6 Things Every Christian Must Be

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Preached at Northwest Christian Church

David P. Kautt

Sunday Morning, March 27, 2011

2 Timothy 2:1-26, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him.

If we endure, We shall also reign with Him.

If we deny Him, He also will deny us.
If we are faithless, He remains faithful;

He cannot deny Himself.

Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”

Written inside the front cover of one of my Bibles are written these words: “Lord, help me to be the Gospel Minister and church leader You want me to be.”

That simple prayer, pertaining to the roles and responsibilities that God has laid out for me and for all who serve the Lord in His church, is one that I wish to commend to you, my Brothers and Sisters in Christ. “Lord, help me to be the servant, the faithful steward, You want me to be, to build Your kingdom.”

As someone who does serve in a leadership capacity, and, as someone who has been graciously honored – my family and I – this month, by your generous expressions of appreciation and affection, I am – we as a family are – challenged to carry on, to continue to strive to be what our Master, our Savior wants us to be.

Though the specific way in which my family and I fulfill our calling may be different from the specific ways in which you attend to God’s cal on your life; nevertheless, the basics are the same. What God desires AND expects from you and us is the same.

Let’s open up this passage, the Word of the Lord to Timothy and to us, and allow God to teach us along these lines.

First of all, as we shall see from verses one and two of our text, God’s desire for all who are maturing in the direction of Christ-likeness, who are growing in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is that they begin to share that knowledge with those in their sphere of influence, as DISCIPLE-MAKING TEACHERS.

Now while many of us may not have – or may not think we have – the ‘gift of teaching’, all of us, if we have indeed been touched, and are being changed by the gracious hand of the Lord, have something from God to share with someone else. Paul put it like this in his words of instruction to Timothy: he said, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” A servant of the Lord, taking part in the marvelously meaningful ministry of making disciples, as a disciple-making teacher, he must never, she must never forget where the power to do the work comes from. “Remember your power source, Timothy.” “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus… And the things that you have heard from me, commit these to faithful men who will able to teach others also.”

Have you ever thought what would happen if God’s people – all of God’s people – suddenly stopped talking about God, about Christ, about the Word of God, about the Good News of Christ? What would happen if we al closed our mouths, locked our doors and left the world to go on about its merry way? I shudder to think what might happen, don’t you? We must be busy about the task of making disciples! We must never, ever stop committing to others, by way of our words and our lives - our visible witness - the truth that will set them free, so that they, in turn, can teach others!

“Lord, help me to be, help us to be disciple-making teachers…”

Secondly, the apostle Paul, in supplying these final instructions to his dear son in the faith, Timothy, he urges him to be – challenges us to be – single-minded soldier/athletes. Single-minded soldier/athletes.

I’ve told you the story before, but it’s worth telling again, of my one moment of glory as a baseball player, a long, long time ago. Unlike virtually every other time I went to the plate, this time I actually hit the ball. And, hit it well! Way, way out into right center field the ball flew, and I just knew I was heading for a double, a triple or maybe – just maybe – a home run. So like every other starry-eyed athlete I know, I kept my eyes trained on the ball… ‘Oh, my! Look how far it is going! Look! Look! It’s sailing past the outfielders. It’s rolling toward the outer edges of the field… Look! Look!” - - Thud! “What happened?! Oh, my leg, my knee. Ooh, that hurts…” You know what happened, don’t you? This starry-eyed slugger forgot about running the bases. And so, instead of carefully touching first and streaking on, full steam to second, third, maybe even home – thud! He tripped over first base and landed in a dusty heap! Starry-eyed slugger ended up with only a single! What’s the point of my little story? You see it don’t you? If you and I are to be what God wants ALL His servants to be, we must keep our eyes on the GOAL, not the ball! “Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, you must! And don’t get entangled in things that trip you up and keep you from reaching the goal, pleasing the One who enlisted you, competing according to His rules!” I mean, the crown awaits you and me – at home plate! The commendation, the medals of honor are set to be pinned on our uniforms, my fellow soldiers. But, until such time that we get there, looking ahead to the crowning day, what must we do? We must run the bases!

“Lord, help me to be, help us to be single-minded, goal-focused, soldier/athletes!” That we might not trip over first base, and maybe never make it to home plate. That we might REACH the goal, and be privileged to wear the crown, to share in our King’s eternal reign!

