Want To

Introduction

Probably not a surprise to you that I have a question for you. Are you blessed? And what are those blessings? You were to make a list this morning. What would be on that list? Or maybe here’s a better way to ask that. What would be high on that list of your blessings? Well, I’ll give you my answers. I am blessed. I am very blessed. What’s not on my list is pretty easy. I’m not blessed with great riches. I’m not blessed with good looks, great athletic ability. I’m not blessed with a superior intellect. But I’m blessed with great people. I think about the people in my life, those who are presently in my life and those who have been in my life in the past. And below the blessings that come from my relationship with God, those would be chief on my list.

And from those tremendous people, because I know and have known some amazing people who’ve done tremendous things.

Two of the primary lessons that I’ve learned from the wonderful people that I have in my life are number one is that you do what you have to do. I’ve seen people do amazing things and make tremendous sacrifices, and I’ve wondered and even asked them at times, how could you do that? And their reply simply was I had to. I just had to. And it isn’t amazing what we can do when we just simply have to do it, when we have no choice but to step up to the plate and do what’s demanded of us. Another lesson that I’ve learned from the amazing people in my life is that to do something truly great, it takes tremendous desire and a want to.

And it’s that second lesson that I’ve learned from these amazing people that I want to talk about this morning and to make a spiritual application to that to truly serve God in the way that we ought to, it requires want to. I know you’ve made this observation as well as I have that it’s amazing what we can get out of and the excuses that we can make and the obfuscations that we can throw up if we don’t want to do something. But it’s also incredibly amazing what we can accomplish if we have a tremendous desire to do that, a burning desire, a what we’ve just simply called this morning a want to.

We want to make obviously a spiritual application. Would you turn with me to First Corinthians chapter nine this morning? As we talk about developing within us this want to, this want to please God, this want to be the best Christian that I can be, this want to rise above mediocrity, to try to be excellent in my service to God, to do amazing things in the kingdom of God. Notice what the Apostle Paul, I think we would all say, if this was a Bible class, I would open it up to discussion and question and say, What do you think about the Apostle Paul? Did he do amazing things? Did he excel in his field? Paul would say of himself that he was least of all of the apostles.

I think most of us would probably say, No, Paul, you’re being humble. You were the greatest of all the apostles. You did tremendous things. We can’t imagine all the great work that he did. But we would say of Paul, the great things that he did were because of this. Are you with me there in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and in verse 23, he said, now this I do, this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be a partaker of it with you. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run? But one receives the prize. Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown.

Therefore I run thus, not with uncertainty, thus I fight, not as one who beats the air, but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. You could argue that the Apostle Paul was a sports fan. He used sports analogies a lot in his teaching and preaching, and he certainly does this here in saying, this is what I’ve done for the gospel’s sake. And he launches in these illustrations or analogies in the sports world. And he talks about, first of all, a race. A lot of people run, but only one wins the prize. You run to win the prize. I think about always on the news, we see here locally the Disney marathons. I don’t know how many of those they have a year.

It seems like every week they’re having a marathon. And people enter that marathon. And I’m going to be, I’m going to be patient. I’m going to be restrained here. Everybody who runs gets a medal. I’m not going to make any comments on that. I could enter that marathon. Now I would get my medal about three days later, because that’s about how long it would take me to finish 26.2 miles. But I would still get a medal. But Paul is saying, no, if you’re going to enter that race, you train and you work and you run that race to win that race. Not just to enter it, not just to finish it. You strive to be the winner, to be the first. Same way with boxing. You’re not just beating the air.

You want to beat your opponent. You want to win that boxing match. You do this to be your best. You strive for this. You strive for excellence. And Paul says, that’s what I did in my ministry. I didn’t just go through the motions. I didn’t, to use a modern expression, I didn’t just phone it in, but he says, I disciplined my body that I might win the prize. Paul says, I had this burning desire to do what God wanted me to do. Paul said, I wanted it. And anybody who studied the life of the apostle Paul could say, Paul had the want to.

1. A Hesitancy to Change

And he applied that same burning desire when he became a Christian. He was the best. He was the best apostle, the best preacher of the gospel that he could be at least. Do we have that same burning desire? That same want to, that nothing, absolutely nothing, is going to stop us from accomplishing that goal. Well, let’s talk about some things that will try to stop us from accomplishing that goal. Here are three things that will kill your want to. One is a hesitancy to change. If you want to win that race, if I wanted to win that race, any athletic trainer, and even those of you who are not athletic trainers, would tell Ken Chapman, the first thing you want to need to do is, Ken, you’re going to have to change some things.

Some changes are going to have to take place if you want to win that race. If you have the want to, then you’re going to have to make that change. Look at this passage and the hesitancy of the Jews in John chapter 5.

Jesus would speak of the leaders of the Jews at least, and of their hesitancy to make that change. Look in John chapter 5. They knew. They knew the truth. They knew the scriptures, Jesus is going to say. John 5, look at verse 39. You to these Jewish leaders who knew the law, you search the scriptures. That’s John 5.39. You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of me, but you are not willing to come to me that you may have life. Oh, you know the scriptures and you search those and you believe they to be the source of life, but when they obviously are pointing to me, you’re not willing. You’re not willing to change.

