“Career is what you’re paid for, but a calling is what you’re made for.”
- Bob Shank
Posts Tagged ‘ministry’
Career vs. Calling
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008Rowing without Oars
Sunday, July 29th, 2007Podcast: Download
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INTRODUCTION
Recap messages:
- 1st message: I spoke on how God chose to have a unique, personal and real relationship with us. Because this relationship is unique for each one of us, God does not deal with all of us in the same way.
- 2nd message: I shared two important truths about he call of God that point to where it begins. First, “The Call of God isn’t so much about what He wants US to do FOR Him but more importantly about what HE wants to do WITH us!!!
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. 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.
2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)
Second, “The Effectiveness of God’s calling our life depends on our response” It is important that we respond to God’s call by exhibiting the character of Christ. Our responses to God’s call have significance both now and in eternity, God calls us to a place where He can work through us to reach others and our response will determine effectiveness! Because God is the one who initiates the relationship, I may have to make major adjustments in my plans to fulfill His plans.
- It is upon this final point that I wish to expand today. You see, you can’t talk about where God has you in life without talking about obedience.
Share illustration of rowing without oars or motoring without gas…either one won’t get you anywhere! Obedience is an absolutely essential requirement in fulfilling the call of God for your life! We won’t get anywhere without obedience!
Our greatest struggle isn’t knowing what God desires of us; it is choosing to be obedient to God.
7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered
Hebrews 5:7-8 (NIV)
Jesus was clear on his call – and though he suffered he was obedient. In fact it was in the face of his suffering that Jesus teaches us what obedience means.
Obedience is a struggle because it is hard. Sometimes it goes against the grain to be obedient. Sometimes it requires a little effort to be obedient. Why? Because more often than not obedience goes hand in glove with another difficult word – surrender or submission. Obedience most often requires submitting to the will of someone other than yourself. And that isn’t always easy to do.
You know, when I read my Bible I find that often what God wants people to do is something that is not normal. It is something that is often impossible by human standards and usually is something that the person would not choose to do themselves. (perhaps share some examples) Yet, it is equally true that unless that person is obedient – what God wants to do through their lives will not be accomplished. Of course we know that God is sovereign and because of that He already knows what our choices will be and so His overall plan remains unchanged. However those who disobey risk missing out on being a part of God’s plan. (refer to “ordinary people who are part of an extraordinary plan”
The sad thing is that there are far too many people in our world who are not fulfilling the call of God for their lives because of their lack of obedience. Either they want nothing to do with God (forsaking the call to salvation) or they are ever searching for the will of God (i.e. what God is telling them to do they don’t like…) There are many excuses that people will have for disobedience – today I want to share some of these excuses that are found in the life of some people we find in the Bible. We’re also going to look at what happens (or doesn’t happen) because of their lack of obedience.
Sometimes people are disobedient because they are not in the mood to be obedient.
This is probably the lamest of all excuses. But there are usually a number of reasons why people are not in the mood to obey God.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Genesis 4:6-8 (NIV)
God told Cain that he must do the right thing but Cain was not in the mood to be obedient. He was angry because his brothers offering had been pleasing to God but his offering had not. (see Genesis 4:2-5) There are many suggestions for why God did not look on Cain’s offering with favor but I believe it is because there is a clear distinction between their two offerings. Cain brought “some of the fruits” of the soil as an offering to God whereas Abel brought “the fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock” – Abel’s offering was “right” because it demonstrated how valuable God was to Him. His offering required sacrifice whereas Cain’s offering was casual. It was that casual attitude towards God that Cain was being warned about. And sure enough sin was “crouching at the door” and reared it’s ugly head when Cain later killed his brother.
Some people don’t obey the call of God on their life because they are not in the mood. They have a casual indifference to what God is asking them to do. I don’t know if this is true for any other parents with us tonight but I’ve got to tell you that I’ve seen this at work in the lives of my own children!
This is a dangerous place to be because this casual indifference towards what God is calling you creates a sitting place for sin in your life.
Sometimes people are disobedient because they don’t like God’s timing!
24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.
Acts 24:24-26 (NIV)
How often do we put off something that God has asked us to do because we don’t like the timing? To this I say, God’s timing is always perfect!! But if we aren’t obedient when God wants us to act then that moment, that opportunity may never return again…
Could you imagine how the story of Esther might have turned out differently if she had not been obedient…
Perhaps no greater example of the perfect timing of God is found in the First Coming of Jesus Christ…
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)
Paul speaks against this excuse to the Colossians and Ephesians,
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
Colossians 4:5 (NIV)
15 Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:15-18 (NIV)
The next excuse is closely related to this one, it is…
Sometimes people are disobedient because they think God needs a little help…
Sometimes people hear the call of God but they try to fulfill it themselves or they do things that God never asked them to do! Remember two weeks ago I emphasized that the call of God isn’t so much about what God wants us to do for Him but more about what He wants to do with us!! A good example of this is found in Genesis…
• In Genesis 12, 13, and 15 God gave Abraham a number of promises among which was the promise that his offspring would be numerous “like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted” (Genesis 13:16). “…Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them….So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5)
• In Genesis 15:4, God promised that He would give Abraham a son from his own body as his heir. The problem was that Abraham and Sarai at this time were way, way, way past their child-bearing years!
