“Will We Get What We Paid For?”
Lent 3 March 7, 2010
We are 3 weeks into our journey through the season of Lent.
Lent is an important season for us as we focus on Christ – what His death and resurrection mean for us – and how we can become better disciples of the One who callus us to follow Him in love and service.
Today we are going to look at a basic question that we all have to answer –
are we going to try to get what our actions have “paid for” from God – or “get what we deserve” from God – or will we accept the free gift of salvation that Christ has paid for for us and offers us?
“You get what you pay for”
We’ve all hear that before – haven’t we?
Back in September I became the proud owner of my first laptop computer. It was a refurbished one that I had purchased at a much reduced price – but I thought it was a great deal – until a few weeks later it began running slow and I discovered it had not been as refurbished as advertised! So – for Christmas I broke down and bought a new laptop – one that was more expensive than the first one I had purchased but – I thought – much better – and still cheaper than others I had seen. It worked great until a few weeks ago when the USB port broke and it was going to cost more than the computer was worth to get it fixed. For those of you who don’t know, the USB port is where you plug in your printer or any of the other peripherals that make a computer more useable. Of course, the damage was not covered under the warranty. When I took it back to the store last weekend and asked why it had broke so quickly, they didn’t answer my question directly, but inferred that the computer had a great price tag because it was built with inferior parts. I looked at them and asked:
“So – it’s a ‘you get what you pay for’ deal – right?”
The sales person nodded his head.
Well, I now am the proud owner of my third laptop in the past 6 months – this one much more expensive but much more powerful than the other two put together – so hopefully it will last awhile. And to think that I could have gotten this one in September and saved myself a lot of misery and set up time for the other 2 computers.
By the way – if anyone wants a laptop I have 2 I can cut you a deal on!
I learned again that you get what you pay for!
Most of you probably have stories to tell of how you’fe learned that lesson!
When we buy something at a “special deal” — but it turns out to be not so special — someone might say to us:
“Well — you got what you paid for!”
Or — if we buy something especially nice — something that is extra special but comes with an extra special price tag — we may justify it by saying:
“Well — you do get what you pay for, you know!”
Indeed — many times you do get what you pay for.
Most of the time that is a pretty true statement.
But — not always.
Our Old Testament lesson for today is an exception to that rule.
It may be true most of the time that you get what you pay for — and yet — here’s an offer that is for free.
Now — we all know that there’s no such thing as a free lunch — right?
And yet here is Isaiah giving us an image of God as a street merchant — hawking wine and milk that is free — wine and milk that has no price – that is free for the taking.
Now — if someone were to offer us wine and milk that is free — we just might be skeptical.
“What’s wrong with it?” we might ask.
“Has the wine soured?” “Does it taste like vinegar?” “Has the milk curdled”?
There is no such thing as a free lunch – and you get what you pay for.
And yet – here is God offering the very best — and offering it for free. In fact — God says that what we are working for — what we might be able to pay for — will never satisfy us. Only what God offers for free us will.
It makes no sense at all.
It goes against our better judgment.
We know we get what we pay for — don’t we?
And yet – this is God’s offer!
Our Gospel lesson deals with this, also.
OK — Jesus — what about those Galileans Pilate killed while they were worshipping in the Temple — and mixed their own blood with the blood of their sacrifices?
What were they “paying” for?
What are their deaths and the defiling of the sacrifices payment for?
You get what you pay for.
Luke has Jesus saying — in no uncertain terms — that these Galileans — and the people in Jerusalem who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them — were not paying for any specific wrongs that they had done.
In other words — tragedies are not paybacks for things that have been done.
And — Isaiah does have God offering the very best — for free — and even saying that what we can pay for will never truly satisfy us.
So here’s a question —
When it comes to the things of God — will we get what we paid for?
Friends, I hope not.
I truly hope not.
I hope that in God’s eyes I will never get what I’ve paid for.
I hope that in God’s eyes none of us get what we’ve paid for.
Look at the parable in our Gospel passage for today.