One of the biggest needs, one of the most essential of all the essential requirements God expects of His servants – His people – is the essential requirement of endurance! Talking about receiving the crown, at the end of the race, the medals of honor at the conclusion of the war, utilizing the word pictures of a farmer, working hard to see to it that he reaps a good harvest, the apostle Paul urges Timothy and us to be husband-men [hard-working farmers] whose efforts in the direction of the future harvest are marked by endurance. “Be Thou faithful unto death, and I will give Thee the crown of life,” is the way Jesus explained it to the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation, who stands firm through times of difficult testing, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him,” is the way James said it, in James chapter one, verse twelve. “Looking forward to the rewards ahead, be diligent to be found by the Lord in peace, without spot and blameless, and consider, keep in mind that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation,” is the way Peter described it in 2 Peter 3:14-15. If we want to be what our Master wants us to be, then we must strive to manifest this essential quality of endurance! Paul put it like this to Timothy: “The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops.” Not every farmer, and certainly not the lazy farmer, but the diligent, hard-working farmer, gets to participate in the benefits of the harvest. Why? Verse 10: because he endures all that it takes to get there. Verse 12: he reigns, she, the hard-working farmer, shares in Christ’s kingly glory, the benefits of the harvest – why? Because he, she endures!

“Lord help me to be, help us to be enduring farmers! Yes, help us never, ever to deny You!”

There’s a fourth quality, a fourth aspect to what God calls you and me to do and be, that Paul sets forth for us in verses 14-19. Take a look at that portion of the text with me now, will you, please?

2 Timothy 2:14-19, “Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Have you ever come around to the end of the day, a day perhaps that started so bright and so beautiful, full of a lot of possibilities, a day that you had looked forward to, maybe even made a one, two, three check-list about the night before, and you come around to the end of the day, and think about all that went on, all that you’ve done, you look again at the check list and exclaim, “Where did the time go? I didn’t get a single thing I had hoped and planned to do – done!” Ever had a day like that? A day full of striving about words, but to no profit, except to the ruin of the speakers, and the listeners? Ever had a day, where profane and idle babblings, maybe on the tube, maybe on the radio, maybe on the Internet or MP3 player, a day where cancerous messages seemed to multiply in your ears and before your eyes? Ever had a day, a week, a month, a year like that?

Paul knew the difficulty and frustration of days like that, and he knew that Timothy, his young son in the faith, would face temptations that could lead him into days and months and years like that. A life wasted in futile pursuits like that! So what does he urge Timothy to do? What does he challenge us to do, so that we don’t find ourselves disappointed, so that we don’t disappoint our ‘Boss’ at the end of the day? Verse 15: what a great verse this is, Paul says, “Be diligent,” the old King James uses the old English word ‘study’ (the idea is “give it all you’ve got”), “to present yourself at the end of the day – give it all you’ve got, so that at the end of the day – you can stand before the ‘Boss’ approved and unashamed because you did your job, and you did it well!

“Lord, help me to be, help us to be, diligent workmen.”

I know we’re running short on time, but before we close, allow me to point you in the direction of the final two qualities, the fifth and sixth requirements that God has in mind for all of His servants found in verses 20 through 23, and verses 24 through 26. A disciple-making teacher, a single-minded soldier/athlete, a hard-working farmer, a diligent workman; those are the first four requirements to which the apostle Paul adds these two. As a servant of the Lord, you are called to be, I am required to be, a sanctified vessel – verses 20-23; and secondly, as a servant of the Lord, you and I are called and commanded to be, gentle servants – verses 24-26.

I want to invite you to imagine with me Paul and Timothy sitting down in your living room, sipping on a cup of coffee of a glass of iced tea, and you’re listening in. The aged apostle, nearing the end of his race, before he dies he wants to make sure that all that the Lord had taught him about life, and about serving Christ in His church, is passed along to his successor, his dear son Timothy. What would Paul say to him? We don’t have to wonder what Paul might say, do we? We have it right here. And what does he say, in these, his final words to his son, what does he emphasize?

Two things; number one, “You must be a sanctified vessel.” Paul stands up, walks over into your kitchen, and brings back two different object lessons to get the point across. He says, “Timothy, in this house, when it comes to meal time, there are the paper plates, and then there is the fine china! Anybody can be a paper plate – anybody! But, listen my son, you’re not just anybody! No! God has called, placed His hand upon your life and called you, Timothy, to be a vessel for honor, the Master’s fine china, set apart and useful to Him! Prepared to do every good thing He wants you to do! So, run – my son – run away from anything and everything that will defile you. And race toward all that the pure in heart pursue as their goal!”

Yes, my son, be a sanctified vessel, God’s fine china. And, then one more: be a gentle servant. Timothy, undoubtedly, you will run into opposition just like I have. There will be people in the church AND outside the church who will want to withstand what God wants to do through you. Deal with them gently. I know, I know, that sledge hammer sure looks nice about now, but don’t use it! Treat your opponents like the Savior would treat them. Gently instruct them, humbly correct them, consistently speak to them and model from them the truth. And, then pray for them! Pray that God would grant them repentance!

