Living the Right Life - Part A

What are you pursuing? What is your passion?

That's a common word these days. My passion is this, or I'm all about this. What is your master passion? What are you seeking above all else? You might have many wonderful pursuits in this life.

All could be noble and noteworthy, but first and foremost, it needs to be Christ. Welcome to Connect with Skip Weekend Edition. We all choose our passion in life, so is our passion taking us in the right direction? That's what we'll be talking about today, and that passion, whether we mean it to or not, is affecting the entire community we're part of. And Pastor Skip has a new teaching for us today that he's calling Living the Right Life. And here's the question we want to start with today. Are our passions taking us in the right direction?

Now, before we get started, we wanted to tell you about this month's Connect with Skip resource offer. How have conflicts and wars in the Middle East set the stage for a future apocalypse? That's the question Ron Rhodes takes head on in his new book.

Listen to this. What do you see coming in the next five or six years that might do injury to the church? And without hesitation, I said, I really feel like we're going to see an explosion of subjectivism, experientialism, and mysticism, along with occultism and some paganism. How conflicts and wars in the Middle East have set the stage for the end times. This new book by Ron Rhodes addresses issues such as understanding Islam, rebuilding the temple, and the annihilation campaign from the Antichrist.

Here's Ron Rhodes commenting on Middle East events. Did you know that in Revelation 2 and 3, we read about the church 19 times, and then in the discussion on the tribulation in chapters 4 through 18, you don't see the church a single time. It is gone. In 1 Thessalonians 1 verse 10, we are told that the church is to be delivered from the wrath to come. That word delivered literally means snatched, snatched away from.

We are to be snatched away from the wrath to come, which is a reference to the tribulation period. With your gift of $50 or more to connect with Skip Heitzig, you'll receive a copy of this new book from Ron Rhodes. Your gift will support the production and expansion of the Connect with Skip broadcast. Call 1-800-922-1888 or go online to connectwithskip.com with your donation, and we'll thank you with a copy of Ron Rhodes' new book, How Conflicts and Wars in the Middle East, have set the stage for the end times. That's 1-800-922-1888 or connectwithskip.com. So let's join Pastor Skip Heitzig for this new message in the current series, Believe 879, entitled Living the Right Life.

Here's Pastor Skip. Doing the right thing doesn't come easy for some people. You can just ask the IRS, and they'll tell you that every year they have people who have some interesting excuses as to why they shouldn't file their tax returns. According to one IRS source, one woman from Florida had a creative excuse. It was tax season, and she informed the IRS that she just wasn't in the mood this year to file. Those were her words. But then she promised the IRS agent that the following year she would file two returns. That didn't go over very well.

They just said, we suggest you get in the mood now. One man wrote the IRS a letter and said, please take me off your mailing list. That's thinking.

Didn't work. And finally, they say that once in New York City in tax court, when Judge Dawson was presiding, one person had the nerve to say, as God is my judge, I do not owe this tax. And the judge said, he's not. I am.

You do. Next case. I want to talk to you about doing right. And not just doing right, but being right. Living right. But being right. Living right.

What is the right way to live? Dennis Prager traveled for years around the United States and spoke to high school groups. And he asked them a question. And he was doing this for his own research. The question was simple. In an emergency situation, would you save the life of your dog or a stranger first? Would you save the life of a dog or the life of a stranger first? He said, almost without exception, the kid said, I would save the life of my dog. And he asked them why. And they simply replied, well, I love my dog.

I don't love the stranger. And what Prager was putting together is that what is good is defined as what I feel is what I feel. There is no higher moral or standard to appeal to than simply how I feel.

What I feel is right is right. So I decided to look up in the dictionary the definition of right. And I went to my online dictionary, dictionary.com, and they defined it as what is in accordance with what is good and proper and the conformity with fact and reason, the conformity with fact and reason.

Well, that interested me. So I decided to compare that dictionary definition with the definition of Webster's 1828 edition, the first edition. And that edition was closer to the biblical definition of what is right. You might be surprised that the dictionary said this. It's according to the standard of truth and justice or the will of God. That's in the dictionary. That alone is right in the sight of God, which is consonant to his will or law, this being the only standard of truth and justice.

