Many, if not all, of us have read or are aware of the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. As you know, it presents forty days of readings, questioning, and studies to encourage us toward the habit of living out the five purposes God has for our life. The purposes are worship, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry. There is now even a CHAT Bible study that covers, so far, the first seven days of the book. CHAT is an acronym standing for Check-up, Hear the Word, Act on it, Talk to others about it. All this is exciting and beneficial for the individual and the church. Today, what I would like to do is remind us of the why. Why did God present us with all things? Why did God give us His Son? Why did God give us His Word? Why did God . . . ? The questions are endless; the answer is always the same: He gives us all things for His praise, His glory, and His honor. Thus, the title for today’s message.

If you have your Bible, turn with me to 1 Peter 1. We will be looking at verses 3-9. We will be looking at three causes of joy in our lives. We will look at our inheritance, our Savior, and our challenges or trials.

Let’s pray:

Father, thank You so much for Your Word. Thank You for the opportunity given to each one of us to open this life changing book and seeing Your work in our lives. Today was ask as we open the Words that bring life, that our relationship with You would grow, our reason for living would be altered, that we would be changed people. Speak to each of us today for Your glory, honor, and praise. Amen.

1.  Rejoice in Our Inheritance

3    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has cause us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Our inheritance as we see from verse 3 is the most life changing experience anyone will encounter. It is our salvation. Through Jesus Christ we are born again, we become part of God’s family. If you haven’t experienced this wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ, and you would like to talk about it, see one of the church leaders or you can e-mail me if you would like to do that. My wife will have that information for you if you would like to talk with her after the service.

a.  Hope

Salvation brings to us a hope that is not known apart from God. The word hope doesn’t mean wishful thinking, that someday this might happen. In the Bible it means the assurance that it will come to pass. Such as the hope mentioned in Hebrews 11.1: faith is the assurance (proof if you would) of things hoped for, the conviction that things unseen will come to pass. This tells us that what we read in God’s Word, the Bible, will come to pass. All the promises of God are going to be fulfilled. We can see the marvelous examples of His Word being fulfilled throughout the Bible, from a coming Savior in Genesis 3 to the very day that Savior will enter Jerusalem in Daniel 9 to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The most telling evidence of the promises of God being fulfilled is in our own lives. I remember when I was in Junior High School. I was small and an easy target for gangs to take their troubles out on. I would go to school every day in the seventh grade only to go home with a little less money or a project that I had worked on so hard in shop classes taken away from me. All this happened to by the hand of the black gangs called the Crips and the Bloods. I was a white guy walking through the dividing line of both gangs. I had become a Christian in 1972 in Germany. I walked into a church on a Sunday evening, tired from a long walk, not even knowing it was a church because I had never been in one before. The pastor was giving the salvation message. I went forward to receive Christ as my Savior. The pastor there didn’t tell me to go home and read the Bible or to go to church. He just welcomed me into God’s family. Shortly after this, we moved to California when all this turmoil at school began. I dropped out of Junior High School. When it came time for High School, we had moved. I went to a safer school, graduated with high honors. The reason I bring this story up is what God did in that time. Remember, I still loved God, but didn’t know anything about Him. I didn’t pray regularly. But God was doing a work in my life that I would begin to see evidence of in High School but come to fully realize later in life. When I read Galatians 5.24-25, I can’t help but praise God for fulfilling His promises in my life. My family is from Iowa and North Carolina. Their beliefs about people who are not white are less than godly. When my family heard what was happening to me in school, they were angry at black people. When they hear my story, they are amazed that I have pastored Taiwanese churches all my life, over 22 years now. They marvel that my best friends are black, Filipino, Chinese, Taiwanese, Hispanic, and the list goes on. They wonder how it could be so when my Junior High years were so tumultuous. This is why I marvel at Galatians 5.24-25. You see, God promises that His Holy Spirit will work in our lives producing love, not bitterness, joy, not anger, peace, not turmoil, patience, not frustration, kindness, not vengeance, goodness, not hatred, and so the list goes on. God was doing what He promised in my life without me realizing it was happening. The hope that is within me, is that God will accomplish His work in me and through me. We all have this hope. God is at work in the world, we just need to see it.

Let’s read verse 4:

4      to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

b.      Eternal Life

As we read through these verses, we see that inheritance, that salvation, provides us with something imperishable, pure, and eternal. This lets me know that my salvation is never going to be taken away from me. This fantastic gift, this inheritance, is mine because of the new birth that has caused me to become God’s child. This is my faith, my hope. If you want to read on your inheritance, read through Ephesians 1-3. You will marvel at all that God has done for us and will do through us.

Let’s read verse 5:

5      who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

c.  Protection

The third aspect of our inheritance is protection. We have a hope, we have eternal life, and we have protection during this life. It is God’s work to protect you and to bring you through this life.

Let’s look at the second cause for our rejoicing and that is our Savior.

2.  Rejoice in Our Savior

6      In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

7      so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

8      and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

9      obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

I would like to read verse 8 at this point

8      and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

When we come to a greater realization of what God has done for us in Christ, we cannot help but rejoice. Peter was talking to people who were close to Christ’s era but were not alive when Christ walked the earth. Peter did. They didn’t. I figure the argument he was hearing went like this: “It is easy for you to believe that God will help you through this life. You used to walk with Him and talk with Him. We never did. How can we have such faith?” His response: “You don’t need to see Him to love Him. You don’t need to see Him to believe in Him. You have the opportunity to experience what I had experience and it will produce great joy in your life. That opportunity comes through the work of the Holy Spirit in your life as He reveals Jesus Christ to you.”

For the sake of time, let us look at the third point for today:

3.  Rejoice in Our Challenges

To this point, I have been talking about good things: salvation, inheritance, hope, eternal life, Jesus. What about the hard things in this life. More and more, we are seeing that life is difficult and not always bringing us into circumstances in which it is easy to rejoice. In order for us to understand that joy doesn’t come in circumstances but in our Savior, even through trials, I would like to closely examine verses 6-9. Please walk with me through a dissection of verses 6-9.

6      In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

7      so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

8      and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

9      obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

What does all this mean? Our lives are to bring glory to God by the way we live our lives, even in the dark times. We are to bring praise to God in our lives, as often as possible, despite the circumstances we find ourselves in because of His promises and His Son. We are to bring other people to praise God because of our lives too. We are to honor God in our daily decisions based upon the promises of His Word and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Used by Permission.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Teach for God Ministries.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By David R Williamson. ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Website: www.teach4god.com

I really like Boba. It is a milk tea with balls of tapioca in it. I remember giving Coach Brent, Coach Jackie, and Mr. McGee an opportunity to taste it a few years ago. They refused to take a drink. Most places that sell Boba don’t sell it before ten in the morning. I wanted one to drink, stopped in, and ask Joe if he could make me one. I told him that I really wanted one. He told me it would take ten to fifteen minutes. That seemed like quite a bit of time. So, I told Joe to forget about it and the wait wasn’t worth it.

Why did I change my mind? I really wanted one and then when I found out what it would cost, I didn’t think it was worth it. How often we say we want something. And then we find out how much it’ll cost – in terms of time, or trouble, or money or whatever. And suddenly it doesn’t seem worth it.

There is a verse in Philippians 3.10 that is wonderful. It presents us with a goal in life that is magnificent. Paul tells us the thing he most wanted in life: “I want to know Christ.”

And when you think how much he’d lost for knowing Christ, that is remarkable. Just think what it had cost Paul to be a Christian. Think what he was in Philippians 3.5: he’d been a respected Pharisee. He’d studied at the best Jewish theological college; he was a rising star; he was well-respected.

Then think of him now. He’s in prison because the Jews didn’t like what he said about Jesus. His old friends had disowned him. He’s on trial for his life. He’s no longer respected or liked or popular or comfortable. And all because he’s a Christian. And still he says, v10: “I want to know Christ.”

For most of us, I don’t know what it costs us to know Jesus as Lord. What it costs at home – trying to be a witness to parents or family and friends; trying to bring friends to know the Lord, with no guarantees that they’ll ultimately want to. I don’t know what it costs at school – what issues we’ve had to take a stand on, what isolation we’ve experienced, how we may have been disadvantaged or discriminated against. I don’t know what the public struggle with peer-pressure has cost you, or the private struggle with temptation. I don’t know what knowing Christ has cost you emotionally, mentally, physically, socially.

But I do know that if you’re a Christian, it has cost you. And that either you have faced, or sometime will face, the question: “s it worth it?”

And Paul must have known that that question would be in the minds of the Philippian Christians. In Philippians 1.27-30, Paul tells us:

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then… I will know that you stand firm in one Spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel, without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you… For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

They knew what it was to be poorly received as Christians; to be argued against for what they said and how they lived; to be frightened by how negative the reaction could be. They knew what it was to wobble in their faith. To ask, “Is it really worth it?” And to help them, Paul lets them in on what kept him going.

Let’s return to Philippians 3.10:

“I want to know Christ,” he says, “And the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” [ie, I want to keep going whatever the cost – even if it is death.]

Well, what gets someone to that point of Christian maturity where they can say, ‘I want to know Christ, whatever it costs’? The answer lies in this morning’s passage: the person who says, “I want to know Christ whatever it costs,” is a person whose eyes are fixed on heaven, and on the cross.

1.  Press on all the way to heaven (v12-16)

To people who were wobbling in their faith, Paul says, in verse 12-16:

“The way I keep going is this: I press on with my eyes fixed on heaven. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect. But I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.”

He’s just been telling us what his goal in life is. Verse 10: to know Christ personally; to experience God’s power so that he can serve Christ as he should, and be the person Christ wants him to be; to be willing to go all the way in obedience – no half-measures or half-heartedness.

That was Paul’s goal. But he wasn’t claiming to have achieved it: “NOT that I have already attained all this, or have already been made perfect” (v12); “Brothers, I do NOT consider myself YET to have taken hold of it” (v13) Paul knew that that would be true only beyond the grave. So he says, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” So we can know Christ personally. But we can only know him imperfectly this side of heaven. We are going to experience what it is to be raised from the dead in a new resurrection body when we’ll be sin-free. But not yet, not this side of heaven.

And because that’s the way things are, Paul says “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (v12), and “I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus” (v14). [And by the way he doesn’t mean he has to earn his place in heaven. He’s just using an illustration to make the point that his eyes are on the finishing line.]

And our mistake as Christians is to forget the not yet. We forget that most of the benefits of knowing Christ come beyond this life. So we get dissatisfied, and feel like giving up, and ask, “Is it worth it?” And that’s the mistake Paul is out to correct.

So, for instance, we say (rightly) that the Christian life is a personal relationship with Jesus. But it’s a “long-distance” relationship with someone we can’t see. It’s indirect, praying and reading the Bible and living by trust. And Paul says, “Yes, but we haven’t got it all yet. One day we will be with him. We will see him. We won’t struggle with doubt any more. But that’s future, not yet.

