When negatives become positives
Scripture: Luke 21:5-19

What does it mean to have peace of mind?
Does peace of mind come only when everything is perfect, when all the problems and challenges of life are resolved and the details fall into place?

In our society, we have gotten peace of mind tied to our standard of living or the standard of living we wish to attain.

We look for peace of mind by having a steady income, insurance benefits and a retirement plan.

We think we will get peace of mind from having a roof over our heads, and better still owning the house where we live. We expect some peace of mind when we can get away and go fishing, or golfing, or just sight-seeing for a while.

Luke records for us in the 12 chapter beginning in the 13th verse a story told by Jesus. A man, whose farm produced a bumper crop, did not have anywhere to store all the grain. He devised a plan to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. Then he would have fulfilled his goal of having enough, he would be able to say, to his soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."

In this story, God came to the man in the night and said, "You have missed the point of your plenty. Tonight you die, what about your soul then, and who will get all this stuff you have worked so hard to attain?"

The man thought he was providing for his "soul". He thought he was going to attain "peace of mind". His "positive" was turned into a "negative." His soul, could not be satisfied with "plenty".

In fact again and again we see Jesus teaching that "soul" and "lots of stuff" do not go together at all.

In this scripture for today, Luke tells us that Jesus lived in a world of turmoil. We may look at the life of Jesus and see that he hardly every had any peace.

He was tormented by those who should have welcomed him. They should have stood with him in his work to usher in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus did not have a job and a paycheck every two weeks.
Jesus did not own his own home, or have a closet so full of clothes that spill over and pile up on the bedroom floor. In fact many times Jesus slept outdoors or at the home of friends. He lived with unbelievable negatives every day.

Jesus never took a vacation, and walked everywhere he went. Other than the account of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, we never hear of him having any creature comforts.

Yet he had peace of mind that was beyond anyone's imagination.

How much peace of mind would be possible if you were being harassed by the authorities, with no steady income, no place to live, one suit of clothes, and you weren't sure where you were going to eat your next meal?

Luke tells the story of one day, during the last week before the death of Jesus; the disciples were admiring the beauties of the Temple. One thing was secure forever that was Temple. This Temple stood as a positive forever.

It was built by Herod the Great, the King who wanted the Child Jesus dead, but died four years later. Herod didn't get the Temple project finished. Even in Jesus' day it was still under construction. History tells us the Temple was having the finishing touches put on it, when it was destroyed by Rome, in 70AD.

As the disciples were walking along the streets toward the Temple in all its glory in the ancient city of Jerusalem, this city that was forever, they were pretty contented with where they were and who they were.
This Temple represented all that was positive in life.
They were the disciples of none other than Jesus, the Son of David, and the heir to the throne of Israel. He would rule from the Temple when he became the King of all Kings.
I can just hear the inner thoughts of the disciples, "Hope I get a corner office with a window."

Jesus said, "What this temple? Are you kidding? Very soon now there won't be one stone on top of another.
This positive will be turned into a negative. There will be nothing but horror and blood shed in this city. But don't be terrified, for something else has to happen before this city collapses.

You will be hauled into courts and bounced from one trial to another and put in prison. Lawyers and religious officials will try to trip you up and get you confused. But don't think this is a negative. God will turn that negative it into a positive. You will see your trials before officials as opportunities to testify about what you know about me.

Don't try to rehearse what you will say. You can't trust what you think will be asked, or what you think you will answer. You really can't prepare. You can't do anything but trust me.

At the right time I will give you the right words and wisdom. Those who oppose you won't be able to withstand or contradict your words. Even you will be surprised by your brilliant answers. That negative will become a positive. You will know then that I have given you those words.

Those you love will greatly disappoint you. Your friends and relatives will actually be those who point you out to the authorities so you may be arrested. You will be outcasts because of your love for me.

But even when that happens, even as negative as that is, guess what?
You will see great positives. You are safe."

Then Jesus says to his followers, "By your endurance you will gain your souls."

There is the key, my friends, the awesome message of Christ, the supreme negative has become the ultimate positive.