1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me.”
Genesis 16:1-5 (NIV)
- Sometimes people hear the call of God and they welcome his call but they set out to fulfill things their way because they think God needs a little help… Sadly, the result is that we will never fulfill God’s call until He works through us…in the meantime there will be consequences…
- As important as it is to be obedient to God’s call for your life – it’s also important to understand what His call is not! (remember King David and Uzzah in 1 Chronicles 13)
- Of course the question that many of you would probably ask is, “I think I’ve finally got a handle on what His call is but how do I know what His call is not?”…The key is to listen – listen to the voice of the Spirit, listen to God’s word, listen in prayer, listen to godly people that God places in your life to guide you in His calling. Remember that God will never contradict Himself and require you to do something contrary to His word!
- Sarah and Abraham had the right intentions but if they had of listened…
- David and Uzzah had the right intentions but if they had of listened…
- To finish this point I want to share the positive example of Mary, the mother of Jesus…
26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Luke 1:26-33 (NIV)
Imagine if Mary had of left at that point thinking, “Why this is great news, of course I’m going to be obedient and fulfill God’s calling for my life, except I’m a virgin…O Joseph…Joseph…” But that isn’t what happened…Mary Listened…
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:34-38 (NIV)
for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
Sometimes people are disobedient because they don’t think it is in their best interest to be obedient
A classic example of this excuse is found in the life of Jonah…
1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
Jonah 4:1-3 (NIV)
I like Max Lucado’s introduction to the book of Jonah in The Inspirational Study Bible,
He had every right to run (he thought). Why should he go to that stinking city? He hated the place. Why should he warn the Ninevites about God’s judgment? After how they had treated his people, they deserved to be wiped out. The last thing Jonah wanted was for his enemies to receive God’s blessing.
So he ran…as fast and as far as he could away from what God wanted him to do.
But God had other plans.
You know the story: God stirred up a storm. Jonah bailed out of the boat and ended up in the belly of a fish.
God gave Jonah time to think over his actions and attitudes. For the first time Jonah didn’t complain, he prayed. (Probably the only time anyone prayed for a fish-burp).
The prayer was answered and Jonah eventually traveled to hated Ninevah. He preached to the people there. Though his odor wasn’t appealing, his message was and the Ninevites repented. God relented (as Jonah knew he would), and Jonah fumed, furious over the turn of events. He sulked.
We can be so difficult.
But God can be so patient.
The book of Jonah is more than a fascinating account of one man’s futile attempt to run away from God. It is a story of God’s love for even the most unlovable, despicable people we can imagine – and of our responsibility to tell them the Good News. (p. 1077)
• Sometimes God will ask us to do things that don’t seem to be in our best interests but our responsibility is to simply be obedient.
• Look at when Jesus called Peter and his brother Andrew and then James and John in Matthew 4,
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-22 (NIV)
Sometimes people are disobedient because they’re concerned about what others might think!!
Look at the life of Noah!
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.
Genesis 6:11-14 (NIV)
- Noah could have easily said no to God because people were going to think he was crazy. There had never before been a flood – much less rain on the scale needed to create such a flood!
In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul pointed out the fact that fulfilling the call of God in your life will appear foolish to the world…
Read 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. 26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
1 Corinthians 1:18-27 (NIV)
Yet it is also important to remember the words of the apostle Paul as he talked about his “foolish” ministry in his letter to the Thessalonian church…
On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 (NIV)
We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you,
1 Thessalonians 2:6 (NIV)
Noah was obedient to the call of God in his life and as a result he and his family and the animals God placed on the Ark were saved from God’s judgment.
Ultimately the call of God in our life will always be related in some way to sharing the gospel of Christ – the message that saves – with a world that is lost. Here’s a thought provoking question, how many people have died without receiving Jesus Christ as their Saviour because of somebody disobeying the call of God for their life in an effort to appear “normal”?
I think when it comes to the call of God we must be prepared to state as Paul so eloquently put, “We are fools for Christ…” (1 Corinthians 4:10a)
CONCLUSION
I’ve shared with you some reasons for why many people are disobedient when faced with the call of God for their lives. But no matter how hard it is to be obedient, God’s Word tells us and shows us that disobedience results in a far harder life.
Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard.
Proverbs 13:15 (NIV)
The Heart of the Call – Where it Begins
Sunday, July 22nd, 2007Podcast: Download
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INTRODUCTION:
Last week I began a series of messages that I’m going to be preaching for a few Sundays about the Call of God. In the first message I shared that God chooses to have a unique, personal and real relationship with us. And because it is unique, God does not deal with all of us in the same way. God dealings with me are unique to me.God uses this relationship that He has established with me to reach others. And therefore since God chooses to deal with man by man, what He calls us to do is varied so that all people can be reached.
