What Counts?

WHAT COUNTS?
DR. JIM DIXON
MATTHEW 13:44-45
JANUARY 22, 1995

It was our Lord Jesus Christ who told the story of the rich man and his barns, the man who had accumulated so much wealth that he had to tear down his barn and build larger barns just to store the grain and the goods. It was our Lord Jesus Christ who called that rich man a fool. He said, “This very day your soul is required of you and the things which you have accumulated, whose shall they be?” It was our Lord Jesus Christ who said, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”

You see, we live in a confused world, a world that doesn’t understand what really counts. Our subject this morning is: What counts? In the sight of God, what counts? God wants us to understand that the soul is more valuable than the body, the spiritual more valuable than the material, the eternal greater than the temporal. God wants us to understand what counts.

Now, as Christians we have entrusted our souls to Christ and we have found eternal life with Him. Yet it is tragically true that many Christians live as the world lives. Many Christians do not seem to really understand what counts either. Many Christians don’t seem to understand what’s most important in life and what’s most important to God.

This morning I would like us to examine two things that count most to God. I say this based on the teaching of holy scripture. These two things count most to God as we live lives in this world. The first is your family. Your family counts. If you would live a life pleasing to God, you must make your family a great priority in your life, recognizing that it counts greatly to God.

I think most of you who have read the Old Testament and have read the book of Judges. You are perhaps familiar with the character of Jephthah. Jephthah was an Israelite. He was born in the region of Gilead. He was born to a prostitute. He was therefore banished from his community and he went to live in the land of Tob. But he grew up to become strong and he became a great leader of men. So, when Israel was at war with the Ammonites and the forces and armies of the Ammonites were strong, the leaders of Israel came to Jephthah and they asked him to come and lead the armies of Israel. Jephthah said, “I’ll do this on one condition: If you will grant that if I’m victorious, I will be allowed to rule Israel.” Well, the leaders of Israel were so desperate that they said okay.

Now, Jephthah really wanted to win that battle and he thought maybe God could help so he made a rash vow to God. He made a stupid vow to God. He said, “I will offer you a human sacrifice if you give me victory over the Ammonites. If you give me victory over the Ammonites, I will kill, as a burnt offering to you, the first person to come out of the door of my house when I return home.”

Well, God hates human sacrifice. He has no desire for it. It’s not pleasing to Him. Jephthah nonetheless won that battle over the Ammonites and when he returned home, the first person that came out of the door of his house was his only daughter. He gave her two months to grieve and he took her life, offering her up to the Lord as a burnt offering. One of the tragic stories in the history of Israel.

Now Jephthah was more concerned with his own glory, more concerned with his own career advancement than he was with his own family. You see, it didn’t matter who came out that door. It wouldn’t have mattered if it was his wife. It wouldn’t have mattered who it was. There was no one in his family more valuable than his own glory and his own career. Jephthah’s not alone. There are a lot of dads like that in this world. There are more than a few moms who are like that too in this world—parents who are more concerned with their own careers, with their own prestige, with their own prominence, than they are with their own children, with their own family.

According to the Washington-based Family Research Council, the American family is in worse shape today than it has ever been in the history of our nation, despite all the family values rhetoric that we see in the media today. One out of every two children in America will grow up in a single parent home at some point in their childhood, one out of every two children in this nation. One out of every three children born in America are born out of wedlock. Did you know that? 2,795 teenaged girls become pregnant every single day in this nation. 4,219, more than 4,000 teenagers, come down with sexual disease every single day in this nation. One out of every five children, 20% of the children in America, will grow up on welfare. Absolutely astounding statistics.

The average father spends a few minutes a day with his children. The average mother spends a few minutes more. But those children spend three and a half hours a day in front of the television set. The parents of America today spend 40% less time with their children than parents did just one generation ago. And according to our government statistics, the parents of America spend less time with their children than the parents of any other nation in the world.

