You’re Too Far Gone
Notes
Transcript
My wife loves the beach. She loves to sit on the shore all day long, being baked by the sun. I’m not a fan. I think it began as a parent. Going to the ocean with my kids was a full time job of lugging stuff and entertaining kids, and most of all constantly being vigilant and nervous about what was in the water or a riptide dragging my boys out into the ocean.
That nightmare almost came true for a family in Massachusetts in 2020.
It was a beautiful day at Preston Beach on the coast of Massachusetts which is why a Marblehead dad brought three of his children down to play in the water. When his five-year-old girl climbed into a little raft to paddle around, it was formula for trouble.
"The raft had high sides to it and once that gets the wind it's just a big sail and off she goes," said Deputy Marblehead Harbormaster Craig Smith.
Just after 2:30, a flurry of 911 calls began about a father frantically swimming after his daughter as she drifted out to sea.
Both the Marblehead and Swampscott harbormasters launched their boats and when they first spotted the raft several hundred yards out. As they approached the raft, they were concerned because they could see no signs of life on the little raft. But that concern was short-lived because as they pulled up alongside the raft, up popped the girl.
After she was pulled onboard the rescue boat, she told them the very last advice her dad shouted to her was "Stay on the raft no matter what."
The rescue effort wasn't over, though, because it turns out the youngster's family had commandeered another raft and were paddling their way out.
The father of the child and his friend were frantically paddling toward the little girl we scooped them up, brought them into the beach," Smith said.
By the time rescuers brought the little girl in, she was actually in pretty good spirits, proudly telling them that the boat ride back to shore in their vessel was her first.
Like the little girl, I remember yelling at my kids, “Don’t go out too far.” I still want to yell that at my 20 and 21 year old every time we go to the beach.
Starting a New Sermon Series called I Didn’t Say That. We’re going to go through some of the biggest things people think Jesus said that he actually never really said.
Each week, we’ll begin with the big lie, and then we’ll look at scripture to see what Jesus really said. I know it’s Easter, but today, our text is in line with that, thought not directly.
He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them.
And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The Lie: Jesus didn't die for you.
The Lie: Jesus didn't die for you.
You have friends and family that are Christian, but they haven't messed up like you have. Jesus doesn't love you, and he certainly didn't die for your sins.
You're damaged goods.
You're too far gone.
You've messed up too much.
You've sinned too much for him to love you.
The Truth:
And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The truth is this, You can never go too Far for Christ to save you where you are.
The truth is this, You can never go too Far for Christ to save you where you are.
You are Damaged, but Jesus is a physician for damaged people. (Mark 2:17)
You are Damaged, but Jesus is a physician for damaged people. (Mark 2:17)
My wife was changing my bandages from my surgery. She was worried she was going to hurt me and so she was sweetly and gingerly attempting to take the tape off.
I told her to rip it off.
That’s exactly what I’m going to do today. Here’s the truth: You are damaged goods. We all are. Some like to think we’re like the items at a scratch and dent appliance place. There’s a scuff here, a dent there.
No, we are like a refrigerator that has been stuffed with TNT. We’re destroyed. Sin came in and devastated us.
But Jesus loves the damaged.
Jesus hung around the damaged. We tend to want to clean up our lives, to focus on being around fixed people. But Jesus lived life in the emergency room.
Emergency rooms are chaotic, and disgusting. They’re filled with hurting and broken people, people who often lash out, and act in ways that are not safe.
But that's where we always find Jesus. Jesus is not at the city hall, he's at he well speaking with the Samaritan Woman. He's at the pool of Bethesda with the cripples.
He eating dinner with the tax collectors, hanging out with the rebels, getting a pedicure from a prostitute. In other words, he's right where you are.
You’re broken. Seemingly beyond repair, and that’s exactly where Jesus is. Yes, some would say, “you’ve sinned too much. You’ve gone too far.” But you don't have to look for Jesus, he's already where you are.
You have messed up, but recognizing it leads to repentance (Luke 19:5-10)
You have messed up, but recognizing it leads to repentance (Luke 19:5-10)
Children’s songs are great. They are ways for us to share timeless truths with children. One of my favorites is the song Zaccheus. You know,
Zaccheus was a wee, little man,
And a wee, little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree,
For the Lord he wanted to see.
And as the Savior came that way,
He looked up in the tree,
Spoken: And he said,"Zaccheus, you come down from there,"
For I'm going to your house today.
For I'm going to your house today.
In the story of Zacchaeus we see this beautiful story of a man who lived in great sin sharing a meal with Jesus.
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”
So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
But notice something that happened in the story. Zacchaeus in meeting Jesus realized his sin.
We must realize this: Jesus doesn't ignore our sin. Recently at the Superbowl this ad was played
Play the He Get's Us Superbowl Ad
In some ways this is a beautiful ad. But it stops just short of the truth. The Truth is yes Jesus washed Judas' feet, but he also called Judas to repentance over and over again. Jesus gets us, and in getting us he calls us to repent of our sins.
Zacchaeus’ story is beautiful not just because Jesus saw Zacchaeus and ate with him, but because Zacchaeus saw Jesus and repented of his sins.
He loved all of the people we mentioned before. He love the tax collectors and the prostitutes. He wept for the woman at the well, and for Judas. But he didn't condone their sin and leave them there. He called the prostitute to leave that life. He called the tax collector to return what he stole. He called the soldier to treat people well. He called the mom outside of the abortion clinic to raise her child, and the transgender to embrace who he created him to be, not a the/them, but the gender HE assigned them at birth. He calls the adulter to repent, the abuser to serve, the murderer to give life. He calls us to abandon our sin, not embrace it.
You have gone too far, but You can Never Go Too far To Outrun the POWER of the Cross (1 Timothy 1:15-17)
You have gone too far, but You can Never Go Too far To Outrun the POWER of the Cross (1 Timothy 1:15-17)
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Listen to the words of Paul. On Good Friday, the king of the universe laid himself on a cross, took a rebel’s beating and died a criminals death so that you could be saved, not just once, but for all time. Then He rose up so that as Paul noted in Romans 6 we could rise up to a New Life.
Christ came not just to save us on our good days, but to save us for all eternity.
Remember You can never go too Far for Christ to save you where you are.
Read with me the words of Resurrection Morning in Mark 16.
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.
And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.
And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.
And say these words with me, written on the screen as your declaration this Resurrection Morning!
He is risen; He is Not Here. He’s Alive!
He is risen; He is Not Here. He’s Alive!