Jesus told the disciples, "Even when the worst happens, when you are turned over to be tortured, maybe hanged, or imprisoned in some dank dirty cell, when you use that as an opportunity to stand for your faith and you do that day after day...
Guess what? You have gained your soul. You have been put in touch with that eternal part of yourself that is put there by God.

The real you, knows you did your best to stay true to your faith. The real you knows that even though you may lose everything and even your life, still you have won. You have attained the peace of mind. You have gained your soul."

My family and I knew a poor widow who lived in a small apartment alone.
She was not well, and did not go far from her home. She crocheted for a past-time and sold her doilies. Margaret and I picked out a pattern for her to make a piano scarf for our piano.
She worked on it several weeks; then called me one day. "I have made a mistake in the pattern. I have to start over, so it will take me a while longer."

I stopped by on my way home for lunch. I could not see a mistake. Besides, what she saw as a mistake was going to be on the back side of the piano, no one would ever see it. She had already used over a mile of thread.

I said, "Don't worry about it, it doesn't matter on the back side, just go ahead and finish it. It will be fine."
"Oh, no," she said. "I know it isn't right and I won't have any peace knowing that I could have done better. If I'm going to do this, I want to do it right. I'm going to rip it out and start over." She did.

What is it inside a person that requires us to do our best? Even when we face a negative? What motivates us toward excellence?

I believe we are motivated by that part of us that was breathed into our bodies by God.

Although none of us is ever perfect as God is perfect, there is something in us that requires us to do our best and until we recognize that and allow it to govern what we do, we never have that peace of mind we all so desperately seek.

Maybe no one else knows that you did your best on your math homework, and maybe it won't be an A+ but you know. You don't have any peace doing only part of it and hoping the teacher will not notice.

Maybe no one else knows you did your best at washing the dishes, or polishing your shoes, or figuring out your budget, or washing your car, but you know, and there is great personal satisfaction in knowing you did your best.

We all live with something deep inside ourselves that cries out for attention and satisfaction. That part of us is our soul. That part that each of us we are intimately acquainted with beyond any other relationship. We all have one breathed into us by the living God. It must be fed and nurtured if we are to have the peace we all want.

It is that part of us that will return to God, when our bodies die. We talked about that last Sunday when we talked about heaven. But our soul has a function while we are on earth as well. That is to keep us connected to our God who put it within us.

There is so much in our society that promises us a bigger better, more secure whatever, and when we go after it, we find that something is always missing and we seem to go through life pretty tired and less than we could be.

Listen to these words of Jesus as they are given to us in Matthew 11:28-30
"Come unto me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Jesus says, "Come bearing all the negatives your life has produced, all those areas where you know you don't measure up, and let me show you the way to real rest, real peace of mind."
He says, "Take my yoke upon you."

Jesus was a carpenter. He knew that a yoke made for an oxen had to be fitted exactly to a particular animal. If the yoke fit correctly the ox was able to pull the wagon comfortably.
Jesus said that the yoke he has for us, is the equipment tailor-made for each of us so we may pull what we have to pull in life.
That yoke comes when we learn from him. He loves us dearly and offers us rest, did your hear it, "for your soul."

Here is the bottom line. Are you tired of carrying around those negatives, those things that worry you and pull you down? Are you tired of not being what you know you would be? Are you tired of carrying around perhaps something that no one else knows you carry, but it affects your soul, your relationship to God?

The truth is: we all have a soul. There is part of God in all of us and it longs to be connected to God. The longer we try to satisfy it with anything else the heavier the burden grows.

That soul within us is always challenging us to do our best at being a parent, a spouse, a business person, teacher, doctor, lawyer, welder, mechanic, student, and we know that even when we try there are so many negatives, we don't seem to have the resources we need.

Luke 21:5-19
Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, "As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down."
"Teacher," they asked, "when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?"

He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away."

Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

"But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will result in your being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life.
(From the New International Version of the Bible.)

CHOOSE: Homepage • Worship • Sunday School • Sermon
Children • Youth • Women • Men • Older Adults
Calendar • Contact Us