Sermon: "Stop Pushing Your Car"
Some of you, like me, enjoy reading the writings of Max Lucado. He has a gift of being able to paint a picture with words. Listen to one of his stories about a place called “Tuckered Town.”
Turn north at Stress Village, drive a few miles east of Worryville, bear right at the fork leading through Worn-Out Valley, and you’ll find yourself entering the weary streets of Tuckered Town.
Her residents live up to the name. They lumber like pack mules on a Pike’s Peak climb. Eyes down. Faces long. Shoulders slumped. Ask them to explain their sluggish ways, and they point to the cars. “You’d be tired too if you had to push one of these.”
To your amazement that’s what they do! Shoulders pressing, feet digging, lungs puffing, they muscle automobiles up and down the street. Rather than sit behind the wheel, they lean into the trunk.
The sight puzzles you. The sound stuns you. Do you hear what you think you hear? Running engines. Citizens of Tuckered Town turn the key, start the car, slip it into neutral, and shove!
You have to ask someone why. A young mother rolls her minivan into the grocery store parking lot. “Ever thought of pressing the gas?” you question.
“I do,” she replies, brushing sweat away. “I press the gas to start the car; then I take over.”
A bizarre answer. But no more bizarre than that of the out-of-breath fellow leaning against his eighteen-wheeler, wheezing like an overweight marathoner. “Did you push this truck?” you ask.
“I did,” he gasps, covering his mouth with an oxygen mask.
“Why not use your accelerator?”
He cocks an eyebrow. “Because I’m a Tucker trucker, and we’re strong enough to do our own work.”
He doesn’t look strong to you. But you say nothing. Just walk away wondering, What kind of people are these? A pedal push away from power, yet they ignore it. Who would live in such a way?
Sadly we must answer … many Christians.
This is not something new for those who receive Jesus as their Lord. It started to happen shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven and sent his Spirit to live in us to be our teacher and counselor; to empower us to be his servants.
Paul ran into people who were living like the people in Max Lucado’s story in the Christian churches located in the province of Galatia. Listen to what Paul wrote to them.
GALATIANS 3:1-3 – 1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
Paul is writing to Christians who had, by faith, received Jesus as their Lord, but were trying to be justified in God’s sight by obeying the Law of Moses. They were depending on their good deeds to make them righteous before God. They were depending on their own power.
That is a very tiring and difficult way to live the Christian life. It wears you down. The good news is ….
You can live a joyful, refreshing and useful life as a Christian by allowing the Holy Spirit into every part of your life.
The question is …
I. WHAT TYPE OF CHRISTIANS DEPEND ON THEIR OWN POWER
The first answer to this question doesn’t speak to the type of Christian, but to the number of Christians who depend on their own power to live the Christian life. That answer is..
A. MANY CHRISTIANS DEPEND ON THEIR OWN POWER
As we have seen, Paul ran into this problem in the Galatian churches. Of course, you know the name of the problem. It’s just a name that we don’t like attached to ourselves. It’s called “legalism.”
Even Jesus ran into it when he walked here on earth.
MARK 2:23-24 – 23One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
Here is another example.
LUKE 13:14 – Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
Legalism means … A strict adherence to laws.
We see legalism throughout Christianity today. Some Christians believe you must wear certain types of clothes or drive certain color cars or not drive any type of car. Other Christians believe that you can only use the King James Bible. Some Christians believe that you can’t eat out at a restaurant or go shopping on Sundays. Other Christians believe you should not mow your lawn or wash your car on Sundays.
If you are a Christian who really loves God and desires to please him, you no doubt have your own set of laws. There is nothing wrong with that until you start depending on those laws to make you acceptable to God and impose your laws on the behavior of others.
So who lives like the people in “Tuckered Town?” Sometimes we do when we try to make ourselves acceptable to God by obeying certain laws. It is a very tiring and discouraging way to live the Christian life. We are depending on our own strength and will power.
Let’s now look at the types of Christians that Paul says depend on their own power. Again we don’t like the names he attaches to them. First he says that …
B. FOOLISH CHRISTIANS DEPEND ON THEIR OWN POWER
Paul said …
GALATIANS 3:1a – You foolish Galatians!
Paul said to them, “Did you receive the Spirit (salvation) by observing the law (doing good deeds) or by believing what you heard (faith)?”
Of course he knew that they would say they were saved by faith. That’s the very same thing that Christians today say. They know that they are not saved by what they do, but by their faith in Jesus.
Paul goes on to say, “After beginning with the Spirit (depending on God not yourself for your salvation), are you now trying to attain your goal (living to please God – heaven) by human effort (your own power)?”
As we have seen, more than a few Christians try to do that very thing. If I pray more often, if I read my Bible more, if I give more money, if I give more of my time helping and teaching others, God will love me more and I will be sure to go to heaven when I die.
It is easy for us to fall into this trap. How often have we looked at people who have been very active doing a lot of those things and think that they must be great Christians. They may or may not be. God sees the heart, not just the outward actions. They may be doing all those things in their own power, and while they may be good things, Paul would say … “Are you so foolish?”
It’s great to be serving God, but stop pushing your car around when it has an engine. A Christian who wears himself out trying to please God using his own power, is just as foolish as the people in Tuckered Town who push their vehicles around.
Being an active, involved servant for God should be exciting and refreshing not exhausting. Oh, we get tired physically after a hard day’s work, but the Christian life does not become a burden unless we are trying to do things in our own power. Again, Paul says Christians who are depending on their own power in an attempt to please God are foolish Christians.
