It is in You
Trey Little | 10-Jan-10
"It is in You"
How are you at finding your way around? Have you made the move to a GPS system where you can simply punch in an address and then wait for a voice to tell you where to turn and when?
Well, I must tell you, I am very fascinated with the GPS but here is my problem--I need a GPS to tell me how to work a GPS!
This morning, as we continue in our study of The Kingdom--we will turn to God's Powerful Scripture--His "GPS" if you will--to gain a little direction for where His Kingdom is located.
Turn with me to Luke 17: 20-21
In early summer of 1965, a University of Florida assistant coach sat down with a team of university physicians and asked them to determine why so many of his players were being affected by heat and heat related illnesses. The researchers -- Dr. Robert Cade, Dr. Dana Shires, Dr. H. James Free and Dr. Alejandro de Quesada -- soon discovered two key factors that were causing the Gator players to 'wilt': the fluids and electrolytes the players lost through sweat were not being replaced, and the large amounts of carbohydrates the players' bodies used for energy were not being replenished. The researchers then took their findings and created a sports drink--they called their concoction 'Gatorade'.
Word about Gatorade began to spread outside of the state of Florida, and both the University of Richmond and Miami of Ohio, began ordering batches of Gatorade for their football teams. Orders from other college football programs across the country soon followed, as playing without Gatorade on your sidelines began to be likened to playing with just ten men on the field. Today, Gatorade can be found on the sidelines of more than 70 Division I colleges as the official sports drink of their men's and women's intercollegiate sports. In the years that followed, Gatorade made the move to the NFL and in 1983, Gatorade became the official sports drink of the NFL--a title it holds to this day.
Interesting history for a tremendously popular sports drink. But when I think about Gatorade I think about the tag line they have been using lately in their marketing ads: "Is it in you?" It goes with high profile athletes who have accomplished much in their sport shown in action in black in white. Then, as they show them sweating--their sweat is the color of Gatorade -- thus the tag line!
Now, based on the above time line--I am pretty convinced that when Jesus said to the Pharisees, "It is within you" He wasn't talking about Gatorade. No, Jesus was referring to the Kingdom of God.
Don't you just love how Jesus has a way of transforming the way we see things?
"There are times when the pastor's task is not enviable. I suppose that's what Vance Havner had in mind when he was the first to say that our job is to comfort the afflicted and on occasion afflict the comfortable. I would a lot rather do the first, though there are times that I have to do both" (Bruce Larson, Setting Men Free).
To some extent I think that is exactly what Jesus was doing to the Pharisees--afflicting the comfortable, that is. You will recall that the Pharisees were expecting an altogether different kingdom than what Jesus would bring. And thus may have been testing Jesus since they had not seen Him doing what a king would do to prepare himself for a takeover--they hoped for a political redeemer through whom God would bless and exalt Israel above the nations. Thus, the Pharisees could not comprehend that the kingdom of God had already arrived with Jesus--quite frankly, it made them uncomfortable. The kingdom of God was among the people because Jesus was among them. The kingdom of God is not a political or geographical entity; it is a power within Jesus' disciples.
Perhaps you are sitting here this morning and feeling a little comfortable. Well, let me see if I can "afflict" you a little!!
As I thought about this concoction 'Gatorade' in relation to Jesus' statement that the Kingdom of God is within you--I couldn't help but think about two key factors that seem to cause Jesus' disciples to wilt.
The first is that we are not replacing what we are losing through sweat. We spend so much time "sweating" to keep up with the world. We work and work and work to do things for the world's approval--sweating deadlines, market fluctuations, creditors calling, and even not having some things our friends have. All the while we lose focus on the most important thing--that which is within us. Resulting in many of us on the brink of spiritual dehydration.
The second key factor is that we choose the wrong source to replenish our energy. We convince ourselves that a little more success; a little more money; a little more food and drink and R&R, a little more achievement and recognition, and perhaps even a little more of "you" will replenish that which you are lacking. The energy and drive and focus you have lost to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ will just come back when all other systems are on track--so you think.
Let me pause for a moment and remind you of what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. He said, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred; and you are that temple" (1 Corinthians 3: 16-17).