My, have things changed on our landscape in just over 150 years. What is right? Living right. I'm going to warn you that living right is not easy and it's not comfortable. And if you do so, you walk the less traveled road.

To live right means you will sometimes have to put away what feels good or feels right to you. You have to push that aside. You'll have to decide on something that is far less glamorous. It doesn't always feel good now. But it will feel great later.

On Monday, tomorrow morning, when the alarm goes off, at whatever time that is for you, when that alarm goes off, that annoying sound rings in your ear. Do you hop out of bed and go, goody, yippee, I get to go to work? You might, you might do that. I'm scared of you if you do, but you might.

But probably you don't. Probably what you do is you defer the momentary pleasure of laying in bed and lingering and enjoying it to the eventual pleasure of collecting the paycheck. You go to work. If it's Saturday and your wife comes to you with that look, guys, or that tone of voice and says, I think you need to clean this up. I'm going to need to clean the garage. It's really messy.

And that happens at the time you just turn on the game. What do you do? Well, if you're smart, you're going to clean the garage. Why?

Because when mama's not happy, ain't nobody happy. Just go do it. You'll be happier in the long run.

You can TiVo that baby and get to it or get the score online. However, it's much, it's much deeper than collecting a paycheck or making a person happy. Doing what is right back to Webster's dictionary is living in such a way that is consonant to the will of God. Well, we're in chapter 12 and we continue our story from last week as Jesus came into Jerusalem. It's Passover time.

There's crowds of people that have gathered from all over the world. And there's one special group that wants to see Jesus. They want a private audience with him in the midst of this Passover week. And in the midst of this little paragraph we're reading, there are three things that are right and all together make living the right life, the right pursuit, the right provision and the right priorities and all three together blend beautifully in helping us live the right way.

Here's the first one, the right pursuit. We begin in verse 20. Now, there were certain Greeks among those who came to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip who was from Bethsaida of Galilee and asked him saying, sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew, Andrew and Philip told Jesus. Okay, now we don't know who these Greeks are. We don't know their names. We don't know exactly why they're in Jerusalem or why they want to see Jesus.

A, here's a possibility. They were spiritual Greeks. That is, they had turned from paganism. They were really interested in the God of Israel. And there was a group known among the Jews that were Gentiles and they were called God fearers, God fearers. And God fearers are those who had left paganism.

They hadn't become circumcised. They were interested in attending the synagogue and so they could have come to Passover for spiritual reasons. Option number two, these guys were secular Greeks. They were curious about the philosophy that Jesus might espouse. I discovered by reading this week that at this time the Greeks generally were known as wanderers who would go almost anywhere to pick up the latest, newest philosophy to add to their cadre of philosophical beliefs. There was one Greek writer that even said, you men of Athens have no rest.

Give yourselves no rest and you don't give anybody else any rest. They were just searching perhaps for some new philosophy from Jesus. Do you remember when Paul went to Athens, Greece and he preached? That's Acts 17. We're told this by the author, Luke. For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time and nothing else but either to tell or hear some new thing. Sounds like a university campus.

I just want to hear something new, something different, something way out. They had gathered in Athens these Greeks just to hear something new. They had gathered in Athens these something new. It could be that these Greeks wanted to hear what Jesus had to offer in the philosophies of life.

They came for whatever reason they want to see Jesus. Who did they come to first, we're told? Philip. Why Philip? I don't know, but Philip is a Greek name. The father of Alexander the Great was Philip of Macedon. That was a very prominent Greek name. By the way, Philip means lover of horses.

Who doesn't love people who love horses? They come to Philip. John puts a note in there. Philip was from Bethsaida in Galilee.