There are not many industries in America that would survive what the family has had to endure this past century. As our nation was transformed from agrarian and agricultural to industrial and technological, millions of fathers left the farm and went to work in factories and in the cities. It was devastating to families. Now, in the last twenty years, millions of mothers are also leaving the home and going to work in the labor force. Two out of every three moms with children at home are now working in the labor force. One out of every two moms with children under the age of 3 are working in the labor force. Sociologists tell us that we are now raising millions of unbonded children. That’s what sociologists are calling many of the children in America today. They are unbonded. They do not have allegiance to parents or to many other things. Many children are growing up with moral and ethical confusion.

We could ask, “Well, how did this all happen? How did we get in such a plight?” Certainly, the pursuit of lifestyle is one of the problems in our country. I think a lot of us as moms and dads have been more concerned with lifestyle and with the pursuit of the lifestyle we want than we have been with the relationships and the cultivation of relationships with our children and with their nurture, with their admonition in the Lord.

I think part of the problem the family faces in America today is the problem of promiscuity. When you have one out of every three children born out of wedlock, it’s very difficult to have good family lives. Of course, another problem is the problem of divorce which has proliferated in our time. Divorce has had a tragic impact on the family. The truth is families really can’t be any stronger than the marriages are. You see, it’s God who instituted marriage. It’s God who said, “A man shall leave his mother and father, cleave unto his wife and the two shall become one.” It’s God who established marriage. It’s the Lord Jesus Christ who blessed it.

Do you want to know what counts? Look around in your own house. Your wife counts. Your husband counts. Your children count. If you’re single, look for someone who thinks marriage counts. Look for someone who thinks family counts.

According to an Associated Press release in Tucumcari, New Mexico, this ad was placed in the classified ads: Farmer with 160 irrigated acres seeks marriage-minded woman with tractor. When replying, please send picture of tractor.” Obviously, that’s not a good candidate for marriage. I mean, you’re going to feel devalued married to a guy like that. But the truth is there are a lot of people who feel devalued in marriage. A lot of wives feel devalued. A lot of husbands feel devalued. Lots of children feel devalued because family just isn’t the priority that God wants it to be. Not in this nation.

You know just two weeks ago Sports Illustrated had an article on Bill McCartney, who recently resigned as coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. It was very obvious, if you read this article in Sports Illustrated, that those who wrote the article (and it was written by two men) did not understand what possibly could have motivated coach Bill McCartney to step down. Why would he step down from all that power? From all that fame? From all that fortune? Why would he step down? They quote Coach McCartney as saying that his primary reason in stepping down was he wanted to work on his marriage, wanted to cultivate the relationship with his wife, wanted to grow closer to his wife and, if possible, bring some healing to his children. The people who wrote the article just couldn’t believe that. They said it just didn’t make sense. They suggested that perhaps he was some kind of religious kook.

You see, we live in a world that doesn’t understand what counts. If you do what counts in the sight of God, it’s probably not going to make a whole lot of sense to the world. What counts? God wants you to know your family counts. But there’s something that counts even more, and this is our second subject this morning: His kingdom. His kingdom counts. Your family and His kingdom. As you live life in this world, these are the two most important things: Your family and His kingdom. Do not forget this. His kingdom is even more important than your family.

In the Milan Cathedral there are three inscriptions. Above the right door there is the inscription “All that pleases is but for a moment.” Above the left door is this inscription: “All that troubles is but for a moment.” And above the great center door there is this inscription: “Nothing is important save that which is eternal.” Well, perhaps that’s an overstatement. Certainly, there are temporal matters that have some importance. But certainly, that which is most important is eternal. You understand the kingdom of Jesus Christ is eternal. Of His kingdom there shall be no end. Nothing is more important than His kingdom, not even your family, and that is why Jesus said, “He who loves mother or father or brother or sister or son and daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” This does not mean that we can use the kingdom of God as an excuse to neglect our families. In fact, if we do that, we displease the King who bought us with His blood. We displease, we grieve the King when we abuse our families.