Or take the struggle of witnessing for the Lord. The lack of interest or negative reactions to invitations keep us from telling people about Jesus. When heaven comes, this struggle will end, as well. But that’s future, not yet.

Or take the struggle of personal holiness. The sinful nature doesn’t get any less sinful as the Christian life goes on. The strength and frequency of many temptations remains the same. They’re quite a bit like the Energizer Bunny. They just keep coming and coming and coming. But, says Paul, we haven’t got it all yet. But we will. We will have resurrection bodies in which we are perfectly sin-free. No more letting the Lord down. No more shame-faced confession, over and over again. No more despairing with ourselves and giving up. That struggle will also end. But that’s also future, not yet.

Paul is saying: don’t calculate the” worthwhile-ness” of the Christian life purely on the present. No-one in their right minds would be a Christian purely on the strength of the difference it makes in the present. Because the difference it makes in the present is that it makes it harder. It gives you struggles and problems you didn’t have as a non-Christian. It’s like that quote about marriage: “A wife is a great help to a man in all the problems he’d never have had as a bachelor.” Well likewise, knowing Christ creates new problems in the here and now. And no-one would be a Christian purely on the difference it makes to the here and now. At least, that’s what Paul says elsewhere in 1 Corinthians 15. Where he says: if Christ wasn’t really raised from the dead, nor will we be. And if that’s the case, there’s no life after death; the here-and-now is all there is. And then he says this. “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Cor 15.19). But there is a heaven. It’s real. And Paul says in verses 13 and 14:

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.

So he forgets what’s behind. He doesn’t dwell on what he’s lost. Position, popularity, freedom, comfort. Why dwell on the state of your prison cell when Jesus has said, “In my Father’s house are any rooms…I am going there to prepare a place for you” (John 14.1-3)? He doesn’t dwell on the cost because it looks very small against the certainty of heaven. And nor should we. The Lord never trivializes the cost. Jesus knows from experience how real it is. But he calls us to get it into perspective.

Nor does Paul dwell on his regrets. Remember verse 6: he had more than most to regret. He persecuted Christians to death in his non-Christian existence. He had blood on his hands. But he’s a forgiven man. And Paul knows that if God has forgiven the past, he can put it behind himself, too. And so can we.

Maybe some of us need to hear that, particularly. I can’t remember how many times I have had people who became Christians later in life or who were Christians but squandered away their youth come up to me and tell me with tears in their eyes that they wished they had gotten right with God sooner. “I wish I hadn’t wasted so much time,” they tell me. People need to hear verse 13: from now on, “One thing: forgetting what is behind, and straining towards what is ahead, press on…heavenwards’

Or maybe there’s a particular thing in our past which dogs our footsteps. Something on our consciences for which we find it hard to accept forgiveness. Well, regrets are right and proper. But they can keep us from the other right and proper thing, which is to believe God’s forgiveness of our past – our pre-Christian past, and our past since coming to Christ. “Forgetting what is behind, and straining towards what is ahead, I press on…heavenwards,” said Paul. And so should we.

That’s what kept Paul going. Don’t calculate things as if the here and now was all there is, he says to us. The best is yet to come, so press on all the way to heaven.

Then verse 15:

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

Doesn’t that overturn our natural ideas of what makes a mature Christian? We tend to think of ourselves as “nearly there” in the Christian life; almost “arrived’; bordering on first class holiness. We grow very easily satisfied with ourselves. We lose the urgency we had in our early Christian days for holiness and serving the Lord more. Perhaps we even look back and think we were a bit foolish when we first became Christians. But that isn’t maturity, according to Paul. That’s stagnation.

And I guess we tend to think that older Christians or Christian leaders are “nearly there’. They’ve pretty much arrived, we tell ourselves, putting them up on a pedestal. I remember thinking that leaders and pastors don’t struggle with pride or lust or envy or temper anymore because they have grown so much in Christ. I then became a pastor and realized what dangerous nonsense those pedestals are. And how dangerous it is as a leader of any sort to let people put you on a pedestal.

What a contrast with verse 15. The mature people are the ones who know they haven’t arrived; who are dissatisfied with themselves; who are still pressing on in holiness; who are more concerned, not less, to find time to read the Bible and pray; who as they get to know the Lord better detect more within themselves, not less, that’s imperfect and needs God to change it. And Paul says, literally, “If somehow you think differently, God will reveal this to you.” In other words, if you think differently about maturity, you need God to change your mind. Because the really mature are the ones who know how far they still have to go.

Then verse 16:

Only, let us live up to what we’ve already attained.

We’re all at different stages in the Christian life. Some know God better than others. Some know better what to aim for than others. That’s not the point. I’m to live up to how well I know the Lord, and you’re to live up to how well you know him. What matters is not so much where we’ve got to, or what we know, but whether we’re moving forwards.

Press on all the way to heaven.

The second point I see in this passage:

2.  Beware here-and-now religion (v17-19)

Paul knew that there were other religious voices in Philippi apart from his own. And he knew they’d be attractive to hard-pressed Christians for one simple reason: the religion they offered was much easier. So he has to say, verse 17:

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

I take it that the pattern Paul gave is in Philippians 2.6-11. That passage is really the centrepiece of the letter – the jewel at the heart of Philippians. It’s the pattern of Jesus death and resurrection: costly obedience NOW, and glory LATER. That’s the pattern that Paul lived by. So he could rejoice in a prison cell facing death – because he knew the deal was: suffering now, glory later. Back in chapter 2, Timothy could happily work his socks off for the gospel (2.19-24) and Epaphroditus risk his life for it (2.25-30) – because they knew the deal was: suffering now, glory later. If the Lord Jesus had been obedient to the point of death, what right did they have to a more comfortable ride in the Christian life? “No servant is above his Master,” after all. (John 13.16, 15.20)

And Paul says (v17): follow those who live by that pattern: costly obedience now, because they’re sure of heaven to come. And he has to warn them against following others in verses 18 and 19:

For, as I have often told you before, and now say again with tears, there are many who live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction. Their “god” is their stomach and their “glory” is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

In other words, beware: there are plenty of religious people who live according to a different pattern – a pattern that makes for an easy life, here and now. He’s talking about people who had a religion, but a religion without the cross of Christ.

You see, the trouble with the cross is twofold. For one thing, it’s humbling. It tells us we’re not good enough for God, however good we think we are. It says our sin is so serious it deserves the judgment Jesus faced when he died for us. It says we need saving from judgment and can’t save ourselves. Very humbling. Which is why the message doesn’t go down well. The other thing is that the cross is demanding. If Jesus did that for me, how can I say to him, “I’ll follow you, but only up to this point’? If I follow a Lord who suffered for me, it will mean suffering for him.

So, if you want an easier religion, an easier message and an easier ride, just forget the cross.

And basically, these people in verses 18-19 did exactly that. They had a message about a God with whom you’d be OK if you did the right things. Nothing very humbling there. Nothing that ruffles human pride and says things like, “You’re a sinner and you need to be saved.”

We’re all natural suffering-avoiders. We’d love a more acceptable message that went down better. I remember being with a group of people and I was introduced as a pastor. Everything was great. People were having a great time. People were talking with me about Jesus. Everything was easy-going and jovial – until one guy said, “But you’re not saying that the Jews and Buddhists and Muslims are all wrong, are you?” That’s the crunch, isn’t it? Either I opt for a continuing easy, jovial time. Or I tell the truth. So I said, “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. According to the Christian message, they’re all wrong.” And the joviality disappeared. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. The cross goes down like a lead balloon.

Isn’t that a choice we all have to make on a day-by-day basis. We are having a great time. Then someone says something that goes against what we believe. Our choice is to continue as if nothing happened or to stop and stand up for Jesus. Tough choices.

We’re all natural suffering-avoiders. So we’re all attracted to easy religion: religion that amounts to just a few “add-on’s, but doesn’t actually demand anything of us. I can recall junior high students coming to Christ at camp, all excited, went home and told their parents. And the parents told them, “That’s lovely, dear. I just hope you’re not going to go religious on us.” In other words, don’t take it too seriously. A little bit of Bible reading, yes. But no more. Nothing demanding. Nothing life-involving.

We’re all attracted to easy religion: either other religions, or false versions of Christianity. Versions of Christianity that say you don’t have to speak for Christ, because everyone’s way to God will get them there in the end. That “P.C.” version makes for a quiet life. Or versions of Christianity that say God affirms us as we are, so we don’t actually use words like sin or call on people to repent of sin. Or versions of Christianity that say that God is out to fulfil us completely in the here and now, or to bless us materially or physically without fail in the here and now.

All very easy. All totally false. And if -end of v19 – our minds are on earthly things, if we have no eternal perspective, if in practice we too only really believe in the here and now, we will buy in to them. We will miss out the cross, because that’s what makes for trouble in the here and now.

Which brings us to the last point:

3.  Only firm conviction about heaven will make us stand firm in the present (3:20-4:1)

In a way, this just brings us back where we began, pressing on to heaven: Verse 20:

But our citizenship is in heaven [ie, that’s where we belong, we’re just temporary residents down here]. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body.

Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord dear friends!” (3.20-4.1)

Back in 1:27, Paul’s main command to them was: stand firm. And after another two chapters he sums up, 4:1 “There you have it. That is how you should stand firm. That’s the secret to standing firm.’

And the secret is to be convinced about heaven. That’s what this whole passage has been about – from verse 12 down to 4:1. We’ll only be able to accept costly obedience now if we’re convinced about heaven. We’ll only press on in personal holiness if we’re convinced about heaven. We’ll only witness to Christ in a way that could lose us friends if we’re convinced about heaven. We’ll only stand up for what is right when all others opt for what is wrong if we’re convinced about heaven. We simply can’t and won’t live the Christian life on “here and now” reasons and incentives. It just doesn’t work.

What gets you through the costliness of knowing Christ? What keeps you going as a Christian? Paul says: the prospect of heaven. The Christian life isn’t just life here and now. This is just the waiting room, there is heaven to follow.

Martin Luther was once asked how he lived the Christian life the way he did. He said this: “I live as if Jesus died for me yesterday, rose today, and is coming to take me to heaven tomorrow.” And I said Paul would have said “Amen” to that. Do you?

©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Used by Permission.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Teach for God Ministries.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By David R Williamson. ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Website: www.teach4god.com

Scripture Reading: Psalm 70

When I was younger, our church used to have Thanksgiving breakfasts. It really was coffee and doughnuts, but nobody ever complained. We gathered together to recount the year that we had. We gave testimonies of the good things that we received and of the hard times we were brought through. For us, Thanksgiving was a time of reflection and drawing closer to those we love. We would think about where we had been and rejoiced over the happy times and mourned over the sad times with those around us. This was a time that each person in the church looked forward too. A time of gathering and thanking, a time of fellowship.