Today, I want to continue to expand on what I introduced the last time I spoke and begin to dive into the heart of the call of God and how it develops in our personal lives.
There was a time where Jesus was ministering to a crowd of people and a rich person came up and asked Jesus what He should do to inherit eternal life. This rich man asks a question that is on the heart’s of many people today. So many people like the rich young ruler have a desire for significance – a desire for something greater than what they have now. In Jesus, this rich young ruler saw the opportunity for something greater and wondered how he might obtain it.
Jesus acutely saw to the heart of the young man’s request. He made the observation that the young ruler had lived a good life by religious standards. He was a morally upright and good man. Yet even then there was still something missing. There was something that still needed to be done internally in this man’s life and something he had to understand about the kingdom of heaven and the call of God.
Scripture says that Jesus looked at the man with love as he spoke His “cut to the heart” words. It was tough to say, but in love, Jesus pointed out the internal change required in the young man. Jesus said,
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Mark 10:21 (NIV)
The Bible records that when the young man heard these words his face fell because he was had great wealth. Although the Bible doesn’t say what the young man ended up doing you get the impression that this was a really tough thing for him to do. Jesus goes on to make the declaration to those around that it’s really hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God and to emphasize his point Jesus draws an image,
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Mark 10:25 (NIV)
Of course there’s many lessons that can be drawn from this window into the ministry and words of Jesus – among them the tendency for success and affluence to create a false sense of security and self-sufficiency that is the endemic to a life of dependency and true fulfillment in God through Jesus.
However, I think Jesus also gives us a lesson about the nature of God’s calling on every person’s life. From this story we can learn that…
The Call of God isn’t so much about what He wants US to do FOR Him but more importantly about what HE wants to do WITH us!!!
The rich young man had the external stuff down pat. He told Jesus He had followed the law of God from when He was a boy. Understanding God’s calling however involves the realization that it’s not essentially about what you do for God but what you do with God! He wants you to be involved with your heart as well as with your hands. Notice, Jesus’ answer to the rich young ruler took things further than the guy probably thought he’d have to go. And that’s the problem. When people think of the calling of God they think of God wanting you to do something for Him. Certainly that’s an element of the call – afterall Jesus did say, “Sell all you own and give it to the poor…” but Jesus went on to say, “Then come, follow me”. Remember this – God always calls you to the where He wants you to participate in what He’s doing! He wants you to follow Him!
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. 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.
2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)
“Make no mistake about it, this drama and this Kingdom’s agenda is at the center of the meaning of cosmic history and your own individual story. Like a grand conductor who calls in the flutes at just the right time, your Father has brought you into the Cosmic Symphony at your unique place in time and space so you can be a vibrant outpost in your sphere of influence. In short, you are here to be an apprentice of the Lord Jesus to learn how to live your life well as part of God’s broader purposes. This is your calling, this is your destiny, this is your only chance to have a life of genuine, full human flourishing.” – J.P. Moreland, Kingdom Triangle (Zondervan, 2007)
1. God calls us to a certain place in life in which He can have the best opportunity for an on-going daily relationship with us. (Genesis 3)
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:8 (NIV)
A. In the Garden, God allowed Adam to name all the animals. He would walk in the Garden with Adam in the cool of the day. God made woman out of Adam.
B. The purpose of all these activities was to establishing relationship with Him.
2. In order to maintain that relationship He desires, God will always deal we me on the basis of His love.
5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
Hebrews 12:5-6 (NIV)
A. In the Garden, what did God do? He dealt with Adam and Eve on the basis of love.
B. God killed an animal to provide clothing for their nakedness. He promised a Messiah for their sin nature.
C. When you need to make decisions in your life, remember that God always deals with you on the basis of His love and where He feels will best maintain that relationship with Him that He has called you to.
The Effectiveness of God’s calling in our life depends on our response.
1. We are called to respond to His call by exhibiting the character of Christ.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:28-29 (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)
A. In other words, God is telling you the place I have you, I put you, because this is the place that I can best have that on going relationship I desire with you. And this is the place that I’ve already prepared to work out my plan through you!
B. You might not particularly like that place, but we must respond out of the character that God desires for us.
C. God does not always put us in the most comfortable place because in that place we might not maintain that on going relationship. He might place you in a difficult spot so that the relationship might be more vital.
D. In either case we are to exercise the character of Christ as our response. In fact it is often in those places that the character of Christ is refined within us.
2. Our responses to God’s call have significance both now and in eternity.
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)
A. How I respond to where God has placed me will not only affect me today but it will also affect me in eternity.
When Jesus told the rich young man to sell everything he had and give it to the poor he also said, “…and you will have treasure in heaven”. God’s calling in your life may not always bear fruit in this world. We might not see the outcome or the reward of the effort and the obedience in following Him immediately! But you can bank on the assurance that you are storing up treasure in heaven.