A Landowner tours his vineyard, and notices a fig tree not producing fruit.
The tree has not produced in years.
Wouldn’t it be prudent to cut it down — and maybe plant another tree that will bear fruit?
It doesn’t take a degree in horticulture to figure that one out.
It has not borne fruit — it has not “paid” for being in the vineyard — it should not stay there — and yet — and yet — when the Landowner orders it cut — the Gardener begs for more time.
“Let me dig around it and put manure around it another year —” he proposes —
and so it seems that a deal is struck.
But — if after another year — it is still unproductive and unfruitful — the ax will be laid to the root of the tree — and it will be cut down.
And it will only be getting what it paid for.
It paid nothing — so it will get nothing.
But – here’s the thing – I don’t believe Jesus is just telling a story of a benevolent Gardener persuading a Landowner to give a tree another chance.
I believe we have much more here than that. .
Will we get what we paid for?
The fig tree certainly didn’t!
Neither – according to Jesus — did the Galileans or those at Siloam.
Neither would those God addressed through Isaiah if they accepted what God offered.
Will we?
Again — I certainly hope not.
You see — if we got what we paid for — in God’s eyes — what would that be?
What do you think we deserve to get from God?
Based on how we live – - what are we paying for – and what will we deserve to get – from God?
Maybe death.
Maybe hell.
There’s no “maybe” about it — is there?
We are like that fig tree.
Too many times we don’t bear fruit — and deserve to be cut down and thrown into the fire.
That’s what we’ve paid for.
That’s what we deserve to get.
But — wait.
If the Gardener and Landowner are gracious to that tree — how much more gracious will God be to us?
Yes – praise God — God is gracious.
God — knowing what we’ve paid for is not what God wants us to have — offers us something else.
God offers us a chance for salvation.
God offers us a chance to bear fruit.
God offers us a chance to accept God’s grace and love.
Now — how do we have this chance – this salvation – God offers?
Do we get it because of something we have done – or “paid for” – or deserve?
No – friends – we don’t get this chance – this salvation — because of what we’ve paid for – or what we deserve – or we’ve done — but because of what Christ paid for us.
Christ’s death on the cross was the price for our sins.
Christ’s death on the cross makes it possible for us to have — not what we’ve paid for — but what He paid for — for us.
So – here’s the question we all have to ask ourselves —
So — will we get what we’ve paid for —
or – will we get what Christ has paid for us?
During Lent we think about Christ’s death for us — and how we live in response to it.
So — what will it be?
Will you get what you’ve paid for?
Or — will you accept what Christ has paid for for you?
Will you continue with what Isaiah says will never satisfy?
Or — will you accept what is the only thing that can satisfy?
The choice is yours.
Will you “bear fruit” — or not?
Will you accept God’s offer of grace and love and salvation — or not?
If not — you’ll only get what you’ve paid for.
You’ll only get sin — death — and hell.
But — if you repent — if you come to God and accept salvation — if you let God change you and begin “bearing fruit” — if you begin truly living in God’s ways — you’ll get the salvation Christ paid for for you.
Think about it.
I pray you will repent — and let God change you.
If you do — you’ll get the salvation and eternal life Christ has paid for for you.
If not — you’ll only get the sin – - death — and hell you have paid for.
The opportunity to repent and bear fruit is before you. Christ offers the opportunity to turn from our sinful ways – to repent – and to bear fruit for Him in this life, while receiving salvation for the life to come.
Don’t miss the chance for salvation.
Remember that the tree in the Parable in our passage for today did not have but a year to begin bearing fruit.
We don’t have forever to decide to accept God’s offer and accept — not what we’ve paid for — but what Christ has paid for for us.
No one knows how much time they have to make that decision.
We don’t know how much more time we have to make that decision.
You don’t know how much longer you have to make that decision.
So — what will it be?
Will you repent?
Will you accept what Christ has paid for for you?
Or
Will you get what you’ve paid for?
Which will it be — for you?
Well?
Amen