“Lord, I want to be, Jesus help me to be, a disciple-making teacher, a single-minded soldier/athlete, a hard-working farmer, a diligent workman, a sanctified vessel, and, last of all, help me to be a gentle, humble servant.”

Would you pray that prayer with me? Let’s go the Lord at this time, shall we?

(prayer) “Father, this morning we have, in a sense, sat down in the living room with the apostle Paul, and through these words of Scripture that have been recorded and preserved by Your grace for us, he has spoken to us. You have communicated what we need to know through the apostle Paul. There’s no uncertainty about any of these words. No room for differences of understanding or opinion, it’s all very clear, Father. You’re calling us to a very high and holy calling, as Your people; to run the race, to fight the fight, to plant and water and cultivate the seed; to do the work, to maintain our precious purity and to gently minister in Your behalf. All of which is ultimately for the incredible purpose of bringing glory to You. O God, I pray that You will help us to be found faithful in doing all of these things; to do them in Your strength, to do them consistently, to do them cheerfully and willingly. What a marvelous challenge, Father, a bigger assignment than any of us can possibly attain to on our own. And yet You have also marvelously supplied with the assignment the strength of Your Spirit to get the job done. We praise You for that blessing. Help us to go to it now, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Graffiti and Our Response to Persecution

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Preached at Northwest Christian Church

David P. Kautt

Sunday Morning, March 20, 2011

1 Corinthians 16:8-9, “But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”

Colossians 4:2-6, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

Philippians 1:12-14, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

2 Thessalonians 3:1-3, “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.”

I know that that was a larger than normal grouping of passages to read as we open up our study time this morning. Nevertheless, I wanted to sort of set the stage for what I want to share with you today, and to use these verses to provide the Biblical context and foundation for what I am about to say.

This last week, on Thursday morning, the phone rang at our home, and it was Officer Mitch Jenkins of the McKinney Police Department. He was calling to inform me that our beloved house of worship – this building – had been hit by vandals, who had spray painted profane words on the west end outside wall of our facility. Officer Jenkins informed me that the graffiti had all the signs of street gang activity. He had seen such evidence many times before, including across the street from us in the last several days. And, he also urged us to be on the lookout for suspicious activity involving groups of young people, ‘hanging out’ in our neighborhoods, and to call the police to report such activity.

To be honest with you, as I am sure is true for you, when I heard this news, a number of different thoughts and reactions passed through my mind.

For one thing, I was angered and offended that it had happened. ‘How could they do such a thing, and to a house of worship?’ But, then I thought, “Why not? I mean, we’re here, aren’t we? To shine the light of Christ’s truth and love into the darkness of Satan’s dominion, should it surprise us when something like this occurs? Should it astonish us when the devil and his servants fight back?’

Then, I thought: ‘As a matter of fact, what is surprising is that something like this, or perhaps, something far worse hasn’t happened here before.’ By the way, saying that, I am not intending to stir up fear in any of us; remember Jesus’ words? He urged us not to fear those who can kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, He challenged us to fear God, Who alone has the power and authority, to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).

Now, don’t misunderstand me, please. I don’t think that Jesus intends for us to be foolhardy in our ‘boldness’ to take unnecessary risks, or to fail to provide appropriate safety precautions for when we meet here for worship and other activities. But, listen, ultimately, where does our trust, our confidence, our security and safety lie? In a dead-bolt? In a guard light? In an alarm system, 9-1-1 or even in a law enforcement officer in our midst? The fourth of the four passages I read from a moment ago put it like this: “Brethren, PRAY FOR US, that we may be delivered [that God may rescue us] from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. But [what an important word that is!] ask God to rescue us from unreasonable and wicked men, for not all have faith! But the Lord is faithful, He will establish you and guard you from the evil one!” Our trust, our confidence, our safety and security, as these words of a man who knew danger, who experienced hardship and extreme opposition from those absurd and wicked men he mentions here, ultimately is and must be in Someone who is ALWAYS faithful to shield His people from the evil one!

Yes, when I received Officer Jenkins’ phone call, I had several different thoughts and reaction to what he told me. But, then I remembered the first of the passages I read at the beginning this morning, the 1 Corinthians 16 text. Take a look again at it with me, wil you? What does it say? The apostle Paul in brief fashion here in 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 summarizes for us what we can read about in detail in Acts chapters 19 and 20. He is ministering in a city called Ephesus, home of the false goddess, the demonic worship of Diana, a city, like our city, home of thousands of people from all kinds of backgrounds and all of them – ALL of them – in need of hearing and believing the gospel of Christ. What does the apostle Paul remind us about here? What divinely-inspired insight into our situation does he supply for us here? Take a look. He says, “I’m going to stick around here in Ephesus for a while yet, at least till Pentecost.” But why, Paul? Why? “Because a great and effective door [a divinely-arranged opportunity] has opened to me [here], and there are many adversaries.”