Let’s look at another type of Christian that Paul says depends on their own power.
C. WORLDLY CHRISTIANS DEPEND ON THEIR OWN POWER
Boy, we hate being called worldly. Listen to when Paul called some Christians just that.
I CORINTHIANS 3:1-3 – 1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly – mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
The worldly Christian starts his car and then gets out and starts to push. They have no spiritual power. They received God’s salvation through faith in Jesus, but not much has changed in their lives since they first believed.
Their language, life-style and priorities allow them to blend in with unbelievers. Paul said they are jealous of what others have and that they get involved in a lot of disagreements.
A worldly Christian is not normally a fun person to be around. They are quicker to complain then to give thanks. They do not have that deep abiding joy that you see in some Christians.
Christianity for them is a lot of hard work. They view the Christian life like a farmer views his unplanted fields in the spring … lots of hard work.
Oh, I have to go to church again. And, yes, I have to resist lots of temptations today. Of course I must volunteer to do something. Oh yea, I should visit so and so in the hospital. The Christian life is so exhausting.
Yes, the Christian life is exhausting for worldly Christians and is thus not very appealing to unbelievers. Who wants a free truck if you have to push it around?
Who wants a free salvation if it wears you out and gives you no joy?
Thankfully, the Christian life does not have to be so exhausting and demanding. You don’t have to live the Christian life depending on your own power. So let’s look at ….
II. LIVING BY GOD’S POWER
Listen to what Paul wrote to the Colossian Christians.
COLOSSIANS 2:2-3 – 2My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they mayknow the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Wouldn’t you like to live a life where you are encouraged about your faith instead of being discouraged? Where you are united in love with other believers instead of being frustrated and upset with them? Wouldn’t you like to understand everything that is yours through faith in Jesus?
Paul is about to tell you how to do just that. First you must …
A. LIVE IN JESUS
Paul wrote …
COLOSSIANS 2:6-9 – 6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.
The question is - “How do you live in Jesus?”
The answer is – You must come to Jesus each day, thirsty for him, and then drink deeply from what he provides for you.
Jesus didn’t give you a car and tell you to push it. He drove into your life when you asked him to be your Lord, opened up the passenger door and invited you to ride with him.
Some of you still may not understand what Paul is telling you about living in Jesus. Maybe the words of Jesus will help you understand.
JOHN 7:37-38 – 37On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
What is this living water that we should drink? The Bible gives us the answer.
JOHN 7:37-38 – 37On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” 39By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Notice we are to come to Jesus. It does not say, “Live according to certain rules” or “come to church,” but come to Jesus. In the Greek the wording means, “To keep coming to me .. to keep drinking.”
Coming to Jesus once a month or even once a year doesn’t keep you strong. You need to keep coming to Jesus. You need to keep your relationship with him fresh and alive.
If you don’t, you are either foolish or worldly. Either way, Christianity is more of a burden to you than a blessing. You have very little joy or excitement in your service or worship.
If you do keep coming to Jesus look what happens.
JOHN 7:38 – Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.
That is God’s Spirit. God’s powerful, unseen, yet undeniable presence will flow from you. It will be evident in your words, attitude and actions. When it comes to your Christian life and your Christian service, you will be like the person described in the book of Isaiah.
ISAIAH 40:31 – But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Some of you are wondering why that doesn’t describe you? You come to Jesus each day, but you still have trouble tolerating the person you work with, or someone at church, or even your spouse. You frequently lose your temper or find yourself lusting after someone. You have to force yourself to come to church and don’t know why you came when the service is over. Again, Paul has the answer for you.
You see you must not only come to Jesus you must ….
B. DEPEND ON HIS SPIRIT
Paul said it this way …
EPHESIANS 5:18 – Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
“Be filled with the Spirit.”
Many of you have heard this before, but it will be the first time for some of you.
The word filled means … to be crammed full … to be dominated by … to be controlled by.
Just as a person who is filled with alcohol is controlled by the alcohol, so a Christian should be controlled by God’s Spirit.
Again comes a question … How can a person be controlled by the Holy Spirit?
Next week we will look at this in more detail, but for this morning here are two simple answers.
FIRST – YIELD TO HIS WILL
That means you speak, act and think like Jesus – and you will do that as you allow God’s Spirit to control you. Sad to say, far too many Christians aren’t doing that. They control their own lives.
But you must not only yield to his will, you must also …
SECOND – SEEK HIS POWER
Far too many Christians live their lives as if the Holy Spirit is not a part of their lives. Do you desire to be controlled and empowered by God’s Spirit? Do you talk to God’s Spirit? Do you look to God’s Spirit for guidance and answers? Or are you trying to live the Christian life on your own strength?
CONCLUSION
Are you pushing your way through the Christian life like the people in “Tuckered Town” push their vehicles around? You don’t have to live that kind of life.
You can stop pushing your car. All you need to do is each day ….
LIVE IN JESUS
and
DEPEND ON HIS SPIRIT
If you will do those two things you won’t be a foolish or worldly Christian who is exhausted and discouraged over how difficult you think it is to be a Christian. Instead you will be filled with joy, you will be refreshed constantly and you will be a useful servant in God’s kingdom.
Living the Christian life by your own strength is exhausting and foolish. Welcome God’s Spirit into every part of your life. In Max Lucado’s words … “ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO BE YOUR CHAUFFER.”