In order to have that real burning desire that it demands excellence in our Christian walk, we have to be willing to change. I want to look at an example of that. In Acts chapter 11. Acts chapter 11, if you’re ready for your profound theological statement of the morning, Acts chapter 11 is a follow-up to Acts chapter 10. You may not have known that. Acts chapter 10 is the famous section of the conversion of Cornelius. Peter goes by God’s command and preaches to Cornelius. That is significant, not just because Cornelius and his household was saved. That’s significant enough, but Cornelius was the first Gentile who was converted. And as we might expect, the Jews, and particularly the Jewish Christians, are not going to be happy about that.

It would be an understatement to say that there were racial differences and disagreements and animosity between the Jews and the Gentiles. And now Peter has gone and taken this Jewish thing, Christianity, up until this point, it had been exclusively Jewish, and shared it with the Gentiles. And he comes back to Jerusalem, back to the Jews, and they’re not going to be happy about that. In fact, as he starts encountering these Jewish Christians, they’re not just unhappy that he’s preached to the Gentiles and baptized the Gentiles and brought them into the church. Notice their first objection. Acts chapter 11, verse 2. Peter came up to Jerusalem. Those of the circumcision contended with him saying, You went in to uncircumcise men and ate with them. We haven’t even got to the fact that you baptized them and you’re bringing them into the church.

You just went to their house and you ate with them. How could you do that? You see how upset they are at what Peter has done. But Peter tells the story, tells the story of Cornelius hearing from God, tells the story of the vision that Peter sees that tells him that God’s no longer making a distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Skip ahead in the story here in Acts chapter 11, verses 17 and 18. Peter says, after saying that Cornelius as his household was baptized with the Holy Spirit, he says in verse 17, if therefore God gave them the same gift as he gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? Now notice verse 18. When they heard these things, they became silent.

And they glorified God, saying, Then God also has granted to the Gentiles repentance to lie. Isn’t that amazing? The humility that they had to. They started the chapter saying, Peter, how dare you? You went in their house. Ooh. You ate with those nasty Gentiles? How could you? But now that Peter has laid out the evidence from God, they said, We can’t argue with God. God has not only can you go to their house, not only can you eat with them, but He said they said, God has granted to the Gentiles repentance to lie. What a change. In one day, they’ve changed from their absolute hatred of these people to saying, God’s granted them repentance to lie. May God give us those humble odds that even when we strongly feel a certain way, when the evidence, the biblical evidence is laid out for us that we can say, okay, I’m wrong.

2. The Reluctance to Pay the Price

And I’ll change. Another thing that will kill our want to is the reluctance to pay the price. When you really want something, anything of any noteworthiness is going to require some sacrifice on your part. Do you remember the story in Matthew chapter 19 of the rich young ruler that came to Jesus? And he had a question for Jesus. What must I do to inherit eternal life? Now, a lot of times when people came to Jesus with questions, they weren’t sincere. The Pharisees, I don’t think ever were sincere when they came to Jesus with questions. But I think this young man was. I think he wanted eternal life. He wanted it up to a point. And so Jesus gives him the commands and he says, I’ve done all of those.

And he says, Okay, one thing you lack. Go sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and then come and follow me. And we all remember the sad ending of that story, to that encounter, don’t we? He went away sorrowful because he had great many possessions. He wasn’t willing to do that. So did he want eternal life or not? Well, yeah, he wanted it, or he wouldn’t have come asking Jesus, what must I do to get it? But he didn’t really want it. He didn’t have this burning desire that he was willing to pay the price. Whatever you ask, I’ll pay.

3. Fear of Suffering

What is it in your life? For this rich young ruler, it was his riches. What is it for you that stands between you and eternal life? You and that reward. You and that burning desire. I want this more than anything. In fact, here’s your second question of the day. Do you want that eternal life? Do you want that relationship with God more than anything? Yes. Do you really? If we started listing off the anything, would you go, oh, well, not that thing. The third thing that will kill our want to our fear of suffering. Look with me in Galatians chapter 6. Not only is there a price to pay in the sense of things we must give up and sacrifices that must be made, but sometimes there must be pain and suffering.

There will be ridicule.

Some in Galatians chapter 6. He’s talking about some who had perverted the gospel is the language that he had used earlier. And Paul gets becomes a little bit of a psychologist when he’s talking about why. Why did they pervert the gospel? And don’t we wonder that a lot? Why do people change the gospel? Why not just leave it the way it was? Notice what he says here in Galatians chapter 6 and verse 12. As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised. That’s the way they had changed the gospel by adding in some of the old law. They compel you to be circumcised only, here’s their motivation, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cause of Christ.