I realized during those special times, that to be truly thankful I must have two qualities in my life: truth and justice. When I am truthful, I give God the credit for all things in my life. Whether they are good or bad, I tell Him and those around me that He has freely given me all things. Justice tells me to take all things into account that God has given me and respond to Him in some tangible way. To perform some ministry as evidence that I am truly thankful to Him for what He has brought into my life.

Let’s look at the first five verses of the Psalm before us. For the sake of time, I will ask you to read these verses to yourself.

I.   Does Your Life Show Him? (1-5)

1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. 4 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

David begins this Psalm with a profession of thankfulness. In being thankful, he shows his confidence in His God. He said: “I waited patiently for the Lord.” What follows is what David was thankful for.

1.  God heard his prayers: “He inclined his ear, and heard my cry.”

2.  God delivered him from some form of bondage. “He brought me out of the horrible pit, and out of the miry clay.”

3.  God placed him in a safe place. “He set my feet upon a rock.”

4.  God steadied him so he wouldn’t fall back into the horrible pit and miry clay. “He established my goings.”

5.  God gave David every reason to be thankful. “He hath put a new song in my mouth.”

The first three verses offer David’s testimony of His divine rescue. The slimy pit endangered many travelers, it could be a common sin or difficulty that many people get into. It could be things like lust or financial difficulties. Many people fall into this pit, this slippery place, either from willful sin or through no fault of their own. This was David’s case. He was having difficult times in his life and God rescued him. The rescue from the slippery place to the Solid Rock was evident to all around him. It was such a dramatic change, deliverance, that David had to sing out loud for joy.

We have all experienced this. I know that there have been times in my life where I see the hand of God at work and the only way I can rejoice is through singing. I remember hearing about a friend who was in trouble. God helped him in his time of need. I had to sing, “God is so Good.” Deliverance brings joy.

The great thing about this is that other people will see this and they will rejoice, be thankful, for what God has done in your life. They may even trust Him in a greater way because of your changed life, your deliverance, your joy. When God gives you a reason to be thankful, He expects there to be a change in your lifestyle. Your life should be a steady, regular walk and conduct that displays Jesus Christ that others may see this and rejoice in Him. Or, as Jesus said: “Let your light so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.”

David believes, and the Bible testifies, that a changed life becomes a living billboard for God. David says, “Many shall see my deliverance and my thanksgiving, and shall fear God, and acknowledge His grace, His providence, and protection; and because of this, they will be led to put their trust in Him.”

It is here that David provides us with a type of thanksgiving. —

He tells us two great truths:

1.  David tells us that the man who trusts and relies on God is truly blessed.

1.  “Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust.”

2.  “And blessed is he who respects not the proud;” men who are proud of their wealth and power, or those who turn to believe in lies and not the truth.

2.  David then admires God’s mercies, and proclaims God’s goodness to people everywhere.

1.  He proclaims the vastness of God’s works “Many, O Lord my God, are thy works.”

2.  He proclaims their divine origin “Thy wonderful works.”

3.  He proclaims the wisdom God had in doing what He had done for him “Many, O Lord, are thy wondrous works; and thy thoughts to us-ward, they cannot be reckoned up.”

I have listed two questions in the notes that you should think about and answer sometime today.

I.   Are You Convinced God Loves You?

Do you really believe that God is in love with you, that He always seeks what is best for you? Can you say with Joseph in Genesis 50.20: “What man has planned for evil, God intended for good.” Through the good and bad times, do you see that God loves you?

II.  Do Your Actions Show He Loves You?

If you believe that God loves you, that He has given you reason to be thankful, does your life show it? Do you verbally thank God, do you sing joyfully to Him, to you praise Him among all the people?

This leads us into the next five verses of Psalm 40. Although these verses are attributed to Christ by the writer of Hebrews, we see David, and ourselves, in them as-well.

II   Do You Proclaim Him? (6-10)

6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. 9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. 10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

[For David’s thanksgiving, the usual sacrifices and offerings are set aside] in favor of complete obedience from the heart, and full acknowledgment, in public assembly, of the saving goodness of God (Elwell, 1989).

David acknowledges his thankfulness and expresses his gratitude to God. He was so grateful to God that he felt himself bound to be obedient to the Word of God. He felt that his best sacrifice would be the sacrifice of his very life to God, just as Paul mentions in Romans 12.1: “I urge you, therefore, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as living sacrifices—holy and acceptable to God.”

What David is showing us here is that outward worship is of little worth, if sincerity and obedience are not in it. “Sacrifice and offering thou did not require.” David brings to mind here an ancient tradition of slavery that was common in Old Testament Israel. When a slaves time of service was over, after the 6^th year, he could be freed. When a slave saw that his master was a good master, full of mercy and kindnesses, he could stay with him. If the slave chose not to leave and the master chose to keep him, the slave would have his ears opened, pierced, to show that he is now a permanent slave to his master. So, when David says: “mine ears hast thou opened,” he is referring to the opening made by the awl that would pierce the ears of the slave. This is the sign of a voluntary and obedient servant (Exodus 21:5, 6). Like Paul, David said: “I will be Your voluntary and obedient servant. Lo, I come! I am ready to hear thy commands.” David then follows with a description of his obedience. David said that he would perform whatever God asked of him with a cheerful heart: “I delight to do Your will. Your law is in my heart. The obedience of eyes, hands, and feet may be hypocritical; that which is of the heart cannot. You desire my heart, and my heart You shall have; and for that purpose I have put Your law in my heart.” David would serve God and tell others about God with all his heart, just as Paul tells us to do in Colossians.

David did this for the glory of God and the benefit of others. His life became a living proclamation of Good News, the Gospel. David says, “I have preached righteousness in the great congregation.” And, “I have not stopped my lips from proclaiming your goodness” And, “I have not hid Your righteousness within my heart.” But, “I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation.” Because “I have not concealed thy loving-kindness and truth from the great congregation.”

The questions that I ask you to ponder as you think about these verses are:

A. Is Your Life Set Apart for Him?

This is asking whether you have given all that you are to Christ. Is your life a walking testimony of God? If it is, praise Him; if not, why not?

B. Do You Profess Him to Others?

The answer to this question determines the answer of the first question. There is no way your life is set apart for God if you are not proclaiming Him to others. A life of thanksgiving is a life that shouts out the greatness of God for all to hear.

If I were to put these verses into something that you could take home, something that would remind you of Thanksgiving, I would put it into an acronym that spells Thanksgiving.

Trust God to be their in every situation that you are in. Whether you are going through good or bad times, trust the goodness of God to bring only those things into your life which will produce a life that is good (Romans 8.28)

Honor God by giving Him the praise that is due His name. Praise Him for all that He has brought you through. Glorify His name for the good times and the hard times. Whatever has happened in your life, honor Him with praise (Colossians 3.17).

Acknowledge your joys and your pains. Don’t merely thank God for the joys in your life, but remember even the pain. This is what makes you, you. In every aspect of your life, acknowledge that God is taking an active part in your life (Proverbs 3.5-6).

Notice the hard times and the good time. This tells us to learn from every situation that comes into our lives. Don’t allow a day to go by without thinking through the day and giving God glory and learning a lesson for it. We should never let a day go by, with all the joys and pains that God allows in it, without acknowledging that it is for a purpose (Psalm 119.71, 73; Isaiah 29.24).

Know you are a part of God’s plan (Genesis 50.20). We need to come to a realization that all that happens in our lives is part of God’s greater plan to mold us into the image of Jesus Christ. Everything that comes our way is to bring us closer to His image. This is God’s plan. Just a cookie is made from both good tasting and bad tasting ingredients, so our life is made. Just as it takes time, heat, and energy to produce a cookie from cookie dough, so it will take time, heat and energy in us to produce Christlikeness.

Set yourself apart for God. We are to give our lives over to God for Him to do as He pleases in it. We are to be people of holiness (1 Thessalonians 4.13).

Give praise to God. Daily we are to offer Him praise, no matter the situation. For us to be truly thankful, we need to praise God much as David did (Hebrews 13.15).

Initiate healing of the hurts you may have. Just as David went before God (Psalms), so we must go before God and tell Him our hurts, pains, griefs. We are to come before Him with everything. We can freely come to Him with all our problems and joys.

Validate your feelings. Once we realize that we are in God’s plans, we must take our feelings into that. We must recognize our emotions and deal with them in the knowledge that God is in control and has a plan for my life. This doesn’t mean I deny my emotions, but I express them to God in a healthy manner. God is concerned with them (Jeremiah 8.21). He allows them to come into our lives and wants us to talk to Him about them.

Invite the Holy Spirit to be active in your life. If there is sin in your life, confess it; if there is a hurt in your heart, have Him cleanse it; if there is joy in your life, let Him enhance it. Allow the Holy Spirit to be active in your life (Ephesians 5.18).

Nail your hurts to the cross. For those who have sinned against you and have caused you pain, forgive them just as Christ has forgiven you and forget them just as Christ has forgotten yours (Psalm 103).

Glorify God in all things for this is the will of God for your life (1 Corinthians 6.20).

For a truly memorable Thanksgiving, let us live out the acronym above just as David has shown us in Psalm 40 to do. I would like you to consider what David has taught us from Psalm 40 during this Thanksgiving time. During this week, ask yourself the questions from the outline, look at the acronym and ask God to give you the strength to live a life that shows Him, proclaims Him, and relies upon Him.

Let us pray

Father, I thank You for caring for each one of us. For bring us good things for us to rejoice in and for allowing hard times so we may grow in them. I pray, that You would enable each one of us to take time this week to be truly thankful to You for all that You have done for us. Show us ways to express our thankfulness to You this week. In Jesus name, amen.

Trust God (Romans 8.28)

Honor God (Colossians 3.17).

Acknowledge your joys and your pains. (Proverbs 3.5-6).

Notice the hard times and the good time. (Psalm 119.71, 73; Isaiah 29.24).

Know you are a part of God’s plan (Genesis 50.20).

Set yourself apart for God. (1 Thessalonians 4.13).

Give praise to God. (Hebrews 13.15).

Initiate healing of the hurts you may have. (Psalms).

Validate your feelings. (Jeremiah 8.21).

Invite the Holy Spirit to be active in your life. (Ephesians 5.18).

Nail your hurts to the cross. (Psalm 103).

Glorify God in all things (1 Corinthians 6.20).

©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Used by Permission.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Teach for God Ministries.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By David R Williamson. ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Website: www.teach4god.com

Many committed Christians wrestle with feeling like they’re just not doing well in their relationship with God. The symptoms include: a burning desire to please the Lord; a fear, no matter how much you’re doing that it isn’t quite enough; a growing anger or frustration in your Christian life; a tendency to compare your Christian life with others. (Miller, 1989).

Many Christians hold as true these words of a song quipped by Mike Warnke:

“I come before Thy throne of grace

And fall down upon my face;

I know that I am but a worm —

So, step on me God and watch me squirm!”