My friends, it would be easy and perhaps, from a human perspective, quite understandable, to think to react with anger, or out of fear. To exclaim, ‘we’re gonna find those criminals, and we’re gonna see that they get what they deserve!’ or to cower in the corner and whimper, ‘well, I guess we need to close up the place and go into hiding.’ But, listen: if we do react in one of those ways, I believe the devil will have won the victory here!

‘Hey, y’all! Just wanted you to know that I’ve run into some opposition here in Ephesus, so, I’m taking my candle and relocating it to Philippi. I’m putting my light under a bushel!” Is that what Paul did? Is that what Jesus wants us to do?

Beloved, it shouldn’t surprise us, not one bit, when unbelievers, when enemies of the cross of Christ - whose god is their fleshly desires and whose glory, whose greatest thrill is found in their wicked and shameful thoughts and words and actions – it shouldn’t ever surprise us when those who are in the darkness ACT like those dwell in Satan’s dominion! But, it should anger us! What? Yes! But, with a righteous anger, a God-prompted anger. Satan, the roaring lion, is on the prowl, and he is gobbling up people, especially young people, left and right! We should be angry enough to determine, to resolve, NEVER to let evil triumph! But, to overcome evil, through God’s infinite strength, with good!

And, instead of only shaking our heads in disgust, let us fall on our knees, in broken-hearted, passionate prayer for these whose lives are being decimated by the one who hates them and wants to destroy them! (John 10:10)

My loved ones, we have before us a great and effective door, a wide-open, God-ordained opportunity to impact this neighborhood for Jesus’ sake. But, listen. It‘s not going to be easy! And, listen, our door of opportunity will be missed, if we do not make it a prayer priority.

Yes, yes, I know that we have a lot to pray about with respect to needs of the flock. People in the hospital, loved ones and brothers and sisters in Christ, struggling physically, emotionally, spiritually, even financially. But, listen, what about the LOST little lambs? When was the last time we prayed and worked earnestly, driven by the compassion and urgency of the GOOD Shepherd, to reach and rescue them?

B---- S., our new brother in Christ, a teacher over here at the ‘Linc Center’ as it is called, put it best when he explained to me yesterday, “You know, David, I’ve figured out what God’s purpose for me is. God put me there, at the Linc Center, to help all the hurting and troubled kids who are my students. I’ve been hurt. My background has some trouble in it, and so I can relate to them. God has put me there to minister to these young people.”

A door of opportunity, great and effectual, God has opened it up for B----. And, he’s making the most of it. And, yes, in a dark and difficult place like the one where he works, his light, the light of Christ shining through him, is not without opposition or hindrance! Pray for him, will you? Encourage him in his work.

This is kind of an unusual sermon today. But, of course, it is written and preached in light of our unusual situation, in light of our unique opportunity.

If I may, I’d like to leave you with two questions to ponder, and passages of Scripture that I pray God will use to guide your thoughts and meditations into His truth concerning these matters.

First the questions:

Why did this happen? One of the most gut-wrenching questions that confronts God’s people is the WHY question. “Why do bad things happen to God’s people?”

Secondly, let’s ask ourselves: what are we to DO, what does God want us to BE and DO in light of what has happened?

Now, the Scriptural insights to help us answer and act upon these question: Philippians 1:12ff and Colossians 4:2ff. God’s inspired answer, through the words of the apostle Paul, God’s heavenly insight into the WHY question. Let’s read these texts:

Philippians 1:12-14, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

Colossians 4:2-6, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

Why do BAD things happen to God’s people? One of the answers, one of the heavenly insights into this question that we must see - and see clearly - is that which the apostle Paul provides for us while wearing the chains of a prisoner, in custody of the state. By the way, the details regarding the how he came to be detained by the Roman government are recorded in Acts chapters 21 through 28.

Why do BAD things happen to God’s people? Philippians 1:12ff, “…what has happened to me has actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel… Christ is being preached,” he exclaims, in verse 18, “and because of that I rejoice!” One of the answers to the WHY question, building on a foundation that we live in a fallen world, where Satan is working feverishly to do his dirty work, a world where folks like Paul and us – God’s people – are affected and impacted by the darkness all around us, by sinners serving Satan; one of the answers to the WHY question that is built on that back to Genesis foundation, yet that beams brightly with the light and hope of the New Covenant, is this perspective: “bad things happen to God’s people so as to advance the gospel! Seemingly bad things like chains and imprisonment, graffiti, theft and vandalism, happen to “open up a door to us for the word,” Colossians 4:3.