Or for the cross of Christ, excuse me. They did that. Now we normally think of that, well, they they compelled this circumcision because they couldn’t turn loose of Judaism. They had been Jews their whole life, their parents, their grandparents, their great-grandparents, for as long back as they could trace in their family tree. And so they didn’t want to give up that old Testament Judaism. And that was certainly part of the motivation. But Paul says here the reason they’re doing it is because they don’t want to suffer. And so they’re compromising.

4. If We Separate Church From Life

It wasn’t just a reluctance to give up their old ways, it was a fear of suffering. Have I softened the message because I didn’t want to suffer for the cross of Christ? Have I bit my tongue, silence the gospel because I didn’t want to suffer for the cross of Christ? And is that evidence that I don’t want it enough? Here are some signs that our want to is not as strong as it ought to be. We don’t have this true desire to serve God above everything else if we separate church from life. You know, we’re urged to do that in other areas of life, aren’t we? Don’t bring your work home with you, we’re told. Don’t bring your work home with you. You know, you get upset at work, don’t bring that home and gripe to your spouse and kick the dog and be mad at the kids because you had a bad day at work and separate those.

We talk about separating those things and putting those in different categories. And there’s probably some good advice to that. But we’ve kind of brought that into our Christianity, haven’t we? That our Christianity is just a part of our life. That’s our Sunday thing and our Wednesday night thing. But then when we take our suit off and our nice Sunday dress off and put that in the closet, then it’s done for the day. But notice what James says the right approach is. Look in James chapter 1. The New Testament is consistent on this point. That our Christianity, if it’s real, we have this true burning desire to be God’s children, that our Christianity is seamless, that it affects and it’s a part of every facet of our lives.

James chapter 1 in verse 27. He says, pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this. Now, if you’re reading that for the first time, and you have that want to, and you want to be a good Christian, you want that eternal life that the rich young ruler kind of wanted, but you really want it. You’re waiting with bated breath. What is it, James? What is it, the inspired writer? What is pure and undefiled religion? Is it going to church on Sunday? Never missing a service. That’s checking that box. That’s your religion. If you do that, it doesn’t matter what else you do. No, what does he say? Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

5. When We Fail to Apply What We Know

You notice he didn’t mention going to church at all. Now that doesn’t mean it’s not important. But what he’s emphasizing is that this is to be a seamless part of our life. That our Christianity, our pure and undefiled religion, is a seven day a week exercise. And if it’s not, then we don’t have that want to. That we need to win the race. When we fail to apply what we know.

In the sports world, as Paul would have us to use as an illustration. We refer to this as someone being uncoachable. When we’re taught something, but we fail to make application of that in our lives. Are you still there in the book of James? Go over one, or no, stay in the same chapter, maybe one page in your Bible, to James chapter 1 and in verse 22, where he says, But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourself. And we’ve heard this illustration over and over again, but let’s repeat it this morning. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he’s like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

You know, you see somebody whose hair’s a mess and face is dirty, needs to shave, and you might say, Don’t you have a mirror? The implication is can’t you see what’s wrong with you? And the corrections that need the mirror is the point of a mirror, is not simply to show you the flaws and the correction. The point of a mirror is to show you the flaws and the corrections so that you can make them.

6. We Stop Growing and Stop Improving

It’s a prodding to get you to change once you leave the church building. Making an application of what you know is a sign that you really are serious about this Christianity. Another sign that our want to is not where it ought to be that we stop growing and we stop improving. That we’ve reached some artificial plateau in our life. In every worthwhile endeavor, and certainly the most worthwhile endeavor you’ll ever engage yourself in.

Do not do not let the best you’ve ever done be the standard for the rest of your life. Strive to do more and to be better. Let whatever accomplishments you’ve made in Christ Jesus encourage you to do more and to strive to grow and to improve.

And if we truly want to please God, to be like God, and to spend an eternity with Him, we will ever strive to get better. And we’ll take real concrete actions to do that. And so this takes some thought. And it takes some time to say, what do I need to do to be better tomorrow than I was yesterday? What will that look like? It’s not just going to magically fall into my lap. Not just going to happen. What do I have to do as a Christian? To be better tomorrow than I was today. What do I have to do to grow so that next month I have grown as a Christian? What will that look like? What will I have to do? I want to challenge us.

Conclusion

No, let me rephrase that. I want to challenge myself. I’m just letting you listen. I want to challenge myself to take this seriously. To once and for all say, I mean it when I say I’m a child of God. That I mean it when I say, what must I do to inherit eternal life? That I’m willing to do whatever. That I want this more than anything else, that I’m willing to do anything, to sacrifice anything, to suffer anything, so that I might gain Christ. I want this to you.

We want to encourage you to have that desire, that burning desire, to make that first step this morning, to become a child of God, to hear the word of God, to believe in Him, to repent of your sins, confess your faith, and to be baptized, doing what Jesus said, counting the cost before you make that decision, realizing that you’re going to need a burning desire, but understanding that that will grow within you as you draw closer and closer to Christ. Can we help you in that desire to serve Him more than anything? We’ll help you with that this morning as together we stand and as we sing.