However, our lives in Christ are far removed from this thinking. It can be seen in an illustration of Worms and Butterflies:

Being made into a new creation is like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Originally an earthbound crawling creature, a caterpillar weaves a cocoon and is totally immersed in it. Then a marvelous process takes place, called metamorphosis. Finally a totally new creature — a butterfly — emerges. Once ground-bound, the butterfly can now soar above the earth. It now can view life from [a loftier perch] the sky downward. In the same way, as a new creature in Christ you must begin to see yourself as God sees you.

If you were to see a butterfly, it would never occur to you to say, “Hey, everybody! Come look at this good-looking converted worm!” Why not? After all, it was a worm. And it was “converted.” No, now it is a new creature, and you don’t think of it in terms of what it was. You see it as it is now — a butterfly.

In exactly the same way, God sees you as His new creature in Christ. Although you might not always act like a good butterfly — you might land on things you shouldn’t, or forget you are a butterfly and crawl around with your old worm buddies — the truth of the matter is, you are never going to be a worm again!

This is why the usual New Testament word for a person in Christ is “saint,” meaning “holy one.” Paul, for example, in nearly all his letters addressed them to the “saints.” Yet all the time I hear Christians referring to themselves as “just an old sinner saved by grace.” No! That’s like calling a butterfly a converted worm. We were sinners and we were saved by grace, but the Word of God calls us saints from the moment we become identified with Christ. (George, 2000)

The Bible speaks of holiness, or sanctification, in three phases—

1.  What Happened to Me when I got Saved?

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3.1-3)

1.  What Happened to Me in the Past

“That state of separation in the spiritual realm accomplished by God the Father by means of the blood of Christ instantaneously at spiritual birth for each Christian” (Fairman).

This is involvement of our position: But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: (2 Thessalonians 2:13) and not our practice. This is freedom from the condemnation of sin: [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1); not the temporary deliverance from the effects and consequences of sin. This is the beginning of new life for the butterfly, the Christian.

2.  What is Happening to Me Now

“Conformity to Christ enabled by all of the Godhead. This conformity is endeavored by the believer, continuously during spiritual growth for each Christian” (Fairman).

This is the temporal aspect as seen in verses like:

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which [was bestowed] upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

This involves freedom from sin’s control: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. (1 Corinthians 10:13). This is a continuing process from spiritual birth to the end of life on earth. Both God and man are involved: Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure. (Philippians 2.12-13).

3.  What will Happen to Me in the Future

“State of perfection accomplished by the Father, instantaneously by death or rapture” (Fairman).

This is the merging of positional and present sanctification: Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, (Jude 1:24)

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8.29-30)

Today, however, I would like to look into that area of what is happening in our lives today.

II   There are Two Steps that I Have to Take in My Life Now

A. I Need to be Dependent upon God

1.  I Need to Yield to God through . . .

a.  Repentance

For God took the initiative to bring us into a relationship with Himself, not thαt we should continue to live in impurity, but that we should be wholly consecrated to Him. (1 Thessalonians 4.7). Before the Christian life can be lived we must acknowledge that we sin; that we have rebelled against a perfect God: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23). When this is recognized we must realize that: the wages of that sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23).

When we realize that we have sinned we must repent of that sin. We all identify with Peter in his sin, but often we fail to learn the lesson of his repentance. The characteristics of repentance are:

1)  It is divine, initiated by God. Being sorry that we have sinned is not necessarily penitence. Responding to God and yielding to God.

2)  It is very sensitive. God always deals with us gently.

3)  It is an intense experience.

4)  The experience is a lonely one. In Peter’s case, only between God and Peter. Luke 22:61,62.

(Drummond, 1989).

Repentance is a 180 degree turn away from what we were doing, “crawling around with your old worm buddies,” and returning to the position God placed us in when we became Christians, a butterfly.

There is not a passage more clear on this than 1 John 1.9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).

When I think about this verse I automatically recall a most vivid illustration that I have told many people:

I have always wondered why God asks us to repent in prayer when He knows our hearts. This verse has always bothered me until I realized that God is our Father. When I get married and have children (now I can idealize this because I am not there; therefore, those of you who are married and have children, don’t rain on my parade), I would discipline like this:

When Naomi hits Mephibosheth (these are the names I want to give my children and I realize that who ever I marry will voice her opinion rather strongly), and she will, and she comes to me wanting to play, talk and joke around; no matter how hard, I will have to refuse until she tells “Meph” she’s sorry. She may come to me daily and cry out to me but I won’t be able to respond until she “repents” of her sin. In the meantime Meph and I shall talk and play together. She will come up to me, hopefully sooner and not later, and tell me she’s sorry for hitting her brother. I will ask her if she told him; have her tell him; have both of them come to me and tell me so; and take both of them in my arms and play with them, talk with them, and joke around with them: love them

You see, God wants us to show our love for Him by confessing to others of the deeds we did against them, thus showing our love for them.

b. Dependance

After we repent of our sins and in confession tell God this, we need to lean on God for strength not to fall into that deed, that sin, again.

We do not need to fall into that sin again for we view life from a loftier perch: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2:1)

2.  I am Free From Sin as I Depend on God

Christians are freed from sin by God’s power from within to without: It shows on the outside what is inherent on the inside.

Illustration: “Let’s imagine that a king made a decree in his land that there would be a blanket pardon extended to all prostitutes. Would that be good news to you if you were a prostitute? Of course it would. No longer would you have to live in hiding, fearing the sheriff. No longer would you have a criminal record; all past offenses are wiped off the books. So the pardon would definitely be good news. But would it be any motivation at all for you to change your lifestyle? No, not a bit.

But let’s go a little further with our illustration. Let’s say that not only is a blanket pardon extended to all who have practiced prostitution, but the king has asked you, in particular, to become his bride. What happens when a prostitute marries a king? She becomes a queen. NOW would you have a reason for a change in lifestyle? Absolutely. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the lifestyle of a queen is several levels superior to that of a prostitute. No woman in her right mind would go back to her previous life.

As long as a half-gospel continues to be taught, we are going to continue producing Christians who are very thankful that they will not be judged for their sins, but who have no significant self-motivation to change their behavior. That’s why so many leaders have to use the hammer of the law and suffocating peer pressure to keep their people in line.

But what is the church called in the New Testament? The Βride of Christ! The gospel message is in effect a marriage proposal. And just as the prostitute became a queen by marrying the king, guilty sinners have become sons of God by becoming identified with Christ. It is that relationship and our new identity that becomes our motivation, and it is motivation that comes from within. ((George, 2000, 96-97)

This is God working within us, changing us to be like Him. We can behave like the butterfly He created us to be: Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

B. I Need to Know What is in God’s Word

“While sanctification is exclusively of God, that is, its power rests entirely on his holiness, the believer is constantly exhorted to work and to grow in the matters pertaining to salvation” (Erickson, 1998).

1.  I Grow in Christ by . . .

As Christians we are to GROW not by rules and regulations and the resultant guilt, but by:

a.  Pursuing Holiness

Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: (Hebrews 12:14). Our lives as Christians need to be characterized by that which is holy.

Holiness is God’s Word expressed in action — It is faith gone to work. — It is love coined into conduct; devotion helping human suffering, and going up in intercession to the great source of all good. (Huntington)

b. Depending on Others

In a recent article of Decision, Billy Graham asked these questions to ascertain whether a Christian was in right relationship with God:

1)  Is your conversion true and acceptable to God?

2)  Are you following the calling God extended to you?

3)  Is your life acceptable, including prayer and daily devotional time?

4)  Are your message and your delivery acceptable?

5)  Do you have compassion for others?

He then asks an interesting question, that is essential for Christian living today:

6)  Are your relationships with other Christians acceptable?

God asks us in Scripture to “…love one another…serve one another…be patient with each other… be courteous to one another…set an example to each other…forgive one another…not to judge each other…be subject one to another…edify one another…pray for one another.” (Graham, 1989)

Do we? This is how we grow. Proverbs says: “As iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens a friend.”

2.  I Need to be Active in God’s Word and the World

Blessed is the memory of those who have kept themselves unspotted from the world. — Yet more blessed and more dear the memory of those who have kept themselves unspotted in the world. (Jameson)

A holy life is not an ascetic, or gloomy, or solitary life, but a life regulated by divine truth and faithful in Christian duty. — It is living above the world while we are still in it. (Edwards)

Christianity is to be characterized by the Fruit of the Spirit, Jesus said that all men will know that we are His if we love one another.

Although Christianity in its various forms is the world’s largest religion, at least nominally so, Islam is threatening to take control of what used to be Europe’s Christian heartland. There are 2 million Moslems in West Germany. Germany has over 1,000 mosques and Islamic houses of prayer. Muslims doing missionary work in nominally Christian countries–where freedom of religion generally prevails–is three times that of the number of Christians working among Muslims. “The greatest weakness of Christianity in Europe does not result from the unfair rules of competition, but from the moribund state of the Christian churches throughout most of Europe.” And, therefore, the Christians within those churches.

There are times when we feel like we have blown it in our Christian lives, because we do not live up to our “Ten rules for getting to heaven,” but if we follow what we learned in today’s message we will not be defeated in this life. Remember, over and over again Christians blow it, but God is always ready to begin again. God uses disobedient, silent, unholy people for His purposes. Adam and Eve disobeyed, Noah was silent, Abraham was impatient, Joseph was self-centered and egotistical, but God used all of them. (Mars, 1989)

However, we must remember, as-well, that each one of these, in turn, were yielded to God; they were free from sin; and they continued to grow in Him. God was at work within them and they were active in the world, are you.

If we keep in mind Peter’s words in 2 Peter we shall do well. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1.1-11)

When we come to the knowledge of who we are in Christ (our positional sanctification) and what He is doing in us (present sanctification) and what He desires for us to become (permanent sanctification) then we can live in His freedom. This knowledge of who God is and who we are in Christ leads us to love Him more. The more knowledge that we have of Him, the more love we have for Him, the more dependent we become on Him. Dependency then becomes our motivation to live like Christ wants us to live. When we become motivated to serve Him, progressing in present sanctification (in Christ, by the Holy Spirit), we will desire to know more of His Word. The more we desire to know more of His Word, the more we know Him and the reality of Him in our lives becomes salient. Thus, we have come full-circle: knowledge leads to love, leading to dependency, leading to motivation to know Him and serve Him.

Where are you, butterfly?

Prayer:

Father, it is only in You that sins are forgiven, life is for real, and eternity is found. I thank you for all that You desire to do in us and for all that You are doing in us. I pray that we would come to You in our life situations. That we would come to You for strength, for help, in our times of need, that we would come to You in our times of exultation. Help us to remember You in all that we do. Keep Your Word before us in all things that we do.

Amen.