But His kingdom is more important, and it is true that in the Islamic world today when someone accepts Jesus Christ they are often banished by their families. But they accept Christ anyway because His kingdom is more important than anything. Two thousand years ago when Jewish people accepted Christ, they were often banished from family, but they accepted Christ anyway because nothing is more important than His kingdom. It’s in this context, when the followers of Christ said to Him, “We have left everything and followed You.” He said this. He said, “No one has left mother or father or brother or sister or son and daughter for My sake and the sake of My kingdom but what they shall receive in this life blessings manyfold and in the life to come eternal life.” You see, nothing is more valuable and nothing is more important than His kingdom. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a treasure hidden in a field which a man found and covered up. And in his joy went and sold all that he had and bought that field.” Again, He said, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a merchant in search of fine pearls, who upon finding one pearl of great value went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

You see, Jesus wants us to understand nothing is more important than His kingdom. It’s worth everything you have. Of course, you entered His kingdom when first you believed and you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. But He wants you to understand you are now called to serve His kingdom. What counts? Your family and His kingdom and you are called to serve His kingdom.

You know, Colonel William Post was in charge of all supplies and material delivery to the troops during Operation Desert Storm. This was a massive job because there were 90,000 tons of supplies. They had to all be inventoried and they had to all be distributed and he had a massive staff and just personnel in great numbers. Now, the Pentagon recorded all the supplies as they were offloaded in Kuwait from ships and from planes. Colonel William Post had to send all of the supplies that were in stock, a record of that, back to the Pentagon so the Pentagon could compare what was offloaded with what was in stock and they should match up.

Well, one day Colonel William Post received a fax from the Pentagon. It said, “Four hundred cases of grape jelly are missing. Would you see to this? They recorded as offloaded but you’ve not recorded them as being in your stock. Something is wrong. Find the jelly.” Well, he asked somebody to look for the jelly. Then he kind of forgot about it. One week later he got another message from the Pentagon: “URGENT! Four hundred cases of grape jelly still not located. Find the jelly.” He put some more men on it, some more people on it. Find the jelly. A week later another message: “VERY URGENT! Four hundred cases of grape jelly still missing. Find the jelly.” He put still more personnel in charge of finding the jelly. They still couldn’t find it. Finally, this message came: “CRITICAL. HIGHEST PRIORITY. Find the jelly.” He sent them this message back. He said, “I can unleash an army of personnel to find your missing jelly, or I can use our personnel to supply our troops so they can win the war. I can’t do both. Tell me what to do, Colonel William Post.”

I think it doesn’t surprise most of us that that kind of a situation would occur in the context of the military. Majoring in minors and minoring in majors. But the truth is it occurs everywhere. In all the various avenues of life and all the various arenas of the world there’s a tendency sometimes to major in minors and minor in majors.

You know how Jesus said of the Pharisees, “Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, for you tithe mint, dill, and cumin and you ignore the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith.” Blind guides, straining out gnats and swallowing camels, straining out gnats and swallowing camels. Majoring in minors. Minoring in majors. God doesn’t want us to do that.

Now, God wants us to understand His kingdom is at war. “We are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenlies.” There is a great battle for the souls of men and women the world over, and this is the great war in which His kingdom is engaged. You have been called to take part. You have been called to serve His kingdom but don’t major in minors. Do not minor in majors. Figure out what counts in serving His kingdom.

He wants you to know children count. We need Sunday School teachers. We need men and women to go into the inner city and work with inner city children with the compassion of Christ and for the service of His kingdom. Jesus Christ said, “When the Son of Man comes again, will He find faith on the earth?” He will not if we do not disciple this generation. The Bible says, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind. The words which give you this day shall be upon your hearts and you shall teach them diligently to your children. As you wake in the morning, as you walk along the way, as you go to bed at night.” Children count. Children count.

“Koinonia” counts. We are the people of God. We are the visible manifestation of His kingdom in this world and we are called to be bonded. That’s the meaning of the word “koinonia,” “to be brought into communion and to fellowship.” That’s what Christ wants for us. Well never be victorious in this world in any sense until we come together as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.