B. If I am fighting God now, I am also losing rewards in eternity.
C. If I am exercising character where I am placed, I am maintaining my relationship with God now and I will be benefiting in eternity.
i. God will reward you for seeking Him through spiritual acts such as fasting and praying
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:6 (NIV)
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
ii. God will reward you for submitting to your employer as a faithful steward
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
Matthew 24:45-47 (NIV)because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. Ephesians 6:8 (NIV)
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:22-24 (NIV)
iii. God will reward you for self-denial in His service
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
Matthew 16:24-27 (NIV)
iv. God will reward you for serving those in need in His name.
I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.
Mark 9:41 (NIV)
v. God will reward you for suffering for His name and reputation.
22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
Luke 6:22-23 (NIV)
vi. God will reward you for sacrifices you make for Him.
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Luke 6:35 (NIV)
In fact, Jesus said that every person who sacrifices to follow Him will be rewarded a hundredfold!
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
Matthew 19:29 (NIV)
vii. God will reward you for sharing of your time, talent, and treasure to further His kingdom.
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:3-4 (NIV)
18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:18-19 (NIV)
(A Life God Rewards by Dr. Bruce Wikinson, pp. 38-39)
3. God calls us to a place where He can work through us to reach others.
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
2 Corinthians 5:18 (NIV)Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
1 Peter 2:12 (NIV)
A. God may have you in the place He has you just to reach one person. And that is worth it. The truth is, every single one of us has a sphere of influence. There are people we come into contact with every day and whether you believe it or not those contacts are not accidental. You have a choice on how to respond to the realization that God wants to work through you in the influences you have!
4. Because God is the one who initiates the relationship, I may have to make major adjustments in my plans to fulfill His plans.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
John 15:16 (NIV)who has saved us and called us to a holy life–not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV)
A. God initiated the relationship. I may have to make major adjustments to what I think I want to do so that I can fulfill His plans. Here’s the thing. Sometimes people think they’ve got their lives figured out – that they know what they want to do and what will fulfill them. And then along comes someone saying that God is calling them to something. Sometimes it works out alright and what God calls you to is what you think you want to do. However, many people have a fear that God will “call” them to some thing that is leagues away from what they think they want to do. Truthfully? Most times this does happen. But never forget – that those who obey God’s calling and make whatever major adjustments in their lives that need to be made often discover that His calling fulfills the deepest desires of their heart and what they thought they wanted pales in comparison!
B. He says I appointed you. I want you to go. Some may not want to change their plans…
CONCLUSION
God call in my life is based on His love for me and for others. I must respond in the character of God with a willing heart to change my plans if they are not in line with His plans.
1. God’s call isn’t so much about what He wants us to do for Him but more importantly about what He wants to do with us!!
2. The Effectiveness of God’s calling in our life depends on our response.
what do you do with your potential?
Sunday, May 20th, 2007Podcast: Download
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INTRODUCTION
Today I want to begin by asking the question, “What do you do with your potential?” Webster defines potential as “something that has the promise to develop and become real.” In most of its uses, the word “potential” describes what is often elusive yet much hoped after. A gambler wages his money on the potential that he could win much more. A sports team practices and do drills to increase the potential they’ll win the next game. A weather forecaster will give us insights into what potential storms may be or not be developing in the coming days. In each of these cases a person is using potential to describe what they believe or hope will happen and what could happen but nevertheless there is no guarantee it will happen.However, in talking about potential today – I want to be a bit more specific about the use of that word. Some of you may remember studying potential in science class in school. There, we learned the difference between potential energy and kinetic energy. Listen closely, in physics, potential energy is the energy stored due to the position of an object. The energy is there – it just hasn’t been released yet. Kinetic energy is the release of potential energy. A common example used to explain this concept is to place a ball at the top of an incline. We would then be able to say based on the ball’s position and the pull of gravity that the ball now has potential energy. When the ball is allowed to roll down the incline that potential energy is converted to kinetic energy and at the base of the incline the conversion is complete. The stored up energy has been released.
So when I ask the question, “What do you do with your potential?” I’m talking something that is already within your capability to do. It is something already possible. Your gifts, your abilities, your resources, your knowledge, your experience are all things that affect and result in your potential! For believers, your very position as a child of God is the greatest factor in the size of your potential. The question is not “What you have?” but what are you doing with what you have? It is a question, not only for ourselves as individuals, but also for us corporately as a church.
Please turn in your Bible to Matthew 25:14-30. This parable applies to how we live our lives today and how God acts and reacts to us, and how we act and react to him.