©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Used by Permission.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Teach for God Ministries.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By David R Williamson. ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Website:www.teach4god.com

Directions for chart:

Read off each statement, have the people place a check mark in the appropriate box. Let them know they can only have two maybe’s. Have them “take a stand” on an issue. Yes, they would do that or no, they would not. Only allow two maybes per person. The goal is for them to make a decision.

The trick about this is not telling them what you plan to do after you go through the entire list. After you read off the last item, you repeat the list with a different question. It’s no longer “what would you do,” but instead it is “what would Jesus want you to do?” At this point they will place a X to signify their answer. If it is the same, they can make their check into an X.

What did you notice about the marks you made? Were they the same in both cases or do you realize that you have to change a few things in your life to match the title of the sermon? This is why we ask this important question:

I.  What would Jesus Want You to Do?

A. A significant and answerable question because it is a

1.  Call to imitation (Ephesians 5.1)

The apostle Paul made this very commitment. He resolved to live his life for Jesus, no matter the cost or consequences. In Ephesians 5.1 he wrote, “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.” The word for “followers” is μιμηταὶ. The word means to imitate and describes a mimic, an actor. True Christians are imitators of Christ. In Acts 11.26, it says the followers of Christ were “first called Christians at Antioch” because their lives, actions, values, and attitudes reminded unbelievers of Jesus Christ! He was their purpose for living. Paul thought he knew God until he met Jesus Christ. Jesus came to this earth to reveal God and redeem man. Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, confessed Him as Lord and Savior, and became a mimic, an imitator, a follower of Jesus!

The apostle Paul voices his commitment in Philippians 3.7-14. Paul says, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not say that I have laid hold of it yet: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Here we can see that Paul had a passion for Jesus Christ. He wanted to be identified with Him, please Him, and live for Him. However, Paul also knew to do so was not easy. He had his own struggles in following Jesus. He surely would tell us that doing what Jesus would do, requires preparation. Here are four steps from Paul’s life, to consider as we make our own commitment to imitate Christ.

a.  Step One: LEARN the Scriptures for they speak of Christ, they include the words and deeds of Jesus Christ. In Philippians 3.10, Paul expressed the desire to know the Savior. He said, “That I may know Him.” How can we aspire to do what Jesus would do in every situation no matter what the cost or consequences, if we do not know Jesus?

They say that when you have been married for twenty five years, you begin to know what a spouse will say, think, respond, and feel about most everything! How does this happen? We get to know a person by spending time with that person, entering into the life of that person!

It’s the same with Jesus Christ. We must become disciples of Jesus, if we are going to do what He would do in each and every situation. A disciple is a student, a pupil. To know Jesus we must search the Scriptures, study the life of Jesus, the words of Jesus, the desire of Jesus, what made Him happy, what made Him sad, what made Him mad. It is more than putting on a shirt or bracelet. It is putting on a life!

1)  Came to meet people’s needs

a)  Luke 4.18-19; Isaiah 61

b) Bind the broken hearted

2)  Came to be a man for the valley

a)  Luke 9.37

b) Transfigurationneed to bo back down; Meet needs of people

3)  Came to be a servant

a)  Mark 10.45

b) John 13 (esp 12f)

c)  Stand along side of

b. Step Two: LISTEN to the Spirit of Christ within. Jesus speaks to His followers, not just through the written Word, but through His indwelling Spirit. The voice of the Holy Spirit, is also called the Spirit of Christ, because He always confirms the will of God and of Christ (John 14, 16).

Just as we tune in on a certain frequency to hear our favorite radio station, we must tune in on the voice of God, the Spirit of Christ within. Those who truly seek the Lord, His will, His way, will find Him!

1)  Prepared well for His valley engagements

a)  Luke 2.40ff-Listening/learning among the teachers

b) A process to prepare Him well for the valley (Hind’s Feet on High Places)

c)  Hebrews 10.24-25-We are a people of the assembly where we learn to be prepared

c.  Step Three: LEAN upon the supernatural, spiritual resurrection power of Christ. Paul wanted not only to know more of the person, Jesus Christ, but he wanted to know more of the power of the resurrected Christ. In Philippians 3.10 he says, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection.”

We do not possess the necessary power to face the opposition and live for Jesus. The power must come from the Holy Spirit of God within our hearts! Notice these verses. In 2 Corinthians 4.7 Paul says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” Then in Romans 8.11-14 Paul says, “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” We must remain connected to the power source of God’s Spirit!

1)  Placed Himself totally under His Father’s authority

a)  Hebrews 10.7-God-man in the valley for His Father

b) John 7.17

(1)     We have come as ambassadors of God, with His message, under His authority, proclaiming His love, grace, and word.

(2)     With authority, not as an authoritarian.

c)  Humble

d) Accountable

(1)     Not My will but Yours be done.

e) Direction

(1)     As He sought He healed

(2)     His intent to do His will (we are intended and created to do His will)

f)  Commitment

2)  Committed Himself completely to obeying God’s Word and following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

a)  God said it, I believe it, and that settles it (Billy Graham)

b) Luke 4.1ff

(1)     In the desert He was led and greatly tempted but overcame

(2)     “It is written”

c)  Ecclesiastes 12.9-11

(1)     Dependence on Him

(2)     Pray for guidance.

(3)     Take the Word of God and match it to the situation.

(4)     Powerful allies-the Word of God and the Spirit of God

d) 1 Kings 3

(1)     “Perspiring over the biblical text to find the verse that will meet the need of the hurting, the bruised, the broken.

d. Step Four: LOVE the Savior, Jesus Christ more than anything. Paul was willing to suffer to know Christ and follow Him. In Philippians 3.10 he concludes, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” Jesus said to be His disciples, His followers, we must “deny ourselves.” Sin is selfish, it is preoccupied with pleasing self, loving self over God and others. Self is our greatest obstacle to overcome, if we are to be like Christ.

Conclusion of WWJYD-part 1

Someone once wrote with sarcasm: “I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don’t want enough of Him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want the warmth of the womb not a new birth. I want about a pound of the eternal in a paper sack. I’d like to buy $3 worth of God, please.” How much of God do we want? How closely do we want to follow in Christ’s steps?

Do we want enough of God that we stop using our money, resources and time selfishly, and start using them to help others and build the kingdom of God?

Do we want enough of God that we develop a ravenous hunger for the Word and let all other priorities fall behind it?

Do we want enough of God that we become passionate about prayer instead of speaking to God in thoughtless, trite phrases when we want something?

Do we want enough of God that we give ourselves as humble servants to others?

Do we want enough of God that we learn to forgive those who hurt us, forgo bitterness, give up resentment, and if possible, make peace with our enemies?

Do we want enough of God that we develop His compassion and love for the most unlovely, that we lay aside our pharisaical, condescending attitudes and love all men with the passionate love of Christ?

How much do we want to follow “in His steps?” How serious are we about doing what Jesus would do? How much of God do we want? Three dollars?… Discipleship is far more than a What Would Jesus Do wristband. Jesus said in Luke 14.33 “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”

Here are some questions to consider when answering WWJWYD?

1.  Would Jesus be saved? He IS salvation. Acts 4.12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

2.  Would Jesus be baptized? Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist to “fulfill all righteousness.”

3.  Would Jesus Join our Church? It was Jesus who said, “I will build my church.” Jesus established His church. He’s the head of the church.

4.  Would Jesus go out of His way for you or for someone else? He went to the cross for you and me.

5.  Would Jesus come to Sunday school or Wednesday night Bible Study? His habit was to worship .

6.  Would Jesus bring his friends to church? Jesus was the “friend of sinners.”

I realize what is going on in your minds right about now. You are thinking that there is a huge gap between doing what you are currently doing and doing what Jesus would want you to do. And do you know what that gap is? It’s called life. You leave here. It’s your job. It’s your parents. It’s piano practice. It’s school. It’s your boss with a last minute assignment. It’s your teacher with a Summer assignment. It’s paying the bills. It’s having to fix the computer after it has broke for the third time. It’s an argument with your sister. It’s life. And we meander through this life. And we get back to church the next Sunday and there’s the preacher telling us again that we need to be obedient and committed. And he just doesn’t understand all the things we have to do. I’m lucky if I get back here to get a little more of that presence of Christ.

So what are we to do with this gap? With this thing called life that sits in between the presence of Christ and our obedience to him? Well, what if we took the question what would Jesus want me to do? What if we took that question and instead of trying to fit it into our life or tag it onto the end of our life what if we put it at the beginning of our life right after the presence of Christ. What if after we left here that became the question that preceded everything we did? What if obedience came right after presence? And then life came after that?

Well, that’s not practical, you might say. And I would say yes. That would inform everything I do, you might say. And I would say yes. That would mean having to rearrange my whole life, you might say. And I would say yes. That would mean a whole new set of priorities, you might say. And I would say yeah, you’’re probably right.

Well I don’t know that I can do that. And that’s the real point, isn’t it? When the preacher calls for obedience we’re just not sure we can do it. And do you know what? We can’t. We don’t have it within us to be obedient. But here’s the good news. The Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit does have it within Him to be obedient. The Holy Spirit has it within Him to cause us to be obedient. And maybe the way by which we would avail ourselves to the Spirit is to simply commit ourselves to the daily and the hourly asking of the question. What would Jesus want us to do? What would Jesus do? And ask the Spirit to take over from there. It might just change things for you and me. they might wonder what we’re up to. They might just start calling us that obedient and committed church.

Is there something that is keeping you from doing what Jesus would want you to do? Can I pray for you? Write it out on the registration card. Would you like to talk with me about ways you can incorporate this into your life, to evaluate your life, so you can be freed from the worries of this life and be free to do what Jesus would want you to do? Please let me know on the registration card.

Let’s pray:

Father, here Your children gather to seek You, to know You better and to do Your will in this world. Some have come today seeking You, others have come out of habit, I pray that You have touched each person’s heart to desire to do Your will.

You know, people, the first step in doing what Jesus would do is to be saved. If you desire this, please raise your hand now and then write on your registration card that you have made that decision.

Speak to our Father today and ask Him to help you as you travel through life to be committed to Him. Ask Him for boldness to overcome the fear of failure, the fear of peers, the fear of letting go. He will. Father, help us to lead the obedient committed life You have created for us and have always intended for us to live.

Amen.

©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Used by Permission.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Teach for God Ministries.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By David R Williamson. ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Website: www.teach4god.com

Theme:   An encounter with Jesus is the cause for His life to be lived in our lives.

INTRODUCTION

In the Winter of 1944, the Allied forces and German forces were face to face in the freezing weather. The Allied forces thought the Germans wouldn’t dare attack during such a cold time so they dug in. The Germans decided it would be a great time to attack, so they did. The Allied forces were being soundly defeated. This was Hitler’s plan to confound the Allied offensive. And it was bloody.

These raw and seasoned recruits were being beaten and killed. We know this as the Battle of the Bulge. Things were not going well. The men didn’t need a lecture on courage or ten-steps to gain ground on the enemy; they needed an example to follow. Out from behind a desk, an eccentric General was called to the front to spur the people on. Instead of a speech, he was an example. Because of this one man’s presence the day was saved. This one General was George S Patton. He was their example to follow.