I thank God for Lou Angone, for the ministry of our Pastoral Care Department, for our cell groups. Take them seriously. “Koinonia” counts. Giving, tithing, it counts. Not the tithing of mint, dill, and cumin. Not the tithing of minutiae, but the tithing of our salaries and our assets. The world doesn’t understand this because they don’t understand what counts, but it’s all needed for the furtherance of His kingdom and for the work of His kingdom in this world. Don’t frown. Don’t look grieved when you hear stewardship messages or when you hear about the privilege of giving to the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Giving counts.

Of course, prayer counts. The Bible says prayer changes things. Each of us should be getting the missionary brochures. We should see all of the missionaries our church is supporting and we should pray for each of those missionaries every single day because prayer counts. Witnessing counts. Jesus said “You shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the uttermost parts of the earth.” You have been called to be His witnesses in the service of His kingdom, wherever you are. In your communities, in your work places, it all counts. His kingdom counts. Serve His kingdom. But understand that His kingdom is not just a realm, but it is His reign. If you really prioritize His kingdom then you want Him to reign more and more in your personal life. I mean, if this is really what counts and if His kingdom is His reign, then you want Him to reign evermore in your heart, if this is really your priority, that you might become more and more like Christ.

I think of Dan Issel who resigned from the Nuggets. Dan Issel loves Jesus Christ. He gave his life to Christ as Lord and Savior years ago. He’s become more and more committed to Christ in the last few years and he’s one of the leaders on the Board of Trustees of the Colorado Community Church, the church that’s buying this building. In recent time, Dan has become a strong supporter of Youth for Christ and he’s given his testimony time and again.

When he stepped down from the Nuggets, he said something that I think is very important. He said, “I didn’t like the person I was becoming.” Somehow, coaching and the pressures of coaching and that whole desire to win and the frustration with the officials and with the players, he didn’t like the person he was becoming. So, he just stepped down. Again, I don’t think our culture understands. I don’t think society understands. How do you step down from fame? How do you step down from power? Well, it depends what counts. It all depends what counts. If His kingdom counts, if His reign counts, if this is our highest priority, then we want to please Him. We want to live lives pleasing to Him. You see, our values, if we’re truly Christians, should differ greatly from the world.

You know, the story’s told of a missionary (and with this we’ll close) who went to Africa and wanted to tell the people of Africa about God. This missionary was really a God and country guy, really more concerned with having these people be impressed about America than he was with the actual message of Jesus Christ. He stood in front of these African people and he said, “I come from the greatest nation on earth.” They all shouted “Hoozanga!” He said, “It’s a nation where we’ve learned to love one another.” The people all shouted “Hoozanga!” This missionary knew most of the language, most of the words of the language, most of the vocabulary, but he was not familiar with that particular word, but the people seemed to be excited. He said “It’s a nation where we’ve learned to treat others as we ourselves would want to be treated.” And they all shouted “Hoozanga!” He says, “I have come to you that your nation might be like our nation.” And they shouted “Hoozanga!” When he was finished, he stepped down and he was feeling pretty good. He felt like he’d really been on a roll. He took a little walk and he was talking to the tribal chief and he noticed that there were some cattle about a hundred yards away. They were unusual looking cattle, like no animals he’d ever seen here in America. He said, “I’d like to take a closer look at the animals.” The chief said, “That’s alright. You’re free, but be careful where you walk because the hoozanga is everywhere.”

Now, is it not true that hoozanga is everywhere? It’s in Africa. It’s in America. Hoozanga is everywhere. The Bible tells us most of the men and women of this world spend their entire lives in the pursuit of that which in the sight of God is nothing than hoozanga. That’s what the Bible says.

In Philippians chapter 3, the Apostle Paul says that he “counts all the pursuits of the world, all the vain glory of the world, as skubalon.” “Skubalon” is a Greek word which is in your translation nicely rendered “refuse or garbage,” but that was its secondary meaning. The primary meaning was hoozanga!

You see, in the sight of God, the pursuits of the world, everyone’s going after hoozanga. They don’t understand what counts. God wants you to know what counts. Your family counts more than your career, more than your glory Your family counts. And then His kingdom. His kingdom counts most of all. Let’s close with a word of prayer.