Sermon, 2015-01-04, The Jesus Priorities, Put God First1
Would you rather be right or be happy?
Imagine a friend or loved one has done something
that hurt you a lot or just ticked you off.
You’ve confronted them with how it affected you,
but they do not see it the way you see it.
If you press and insist that they see that you’re right,they may see it.
But, then you might lose in your relationship in some real way.
Would you rather be right or happy?
Show of hands, who here tends to prefer to be right?
Who here tends to prefer to be happy?
Who here wants to protest which hand your spouse just raised?
So, that means you raised your hand for being right?
Right?
Who here thinks you should absolutely always be right,
even if it means you won’t be happy?
And I say to you, you are so right! :)
I just wanna be ... :)
Of course, we’d rather be both; but sometimes we can’t be both.
Sometimes in order to make peace, and give grace, or to serve others
we can’t insist that others know or admit we are right.
Sometimes we realize that too late.
In one way, this is an issue of priorities.
Which is more important to you.
Which takes priority in your mind.
Is being right a greater priority?
Or is being happy a greater priority?
Right? :) Happy? :)
So much of how we live our lives is about our priorities.
Look at this encounter Jesus has.
Jesus knew his priorities and he lived by them.
Luke 13:10-17
On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,11and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years.She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.12When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her,“Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”13Then he put his hands on her,and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
14Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath,the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work.So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
15The Lord answered him,“You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?16Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham,whom Satanhas kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
17When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated,but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
Can you see how this is an issue of priorities?
What is the synagogue leader’s priority here?
What is more important to him?
Keep the sabbath.
“Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
One of the 10 Commandments.
It’s a good thing.
But what is Jesus’ priority here?
What is more important to Jesus?
To set the woman free.
To heal.
To alleviate people’s pain and suffering.
Jesus operated, he lived and acted, according to priorities.
Healing was one of his priorities.
If you study the gospels you can find Jesus healed people36 times.
Those 36 events are written about 63 times in the 4 gospels.
We can ask what were Jesus’ priorities in both of these ways.
We can ask
- What did Jesus do most often?
When we look at the gospels, what did Jesus do most?
That would likely be a priority of his that we should imitate.
And we can say,
- Are there events that show or that Jesus tells us
what was important to him or what he made a priority.
Like this sabbath healing issue that shows Jesus saying
that something ismore important to him.
Title slide.
As we start a new year, for a couple weeks, I think
it would be valuable for us to look at the life and teachings of Jesus through the lens of his priorities.
And, we can say if this is important to Jesus,
it should be important to us.
If Jesus putsomething before other things,
then in our lives it should come before other things.
So look with me at another place where Jesus makes his priorities clear.
Mark 12:28-31
One of the teachers of the lawcame and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29“The most important one,”answered Jesus,“is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”
A familiar passage, but a very important one, right?
Someone asks Jesus of all the commandments of God,
which is first,
which ranks first.
It’s literally the Greek word proto/prota – first.
Ποία ἐστὶν πρώτη πασῶν ἐντολὴ- which is the first commandment.
But the idea is clearly: “which is the most important.”
For his answer, Jesus quotes from the OT book of Deuteronomy 6:4-5,
and says,
“The most important command is this:
the Lord our God is one Lord - or the Lord alone.
and we are to love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
First, the thing that comes before all other things is this:
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Put God first in every way.
With every part of your being and life – put God first.
Put God first.
That’s what Jesus said.
That’s what Jesus did.
That’s what we should do.
Everyone who knows that’s true say amen!
Here’s a New Year’s resolution for you for 2015:
Put God first! 2x.
And, so let me suggest 4 ways you can Put God first in 2015.
These are
Four spiritual habits that help usPut God First.
Basing them on what Jesus said here – heart, soul, mind, and strength.
But also basing them on the priorities of Jesus we can see in other places.
- Love God with all your heart – Worship God first.
Luke 4:16says,
He [Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.
On the sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue.
The synagogue was the Jewish gathering place for worship.
It was Jesus’ custom!!
It was his habit.
He made it a priority. to do it every sabbath.
He has the encounter w/ the synagogue leader over healing on the sabbath.
He was following the 4th commandment that said
work for 6 days, but on the 7th day you rest.
It is the Lord’s day.
It is holy.
Jews worshipped God on the 7th day.
They counted that from sundown Friday to all day Saturday.
But Christians don’t worship on Friday or Saturday.
Do you know why?
We worship on the day that Christ arose.
When we gather to worship we are celebrating the resurrection.
The early Christians moved their day of worship from Fri night/ Saturday
to Sunday morning, because that’s when Christ arose.
That means we worship on the first day of the week.
Sunday is not the last day of the week.
It is the first day of the week.
We worship God first when we come to gather to worship
on Sunday morning.
The principle of rest is still valid.
The principle of giving God one day in seven still holds.
But, in Christ, the Lord’s day, the holy day, is the first day of the week.
Put God first!
Do not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing.
Make it your habit, your custom, to give God his first day.
Put worshiping God before all the other things that could take your Sunday. Prioritize worship gathering in your life.
Worship God first.
Four spiritual habits that help us to Put God First.
1. Love God with all your heart – Worship God first.
- Love God with all your soul – Pray. Talk with God
Worship could be said to be a heart thing.
Prayer could be said to be a soul thing.
The biblical words for soul in Hebrew & Greek have the idea of breath.
Our soul is our breath/our life.
Singing and praying could be said to come from our soul.
Jesus is recorded praying 23 different times in the gospels.
It was atop priority of his.
Mark 1:35says,
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Jesus prayed first thing in his day.