I.  Example

A. Who is your example, the one who spurs you on in difficult times

*   whether in spiritual warfare

*   or our everyday battle over the bulge

1.  I have already told you mine (Joe Muslin—pray for him as he prepares for the transplant)

2.  Alcoholics Anonymous has this type of help system

a.  The John Loroquette show features this

b. John is an alcoholic and his example is Mitch

(1)     Mitch got drunk

(2)     crushed John

(3)     but because of Mitch’s unswerving (to that point) example John was able to help him recover.

This is the goal of looking to an example: that we might be examples for another.

B. who do you spur on to love and good works (Heb 10. )?

1.  Brokenness is never an end in itself, but merely the means to an even greater end

a.  being like Jesus

b. be heroic (Matthew 6.33)

(1)     throwing your entire life into His kingdom work is an incredible risk in fighting the terrible foe

(a)     you will address your sin (as David did), your friendships, your hobbies, your career, your failures, your ambitions, your life in light of the Kingdom

(b)     you will address poverty, hunger, pollution

As Elton Trueblood said in The Company of the Committed:

A Christian is a person who confesses that, amidst the manifold and confusing voices heard in the world, there is one Voice which supremely wins his full assent, uniting all his powers, intellectual and emotional, into a single pattern of self-giving. That voice is Jesus Christ. . . . He believes in Him with all his heart and strength and mind. Christ appears to the Christian as the one stable point or fulcrum in all the relativities of history. Once the Christian has made this primary commitment he still has perplexities, but he begins to know the joy of being used for a might purpose by which his little life is dignified [and, I add, made heroic] (23).

(2)     The heroic is allowing God’s life to be manifest through you.

(a)     An interesting aspect of all history is how people have sought and still seek after a hero.

i)  Israel’s literature seeks after the ultimate hero, is written of heroes by heroes

ii) Greek mythology is crowded with the heroic.

(b)     those who have studied sociology or anthropology understand the concept of the heroic is embodied in Germany’s Übermann, or as he is called here, “Superman”.

*   A god-like person with the possibility of failure (for superman it was kryptonite, some say it was also Lois Lane)

(c)     When we are mastered by the King of kings and Lord of lords we are heroic.

i)  God can never be a hero, He would never have the chance of failure.

ii) Man without God could never be heroic, he’d fail all the time.

iii)     It is only the one who is wrapped in God’s calling that can be truly called heroic

a)  his or her life will never grow stale, nor dull because their eyes are always on Jesus

b) the ultimate satisfaction and purpose in life is knowing that in Jesus I have been called and equipped for the heroic

We were made for more exquisite things than trying to fill our empty days with our own thunder. But we must all choose. Will I go on tinkering on my own agenda and my own kingdom, which will pass away when I do? Or will I tie my life and destiny to His life, His cause, His Kingdom? Only Christ offers the calling whereby we can harness our lives to a source of purpose that lasts forever (96).

Seeking first His Kingdom restores the fervor of the heroic in our lives, knowing we must do the work of God that only a child of His could do. God’s children who follow after Him are always a hero. And a hero always has purpose, life and vigor when he is pursuing the Voice of his Master.

“I knew joy (peace, patience, et al) when I first became a Christian. However, the business of my daily routine caught up with me. I forgot about Christ. Eventually, I became thirsty and discouraged. I remember what other Christians promised would be mine if I became a Christian joy (peace, patience, et al). I don’t think they were telling me the truth. I kept going back to the church but it soon became a burden. Didn’t Jesus say He would ease that burden? After a while left the church because the people were phonies and I had more important things to do. If I were honest, it became disappointed with God, Christianity, and the church—they all promised things like joy (peace, patience, et al) that they didn’t deliver.”

2.  If we are broken, it is merely the beginning of our usefulness for God

a.  Unless a seed dies, it cannot sprout

b. we’ll explain “brokenness” in a moment

TRANSITION: Anyone who desires to be an example, a hero, must have a personal encounter with God.

II. Encounter

A. Anyone who has ever tried to explain an abstract idea would find it very difficult without an example to illustrate and illuminate it.

B. God is one of those abstracts

1.  the only way to fully explain Him is by seeing Him (John 1.14) or having a personal encounter with Him (Acts 9)

2.  You have to encounter Jesus (1 John 1.1-3)

C. Any man, woman, or child who has been broken has had an encounter with God, you can see the limp like Jacob or the tear stains like David.

1.  I had one last night

*   God has been dealing with me for sometime and last night we dealt with it

2.  the breaking can be as basic as salvation where God breaks you of your pride (      ) or as harsh as adultery (Psalm 51).

3.  in either case, repentance is required

a.  my will becomes His

b. defined

(1)     not remorse merely for the consequences

(a)     Saul wept because

i)  he knew his kingdom was to be taken away from him

ii) not because

a)  he was sorrowful over attempted murder

b) and idolatry

2.  Judas wept and committed suicide because

1.  he felt pity for himself and was ashamed that Christ was to die;

2.  not because he betrayed his Master and assisted in shedding innocent blood.

2.  remorse for the sin itself and the deep rooted passion that set it aflame

To the one who has seen his sin, it is not a casual thing to encounter or write-off, but is intense. This intensity leads to repentance. Remember, its His kindness that leads to repentance and sometimes kindness is found at the end of a whipping post (Hebrews 12.4-11). David’s sorrow came not from a heaven to lose or a hell to gain—for he knew his God would not forsake him—but the sorrow came because in his heart he knew he had grieved God.

*   Peter wept because

1.  he knew he betrayed his Master

2.  his was remorse for the sin and the passion that led to sin

3.  this is true repentance

4.  Each person who knows Jesus as Saviour has had an encounter with Him, and has been broken

TRANSITION: To answer the question posed in the title: “I’m broke, now what?” Each of us is an example in word and deed that others will follow and imitate

3.  Exercise

One question: What type of an example are you?

*   PCH house

1.  eyesore

2.  disgrace (even after it was finished)

3.  too many non-believers have seen this picture of Christianity (stench of a burnt offering) and not enough of the broken and contrite

*   Dr Battenfield

1.  He is a work of God

2.  He is a joy to God

3.  He volunteers his help, going beyond what is expected just like Jesus

4.  our God demands that a man’s life and heart stand plumb with his worship, not contrasting it

5.  he walks with a limp from spiritual battles

From our passage we see two things God requires of His broken ones:

1.  Teachability (broken and contrite)

2.  Teaching (Examples-open my mouth)

2.  Teachability

1.  What does He want to teach us (Luke 6.40)

1.  to be like Him

2.  Jesus sole desire is for us to see Him in such a way that we imitate Him.

Sydney Sheldon wrote a classical piece of literature at the turn of the century called In His Steps. He wrote it from a verse in 1 Peter 2.21. He asked us to consider asking this question each time a crisis event came: “What would Jesus do?” But does this mean imitation of Christ? Not necessarily. To truly imitate Christ is to have His character working within you. Paul calls it being conformed to His image (Romans 8.29). It means knowing the Teacher so well that the question, “What would Jesus do?” need not be asked. This is the goal: to be like Jesus in all my ways that in every situation I will know His will for me.

2.  How does He want to teach us?

*   Study (learn) the Word of God (2 Timothy 2.15)

1.  to know Him (John 17.3)

2.  do the Word (James 1.21-25)

3.  pray the Word (Daniel 9)

3.  Teaching/Examples

1.  How do we teach?

1.  by words

2.  by actions

1.  You will bear fruit (much fruit) John 15.8;

1.  Galatians 5.22,23

2.  much fruit is a lifestyle of imitating Christ which causes (intensive learners, ie teachers) others to glorify God (Matthew 5.16)

2.  Next quarter we will start a series on the disciplines of the Christian life that will help us in our endeavour to be more like Christ.

4.  What is the test of our teaching

1.  forgiveness (the most un-natural thing a fallen humanity could do)—the restoration of fellowship

1.  accepting it from God and others

1.  seeing our own sin as blacker than others

2.  accepting that God in Christ has made even them whiter than snow

2.  giving it to others

2.  You will know you are imitating Him and being an example as you love your brothers on earth as you seek Jesus.

1.  John 13.34-35 compare with 1 John 4

1.  a love as Jesus loved

1.  no greater love than to lay down your life

2.  unselfish

2.  a love that the world can see

1.  glorify God

2.  does the world see your love?

2.  Accept them where they are (Phil 23.15-16; Romans 15.7)

3.  make every effort to get to know your brothers and sisters through

1.  Bible study

2.  Prayer

3.  fellowships

3.  dealing with your character and letting God deal with your reputation

1.  Neil Anderson

2.  Me at EFCSB (?)

CONCLUSION

God has broken you in one manner or another throughout this series. We have one more message to complete our look at Dancing With Broken Bones: Revival. Today He is calling out for those rare lights that shine for Him. He is calling out for those whom He has touched, who have had an encounter with this living God, to be an example for others to follow. We have been designated as God’s ambassador’s on earth, His examples. Are you living up to that high calling?

MINISTRY

Jesus had called out twelve to imitate Him (and the millions of believers after them). He asked twelve to come and follow Him. They stood up and left all to follow Him. I want to ask you if you want to start now, today and do what they did: forget the past and press on as an example of Jesus to people who are dying to see Him.

He calls you to come and follow Him. To seek Him and benefit from your learning from Him. Benefits that will allow you to teach others to come and follow as-well.

I will ask you to come and follow Him today too. If you so desire to commit your every word and action and thought to Christ or to come to Him for the first time I ask you to come forward now for prayer and direction.

BENEDICTION

Jude 24, 25

©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Used by Permission.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Teach for God Ministries.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By David R Williamson. ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Website: www.teach4god.com

How Does the Kingdom Grow?

After we have turned back to God, after we have repented of our deeds and our ways; when the verbal confession is made complete, we must be about the King’s business. If we return to our former ways we will do our former deeds. We must finalize our verbal confession with the willingness and steadfastness in the Holy Spirit which we spoke of last week; this means, doing the work of God—fulfilling our purpose on earth. Sometimes this obedience is difficult to follow through with because we have been in that rut for so long we naturally tend that way. This is why our next series of sermons will deal with the disciplines of a godly life. Things we can and should do to maintain our purity and not fall back into the same old rut. Today we will look into two areas where we need to focus our attention. Once repentance is made we must seek first His kingdom in quantity and quality; that is, evangelism and discipleship. This is what David said when in verse 13 he writes, “Then.” Let us look at this as we answer: “I have repented and turned from my former ways, what then?” That is, now that I am a disciple of God, what do I need to do?

