The Tragedy of Unfinished Business

Matthew 23: 1-12

It is amazing how self-satisfied the ancient Pharisees and scribes were.
They loved to pat themselves on the back.
It was as if they were always saying, " Everyone look at us! See have very, very holy we are!"
But Jesus called them hypocrites, a generation of snakes, whitewashed tombs,
dogs in the manger, and blind guides.

In Matthew 23: 23-24 Jesus said: " Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you utter frauds!
For you pay your tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and neglect the things which carry
far more weight in the Law -- justice, mercy and good faith.
These are the things you should have observed -- without neglecting the others.
You call yourselves leaders, and yet you can't see an inch before your nose."
(Phillips Translation)

That are too many half-way Christians, and many are just like those Pharisees.
They profess being a Christian, and yet, live as they please.
Why would a Christian miss the joy of total dedication and tremendous blessings
that God gives in return?

Dr. Lewis Banks tells of a boy who had just finished high school, and was headed
for college in the fall.
He said to his father, " Dad, it is just six weeks until I go away to college.
So, if you are going to give me a going-away present, I have a suggestion to make."

His father answered, " OK son, what is it?"

Grinning, the boy replied, " Dad, do you think you could buy me a good used car?"
Still smiling, his father asked, " Wouldn't you rather have a new one."
The son was so excited that he replied, " That would be great! Can you afford it?"
The father answered, " Maybe, but I can't make that a definite promise."

The next evening the father brought his son a book, and asked him as a favor to him,
to read every page of it.
The leaves of the book had not been cut.
Calling attention to this, the father said, "Cut the pages as you read them."

A week later, the boy shyly asked about the car, but his father evaded the question,
and then, asked his son had he finished reading the book.
The boy replied that he had read about half of it.
Again, his father insisted that he should read it.

Another week passed, and again, the boy asked about the car, and again,
the father asked if he had finished reading the book.
The boy promised, " I'll get back to it."

The weeks came and passed, and the day before the boy was about to leave for college arrived.
The son came in and sat on the arm of his father's chair.
He said, " Dad, I don't understand what's happen.
We have been honest with each other.
Tell me why I didn't get the car."

The father answered, " Son, go bring the book to me that I asked you to read."
The boy came back with the book, and handed it to his father and stammered,
" Dad, I read all but the very last pages."

The father took out his pocket knife, and cut the last couple of pages,
and from between them brought out a check made out to a car dealer with enough
to buy a brand-new automobile.

His son grabbed it and laughed and jumped until suddenly it occurred to him
that he hadn't fulfilled the bargain.
Impulsively, he tore the check to bits, saying, " Dad, I don't deserve it."

The father said, " Son, we miss a lot of things in life when we leave some of the pages uncut."

The father said, " I think you learned a real good lesson.
Let's go get the car!
It's been waiting for you for a month, full of gas and ready to drive."

This young man had missed 30 days of driving pleasure because he failed to finish
what his father had asked him to do.
That is the tragedy of the disobedience and the unsurrendered life of many Christians.
They never fully realize what they have missed for their lack of dedication and commitment.

The rich young ruler never knew what he missed by failing to follow Christ.
His life would have been so different had he paid the price for fellowship with the Son of God!

There are some pleasures which cannot be experienced when one is a spectator.
Your neighbor shows you movies someone took of him on vacation as he was catching
a prize bass.
But the picture is a poor substitute for holding the rod yourself and feeling the tug of the line
as it goes swishing through the water with a nice, large fish, solidly hooked.

There is deep satisfaction in setting educational goals for yourself, and then, pursuing
the course until the goals have been achieved.
The person who stops short never feels at peace about the matter.
And it is this same way about many other good things we start and fail to finish.
This is especially true when we set up spiritual goals, and then fail to follow through.

An elderly Christian was upset that attendance seemed to be falling off at the midweek service.
One evening he told the audience about a meeting held by the disciples after Christ's resurrection.
After he had talked for a few minutes, he said sorrowfully, " But Thomas was not with them!"

Could Thomas have been thinking, " What's the use?"
Could it be that Thomas was afraid they would ask him to lead in prayer.
Or that the roads might be bad.
Or maybe, it looked like rain.
So, for whatever reason, Thomas didn't come that night."

Then with deep emotion, this aging brother concluded, " But just think what Thomas missed,
for in the middle of the meeting the Lord Jesus came and stood in the midst of them."

That is the tragedy of undone things.
That tragedy of not carrying on to the finish line.
You never know what you may have missed by your dereliction of taking care of business.
Many Christians just drift along as half-way Christians -- until trouble comes!

Then, the good resolutions are suddenly made:
" O Lord, I'm going to pray more… I'm going to read my Bible more…
I'm going to give more… I'm going to accept more responsibility in the church."
Why must we wait for tragedy or trouble to come to drive us to our knees.

How pleased God must be with those Christians who are consistent, dedicated,
true and faithful who put their hands to the plow and refuse to turn back.
These are Christians who have a vision and will not stop short until the work is done.

Dannaker, the German sculptor, worked two years on a statue of Christ.
Then, to test it, he called a little girl into the studio and said, " Who is that?"
She replied probably, " A great man -- I guess."

Disheartened, Dannaker turned away, knowing that he had failed.
But he was a persistent man.
Taking his hammer and chisel, he began anew and for six years studied, prayed,
and chipped away on another statute.

Again when finished, he brought a small girl into the studio and asked,
" Who do you think that is?"
Tears came into the child's eyes as she answered, " It is the One who said,
" Suffer the little children to come unto me."

It was enough!
Dannaker knew that he had succeeded.

Later, he was asked by the Emperor Napoleon to do a statue of Venus,
but Dannaker refused, saying, " A man who has seen Christ can never employ his gifts
in carving a pagan goddess.
My art is now a consecrated thing."

One of our greatest enemies is procrastination which is the habit of putting things off until later.
Sometimes, later never comes.
We intend to be faithful; in fact, we'll get started any day now.
We intend to pray more; we will begin when things settle down.
We have always intended to tithe our income, but naturally, we'll have to wait until we are out of debt.
We intend to tell someone about Jesus, but right now we are not burdened for anyone.
We intend to attend Bible study, Prayer meeting, Evening worship, but after working all week
we have so many other things to do.
We intend…

So because of procrastination, we are robbed of the joy and victory which are ours in Christ.

"And he was going to be all that a mortal should be -- Tomorrow.
No one should be kinder and more faithful than he -- Tomorrow.
A friend who was troubled and weary he knew,
Who'd be glad for a lift, and who needed it, too;
On him he would call and see what he could do -- Tomorrow.

Each morning he stacked up the letters he'd write -- Tomorrow,
And all of the folks he would fill with delight -- Tomorrow.
It was too bad, indeed, he was busy today
And had not a minute to stop on his way;
More time he would give to others, he'd say, Tomorrow.

The greatest of workers this man would have been -- Tomorrow.
The world would have known him had he ever seen -- Tomorrow.
But the fact is he died, and he faded from view,
And all that he left when living was through
Was a mountain of things he'd intended to do -- Tomorrow."
-- Source unknown

The truth is, now is the time to catch up the loose ends of life.
Now is the time to begin doing for God the things you have put off too long.
Now is the time to begin living a life of faithfulness and dedication, and commitment to God.
Now is the time to keep those promises -- to do the things you have always planned to do for God.

There is no glory in the undone things of life.
There is no satisfaction in unfinished things.
So, only the profitable, obedient servant will hear the Master say,
" Well done,thou good and faithful servant;
Enter thou into the joys of the Lord."

Sermon by Dr. Harold L White