not happening, you see that big old furnace over there almost superheated and you're going in it and I want you to see what Shadrach me shack and Abednego said pickup with me. Chapter 3 verse 16 and Shadrach me shack and Abednego replied to the king and said all Nebuchadnezzar. We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into that blazing furnace.

The God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand. Okay now to Shadrach me shack and Abednego have some expectations about how this was going to turn out. You bet they did today have something that they were anticipating God was going to do. You bet they did. They said hey you Thorson. There guess what O King, our God is going to come right in there and save as that's how were going in there that's were fully expecting but I love the next verse. It says look for 17 of verse 18, rather. But even if he doesn't allow that. But even if he doesn't, but even if he doesn't know were expected even if he doesn't do were anticipating. Even if he doesn't do what we warning to even if he doesn't do what we think is best, even if he doesn't, you know what we bless God free to run his business, His Own Way, King and even if he doesn't, we are not going to serve your gods. We are not going to worship your image where going to stick with God. Even if he doesn't do it the way we think he ought to. Don't tell me people to live like this. You just saw three of Shadrach me shack and Abednego live just like this and I think a great model for our life is but even if he doesn't, but even if God doesn't do it the way you wanted to. Even if God doesn't do it the way you expected him to. Even if God doesn't run your life the way you think it ought to be run even if he doesn't. Blessed is the person who lets God run his business his way whether that your career or your health or your family or your schooling. I don't care what it is. If you belong to Jesus Christ as his business.

Blessed if you let him run his way friends to conclude this morning. Let me just say God wants to get you and me to place were we give him permission to take our lives any place he wants to take. We give him permission to guide us. Anyway he wants to guide us. Were we decide that our job is not to to decide how God should run our lives with that. Our job is to be loyal to God is to be obedient to God and and and regardless of whether we like his choices, regardless of whether we agree with. How is running our life to be like Shadrach me shack and Abednego we go even if you do God were sticking with you friends if you will follow the strategy for the year 2000. I'm telling you there's not a curveball.

The world can throw you that you can handle there. There's not a surprise that will come your way that you can handle and it won't shake your faith and it won't affect your walk with God and it won't disappoint you, and it won't shatter your confidence in God. The reason our confidence in God get shattered is because we go into the thing with expectations that are wrong, unrealistic God is never going to meet them and they're all right if you want to have. That's okay. Just remember, Blessed is the person who lets God run his business. Your life is way and God promises his personal blessing on you if you do this, God says that you know what you will never regret anything I do not like it at the time, but there is never a thing I'll do in your life that when all is said and done you'll ever regret. Let me run my business my way in the year 2000 friends. That is my challenge to you. Give God that freedom in your life realize they're going to be surprises realize they're going to be unmet expectations realize they're going be curveballs. I promise you there are and then when you get to them say okay God. I made a commitment you run your business your way and I'll be like Shadrach me shack and Abednego and I'll say even if you don't do it the way I want, guess what God I'm still with you still with not a curveball you can handle with that strategy. May God help us have more thanks for talking to us about some real practical down to earth stuff right where we live and Lord as we sit here today, none of us have any idea with the sheer holes but we can all be certain that it's gonna hold some surprises in the not all going to be good, at least not from the human perspective, so father, thanks for giving us today, a strategy that we can use to handle every curveball every surprise every unexpected event that may ever come our way this year blessed is the person who lets you run your business your way. God may that be the foundation on which we approach this year, and every other year.

The same run is Shadrach me shack and Abednego that even if you don't do it the way we want. Lord were still with you, change our lives because we were here today, Lord change the way we react to circumstances because we were here today. And Lord, build us into genuine men and women of God. We pray for the honor of Jesus Christ and we ask this in his name.

Amen