So, let’s say we should
a)Pray first.
He did it prior to, before, anything else.
That’s a good spiritual habit.
If you don’t pray, I encourage you to start with a simple morning prayer
“Good morning Father.
Bless this day and guide me that I might love you in all I do.
And maybe let that grow into praying for other things for the day.
Don’t pick up the phone and check your Facebook or email
before you check-in with God first.
And, notice that in this passage Jesus was alone when he prayed.
Our prayer habit should include:
b)Pray alone
Jesus had solitary times of prayer.
10 times the gospel writers record how Jesus prayed alone.
And they weren’t all in the early morning.
Jesus told his disciples to pray in their closets,
so they wouldn’t be praying for others to hear.
But at other times Jesus prayed for others to hear his prayer.
So, we should also,
c)Pray with others
When he asked the Father for Lazarus to be raised, Jesus said,
John 11:41-42
“Father,I thank you that you have heard me.42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,that they may believe that you sent me.”
Jesusprayed so others could hear so they’d have their faith strengthened.
We need to pray to God in the presence of others
so their faith can be strengthened.
This could be praying with your family, your children.
This could be praying with others in times of their need.
This could be praying with prayer partners.
We have a prayer group for women starting this Friday if you’d like to
join them to pray.
Lastly on this point, I’d say,
d)Pray and listen
It’s not just you and others, God also speaks in prayer.
Luke 3:21-22
When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying,heaven was opened22and the Holy Spirit descended on himin bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
God might not crack the sky to speak to us,
But he speaks and impresses us by his Spirit, especially when we pray.
Here’s a great little story about God speaking in prayer.
A young manprayed and said, “O God, give me happiness.”
God said, “No. I give you blessings; happiness is up to you.”
So after considering that he asked, “God take away my pride.”
God answered saying, “No. your pride is not mine to take away; it isyours to give up.”
He asked God, “God, help me grow.”
“No,” God replied, “I will not make you grow. I will prune you so you will bear more fruit.”
The young man persisted, “God,please spare me pain.”
“No,” said God. “Pain draws you away from worldly cares and draws you closer to me.”
The young man considered this and then tried again in earnest.
“O God, take my handicapped child and make her whole.”
God said to him, “No. Her spirit is whole. The body is only temporary.”
The young man asked God for all things that he might enjoy life.
But God said, “No. I gave you life, so that you might enjoy all things.”
The man became frustrated and said, “God? Don’t you love me at all?
And God assured him, “I do. I gave you my only son, so that if you believed in him, you would have eternal life.”
The man was quiet for a long time. He finally raised his voice once more in prayer and said, “God, help me to love others as much as you love me.”
“Okay,” said God “You’re finally getting it.”
This is kind of a cute/clever example, but it’s true:
Prayer can be a conversation.
As you pray, stop and listen.
God will speak. God will impress.
Following the example of Jesus
Make prayer a priority.
Pray first. Pray alone
Pray with others
Pray and listen.
These next 2 are shorter.
Four spiritual habits you can practice to Put God First.
1. Love God with all your heart – Worship God first.
2. Love God with all your soul – Pray.
- Love God with all your mind – Read God’s Word.
Jesus knew God’s Word – it was a huge priority in his life.
Jesus is recorded quoting 24 Old Testament books in the gospels.
He knew it as a young man enough to impress the teachers in the temple with his understanding and questions – in Luke 2.
In Matthew 4, he quotes God’s Word repeatedly
to resist the devil’s temptation.
In the sermon on the Mount he quotes it over and over,
to teach others.
Prioritize Bible reading in your life.
If you read 15-20 minutes a day, you will read the Bible in a year.
If the Old Testament is too thick, start at the New Testament.
If you do it before you turn on the TV in the evening.
Or, if you do it in the morning before you check your phone,
it will help you make it a habit.
There is a good Bible reading plan in your worship folder.
Or Google Bible app and the first several results will be for the best free Bible app out there – YouVersion.
It is 100% free.
There are dozens of reading plans in the app.
You can even listen as you read or as you drive or get ready in the a.m.
Prioritize Bible reading in your life.
It will change your life.
It will increase your faith.
It will give you wisdom.
It will help you to love God in every way.
Last one.
- Love God with all your strength – Obey God.
Jesus said,
John 6:38
I have come down from heavennot to do my will but to do the willof him who sent me.
Jesus came to obey his Father.
This was one of his priorities.
In the OT, in Deuteronomy 6, 10, 11, 13, 30 and Joshua 22,
everytime there is a call to love God with all your heart and soul – there is a call to obey God’s commands.
Like Deuteronomy 13:3-4
TheLordyour God is testingyou to find out whether you lovehim with all your heart and with all your soul.4It is theLordyour God you must follow,and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fastto him.
I think this is how we are to love God with all our strength –
Be strong, be firm, be steadfast in obeying the commands of Christ.
It’s not easy.
It takes strong faith.
And it take strength of will to be obedient.
To resist the world.
To resist our flesh.
It is hard, but Jesus said,
John 14:23-24
“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching....24Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.”
Do you love God with all your strength?
Put God first in your choices and actions.
Set yourself apart to God.
Love him in how you live.
Be holy because He is holy.
Put God first in worship.
Worship him on the first day of every week with us, together.
Make it a priority.
Pray. Pray first in the morning.
Pray alone. Pray with others. Pray and listen.
Read God’s Word.
Make it a habit. Begin again. Do it before other media.
(Blank slide)
Here’s a New Year’s resolution for you for 2015:
Put God first.
Jesus said this comes first,
this takes priority,
this is the most important thing
Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your mind
and with all your strength.
Amen.