6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel
7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.
I’ll always remember one day just after we moved to America Garland , Texas Garland , Texas
Now, I’ve never been to Garland , Texas Garland , Texas
I don’t know anything else about this wacky group in Garland
For the last 20 centuries, people have tried to read the Bible and figure out the date of the 2nd Coming. And so far, every one of them had failed miserably. Now, those guys over in Texas
How can I be so sure about that? For one thing, in Matthew 24 Jesus told us that no one knows the day or the hour of his return
However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows
So back to Acts 1: Here’s something that those of us who are parents can relate too. From a kids perspective If you don’t get the answer you want first time around - Ask again! So, here we go again. Having got the answer in Luke. the disciples asked Jesus the same question again in Acts. But this time around – they used different words and Jesus politely told them to mind their own business.
6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel
7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.
And the same answer still applies to us today.
But - lets think for a minute about the question the disciples asked Jesus
“Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel
See, the disciples had some good, valid reasons for asking the question: we know that Jesus had been talking to the guys about the kingdom of God
During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God
Now, if you have ever studied the Bible, you’ll know that the Old Testament makes a really close connection between the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the coming of the kingdom . So, when Jesus told the disciples in v5 that very soon they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit, they assumed that the establishment of the new kingdom must be just around the corner. so the disciples had a sound biblical reason for assuming that the restoration of the kingdom was imminent. They loved Jesus and didn’t want to see him go away . So, by asking the question, the disciples were saying “Lord, why don’t you just go ahead and start your kingdom now? That way you wouldn’t have to leave at all.” So there’s a lot to be said in favor of their question.
But that’s not the whole story. Take a look at that question again:
“Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel
Underline the phrase has the time come. That’s the key to the answer Jesus gives in verse 7. They weren’t asking, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom?” because they already knew the answer. Jesus told them that in Luke 22:29-30,
29 And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right 30 to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel
The disciples knew that one day they would reign with Jesus in his kingdom. it was a settled fact. they were in no doubt It wasn’t if but when the kingdom would be restored. So, if that’s all true – and it is What’s wrong with the question, then?
Here’s the dea l:It was wrong because they were asking for something that was none of their business. Jesus had told them the what, But they wanted to know the when. There are a couple of problems here – and we deal with these same problems in our lives today. The 1st is out human impatience to wait for God’s plan to unfold. The 2nd is our curiosity that gets us prying into things that belong to God alone. So the question is wrong not in what it presumes that Jesus will one day return and set up his kingdom on the earth but in what it asks Jesus - when are you going to do it?
7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.
This is what you might call a divine put-down. Suppose that on the first day of the semester the teacher tells the class that there’s gonna be 4 major tests and a few unscheduled pop quizzes along the way. One student raises his hand and says “er. ..Teacher, are you going to give us a pop quiz next Thursday?” And the teacher answers: “It’s not for you to know the times and dates of my pop quizzes,” As the one in authority over the class, only the teacher know the dates.” Does that mean there aren’t going to be any pop quizzes? No, and if the students think that, they’re gonna get caught out one day! So, when Jesus says, “It’s not for you to know the times or dates,” it can only mean that the kingdom is coming
but we’re never going to know the date in advance.
So, what’s the lesson for you and me from all this? Well, first off, there’s a lesson here about humility.While there are some things in life we don’t know because we just haven’t learned them yet, there are a whole raft of things that we just can’t know because they belong only to God.
Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us that The Lord our God has secrets known to no one
So here’s the deal :You keep trying to figure out God out and boil God down to your human understanding and try to figure out what He is up to…And see where it gets you! the Bible says that His ways our not our ways; His thoughts are not our thoughts
Here’s a shocker for you. There are passages of Scripture I may not particularly understand. There are heartaches I can’t explain. Each week I deal with tragedies in peoples lives that seem to have no rhyme or reason. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years – its this: it’s better to say “I don’t know” than to pretend I do because you’ll always be found out in the end.
The 2nd thing is this: this verse teaches us that God’s timetable is not the same as ours. Most of us are in a hurry. - God isn’t. God’s saying you’re worried about something that doesn’t even really matter. You’re worried about time; but I am at work in eternity.
If you really want to please God stop focusing on the clock and your convenience…and start focusing on Him. For most of us long-range planning is fixing where we’re going to eat lunch next Tuesday. But see, God plans from the standpoint of eternity. It says in 2nd Peter 3:8 that
One day with the Lord is like a thousand years and a thousand years is a like a day
It’s been 2000 years since Jesus promised to return and some people wonder what’s gone wrong. But to God - 2000 years is like two days on his eternal calendar. And it can be tough for us humans to get our heads round that We worry and fret and stew over the minor problems of life. Twice this week I’ve heard people say, people today have too many choices.” And that’s probably true.
