Friday, June 13, 2008
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This is a true story. It happened on Long Island, just outside of New York City. A little two-year-old girl asked her mommy to drive her to get an ice cream cone. Mom said she was feeling sick and she needed to take a nap. That little girl had a very observant five-year-old brother. After Mom was asleep, he told his sister, "I'll take you." He knew where Mom's car keys were, got them out of her purse, and proceeded to get his sister settled in the car. Then he started the car, backed it out of the driveway, and then slowly drove it to the stop sign at the end of the street. He managed to maneuver the car out onto the main road. It was at that point that a policeman happened to see that car moving down the road, apparently without a driver! That will get your attention! He gave chase until the invisible driver pulled over to the side of the road. Wouldn't you love to have seen the look on the policeman's face when he walked up to the car and saw this little boy at the wheel? Thankfully, this had a happy ending. You know that car was a headed for disaster with that little guy driving!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Never Meant to Drive."
That boy was never meant to drive. And with someone driving who never should have, you know there was a crash coming. There are people's lives like that with the wrong person driving and ultimately headed for a crash. It could be yours.
The "who's driving" issue created two distinct kinds of people in Jesus' day. And, in fact, it still does today. Our word for today from the Word of God, Luke 7:29, 30, "All the people, even the tax collectors (Those who were considered the sleazy guys in Jesus' day.) when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right." Interesting - some of the people you would least expect to end up with Jesus are the very ones who do.
"But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purposes for themselves." That's pretty sobering stuff for some of us who are religious people - people of the Bible - even religious leaders. Those were the people who totally missed Jesus - who, according to the Bible, missed the whole purpose for their lives. Actually, if you miss Jesus, you do miss the purpose you were created for, because God says, "All things were created by Him for Him" (Colossians 1:16.) Including you.
How can someone who's been around Jesus - who knows a lot about Jesus - still miss Jesus? And ultimately miss the heaven that only those who know Jesus will ever see. The people who ended up with Jesus came to the point where they saw that God's way was right - that God should be driving their life. The people who ended up without Jesus wanted to live their lives for their purposes. They were "my way" people. They insisted on driving, and it cost them everything.
In Matthew 7, Jesus describes people who will stand before Him on Judgment Day, expecting to get into heaven. They tell Him about all the wonderful Christian things they have done. And Jesus speaks to them some of the most chilling words in the Bible, "Depart from Me. I never knew you." Those are words I don't ever want you to hear; words He doesn't ever want you to hear.
Which is why I must ask you, "Has there ever really been a time when you have relinquished the steering wheel of your life and turned it over to Jesus Christ?" You were never meant to drive. But you have, and the price is crashing eternally.
Jesus died on that cross to erase your sin-penalty - to give you eternal life. You may have been around Jesus a lot, you may know a lot about Him and still have missed that moment of surrendering your life to Him. This could be that moment. Tell Him you're done driving - that you are putting your total trust in Him because He loved you enough to die for you.
If you really want to begin this relationship with Jesus, I really urge you to go to our website as soon as you can today. It's yoursforlife.net, and it's all about how to be sure you belong to Jesus Christ. Or let me send you my booklet called Yours For Life. You can get it by calling our toll free number. It's 877-741-1200.
Let Jesus begin driving today. He'll take you where you could never drive yourself.