In his latest book "Counterfeit Gods", Timothy Keller writes: "After the global economic crisis began in mid-2008, there followed a tragic string of suicides of formerly wealthy and well-connected individuals. The acting chief financial officer of Freddie Mac hanged himself in his basement. The chief executive of Sheldon Good, a leading U.S. real estate auction firm, shot himself in the head behind the wheel of his Jaguar. A French money manager who invested the wealth of many of Europe's royal and leading families, and who had lost $1.4 billion of his clients' money in Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, slit his wrists and died in his Madison Avenue office."
Friends, the sooner we claim the wealth of hope, joy, future, purpose, love, acceptance, forgiveness and life that is "within us" the sooner we will be replenished and energized to live as vibrant players on the team of Jesus Christ.
Is the Kingdom of God a future reality to be hoped for or a present reality to experience now? That is really the question isn't it? The answer of course is "Yes." Certainly the Kingdom of God will be fully ushered in when Jesus comes again. However, I am convinced that we most definitely can experience Kingdom living here and now. We can begin by embracing the King of the Kingdom. We can recognize that within us resides the capacity to love the unlovable; to be a friend to the friendless; to serve rather than to be served; to forgive and be forgiven; to heal and be healed; to worship and praise; to live in humble reliance upon the Almighty Father; to give expecting nothing in return and to trust and obey with the assurance that the good and perfect will of The Father has and will again, overcome the world!
Have you welcomed Jesus to reside in your heart? If you have, then I believe the Kingdom of God is also within you?
Let me close with this: It is actually something I received from a friend a couple of days ago. It starts out, "Lord, for this New Year I pray I might have more "more"..and more "less"... Then she writes, "more peace...less friction, more hope...less discouragement, more love...less division, more joy...less grumbling, more faith...less disbelief, more gratefulness...less whining, more service...less selfishness, more moving forward...less standing still, more awe...less ho-hum, more giving...less spending, more forgiveness...less grudges, more inclusion...less exclusion, more kindness...less apathy, more commitment, less wavering, more worship, more praise--just simply more of You, Lord...and less of me" (Karen Anderson, 2009).
Imagine with me--just for a moment--if every time we sweated, people could really see what was in us--just like the Gatorade commercial.
Here is the question--would they see the Kingdom of God?
It is in you!
AMEN.
How are you at finding your way around? Have you made the move to a GPS system where you can simply punch in an address and then wait for a voice to tell you where to turn and when?
Well, I must tell you, I am very fascinated with the GPS but here is my problem--I need a GPS to tell me how to work a GPS!
This morning, as we continue in our study of The Kingdom--we will turn to God's Powerful Scripture--His "GPS" if you will--to gain a little direction for where His Kingdom is located.
Turn with me to Luke 17: 20-21
In early summer of 1965, a University of Florida assistant coach sat down with a team of university physicians and asked them to determine why so many of his players were being affected by heat and heat related illnesses. The researchers -- Dr. Robert Cade, Dr. Dana Shires, Dr. H. James Free and Dr. Alejandro de Quesada -- soon discovered two key factors that were causing the Gator players to 'wilt': the fluids and electrolytes the players lost through sweat were not being replaced, and the large amounts of carbohydrates the players' bodies used for energy were not being replenished. The researchers then took their findings and created a sports drink--they called their concoction 'Gatorade'.
Word about Gatorade began to spread outside of the state of Florida, and both the University of Richmond and Miami of Ohio, began ordering batches of Gatorade for their football teams. Orders from other college football programs across the country soon followed, as playing without Gatorade on your sidelines began to be likened to playing with just ten men on the field. Today, Gatorade can be found on the sidelines of more than 70 Division I colleges as the official sports drink of their men's and women's intercollegiate sports. In the years that followed, Gatorade made the move to the NFL and in 1983, Gatorade became the official sports drink of the NFL--a title it holds to this day.
Interesting history for a tremendously popular sports drink. But when I think about Gatorade I think about the tag line they have been using lately in their marketing ads: "Is it in you?" It goes with high profile athletes who have accomplished much in their sport shown in action in black in white. Then, as they show them sweating--their sweat is the color of Gatorade -- thus the tag line!
Now, based on the above time line--I am pretty convinced that when Jesus said to the Pharisees, "It is within you" He wasn't talking about Gatorade. No, Jesus was referring to the Kingdom of God.
Don't you just love how Jesus has a way of transforming the way we see things?