As the father of three High School graduates I’ve done my bit of fretting about where my kids might go to college. But here’s the thing I heard God say to me one time
I’m not worried about where your children are going to go to college.
Huh! That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care about my kids It means he’s not worried about it. And that in itself is a revelation that not only brought comfort, But it bought peace to in so many areas of my life. See, here’s the deal guys - God isn’t worried about anything. He’s not up in heaven wringing his hands over the mess in the White House. He’s also not fretting about your next visit to the doctor. He’s not worried about your elderly parents or your income taxes or whether or not you’re ever going to get married. God’s not worried about anything in your life or my life or the lives if the people we love. And its not because he doesn’t care. Its because He has a perfect plan for the entire universe. And that means he also has a perfect plan for my entire life. And He’s working out his plans to perfection
So, here’s the question for you If God isn’t worried about your life, what are you so worried about?
His timetable may not be the same as yours in fact I guarantee that it’s not but in the end he will take care of everything and everything will be taken care of by him. And that leads me on to the true secret of contentment.
See, Contentment comes when you realize that you have everything you need right now. If you needed anything else, God would give it to you. Personally, I find this a tremendously liberating thought. If you aren’t content right now, it’s not God’s fault because he’s given you everything you need for this very moment in your life. Know this – you can take it to the bank If you truly needed anything else, he would give it to you. The fact that you don’t have it must mean that you don’t need it. But you can rest assured that if you need something else tomorrow, he will be more than pleased to give it to you.
When Jesus answered the disciples, he was in telling them, “You know everything you need to know about the future. If you needed to know more, I would tell you.”
A hard-driving, recently divorced young executive met a commercial fisherman he knew from church. There he was, mid afternoon, with his legs dangling off the pier as he helped his two young sons catch crabs.
“Why aren’t you out there fishing?” he asked.
“Because I’ve caught enough fish for today,” said the fisherman.
“Why don’t you catch more fish than you need?”
“What would I do with them?” responded the fisherman.
“You could earn more money, then you could buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish. You could purchase nylon nets, catch even more fish, and make more money. Soon you’d have a fleet of boats and be rich like me.”
The fisherman though for a minute and then asked, “Then what would I do?”
“You could sit down and enjoy life,” said the industrialist.
“What do you think I’m doing now?” the fisherman replied.
See, heres the deal. True contentment comes from appreciating what you already have—not in dreaming about what you don’t have. So lets go a step further and talk about the negative counterpart of CONTENTMENT and that’s called COVETING.
Exodus 20:17 (NLT) Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns.
Coveting is a word that isn’t used much anymore, but we come across it hundreds of times a day in our materialistic society. Never before have people been so “pushed to possess” as we are today. Marketing research is a billion-dollar-a-year business. 1000’s of people spend 40 hours a week designing ways to trigger our buying mechanisms, Their goal is to disable our self-control button just long enough for us to decide that we simply “gotta have” their stuff. They’re trying to make us covet!
The AMERICAN DREAM actually discourages the idea of contentment. People are continually told “What you’ve got isn’t enough. You need more. A bigger house - a better car - a bigger pay check whiter teeth - fresher breath - nicer clothes and so on and so on BUT THERE ARE NO SURVEYS TO POVE THAT PEOPLE ARE ANY HAPPIER WITH MORE STUFF!
COVETING IS THE UNCONTROLLED DESIRE TO ACQUIRE. And the human race is now wired to want more than it needs.
Animals and plants function automatically. And they only take what they need to survive. There are limits to what they acquire, based on instinct. But not so with us human beings!
Coveting is serious business with God, because it is one of the most complex sins. In fact the Bible teaches that unrepented covetousness will keep you out of heaven.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God
10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God
Coveting is what I call a “seed sin” because it quickly leads to other sins. In fact, the Bible tells us that coveting was the original sin behind the fall of man . Both the Old and New Testaments point out that coveting is the root of many forms of sin, including lying (2 Kings 5:22-25), theft (Joshua 7:21), domestic troubles (Proverbs 15:27), murder (Ezekiel 22:12), lust (1 Timothy 6:9), greed (Proverbs 1:19), envy (Titus 3:3), and jealousy (1 Corinthians 3:3). THESE ARE ALL MANIFESTATIONS OF DESIRE THAT’S OUT OF CONTROL
That’s why the commandment specifies your neighbor’s house, wife, etc. There are some things that you can never legitimately possess. Every adulterous affair is rooted in covetousness, which is – in its simplest form – wanting something at someone else’s expense.
Coveting is a powerful and underestimated sin that can cripple you spiritually and ultimately destroy you, and for some many people today it’s hard to be content with what you have!