Let’s set the context. This parable comes in the section of Matthew’s gospel where Jesus is giving an answer to the disciples’ question about His Second Coming in Matthew 24:3:
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Matthew 24:3 (NIV)
Jesus warns them to be on guard so that no one will deceive them and helps them understand that once He leaves, He will come again. He challenges them in Matthew 24:44 to be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when He is least expected.
So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Matthew 24:44 (NIV)
In chapter 25, Jesus compares His coming to the eastern custom of a bridegroom arriving in the middle of the night. He concludes this parable by saying in 25:13:
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Matthew 25:13 (NIV)
Chapter 25 ends with the separation of the sheep and the goats. Sandwiched in-between is the parable of the talents.
Notice verse 14:
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.
Matthew 25:14 (NIV)
The word “again” indicates that Jesus is using yet one more parable to explain future events. The man going on a “journey” is Jesus.
As we walk through this powerful passage this morning, I want you to keep in your mind the question, “what do you do with your potential?”.
SIX LESSONS ABOUT POTENTIAL
1. What we have is not ours – our potential is a gift.
Verse 14 continues by saying that this man who was getting ready for a journey, “…called his servants and entrusted His property to them.” So he gives 5 talents to one, 2 talents to another, and 1 talent to the third. “Talents, money, dollars,” – all are synonyms for the same thing. He distributed his wealth among them and said, “While I am gone I want you to be stewards of this wealth”. He was granting them potential. They had the master’s wealth and the question now is what would they do with it.
He is the master. They are the servants. He owns everything. They own nothing. They depend on him for what they have. If he were not generous with them, they would not be able to live. Now he has called them in and said, “I have been watching you. I have studied you. I have concluded that you are servants I can entrust my money to.
There was no doubt in the minds of these servants that the property and money still belonged to the master. They were the possessors, but not the owners. Their job was to manage what they were given. Likewise, we must remember that everything we have has been given to us and is not really ours anyway.
The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
Psalms 24:1 (NIV)
‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty.
Haggai 2:8 (NIV)
He has the rights, and I have the responsibility. He is the Master and I am the manager. I am the servant; He is the sovereign.
Have you allowed this basic principle to permeate your personhood? You don’t really own anything. Everything belongs to the Lord. Until we recognize this truth, we will not be good managers of what has been entrusted to us. Our days are in His hands. Our gifts and abilities are on loan from Him. Our money is an “advance” from the Almighty. Our houses, cars, clothes, and every possession we have doesn’t belong to us. We really don’t own anything.
Realize that your potential is a gift from God. Everything you have contributes to your potential. It is your potential from His resources.
2. We’re given what we can handle – but our potential is the same.
In verse 15 we see that the master gave some talents to three of his servants:
To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
Matthew 25:15 (NIV)
Life is a treasure of diversity. One man was given 5 talents, another 2 and the third, 1 talent. I’m glad we’re not all the same. Who needs a world full of clones? I’m glad we’re all different. Each one of us is a unique combination of temperaments and gifts that can only do what we can do. Each person is unique in their ability.
I want you to notice that each servant received talents “according to his ability.” Your responsibility is tied to your ability. This is very interesting. God’s kingdom purposes do not operate according to what is “fair” but according to what is best. In 1 Corinthians 3:5, after challenging believers to be united by not breaking into subgroups who follow different leaders, Paul writes,
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe–as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
1 Corinthians 3:5 (NIV)
Did you catch that? Each of us has been assigned a task – each of us has been granted potential. It’s our job to be faithful to what He has given us to do and release that potential! One key thing to note in this story is that although God granted according to ability, each servant still had the same potential. The 5 talent servant had the potential to double the 5 talents he’d been given. The two talent servant ha the potential to double the talents he’d been given and the same for the one talent servant. They each had the same potential to double that which was entrusted to them. Each one of us have the same potential for making a difference in this world. Though how we do that will differ because of our uniqueness, it doesn’t change our potential!
You have what you have because God gave it to you. And He expects you to manage His gifts within the boundaries of ability that He has wired into you. 1 Corinthians 12 says, there are different kinds of gifts, service, and workings, and the Holy Spirit distributes these responsibilities “to each one, just as He determines.” God entrusts different stuff to different people according to His sovereign purposes. In other words, He knows what we can handle. Our job is to be faithful with whatever amount we have to work with. Do we trust that God knows more about us than we even know about ourselves?
3. Our potential is meant to be released!
Verse 16 tells us that the man who received five talents went
The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.
Matthew 25:16 (NIV)
He didn’t waste any time but immediately went to work on realizing the potential that was resident in his master’s talents! The guy who got two talents did the same thing.
Verse 18 describes the different approach of the third servant:
But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
Matthew 25:18 (NIV)
Even though we don’t read about any specific instructions for what to do with the talents, the first two guys released the potential that was present because of the talents. The one-talent guy was a slacker who went off and buried the talent and withheld the potential.
Because Antonio’s voice was high and squeaky, he did not make the tryouts for the Cremona Boy’s Choir. When he took violin lessons, the neighbors persuaded his parents to make him stop. Yet Antonio still wanted to make music.
