The Final Goal: Lost and Found
Read: Luke 15:1-7
“Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.” – Luke 15:6
When the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen in 1966, there followed nearly a week of anxiety and frustration as the authorities frantically searched for it. But then amazingly the World Cup trophy was found by a dog called Pickles! After England won the tournament they also celebrated the recovery of the trophy and invited Pickles to the party. His reward was being allowed to lick the plates clean.
Jesus taught that we are all actually in a similar situation as the abandoned trophy. The trophy was designed with a particular purpose. When it was discarded and lost, it was fairly useless. We too are made with a purpose. We are made by God to live with Him and enjoy knowing Him. When we don’t do that, our lives will always be lacking His comfort.
But Jesus tells the story of a shepherd who seeks for his lost sheep to illustrate God’s compassion and ability to bring us into a relationship with Him. The shepherd waits to proclaim, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep” (Luke 15:6). Just like England celebrated Pickles’ discovery of the Cup trophy, so too will all of heaven rejoice when we come to know God. God Himself is seeking us and offering a real relationship with Him. —Chris Wale
Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
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Loading ...The Final Goal: How To Stand Out
Read: Acts 5:26-33
Peter and the apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” – Acts 5:29
Cameroon ran into trouble when they planned to wear sleeveless shirts at the 2002 World Cup. Immediately the kit was ruled illegal. Team officials quickly added black sleeves so that Cameroon could still take part in the competition.
Cameroon made a wise decision to conform to the established rules, but the early church refused to conform. They understood their own dependency on God and the need for everyone to trust in Jesus. When faced with this message, the authorities reacted in a similar way as the governing bodies did to Cameroon—they put restrictions against them. They went so far as to threaten and imprison them so as to stop the church from speaking the good news of Jesus. However the church stood firm. Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29).
Similarly, we are called to obey God before all others. Naturally that will make us stand out in the world. We need to stand out, like the early church, so people will see that we love Jesus and that we are living the life we were made for. Through the Bible, we will be guided by God to obey Him first, and when the pressure to conform hits, we can keep our eternal relationship with Him as our first priority. —Chris Wale
In a world that tries to squeeze us into its mold,
following Christ is the ultimate nonconformity.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...The Final Goal: The Answer To Our Problem
Read: John 14:1-6
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. – John 14:6
Ten stadiums, 31 days, 32 teams, 63 games, 736 players, a potential 3,789,909 spectators and more than 26 billion television viewers will make up this year’s World Cup tournament. But there will only be one winner. Practice, prediction and preparations will only go so far. In the end, it is certain that only one team will win.
Similarly, there are countless different opinions on how to live life well, and they all cry for our attention with convincing voices. So many opinions are driven by a sincere desire to please God and attain a lasting relationship with Him. But when things come to an end—when we face death once and for all—what certainty can we have that we’ve lived our lives as we should have?
The words of Jesus give us the answer to that question. There’s only one way to have a relationship with God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
That might seem like an arrogant claim. But why not read the gospels and ask yourself: Who else can do what Jesus does? Who else has the answer to our sin problem?
Jesus Christ is the only certainty, both in this life and for our eternal future. —Jon Lindsay
He saved us, not because of the righteous things
we had done, but because of His mercy. —Titus 3:5
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...The Final Goal: Fragile Clay Jars
Read: 2 Corinthians 4:7-10
We ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. – 2 Corinthians 4:7
You might have been called many things in your life. But I wonder if anyone’s ever called you a “fragile clay jar”?
That’s what Paul, one of the Bible writers, said life is like for Christians. Christians are “fragile clay jars containing this great treasure [the good news of Jesus Christ]. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7). When people accept the truth of the Bible and start to
trust Jesus they should no longer live for themselves, but for the God who saves them (v.10).
So what about Christian footballers? Are they to be idolised for their skill, wealth and influence? This is what Ze Roberto, the Brazil left winger, has to say: “You shouldn’t look at us in this way. The only one who never sinned was Jesus. We are all human. We all sin but Jesus came for sinners. . . . Don’t look at people, look at Jesus.”
Ze Roberto seems to understand the reality of living the Christian life. No one is perfect, and we continue to do things which show we don’t trust God completely. But the role of the Christian, whether we are great footballers or simply spectators, is to point people to the Lord Jesus who died for us in spite of our sins. —Jon Lindsay
I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
—The apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13
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