1^st half of Sermon: “Was It Worth It?”– Rev. Ramus G. Freeman

“And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left.” (Luke 23:33)

We look back to difficult decisions we have made and remember the pains and struggles we endured to carry out those decisions, and ask: “Was it worth it?” Perhaps it would have been better to have dodged the difficulties by making another decision. Robert Frost had such thoughts in “The Road Not Taken.”

“I shall be telling this with a sigh

somewhere ages and ages hence:

two road diverged in a wood, and I

— I took the one less traveled by,

and that has made all the difference.”

The choices we make do make a difference. Some of our choices close the door on other opportunities. Some of them close the door on temptation. And some of them open the door to great accomplishments and rewards. All of them come with a price tag. It costs us something to make a choice, and the cost is seldom measured in dollars and cents.

Sooner or later we ask ourselves, “Was it worth it?”

No, It Was Not Worth It.

Here’s a man who decided to make a success in business, no matter the cost. He put his life into creating a great industrial empire. His word became Law for thousands of his subordinates; he could make or break governors and senators. In the process he forgot his family. His son and daughter grew up without a father; his wife became a neurotic stranger seeking solace in alcohol. He alienated all who would have been his friends. No one liked him. Everybody feared him.

Then, at sixty years old his health failed. For a time his accumulated power kept his subordinates “in line.” But as his condition worsened, a mad scramble for control of his empire took all his power from him. His enemies, who were many, took over.

One day he evaluated his situation and suddenly he felt a great emptiness: “Is this all that it amounts to? A lifetime of hard work, endless struggling to build, and now what do I have? My family is gone from me; my son conspires with my enemies, my daughter hates me, my wife is perpetually drunk and doesn’t even know who I am. And the business I worked so hard to build has gone to a bunch of Johnny-come-latelies who don’t know a thing about it. I have no friends to like me for myself — only a bunch of paid servants who serve me grudgingly. Is this all that it amounts to? Was it worth it? No!”

And he pulled the trigger on a revolver pointed at his head.

Here’s King Saul, Israel’s first king, anointed by Samuel. He quickly became great in the eyes of his people and feared by enemies of his people. His victories in battle made him famous, respected, and feared. And Saul began to feel important, so important that he began to modify God’s instructions. On one occasion (1 Sam 13:8-15) Philistines were threatening with a large force massed for attack. Saul was supposed to wait for Samuel to make appropriate sacrifice before battle, but Saul became impatient, and made his own sacrifice without Samuel.

Several other times he decided to handle things in his own way rather than God’s way, and things began to go against him. He became vicious, vengeful, and suspicious. Madness, catatonic seizures, incapacitated him. He began to lose battles, and in his last battle he saw his doom coming.

Was it worth it, Saul? Was it worth it to forego God’s

Guidance in order to do things in your own way?

As he fell upon his sword, he said in action that spoke louder than words, “No, it was not.”

Here’s King David, mighty in battle, wise in judgment, respected and beloved. One day he looked upon Bathsheba the beautiful young wife of one of his soldiers, and decided to have her for himself — no matter the cost. He maneuvered the husband into a certain death situation on the battlefield to hide his blunder. Ask King David if it was worth it, and you’ll probably hear him say: “No, it wasn’t. O Lord, have mercy upon me. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.”

Sometimes we, too, must admit: “No. It was not worth what it cost. What I’ve had to pay is far greater than all the advantages I’ve gained. Now I see that gaining the whole world is not adequate compensation for losing my soul.” . . .

[NOTE: “Part 2,” the conclusion to this sermon,

“Yes, It Was Worth It!”