Why does he do that? Here's why I think. Bethsaida of Galilee was right next to a huge Greek colonized area known as the Decapolis. I don't know for sure, but probably these Greeks at the Passover feast already had known Philip from Bethsaida, and they spotted him. They had some kind of a relationship with him, knowledge of him, acquaintance with him, and so they saw him. They go, hey, we want to see Jesus. So he told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

There's something else that I think is vital. John is the only gospel author that inserts this story of the seeking Greeks. The others do not. Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not include it. John does include it. And that's because that's central to a message John is trying to get across. Here's what John wants us to know. Jesus Christ was not only the redeemer for Israel and the Jews, but the entire world, including Gentiles. And that's why John 3 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. That's why we have John chapter 4, where the Samaritans rightly say he's the savior of the world. John includes that.

So here's what I think John wants us to see. At this time before Jesus' death, as the doors are closing, the doors of formal Judaism are closing to Jesus, the doors of Gentile opportunity are opening to Jesus. And that's going to continue through the book of Acts as the gospel goes from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. Don't you find it fascinating that at the beginning of Jesus' life, wise men from the east came looking for Jesus. At the end of his life, wise men from the west come. As if to bookend the life, Gentiles are coming to seek him. So they say we want to see Jesus, or we'd like a private audience with them. That's the idea.

They just didn't want to look at him and see what he looked like so they could like paint a picture of him. It's like when you go to a doctor and you say I'm here to see Dr. Green. I'll tell you a little story.

It's true, but it was a mean gesture. When I was training in radiology back in California years ago at the hospital I was at, it was late one evening. The emergency room was packed. One of these doctors, these hotshot interns, were just getting off work and he decided to go into the emergency room and say, how many of you are here to see a doctor? And they all raised their hands. He goes, well, you've seen one. And he turned and walked away.

That's cold, isn't it? We want to see Jesus. We don't want to just see him physically.

We want a chance to have a meeting with him. So these Greeks are making the right pursuit, the right pursuit. We're told in John that the Jews were saying, we want to see a sign. The Greeks are saying, forget the sign, we just want to see Jesus.

That's the right pursuit. Let me let you in on something. In the earlier days of England and in the early days of America, many pulpits in those countries had a verse etched in the front of the pulpit so the preacher could see it when he walked into the pulpit. And it was this verse put in the King James Version, sir, we would see Jesus. And it was placed in many pulpits and I preached in some of those pulpits with those signs. It's so that when the preacher would walk into the pulpit, he would be reminded, give people Jesus. Don't give them your opinion or give them something short of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sir, we would see Jesus. But here's my point. To live right, you need the right pursuit. What are you pursuing? What is your passion?

That's a common word these days. My passion is this or I'm all about this. What is your master?

Passion. What are you seeking above all else? You might have many wonderful pursuits in this life. All could be noble and noteworthy. But first and foremost, it needs to be Christ. Jesus said, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be added to you.

I suppose the complimentary verse from the Old Testament is Psalm 27, where David writes, one thing I have desired of the Lord and that will I seek after that I might dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I might behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire in His temple. So number one, the right pursuit. Because whatever you aim at is what you're going to hit. Ask a carpenter. Carpenters don't watch the thumb and finger of the holding the nail, they watch the head of the nail. Because if you watch the thumb, you're going to hit the thumb. You watch the finger, you're going to hit the finger. You watch the nail, that's what you're going to hit. You keep your eyes on Jesus.

You keep seeking Him and pursuing Him, that's the right pursuit. That's number one. Number two, the right provision. Now, they say we want to see Jesus. These two disciples go and they tell Christ about it. The answer that Jesus gives is not what we would expect. What would you expect?

Well, put yourself in the situation. Somebody comes and says, hey, there's a group of Greeks that want to talk to you. You'd probably say, cool, great, I'd like to talk to Greeks. They make great baklava at my big fat Greek wedding.

I remember there was a lot of good food in that movie. I'd like to talk to the Greeks, that's what I'd say. But Jesus says something astonishing. In fact, in verse 23, Jesus answered them saying, the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. I imagine that when He said that, a hush of expectancy fell over that crowd. Their hearts skipped a beat.

Here's why. Remember where we've come from in our story. Jesus has just what? Come from the Mount of Olives on a donkey with palm leaves thrown at His feet and clothing thrown all over His people. He said, Hosanna, this is the Son of God.