His friends gave him a hard time because his only talent was whittling. When Antonio was older he served as an apprentice to a violinmaker. His knack for whittling grew into a skill of carving and his hobby became his craft. He worked patiently and faithfully. By the time he died, he left over 1,500 violins, each one bearing a label that read, “Antonio Stradivarius.” They are the most sought-after violins in the world and sell for more than $100,000 each. Antonio couldn’t sing or play or preach or teach but his responsibility was to use his ability, and his violins are still making beautiful music today. (from “Using What God Has Given” by Brian Bill)
Our potential is God’s gift to us. What we do with it is our gift to Him.
Are you investing what you’ve been given, regardless of how much it is? Are you releasing the potential of that gift? Or, have you buried your blessing and withheld that potential? What do you do with your potential?
4. A day of accountability is coming.
None of us want to be audited by the CCRA, but we will all be audited by the Almighty! We’ll have to give an account for how we’ve used what we’ve been given and whether we’ve released our potential or not. Look at verse 19:
“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
Matthew 25:19 (NIV)
Jesus is coming again and there will be a day of reckoning. While most of us believe this in our heads, we don’t always live with eternity in our hearts. If we would think more about His return, we’d be more focused on making an eternal return on our investments. Romans 14:12:
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Romans 14:12 (NIV)
It was the duty of servants to always bear in mind that the master would be returning and would settle his accounts with them.
Friends, Jesus is coming again! Let’s be faithful in doing whatever He gives us to do. Let’s release the full potential in our lives – in the church! He’s invested something in you, and one day He’s coming back to claim it. Your job may be big or small, but whatever it is, do it to the best of your ability and you’ll be ready for your audit. Wouldn’t it be terrible to be ashamed and unprepared when Jesus comes back? 1 John 2:28:
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
1 John 2:28 (NIV)
Serve in light of a future reckoning.
It would help us to get in the habit of asking the question, “What am I doing with my potential from God’s gifts?”
5. What we do with what we have reveals our view of God.
As we come to verses 20-25, we see that the man who had been given five talents brought five more with him. The language is insightful here. He says,
The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
Matthew 25:20 (NIV)
The word “see” means, “Behold” or “Look!” He was eager to invest what he had been given and now he’s excited to show the master what He had done. He’s bubbling with enthusiasm and thoroughly thrilled. He couldn’t wait to present what he had done because he wanted to please the owner.
The man with the two talents approached this time of reckoning with the same anticipation and excitement. The master is thrilled with both of them because they demonstrated responsibility for their ability and released their potential. He says the exact same thing to both of them: “Well done, good and faithful servants! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” The master increased their resources after they had proven themselves faithful. Jesus said a similar thing in Luke 6:38:
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Luke 6:38 (NIV)
These two faithful servants received:
Affirmation: “Great job! Well done. I appreciate your good work and your faithfulness.”
Promotion: “Since you’ve done so well with what I’ve given you, I’m going to give you even more responsibility and opportunity for growth.”
Celebration: “You’ve made me very happy. Let’s celebrate together!”
The phrase, “well done” can be translated, “excellent,” or “wonderful.” They were faithful and were called good because they had a right view of the master. Likewise, when we see God for who He is, we will want to be faithful and we’ll focus on doing good things. God is looking for faithful people, for those who properly manage their resources for kingdom purposes. And, when we’re responsible for what we’ve been given, we’ll be given even more responsibilities. I picture a smile on Jesus’ face when He says, “Come and share your master’s happiness!”
The one-talent guy came a bit more reluctantly to the master and said in verse 24: “…I knew that you were a hard man…” Notice that the first words out of his mouth were about himself: “I knew.” We could translate this as, “I always knew.” The other two guys kept the focus on the master when he returned: “Master, you entrusted me.”
This third guy had a wrong view of the master and had his mind made up even before he received his talent. He looked at him as someone who was hard and harsh, instead of loving and gracious. A.W. Tozer was right when he said that what we think about God is the most important thing about us. If we view God as a tyrant then we’ll filter everything through this lens. Some of you may be secretly angry with God because you think He did something, or didn’t do something that you think He should have. As a result, your view of Him is skewed. Your preconceived notions prevent you from seeing Him as a God of grace, and as a result you refuse to serve Him with what He’s given you. When we blame God we end up burying our blessings and withholding our potential.
A faulty view of God can also lead to excuses. In verse 25 this man declares that the reason he didn’t do anything with what he had been given was because he was afraid. His fear paralyzed him and so he decided to play it safe. He hid the money to make sure it wouldn’t be lost. And he accomplished exactly what he set out to achieve: nothing. Like the saying goes, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.”
A wrong view of God always leads to fear: “So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground…” A right view of God always leads to faith. If you’re struggling with fear today, the best antidote is to further your understanding of the character of God and ask Him to grow your faith. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is moving ahead in spite of your fears. I think the first two guys were probably a little afraid as well, but because they knew the master’s character, instead of being frozen by fear, they stepped out in faith.