FIVE EFFECTS OF ALWAYS WANTING MORE
Lets start with Fatigue
In our push to get more, we overwork ourselves and take on second jobs. Everybody in the family works just to keep up in the material rat-race. As a result, everyone gets tired and cranky.Proverbs 23:4
Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit
What about Debt?
We think the problem is that we don’t make enough, but the real problem is just that we want too much. The average American puts $1300 on credit for every $1000 he makes. that’s called deficit spending and the only people who can get away with that are called government officials! A LOT OF WHAT WE CALL NEED IS REALLY JUST GREED! The 10th commandment deals directly with the problem we have today of keeping up with the Joneses”.
We spend money we don’t have to buy things we don’t need to impress people we don’t even like!
Guys, if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher over there, too!
Next comes Worry
The more you have, the more you have to worry about: How am I going to protect it, save it, invest it, insure it, repair it, maintain it, avoid taxes on it, keep from losing it?The higher you rise on the corporate ladder, the more likely you are to bring work and job frustrations home with you and stress out about it. One study said insomnia increases with income.
The we have Conflict
There’s no place harder hit by covetousness than the home! The #1 cause of divorce is financial tension – arguments over money and possessions. Conflict comes when we’re always wanting more. And the children always suffer the most!
James 4:1 (CEV) Why do you fight and argue with each other? Isn’t it because you are full of selfish desires that fight to control your body?
Finally, there’s the Dissatisfaction
Things can bring happiness for a while, but the excitement soon wears off and we get bored. Why don’t things keep us permanently happy? Because while things don’t change humans thrive on changing (just look at fashion and style!).Pretty soon we have to redecorate, remodel, repair, replace,or at least rearrange!
How many of you are still THRILLED about the Christmas gift you got last year? How many of you even REMEMBER the Christmas gift you got last year?How many of you are still paying for it?!
So, whats THE ANTIDOTE TO COVETING
Quite simply this. We have to learn to be to CONTENT. And, yes we do have to learn it- it doesn’t come naturally or automatically.
Philippians 4:11-13 (CEV) 11 I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. 13 Christ gives me the strength to face anything.
Paul “learned” through his experiences that CONTENTMENT IS NOT RELATED TO OUR CIRCUMSTANCES! Contentment is not passive or lazy – it’s not the absence of ambition. contentment means that at every stage of your life your happiness is measured by an appreciation for what you have, and not postponed by dwelling on what you’re missing.
So, how do we get past COVETING
Stop comparing myself to others
Comparing always leads to coveting! If you’re comparing yourself with others, God says that you just create dissatisfaction within. One of the greatest lessons you can ever learn is to BE ABLE TO ADMIRE WITHOUT HAVING TO ACQUIRE. If the only things in life you enjoy are the things you own, you’re going to be miserable a lot of your life, because you can’t own everything.
Why do we constantly compare? Because the way we “keep score” in our society is by possessions. We’re insecure, so we’re always looking around and asking,“ How am I doing compared to …?” BUT NET WORTH HAS ABSOLUTELY NO RELATION TO SELF WORTH. When you can truly enjoy the success, happiness and blessings of others, you know you are on the right track. But when you feel resentment, you are ensnared by the sin of covetousness.
Start to rejoice about what you do have
None of us would have ANYTHING if it were not for the goodness of God. He wants us to enjoy what He has given to us! Happiness is not getting whatever you want, it is enjoying whatever you have. And one of the marks of maturity is being able to say, “Enough is enough.” There are two ways to have enough in life: get more or want less.
Release what I have to help others
God doesn’t want to just bless you for your own benefit. He wants you to share your blessings to help others. He’s watching you to see WHAT YOU GIVE AWAY. Americans are in the top 2% of income earners in the world; even if you’re on social security, you’re RICH compared to many others SEE, materialism is an attitude, not an amount. GIVING IS THE CURE FOR MATERIALISM!
Refocus on what’s going to last
Everything earthly is temporary. ITS ALL GONNA JUST DISSAPPEAR. SO WE NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE and reorganize our lives around eternal priorities!
Our job is to tell the world about Jesus. His job is to come back at the right time. If we do our part, You can be sure that he’ll do his. So, instead of trying to work out what’s gonna happen tomorrow focus on doing what you know to be God’s will today. If we could just grasp this principle, it would save us from hours and hours of needless worry over the future. It would also keep us focused on the present which is where God’s will must always begin.
I’ll close with this thought. Jesus is coming back but I don’t know when. the truth is that I don’t know any more about the precise date than the disciples did 2000 years ago. But I’m sure of this. Jesus is coming back sooner or later.Until he returns—our job is simple. Be ready to meet him when he comes.
And how does one get ready to meet Jesus? First, by welcoming him into your heart as Savior and Lord.
Second, by doing God’s will every single day.
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