So, then, what are we to DO? What does God want us to BE and DO in light of what has happened here?

2 Corinthians 2:12-17, “Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia. Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.”

What are we to do? Go buy a case of our own spray paint and find where those folks live and pay them back? I hope you know the answer to that one. No! What we are to do is to spread the aroma of Christ, His marvelously pungent, penetrating fragrance in every place! We are, as Paul goes on to say in chapter 3:1-6, to minister the new covenant of grace and truth in Christ to human hearts. We are to BE – to BE – to some, the aroma of death leading to death, but to others, praise God, to others – God, who is our sufficiency, God who by His almighty spirit enables us - to DO and to BE, through Him, to others, the aroma of life leading to life!

Graffiti on the wall of our beloved house of worship: surprising? Not really. Frustrating? In a sense. But, listen: keep in mind this one very sobering reality taken from the words of one who experienced far more violent and virulent opposition than we have yet to see:

2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”

The light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, its shining radiance, is hidden from their sight. And, so they are groping, think of it! What an awful situation! They are groping, in the dark, about to tumble headlong over the precipice of no return! They are perishing! And what are we o do? We are to be God’s agents in rescuing them. Will it be easy? No! But, must we do it? Yes. Yes!

God's Works: What is Our Response to Be?

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Preached at Northwest Christian Church

David P. Kautt

Sunday Morning, March 13, 2011

Psalm 111:1-10, “Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them. His work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and full of compassion. He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant. He has declared to His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of His hands are verity and justice; all His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”

How am I, how are you to respond to the work God is doing in this world, and in our lives?

For two weeks now we have opened up this intriguing passage and examined the subject of the work or works of God. In alphabet, acrostic fashion the psalmist has walked us through this subject, pointing out to us the facts. He has reminded us that when God does something, never mind what men think they can do! When God does something, something like an earthquake and a tsunami, what He does is off the charts! It is without comparison. Verse two says it like this: “the works of the Lord are great!” Verse 4 indicates that the works of the Lord are wonderful. That means that they cause your mouth to drop open and exclaim, “wow!” And, then verse six adds what we already know from the devastation of what we call 'natural disasters', earthquakes and tidal waves, and what we ought to know from watching Him work to SUPER-naturally bring someone out of darkness, out of the darkness of their sin and guilt and despair into the joy and light and hope of His salvation. Take a look, verse 6, adding to what we've already noticed in verses 2 and 4, verse 6 reminds of what ought to be obvious to all of us, when God works, when He does something, whether it be in the natural realm – in His creation – or, whether it be a work of what the Bible calls 'new creation' in Christ Jesus, what kind of work is it? How best is it to be described? Verse 6 – it is best to be described as a POWERFUL work! A display of God's unlimited strength!

How am I, how are you, to respond to the work God is doing in the world and in our lives? That's the question of the hour, the direction toward which this psalm, reading it, investigating it, teaching and preaching it must lead us. How are we to respond?

Before we answer that with at least 3 specific directives derived from this text, allow me to point out again to you the 'atmosphere', the overall 'mood' and 'tone' that ought to permeate these responses on our part, and with which the psalm begins and ends.

We've seen it before, in our previous lessons, but keep it in mind with me, will you? When God works, when He does something - verse one, first line, very first words – what should our response, I mean our automatic reply and reaction to it be? 'Praise ye the Lord!' 'Hallelujah!' Oh, not a flippant or frivolous or even sarcastic expression of praise. 'Oh, yeah! God did something, alright! Praise the Lord! Bah, humbug!' No, rather, the 'atmosphere', the attitude, if you will, of the child of God, as he or shee stands back and watches what God is up to should always, ultimately be, that of praise! 'Praise ye the Lord', the psalm begins with those words, and, in effect, it ends with those words: 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom', a dropped jaw sense of awe and reverence before the One, the only One, whose name – think of it – is 'Holy and Awesome', entering into the everlasting praise offered up to the One who does all these great and wonderful and powerful things, what better response, what more appropriate response, what wiser response can there be than to 'praise the Lord', to praise Him?

What are we to do, how are we to respond, when God does something? With in this 'atmosphere', this context of praise, the psalm offers three specific steps you and I ought to take in light of what God does and has done.

Number one, the psalmist urges us to STUDY, to diligently seek out so as to grasp, what God is up to, what He is doing. “The works of the Lord are great,” the text says, “studied sought out by all who have pleasure in them.”

Now, right off the bat, our first thought about this suggestion, this directive to study, is something like: 'Study?! I gave that up a long time ago! I mean, I graduated, got my diploma and everything, why do I need to STUDY anymore?'