Let’s look at the differences between the two servants who served and the one who took a dive.
The first two were determined to make a profit; the third was afraid risk a loss.
The first two were willing to work hard and take risks; the third made no effort and took no risks.
The first two received the gift; the third buried the gift.
The first two wanted to advance the master’s domain; the third had no interest in what mattered to the master.
The first two viewed the money as an opportunity; the third guy saw it as a problem.
The first two allowed the master’s gift to change their lives; the third refused to let the gift touch his life.
The first two invested; the other one wasted.
The first two saw a blessing; the third guy saw a burden.
The first two knew the master; the third guy had no clue.
6. What we have we must use or what we have we will lose.
Verse 26 reveals that the master saw right through the flimsy excuses of the servant when he said,
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?
Matthew 25:26 (NIV)
The word “wicked” means “evil, hurtful, and malicious.” In other words, the master is saying, “You’re lying. In your heart, you are a selfish and lazy servant. If you really wanted to do something, you would have put my money in the bank. I see right through you.” These are pretty strong words. God will judge not merely for doing wrong, but for not doing right!
The man was wicked because he deliberately misrepresented both his master and himself. He falsely accused the master of being harsh and he lied when he said in verse 25: “See, here is what belongs to you.” He actually owed his employer not only one talent but also whatever it would have earned had he been faithful. Amazingly, instead of owning his guilt, he behaves as if the master should have given him credit for having been so cautious.
Because this third guy did not use what He had been given, or release the potential He lost it according to verse 28:
“‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.
Matthew 25:28 (NIV)
Let’s ask some hypothetical questions this morning, “What if the 5 talent man had buried his 5 talents in the back yard?” You know the answer. They would have all been taken away from him, and he would have been considered “wicked, lazy, worthless,” just like the 1 talent man.
Or what if the 1 talent man had invested his 1 talent? You know the answer. When the master came back, he would have been given more talents. He would have been considered a faithful servant too.
Let me ask another hypothetical question. “What if the 1 talent man had invested his talent & lost it?” But that idea isn’t even suggested. Why? Because God’s Word, as best as I can ascertain, never commands us to be successful. I have never found a place where God says, “If you try & fail, I will condemn you.” God’s Word commands instead, faithfulness and obedience. “Be faithful” and God will provide the increase.
I’m convinced that is the way God works. You be faithful in investing the talents he has given you and releasing your potential and he will entrust you with more. You bury them and withhold your potential and you will lose even that which you once had.
Friends, your potential is meant to be released through investing what God has given you in kingdom work. You don’t lose talents by investing them – you lose talents by burying them. When you invest them for Him, God will always honor the investment!
There are thousands of churches across our land that at one time were 8 talent churches. But they buried their talents, they withheld their potential and now they are empty shells.
There are thousands of Christians who reached a level of maturity in their Christian faith and then became self-satisfied and complacent. They decided they didn’t need to grow anymore, or pray anymore, or study anymore. And they started dying spiritually because they buried their talents and withheld their potential.
The principle never changes. All the way through Scripture Jesus is constantly challenging us to invest & reinvest again & again in the Kingdom. And He will always honor the investment. He will never honor those who are afraid & who bury their talents in the back yard.
I ask again, “What do you do with your potential?”
CONCLUSION
God’s principles are clear. The lessons from this parable on potential are vital. Jesus said once,
As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
John 9:4 (NIV)
The message of the parable has not changed. God is still the master. He is still the giver of all good things. Without His generosity we would have nothing. Without His gifts we would have no potential. So He says, “Invest what I have given you and see what will happen.”
As a congregation it is important to continually ask ourselves. What will we do to release the potential God has given us? Sometimes releasing that potential means we give things up or give things away. Sometimes that means attempting things we might not ordinarily do or seem bigger than us. A good example of that is the Zimbabwe 2007 project! The most important thing to do in everything however is to be faithful and obedient to what God directs us to do. It is He who has planted the potential in us.
As individuals I encourage you to ask yourselves – What am I doing with my potential?
Some of you are releasing that potential or are beginning to release that potential in your lives and this morning, I want you to be encouraged. Continue to invest in the Kingdom knowing that God honors your faithfulness and obedience and you will be entrusted with greater responsibility.
If you are a Christian this morning – maybe you have leveled off in your Christian life. The Word of God doesn’t have the power in your life anymore than what you remember. Your prayer life has dwindled. You aren’t giving sacrificially anymore. You aren’t sharing your faith with others. You are burying your talent – you are withholding your potential. It’s time to make a choice. Will you continue to bury that talent and withhold your potential or will you surrender to God this morning and start the ball rolling so your potential is released?