"There are times when the pastor's task is not enviable. I suppose that's what Vance Havner had in mind when he was the first to say that our job is to comfort the afflicted and on occasion afflict the comfortable. I would a lot rather do the first, though there are times that I have to do both" (Bruce Larson, Setting Men Free).
To some extent I think that is exactly what Jesus was doing to the Pharisees--afflicting the comfortable, that is. You will recall that the Pharisees were expecting an altogether different kingdom than what Jesus would bring. And thus may have been testing Jesus since they had not seen Him doing what a king would do to prepare himself for a takeover--they hoped for a political redeemer through whom God would bless and exalt Israel above the nations. Thus, the Pharisees could not comprehend that the kingdom of God had already arrived with Jesus--quite frankly, it made them uncomfortable. The kingdom of God was among the people because Jesus was among them. The kingdom of God is not a political or geographical entity; it is a power within Jesus' disciples.
Perhaps you are sitting here this morning and feeling a little comfortable. Well, let me see if I can "afflict" you a little!!
As I thought about this concoction 'Gatorade' in relation to Jesus' statement that the Kingdom of God is within you--I couldn't help but think about two key factors that seem to cause Jesus' disciples to wilt.
The first is that we are not replacing what we are losing through sweat. We spend so much time "sweating" to keep up with the world. We work and work and work to do things for the world's approval--sweating deadlines, market fluctuations, creditors calling, and even not having some things our friends have. All the while we lose focus on the most important thing--that which is within us. Resulting in many of us on the brink of spiritual dehydration.
The second key factor is that we choose the wrong source to replenish our energy. We convince ourselves that a little more success; a little more money; a little more food and drink and R&R, a little more achievement and recognition, and perhaps even a little more of "you" will replenish that which you are lacking. The energy and drive and focus you have lost to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ will just come back when all other systems are on track--so you think.
Let me pause for a moment and remind you of what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. He said, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred; and you are that temple" (1 Corinthians 3: 16-17).
In his latest book "Counterfeit Gods", Timothy Keller writes: "After the global economic crisis began in mid-2008, there followed a tragic string of suicides of formerly wealthy and well-connected individuals. The acting chief financial officer of Freddie Mac hanged himself in his basement. The chief executive of Sheldon Good, a leading U.S. real estate auction firm, shot himself in the head behind the wheel of his Jaguar. A French money manager who invested the wealth of many of Europe's royal and leading families, and who had lost $1.4 billion of his clients' money in Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, slit his wrists and died in his Madison Avenue office."
Friends, the sooner we claim the wealth of hope, joy, future, purpose, love, acceptance, forgiveness and life that is "within us" the sooner we will be replenished and energized to live as vibrant players on the team of Jesus Christ.
Is the Kingdom of God a future reality to be hoped for or a present reality to experience now? That is really the question isn't it? The answer of course is "Yes." Certainly the Kingdom of God will be fully ushered in when Jesus comes again. However, I am convinced that we most definitely can experience Kingdom living here and now. We can begin by embracing the King of the Kingdom. We can recognize that within us resides the capacity to love the unlovable; to be a friend to the friendless; to serve rather than to be served; to forgive and be forgiven; to heal and be healed; to worship and praise; to live in humble reliance upon the Almighty Father; to give expecting nothing in return and to trust and obey with the assurance that the good and perfect will of The Father has and will again, overcome the world!
Have you welcomed Jesus to reside in your heart? If you have, then I believe the Kingdom of God is also within you?
Let me close with this: It is actually something I received from a friend a couple of days ago. It starts out, "Lord, for this New Year I pray I might have more "more"..and more "less"... Then she writes, "more peace...less friction, more hope...less discouragement, more love...less division, more joy...less grumbling, more faith...less disbelief, more gratefulness...less whining, more service...less selfishness, more moving forward...less standing still, more awe...less ho-hum, more giving...less spending, more forgiveness...less grudges, more inclusion...less exclusion, more kindness...less apathy, more commitment, less wavering, more worship, more praise--just simply more of You, Lord...and less of me" (Karen Anderson, 2009).
Imagine with me--just for a moment--if every time we sweated, people could really see what was in us--just like the Gatorade commercial.
Here is the question--would they see the Kingdom of God?
It is in you!
AMEN.