Well, before we delve into this too far, let me ask you a question: how many of you like to be 'in the dark'? I mean, when some friends or loved ones of your are conversing about something, and you walk up and start to join in, all of the sudden you realize, “I don't have any idea what they are talking about! I'm in the dark about this subject!” How many of you would rather be 'in the know' than 'in the dark'? You - study what God is up to? Me – seek out what God is doing? You understand why the psalmist urges us to STUDY what God is doing, don't you? So that you might know and be 'in the know' when it comes to the work and works of God.

By the way, you realize, don't you, that when God works, He works primarily in one of four areas, in one of four ways. He works sovereignly - powerfully - with respect to His creation... And, He works sympathetically, in great pity and compassion, to HELP and to SAVE. Furthermore, He works SINLESSLY, out of His perfect righteousness when He judges, when He enters into judgment. And in all of those areas, in all of those ways, what does God do? He shows us His superiority, from His lofty position as the Creator and King of the universe, when He works, marvelously and yes, mysteriously, He proves that His ways, His thoughts and plans are higher and greater than ours!

STUDY God's works! To be 'in the know' rather than 'in the dark'! Study them, diligently search them out – why? For the sake of getting a degree or diploma to hang on the wall? For the sake of 'wowing' everyone as the 'What God is Up to 'Expert'? No! When my car is broken, I look at a repair manual – no, actually, I call in my sons who can read and understand those manuals! When my car is broken, I pull off the 'everything you always wanted to know about broken cars but were afraid to ask' book and devour it from cover to cover, right? No! I grab the REPAIR manual, the How-to book – you know why? So that I can get the old jalopy running again!

STUDY God's works – why? For the sake of gaining knowledge, understanding, wisdom, verse 10, that I can use in my everyday life!

How am I to respond, what are we to do, in light of what God is doing? Number one – we are to study, to seek out the meaning, the significance and even the personal apply-it-to-my-life lesson to be derived from it. But, why? Why would we want to do that? The purpose yes, is to be 'in the know' rather than 'in the dark'. But, look again at what drives or ought to drive that pursuit. Once again, verse 2, “the works of the Lord are great, studied, diligently sought out by all who have pleasure in them!”

A teacher or professional educator has suggested that a student learns best, what he loves most! I think that's the point of the psalmist here, don't you? You want to know, I want to find out what God is doing, why? Because we DELIGHT in what He's up to. We love what He's doing!

Sorry, Ladies, I don't mean to hurt any of you great cooks' feelings, seeing that you like to try out new recipes on us fellows. But, listen – when it comes to studying, food, right guys? When it comes to studying, searching out all I can find out about what you serve up on my plate, my delight, my love points me toward steak and potatoes, not toward eggplant casserole!

Why do we study God's works? What drives us to do so? Remember what the Teacher told us, we learn best what we love most... “The works of the Lord are great, studied – sought out – by all those who take pleasure in them!”

There's a second response, a fitting and appropriate response we should make, in light of what God is doing, and that is the one mentioned in verse 4. Take a look with me, will you please? The psalmist writes, beginning at verse 2, the works of the LORD are great, they cause your jaw to drop! Next there's verse 3, “the work of the LORD is honorable and glorious, majestic and splendid. Then, last of all, there's verse 4, which says of God's work and works, that what He does, what God is up to is wonderful, made up of one marvel after another. So, how am I to respond to all of those marvels? Verse 4 – I am to remember them.

Now, again, we have to stop and evaluate what is being communicated here: the wonderful works of our great and gracious God, we are challenged to REMEMBER them. How? Why? You know, at first glance, what I perceive the psalmist telling us to do, is to kind of sit back in our rocking chairs with a good cup of coffee, thinking about the 'good ole days' until we fall asleep. 'Nothing like remembering what God has done for me!'

Now, while there's nothing wrong, and actually, a whole lot that is right about good memories guiding your thoughts about God and His work, listen, I think what the psalmist has in mind here is a lot more active and alive than just simply leaning back in the rocking chair and drifting off into the sweet dreams about God's goodness.

Rather, I believe that what he has in mind for us here is what he states in a similar passage over in Psalm 105. It's one of those 'photo album' psalms. One of those passages where God's poet pulls out the pictures and begins to tell the stories of what God has done for His people.

Psalm 105:1-6, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, O seed of Abraham His servant, you children of Jacob, His chosen ones!”

When the poet wrote those words – and the words of our text Psalm 111 – he didn't plan on us rocking away into sleepy-land! No! He intended for us, as we think of what God has done for us, to TELL somebody about it! Yes, pull the children and grand-children, mom and dad, husband or wife, grandpa and grandma around and make God - not Barack Obama, not Charlie Sheen, nor even the price of gas and an earthquake and tidal wave in Japan – gather your friends and loved ones around and make God the talk of the town! Remember, we've got to remember, what God has done for us, and study, diligently seek out, what He is doing in this world and in our lives – why?