To put it another way, “What is my purpose in life?” If this question were asked in polite company many different answers would ensue. However, asked late at night over a cup of coffee in a small diner on the outskirts of a town called Lonesome and the truth will come like a piercing arrow. People find it increasingly difficult to find goals and objectives, purpose, worthy of the high calling that God has created in each person, that will sustain them through the heaviness of life and the reality of death. Dostoevski once wrote: “Man’s whole business is to prove that he is a man and not a cog-wheel.. . .” Or as Meatloaf once wrote: “I’m a man! I am not a number.”

To many people, life leaves a bad taste in their mouth. Most people would prefer to be gone (no where in particular, just gone) than have to hear the faint whispers telling them life is merely a cruel joke. This is why it is important for us to listen to David on this point: He was a man who could cry out: Come taste the goodness of the Lord! God doesn’t leave a bad taste. What does David tell us to do in light of the goodness of our God, in light of the high calling of God. After everything has been said and done: “Did you show transgressors God’s way? Did you show sinners how to get back to God?” will be asked of us. David knew that any man or woman or child that wanted to live life with purpose, with the taste of victory, with God’s stamp of approval, had to live a life that called people to God in salvation and discipleship.

For David this was a large step to consider. For us it is as-well. For David to come to the point of verse 13 is dramatic. He needed to admit a lot about himself, as we have seen in the first part of Psalm 51. He had to admit that God is Lord, and not King David. We must admit that too. Who is the master of your life? Are J-E-S-U-S the letters of His name or is it M-E? “David had learned that among all challengers, God alone was a sufficient master. This earthly king no longer needed to dazzle men with his own claims, but now longed for them to know the heavenly King whose grace had cleansed him” (91). This is where God calls us and this is where our text brings us.

1.       Who is your Master?

1.       It is not a question of if there will be a master; Matthew 6.24 tells us it is a given.

2.       A purposeful life is not in what you conquer but really in who you are being mastered or conquered by

1.       the test of a worthy goal is whether it is a portal to another worthy goal or a dead end

1.       the astronaut who finished his mission only to ask, now what

2.       Rockefeller wanting just a little more

2.       scientists tend to be mastered by goals and objectives that are worthy to some degree

1.       they strive to find new and exciting things and end up making and re-making history

1.       Ray (Ira’s dad) committed suicide

2.       outside of Christ even the noblest goals are fleeting

2.       Joe Muslin

1.       Smithsonian, you’ll see some of his work

2.       His greatest work though

1.       SBBC High school group of the 70’s

2.       SBBC adult group of the 90’s

3.       Is it possible for us as Christians to have that?

Is it possible to have a goal that reaches out from beyond limits, beyond space and time, drawing us and fulfilling us? Is it possible to have a sense of purpose and meaning, independent of circumstances and levels of achievement, that satisfies us completely? (93)

1.       The hint of the infinite in Christ’s voice captured the heart and attention of many people

1.       the eternal living water (John 4.10-14)

2.       the eternal bread of life (John 6.35)

3.       the eternal heavenly treasure (Matthew 19.21)

4.       the eternal fruit of being fishers of men (Matthew 4.19)

2.       In light of the infinite, the eternal words of Jesus,

1.       how tragic that many Christians find themselves mastered by the urgent, the small.

2.       we read, study, attend church services and yet nothing tastes as good as David said it should, “good,” for we are mastered by the wrong lord.

If God’s people fail to find an overall principle for integrating every segment of life, they will find themselves fragmented over a host of secular and badly diluted Christian agendas (93).

3.       Christ is calling us to the heroic

1.       France (WW II)

1.       struggled against the Nazi regime

1.       average people took incredible risks to fight a terrible evil

2.       little old ladies -> pickpockets

3.       salesmen and chefs -> explosive experts

2.       not a part time affair, something done on the side but something which mastered and transformed them

2.       God has called us to be like them, heroic (Matthew 6.33)

1.       throwing your entire life into His kingdom work is an incredible risk in fighting the terrible foe

1.       you will address your sin (as David did), your friendships, your hobbies, your career, your failures, your ambitions, your life in light of the Kingdom

2.       you will address poverty, hunger, pollution

As Elton Trueblood said in The Company of the Committed:

A Christian is a person who confesses that, amidst the manifold and confusing voices heard in the world, there is one Voice which supremely wins his full assent, uniting all his powers, intellectual and emotional, into a single pattern of self-giving. That voice is Jesus Christ. . . . He believes in Him with all his heart and strength and mind. Christ appears to the Christian as the one stable point or fulcrum in all the relativities of history. Once the Christian has made this primary commitment he still has perplexities, but he begins to know the joy of being used for a might purpose by which his little life is dignified [and, I add, made heroic] (23).

2.       The heroic is allowing God’s life to be manifest through you.

1.       An interesting aspect of all history is how people have sought and still seek after a hero.

1.       Israel’s literature seeks after the ultimate hero, is written of heroes by heroes

2.       Greek mythology is crowded with the heroic.

2.       those who have studied sociology or anthropology understand the concept of the heroic is embodied in Germany’s Übermann, or as he is called here, “Superman”.

*    A god-like person with the possibility of failure (for superman it was kryptonite, some say it was also Lois Lane)

3.       When we are mastered by the King of kings and Lord of lords we are heroic.

1.       God can never be a hero, He would never have the chance of failure.

2.       Man without God could never be heroic, he’d fail all the time.

3.       It is only the one who is wrapped in God’s calling that can be truly called heroic

1.       his or her life will never grow stale, nor dull because their eyes are always on Jesus

2.       the ultimate satisfaction and purpose in life is knowing that in Jesus I have been called and equipped for the heroic

We were made for more exquisite things than trying to fill our empty days with our own thunder. But we must all choose. Will I go on tinkering on my own agenda and my own kingdom, which will pass away when I do? Or will I tie my life and destiny to His life, His cause, His Kingdom? Only Christ offers the calling whereby we can harness our lives to a source of purpose that lasts forever (96).

Seeking first His Kingdom restores the fervor of the heroic in our lives, knowing we must do the work of God that only a child of His could do. God’s children who follow after Him are always a hero. And a hero always has purpose, life and vigor when he is pursuing the Voice of his Master.

What does that voice cry for us to do?

2.       Discipleship

Allow me to illustrate the heroic life that God has called us to. A life of meaning and purpose. What would this life look like? When we bag the old ways and do the God ways, what would we look like? Well, manifesting God to the world. To put it another way, it is essentially evangelism and discipleship.

Let me tell you a story, a tragedy, after the story you will see what is not heroic and understand what God has called us to. It is the story told by Oz. Not “the wonderful wizard of” but one of the first American missionaries to Taiwan. He recounts a true story that went something like this:

1.       When China was overrun by Communism many fled to Taiwan

2.       Shantytowns were built overnight

1.       overcrowding

2.       huts built to the very edge of the street

3.       Oz feared driving down these streets for he thought he’d run over a child at play

4.       he drove by one day

1.       saw a boy hit by a truck, dead

2.       heard a woman wailing, running to the boy

1.       fell on him

2.       picked him up sobbing

3.       then strangely smiling

3.       heard her say, Oh, its all right, it’s not mine.”

Not too heroic, not the Kingdom life, not purposeful. If it were so she would have continued to mourn and weep with the boys mother instead of depersonalizing (“it”) and walking away. We have all done this in one way or another, haven’t we?

What would a disciple of Jesus, one who has tasted and seen that the Lord is good, one who is mastered by Jesus, look like?

2.       A concern for all that grows from knowing God

1.       we need to know what is going on around us politically, spiritually, economically, globally

2.       Did you read the article Joe gave called Kairos. It is interesting and illuminating reading of how God is in the rest of the world.

3.       A dreamer of God’s dreams

1.       when we see the world through God’s eyes He will provide dreams of how we can participate in His work

1.       World Impact (large task only God could do)

2.       God never calls us to do things that we could do without Him for it wouldn’t be heroic

And what about you? Your dream should raise important questions in your mind. How will this dream stretch you to trust God in a greater way? Will it galvanize other Christians into a living force for God’s Kingdom? Will it reveal Christ to lost men? Will it help to reverse the fragmentation sin has caused at every level of human existence? (103) If it will, then follow that dream

4.       A sacrifice for God not

1.       school, work, etc

2.       Christian growth costs in ultimate figures. Some tough questions must be stared down if we want to mature God’s way rather than our own. What will it take to solidify your spiritual disciplines? How can you sharpen your spiritual gifts? Will it mean going to school or taking up correspondence study? Are you prepared to view aggravation and pain, both past and present, as finishing tools? What legitimate pursuits and pleasures may have to be foregone in making any of the above happen? Are you willing to work to maintain the primary relationships (God, spouse, kids) during all this? (105). It is indeed a sacrifice.

5.       An embracing of the pain of others, even strangers

1.       we have become dulled to the needs around us

2.       I know a man who reaches out to the homeless despite the pains it cost him

6.       A call to the underground, the uncommon way

1.       Every area of a Christian’s life, every thought and action, must be evaluated in light of whether it helps or hinders us in fighting for God’s Kingdom. It includes our spare time, the substance of our daydreams, professional advancement, and our relationships with other people (106).

2.       Anything that interferes with our fighting for the Kingdom, no matter how innocuous or respectable it may seem, must go (107).

7.       A daily reminding of our calling

1.       we have all been called

2.       we must take orders from God and not give them

3.       we are necessary and important

3.       Evangelism

1.       Churches grow by evangelism and multiply by discipleship

1.       Evangelism must happen

1.       training is good but incomplete (there are so many Christians trained but don’t witness)

2.       motivation is needed

When you’ve been where David has been, the truth about God’s forgiveness doesn’t have to be yanked from your throat like tonsils. It explodes. . . . [it] motivates (112).

2.       show them they are sinners (John 16.8-9)

3.       show them God wants to take care of that (2 Corinthians 5.17)

1.       He works it

2.       we live it

2.       How?

1.       develop a healthy fear of God not man

1.       cure for cancer

2.       cure for sin

2.       develop compassion (as we are concerned our compassion grows)

1.       not a four step approach that is memorized, but people to talk with

2.       not an argument to be won, but one who needs to be restored

3.       realize God wants back what’s His

3.       Joy follows

1.

While the New Testament commands the church to evangelize, it doesn’t do so in a negative, critical way. The early Christians never seemed to think of anything else to do with their faith but to give it away. It was the natural overflow of loving Jesus (119)

These men did not spread their message because it was advisable for them to do so, nor because it was the socially responsible thing for them to do. . . . They did it because of the overwhelming experience of the love of God which they had received through Jesus Christ. The discovery that the ultimate force in the universe was Love . . . had an effect on those who believed it which nothing could remove. . . . Conversion and joy are closely related in the Acts of the Apostles, and it remained a characteristics thing about the early Christians which attracted others into their company. Their new faith did not make them miserable. Often outward circumstances were unpleasant enough, but that could not rob them of the joy which was their Christian birthright (Green, 1970).