This is the King of Israel, the Son of David. And He fulfilled Zechariah 9 and Daniel 9. So this big hubbub of activity and anticipation as for the very first and only time in Jesus' ministry, He allows Himself to be presented as their Messiah. And then He stops and He says, the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Well, what was going through the disciples' minds when He said that?

They're thinking one thing. He's going to set up His kingdom now. The hour has come. Because remember, up to this point, He's been saying, my hour has not yet come. My hour has not yet come.

That's for later. Now He says, my hour has come. The Son of Man is going to be glorified.

They're thinking, okay, this is it. He's going to set up the kingdom. Now, it's going to help me if I tell you what the disciples were thinking 2,000 years ago. And I know this because all Jews 2,000 years ago had a fixed eschatology in their heads, in their hearts. Or they believed certain things about how the end of times, the coming of the Messiah would unfold. Number one, according to their thinking, according to their study, the coming of Messiah would be preceded by a time of horrible turmoil in their land. They believed that the Roman occupation of Israel fulfilled that for them. Number two, in the midst of the turmoil, an Elijah-like forerunner would come pointing the way to Messiah. That's why people clamored over John the Baptist and said, are you Elijah? Number three, after the forerunner, the Messiah would show up, would defeat His enemies, would bring in the kingdom.

And number four, all of the scattered Jewish people around the world would return to the land of Israel and Jerusalem would be set up as the center of world peace. Well, that's where we're going to have to pause for today. The conclusion of today's teaching, Living the Right Life, is coming up next time. Let's go in studio with Skip and Lenya for a final thought.

Lenya? You know, so often the teachings were touching people in broken places or hard or difficult doubts or fears. And sometimes people are in the right place and they have the right pursuit and they're all on it for Jesus, but they want to take it to the next level. They would like to notch up their relationship with Jesus.

What kind of things would you encourage the listeners that can, you know, take them even closer to Him? I love that in our text, it was a group of Greeks who were seeking Jesus. They wanted an audience with Him. And, you know, they were just trying to get closer. They just wanted to have a proximity with Him and hear His voice and learn from Him. And they weren't even Jewish people.

They were Greeks who were just seeking Him. And I love to interface that with what Jesus promised, that if you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all other things will be added unto you. So, you know, we talk often about priorities, but I find in my own life, I get those things mixed up like every day.

I need the reminder of what my priorities are and seeking first His kingdom, and that the Lord promised if I make Him number one, He'll take care of all the other stuff. So a principle is we live by dying, that our potential is never reached until we learn to die to ourselves. And Paul said, I do it daily.

I die daily. And, you know, I'll admit I don't. There's things that I know I need to die to, and I struggle with, and I always want to keep the Lord first, but I have other interests and other things that can easily take me away. So what you're saying is some people, you say you want more of Jesus, and maybe Jesus needs more of you. Yeah, I think it's that it's surrendering more of yourself to Him.

And I think it's a magical formula. It's just a thing of obedience, ongoing, being reminded, and then being obedient. You know, I think a good example of that that comes to my mind is Moses. I mean, he had seen the plagues in Egypt, the Red Sea parting and, you know, water coming out of rocks.

And he wanted more. At some juncture, he said, Lord, show me your glory. And so, you know, even, you know, saints that we've studied in the Scripture, they wanted more of Jesus too. And they had great insight and great encounters with Him. So I would say, you know, just develop that great hunger and thirst for righteousness that you keep hungering and thirsting and pursuing.

Here's a thought. Paul the Apostle, after 30 years, said, Oh, that I might know Him. He already knew Him. But oh, that I might know Him and the power of His resurrection. But here's the next level, and the fellowship of His suffering. So if you want to know the Lord, then be willing to step into the next level, which will make your roots deeper than anything else.

And that is to suffer with the presence and by the will of your Lord. Well, thanks, Skip and Lenya. And it's easy to get a personal copy of today's study when you get in touch with us.

It's available on CD for just $4 plus shipping when you contact us at 1-800-922-1888 or when you visit connectwithskip.com. We'll continue through our series Believe 879 with more from the Gospel of John next time, right here in Connect with Skip Weekend Edition, a presentation of Connection Communications. Make a connection. Make a connection at the foot of the cross.

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