One more response, one more way to reply to what God is up to. Verse 10 – the wisest decision you and I could ever make. Do you know what it is?

Response number three, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, a good understanding (I like the way that is put there, don't you?) have all those who DO His commandments! What is the third, final, and I believe, the most fitting response of all that we can make to what God is doing?

Out of a humble, surrendered heart, we can OBEY, we can DO what He commands! We can, we should, we must, act wisely and reverently in keeping with what He has done and is doing for us!

“Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord, with all of my heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. The fear of the Lord is the beginning – the chief part - of wisdom, a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever...”

One God, One Faith, One Book Apologetics Conference

 

What Has God Done for You Today?

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Preached at Northwest Christian Church

David P. Kautt

Sunday Morning, March 6, 2011

Psalm 111:1-10, “Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them. His work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and full of compassion. He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant. He has declared to His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of His hands are verity and justice; all His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”

Do you know how much your God has done for you, today?

Christians, by virtue of who they are, where they stand before God through Christ, what they have received from God in Christ, more than any other people, Christians should be aware of how much God has done for them. And yet, many times, we aren’t.

We have a song in our hymnal that begins with the words, “To God be the glory great things He has done…” It’s a beautiful song; a song that many of us would call one of our favorites. And, yet perhaps far too often we sing a song like that and never stop to think about its message: ‘This song was written for ME! This song was meant to give me a way to express my appreciation and my JOY over the fact that God has done all these great things for ME!’

What has God done for you, today? How would you respond to that question?

Sometimes when I begin the day, as I try to drive away the grogginess and battle toward alertness, I’ll think of some of the names and titles of our God. And, in kind of a random fashion, I will praise Him and thank Him for Who He is. He is Elohim, my mighty Creator and Sustainer. In Him I live and move and have my very being. He is Jehovah Jireh, my Provider, my Sufficiency. The One Who says to His people - tormented as they often are by thorns in the flesh, weaknesses, the IN-sufficiencies of our humanness - ‘My grace is ENOUGH for you. For My power is made perfect in [your] weakness.’

Or, I’ll think of Him, I will praise Him as my Righteousness: Jehovah T-sidkenu, My Justifier; or as my Holiness: Jehovah M-Kaddesh, my Sanctifier; or, as my Salvation: Jehovah Yeshua, My Deliverer; or, as my Shepherd: Jehovah Ro-i. And, all of that challenges me, it speaks to me, it confronts me with the fact – undeniably true – ‘This is who God is to you, David!’ ‘These are the things that God has done for you!’

This psalm, our study, one of a cluster of chapters at this point in the book of Psalms all of which begin and/or end with the word, ‘Hallelujah’ or the concept, the exhortation to praise the Lord. This psalm – Psalm 111 – focuses our attention, as those who hold it in our hands, as those privileged to read it, to pray it, to sing it and to examine it, over and over to this one theme: ‘Look what God has done for you!’ If you were making notes and wanting to sum up the message and content of this passage in one or two words, it would be these words: God’s work and God’s works. Look across the text again with me and make note of what the psalmist tells us about God’s work and His works… Verse two: what an appropriate place to start, wouldn’t you say? Christian, you know this don’t you? David, you see this, don’t you? God’s works are GREAT! That one word describing the magnitude of God’s works and the meaningfulness of God’s works, that they are GREAT, that one word says it all, doesn’t it? God’s works are great! Then, there’s verse four where the psalmist reminds us that God’s works are wonderful. It’s the very same word David the psalmist uses in Psalm 139 to describe the intimate, ever-present, all-encompassing knowledge God had of his life. He said, “such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too incomprehensible for me, it is high; I cannot attain it.” It is the same word David used in verse 14 of that one hundred and thirty-ninth psalm to describe what God did, His marvelous creative work, when He knit David together in his mother’s womb: “I will praise You,” he said, “for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”

God’s works are great, God’s works are wonderful… Verse 6: then notice next, the text informs us that God’s works are POWERFUL. They are powerful! One of my favorite passages where this word, this idea of the power of God at work in HIS works is that portion of Scripture our dear sister, Ruby Bounds, used to share with us. You remember it, don’t’ you? Isaiah 40:27-31. It begins with these hauntingly honest words, uttered from the mouths of God’s people, yes, from our mouths, sometimes. “My way is hidden from the Lord… My justice is passed over and forgotten by my God…” Ever felt that way? ‘God, You’ve forgotten about little ‘ole me, way down here on planet earth…’ ‘Hey God! Remember! You-who! I’m here! I need you… would you help me, please?!’