2.       People in Christ who are fulfilling His purpose in life do not have dead eyes. I remember hearing some people discussing this the other day . . . (Robert Lee)

CONCLUSION

One more story to illustrate the purposeful, heroic life that God has called us to.

Arlie and Tommy

2.       Arlie poor, Tommy rich

4.       orange peels and orange slices

6.       teacher saw

8.       Christmas time, snow and teacher coming with a bagful of toys and oranges.

10.     Arlie peeled and ate the peels, teacher showed him the slice and broke one open

12.     Juice squirted, laughter rose, taste buds swelled, air filled with orange perfume

14.     tasted and saw it was good

16.     we are heroic when we take the gospel that is in our lives and show how fine it tastes to those who have only tasted the rind of this life

More than a few of us have asked that question: “Why am I here, what’s my purpose?”

David reminds us: it is to tell others of God and bring them closer to Him. This is seen in concern and compassion. It is heroic. It is dreaming God’s dream, doing God’s will. It is even failing and growing despite it.

It is saying: Hey, above all else I want to be a disciple, one who repents and turns to God and then desires to tell others of God’s goodness.

If you are interested in being discipled of being trained up in the godly values of life, to understand the basics and live them. I will ask you to fill out this sheet of paper and turn it in as the ushers pick them up. This is not a commitment to be discipled but a commitment to talk with me about what we would do if you decided to follow through with God’s call to discipleship.

©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Used by Permission.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Teach for God Ministries.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By David R Williamson. ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Website: www.teach4god.com

As I was attempting to explain everything we have seen concerning the Fruit of the Spirit, I became overwhelmed with the material we had covered. We have spent several weeks in the chasms of God’s work within us. We have seen the carvings that He is making and has made on our lives and in our hearts. We have seen where the river of God’s power has flowed within us to create canyons of beauty. An etching of love, faith, patience, self-control, kindness, goodness, peace, joy, and gentleness. We have seen the Master at work on His billboard called our life. Taking a look back at what God has done is amazing.

We began by standing at the edge of a broad canyon when we looked into Psalm 1 and the man and woman of God. From there we began to walk down into the canyon to look at the bright and beautiful aspects that create the man and woman of God. Some, even as we were walking, were touched by the hand of God as He added an extra touch of beauty to their life in Christ. Some realized the need for repentance from pride, the desire for rest in Christ, and even the patience that God requires. God was making His announcement to the world evident in the work of these peoples lives.

But now it is time to come to the top of that canyon. We could spend the rest of our lives in the canyon looking at the make-up of that canyon and never see the entirety of it. It is a grand canyon, carved by the hand of God. When God makes something, He demands glory and praise from that which He created.

That is what we want to look at as we leave the floor of the canyon and return to the edge–once more, we look down at the whole and praise God.

LET’S PRAY:

God, creator God. Re-creator God. GOD! We praise You. We thank You. We thank You for Your Spirit You have given that we might become more like You. We praise You for bringing to us Your goodness and glory that we might be more like You. Be with us this afternoon as we hear Your word–be glorified.

Today we want to look at 2 Peter 1.3-15. The outline is on the back of your bulletin.

I.  A REMINDER OF THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT (3-7)

A. OUR APPOINTMENT

1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

1:4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

As believers, we are called into a life of godliness, a life that is from God, the divine nature, and is not tainted by the world.

To look at it another way, we have been called by the manifestation of God’s glory and goodness to live a life characterized by purity and not by the corruption in the world. It is the time that the believer is renewed by Christ as the Holy Spirit begins to restore the image of God within him.

Stop to consider the impact of these verses.

3   He has given us everything we can ever need, not necessarily what we want, but what we need. The purpose for his giving what we need: to produce Himself in us–life and like Godness. It is key to know how this divine power is given, or how we become like Christ. Can you see it? It is through our knowledge of Him. I looked at “knowledge” in this passage (verses 2 and 3) and noticed something interesting: It is knowledge that produces godliness, which receives the promises which produces the divine nature. The knowledge goes beyond mere knowing of something. It must mean the joining together intimately with the thing learned. In this case, knowledge of Christ is to become intimately acquainted with Him. As we begin to know Him, we begin to live our life as if He were always with us (He is, you know). It is a knowledge of the heart: knowing what hurts Him, what causes Him to rejoice, what He is sensitive to.

4.  We must become in practice what we already are in God’s sight. This is the promise, we can become in reality–someday–as God sees us now: participants of His divine nature.

God has called us to this. He has chosen to stop and turn and call us to Him. There is another side to the coin. It is true that salvation is free, we cannot work our way into heaven. We can only listen for His call and come. Because of His call and His great and precious promises and His divine power, we cannot sit back and be content with our faith. This is where the responsibility comes in (verses 5-7):

B. OUR ACCOUNTABILITY

1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;

1:6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;

1:7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

Sounds sort of like the Fruit of the Spirit. Now can you see why we could have stayed in the canyon forever looking at the intricacies of the Christian life. Instead of dwelling on these, allow me to briefly mention them, then we will press on to our second point.

Faith: this is believing in something that has worth, it is staying faithful to that no matter the cost. This is the greatest need of our age–belief in God. Here is an example: everytime we are lonely or feeling blue we are denying God. We are telling Him that we don’t believe His Word. We don’t believe Him when He tells us He will never leave us nor would He forsake us.

Goodness:Moral excellence. This is the willingness to stand out from the crowd, to stick your neck out (to be Shedrach, Meschach and Abedneggo). Not being pleased with mediocrity, only with the best. It is not striving to be like Paul, nor like Joe but it is striving to be like Christ. True moral excellence is Christlikeness. Never settle for second best when God offers the best.

Knowledge:  We discussed that above. It also means to live life wisely. In a sea of decisions, we wisely choose the best one. It is what Heb 5.14 calls the ability to distinguish bad from good; it is also the ability to distinguish the good from the best. It is in essence the practicing of the presence of God.

Self-control: Remember last week, this is the ability to allow the Spirit to control you. It knows that our Christian life is a holy war between flesh and spirit and the spirit is winning.

Perseverance:Patience–living in God’s time. Allowing God to work in you to remove anxiety and hopelessness. It calls us to look forward to the future when God’s patience will be spent and the world will be judged. It is looking to the future, and the hope that it brings. It is the ability to hang in there because we know what the payoff is, it is not merely surviving another day until He returns.

Godliness:    This is an awareness of God in every aspect of my life.

Brotherly Kindness: This means that we guard one another’s dignity and fight against gossip, slander, jealousy, prejudice for the sake of unity. It is stopping and telling that person sitting next to you, “I love you because you are my brother or sister.”

Love: This is turning to the person next to you and saying, “I love you because God loves me.” Do you see the difference. Brotherly kindness is based upon the person receiving the love; love is based upon the person giving the love.

In short, another aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit. But with this comes responsibility. The outworking of God in our lives is the assurance of our belief and salvation.

II. A REASSURANCE OF THE FAITH (8-11)

A. OUR FRUITFULNESS

1:8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We need to be productive, fruitful in our Christian walk. We need to earnestly seek the better way. We need to possess these qualities in increasing measure. We cannot be content with where we were yesterday in our Christian life, nor where we are today, not even where we think we should be tomorrow. We need to, as Paul said, press on toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Here is the principle then: Grow or die. Climb or fall. If we don’t keep growing in the fruit we will become ineffective ministers for Christ on the earth.

Let’s negate that last sentence: If we possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will cause us to be effective and productive in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. A sign of a true believer is growth.

How does this growth come. We saw it earlier, it is through our knowledge of Him. It is knowledge that produces godliness, which receives the promises which produces the divine nature. The knowledge goes beyond mere knowing of something. It must mean the joining together intimately with the thing learned. In this case, knowledge of Christ is to become intimately acquainted with Him. As we begin to know Him, we begin to live our life as if He were always with us (He is, you know). It is a knowledge of the heart: knowing what hurts Him, what causes Him to rejoice, what He is sensitive to.

Knowing who we are in Christ and knowing who Christ is will never be enough to glorify God. We must be productive and effective.

B. OUR FRUITLESSNESS

1:9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Peter here is warning the believer of what will happen if he tends to forget Christ, one who is not increasing in the fruit. He is blinded by Satan (2 Co 4.4) and is also causing himself to be blinded. He tends to blink at the opportunities for growth. He will tend to close his eyes to God’s opportunities, have no eternal values, just see today having no hope for tomorrow. Worst of all, he will have forgotten his forgiveness, his repentance, his cleansing.

Let us take a look at the positive side of this. If you are increasing in the fruit, if you are productive you will be able to understand the schemes of the devil and not fall for them. You will see the opportunities God places before you. Most of all you will keep falling in love with Him day after day. Your knowledge of Him will increase. You will not think anything of waking up and saying “hello” to God. This is what John said about remembering our cleansing–he called it remembering our first love. Jesus called our salvation, knowledge and increasing intimacy with Him (John 17.3).

Have you ever climbed a mountain? Either by hiking or rapelling? If you have then you know what Peter is talking about. We need to keep climbing. Sometimes it seems as if we will never make it to the top, it seems as if the mountain keeps growing. Or if you are like Ben and run cross country, you begin to think they keep moving the finish line. But the reward comes only when we reach the top or the finish line.

We know that we strive toward the finish line, that we are truly Christians when we can see the work of God in our lives–in His fruit.

C. OUR FAITHFULNESS

1:10a Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.

This is what Peter means. He doesn’t mean we can lose our salvation. He means that we must remain faithful to Him because of our salvation. He means, if we are saved then others will see it and we can have assurance of salvation by the fruit that God produces in us. John put it another way when he said that we who have the Son have life, those who don’t, don’t. They are both saying, if we are intimately acquainting ourselves with God we can know we have eternal life.

D. HIS FAITHFULNESS

1:10b For if you do these things, you will never fall,

1:11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What is the outcome of our seeking to know Christ and have Him grow Himself in us? Look at these verses: never falling and a grand reception into heaven.

Never fall! Is it to good to be true? We are going to stumble (James 3.2) in this life but, when we follow Him, we will never fall.

He also talks of entering the eternal kingdom. Better he tells us we shall be welcomed into the eternal kingdom. Even better, he says we shall receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom. The ticker-tape parades pale in comparison. Peter is using a description of the olympians who return home after victory in the games. When they came home, they were not welcomed through the normal gate that everybody else uses. No for these they tore open a brand new gate in the wall and welcomed them richly. Jesus did they same when He died for us. When He calls us to His home He wants us to come home victoriously. He wants us all to strive for His calling in our life. He has even tore open a new gate for us. Do you remembering the curtain that tore wide open as He died. He broke open a new gate, the only gate into His presence–the gate of grace.

III. A REMINDER TO THE FAITHFUL (12-15)

A. REMEMBER

1:12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.

B. REFRESHED

1:13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,

1:14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.

1:15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Used by Permission.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Teach for God Ministries.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By David R Williamson. ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Website: www.teach4god.com