God’s works, what did the psalmist say? He tells us that God’s works are POWERFUL! “Do you now know? Have you not heard? The Lord, the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He never grows weary or tired, His understanding [His knowledge of our lives and our needs] is never ending. He gives strength – there’s our key word – to the weary, and to him who lacks might, He gives power [there it is again!]. Even youths grow weary and tired, and young men [think of it, my gray-haired friends] stumble and fall. But… [there’s the key transition word, right?] But those who wait on the LORD, those who continue to hope and trust and lean on the LORD, will gain new strength [there’s our word one more time], they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint…” My loved ones, God’s works are powerful. And look here, back to the text, in verse 6. Look at what the text says about the direction, the target God has for His works of power! “Tell it to My people!” He says. ‘Declare to My children what powerful things their Father has done for THEM!’

Verse 7: what has God done for you? Do you have any idea how much He has done for you and me, His children? Great things He has done for us. Wonderful things He has done for us. Mighty things He has done for us. And then the text lets us in on the fact that God has also done, with His own hands, think of it! Think of all that God has done for you, with His hands, He created you, knit you together in your mother’s womb. We saw that in Psalm 139 a moment ago. He has fed you, met your needs physically, verse 5 says. And, then – what about His nail-scarred hands? What has our great God and Savior Jesus Christ done for us with THOSE hands? It’s there! If we’re not blind to see it! It’s there, in Old Testament, somewhat hidden fashion, I know; but it’s there, nonetheless. What’s there? The Cross, my friends, the Cross is there, HERE, in this psalm which describes so beautifully, so meaningfully the works and work of God. The Cross, the ultimate work of God accomplished using His own dear Son’s nail-pierced hands, the Cross is there – here – in verse nine of the text. Notice what it says God has done for us with His hands… “He has sent redemption, Jehovah Go-el, our Redeemer, our Kinsman-Redeemer, where? To His people!” Praise God.

The works of God’s hands, what does verse seven have to say to us about the works of God’s hands? 3 words, all of them, ultimately descriptive in nature; three ways in which God displays WHO He is through what He has done: His works, and what He has spoken: His words. What are the three words? Verse seven, ‘verity’. That’s a word we’re not terribly familiar with, but it’s a word that ought to remind us of many of the red-letter words of the New Testament. You know what the ‘Red Letter words’ are, don’t you? The words of our Lord, the words of Jesus, recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. ‘Verity’, the works of God’s hands are ‘verity’. The red-letter words I am thinking about in connection with the word ‘verity’ are the words, ‘verily, verily’. Time and time again, Jesus begins a statement, a declaration He wants folks like us never to forget, with the words, ‘verily, verily’. What do those words mean? To say it simply, they mean: “truly, truly…” Or, “most assuredly”, or “one hundred percent for certain…”

Now, look again at Psalm 111:7. The psalmist, speaking of God’s mighty and marvelous works, tells us that God’s works - and His words, His precepts – are verity, truthfulness, certainty! Absolute! And, they are justice. It’s a word that pertains to God’s role as the final, the ultimate JUDGE of all. God’s works are verity, certainty, truthfulness. And, God’s works are justice, from the always just Judge. And, then, number three: notice how God’s works and His word are intertwined. The psalmist instructs us in the fact that God’s word – His precepts, the things He directs and appoints – are sure! ‘Sure.’ To God’s words we can say ‘so be it!’, we can pronounce the ‘Amen’!

We began our study time this morning with a provocative question to us and a challenging observation about us; do you remember what they were?

Before we close, allow me to bring these back to your attention:

First, the question, ‘do you know how much your God has done for you?’ And, then, the observation: by virtue of who we are, as the people of God, by virtue of where we stand before God, in Christ, we – more than any other people – should be aware of how much God has done for us. We ought to, but are we?

The Lord-willing, next time we’re together, I’d like for us to consider an important, related question that pertains to our study of this text: the question, “how am I to respond to God’s great, wonderful, powerful, compassionate works? What am I to do in light of what He’s done for me?”

But, for now, allow me to wrap up this psalm that begins and ends with the words “Praise ye the Lord,” “Hallelujah”, by taking you to verse three. God’s works, great as they are, powerful as they are, wonderful as they are, certain as they are. These observations about God’s works all point us in one direction – verse three – God’s works, ultimately for us, the people of God, what are they? They are honorable, and they are glorious!

To God be the glory, great things He has done, so loved HE the world that He gave us His Son who yielded His life an atonement for sin and opened the life gate that all may go in. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord! Let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let’s God’s people rejoice! O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, and give Him the glory, great things He has done.

And, give Him the glory, great things, powerful things, wonderful things, He has done!