If you are someone who does not believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again I want you to know that you have been given talents too. God doesn’t leave anybody out. Everybody gets something & He waits to see what you will do with it. Everyone has potential but the first step to its release is to believe and receive Christ – to acknowledge His Lordship and His sovereignty.
If you are here this morning and Jesus Christ is not your Saviour, then He waits to see what you will do with the little seeds of faith that have been planted in your life.
Will you invest them so that more faith may come? Or will you bury them? The principles have never changed. They are always the same. God waits to see what we will do with what He has given us. What do you do with your potential? What are you going to do with your potential this morning?
God’s Resolution
Sunday, December 31st, 2006Podcast: Download
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INTRODUCTION
Have you ever wondered what people exactly mean when they say that they have a New Year?s Resolution? I have! In the dictionary resolution is defined as the act or process of resolving, the act of solving and determining or deciding on a course of action. Plain and simple, it means to find a solution to a problem and decide to put that solution in place. So, when people say they have a New Year?s resolution, they plan on fixing a problem in their life. This sounds like a good idea to me. I have even tried to keep a few New Years Resolutions, and do you know what? It doesn?t always work! I don?t know about you, but I have found that trying to change something in my life, is not always in my control!
Often times there is a wide gap between what we think are possible resolutions we should make for ourselves and what others think?
There was a couple who were sitting with a marriage counselor for their first session and the good doctor asked them to identify what seemed to be the root of their problems. The wife responded, ?It all started when we thought it would be cute to think up each other?s New Year?s resolutions? (Houston Post, 12/31/91, quoted in Autoillustrator.com, NEW YEAR?S RESOLUTIONS/FAULT FINDING.)
And there is even the wider gap between the resolutions we make and the ones that we actually follow through on.
I was thinking about this whole concept of New Year?s Resolutions and it struck me that a lot of our resolutions are centered on bettering ourselves. Think about it. Most of the resolutions we make are more about the all important me ? and improving, or trying to improve, the quality of life for ourselves. And yes, these goals we set are often good goals ? goals that would be admirable and often lead to a better quality of life not only for ourselves but for those around us as well.
But then, as the year rolls around isn?t it funny how when those resolutions become empty shells we often shift the blame to someone or something else for it?s unfulfillment! And then it?s so easy to say, ?Next year will be different!?
As I pondered all this, a question kept popping up in my mind, ?What about God? What is His resolution for my life?? Indeed, as I thought about it, I realized that no matter what resolution I made for the New Year ? if it wasn?t centered in his desire and plan for my life then it would amount to nothing. Yet, if my resolutions are founded on the instruction of the Holy Spirit then I can find strength and resolve in the Lord?s completing those resolutions through me in the New Year!
Then I started to think further about what God?s resolution is for my life. I quickly found that this is a question that isn?t easily answerable. I mean, it?s not like God was spelling out a list for me that took me from A-B outlining what his specific desires were for me in the next year. Certainly a good place to begin looking would be in God?s word ? but then it?s easy to be overwhelmed with the number of commands and instructions found within. ?be holy?, ?do not lie?, ?give generously?, ?be pure?, ?be righteous? ? how can I be all these things? And then I think to myself, ?okay, if this is what God wants then I resolve that this year I will?? But then we?re right back to the cycle of making the resolution and then breaking it. In fact looking back upon previous year?s you often find this cycle repeated over and over again. Sometimes it seems better to resolve nothing in order to gain something.
Then I realized something that really caught my heart, my mind, and my attention. Sometimes what is on the surface is not always revealing of the whole picture. All these ?commands? and ?instructions? found within the Bible are not the ?resolutions? God wants us to make but the fruits of the resolution God Himself has made found in the lives of those who have discovered and embraced it. What is this resolution God has made? It is a resolution that runs all through the Bible, surfacing clearly and distinctly in only a few places ? yet it permeates every theme, every character, every story, and every truth found within.
One of the places where this resolution surfaces is found at the end of our text today from Ephesians 1:3-10 (which was read this morning). I would like to repeat verse 9 and 10 to you.
Ephesians 1:9-10 (NIV)
9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
PRAY
God?s resolution is that all things in heaven and earth will be brought together under one head, Jesus Christ. This resolution had also surfaced in a conversation between a man, named Abraham, and God in Genesis 17:7-8,
Genesis 17:7-8 (KJV)
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
God made an invitation to Abraham in Genesis that He has also extended to us today. God said that He would be Abraham?s God. Abraham did not first choose God. God first chose Abraham and offered to be his God.
Later, the descendants of Abraham, the children of Israel, multiplied and were living in Egypt. In Egypt they forgot about their God and worshipped the gods of the Egyptians. As a result the children of Israel became slaves in the land of Egypt. When they finally woke up and cried unto God, God extended to them the same invitation He had made to Abraham: to be their God.
Exodus 6:7 (NIV)
7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
The children of Israel left Egypt to worship the Lord God in the wilderness and move into the promised land of Canaan where once again they would worship the one true God. However, they had become so accustomed to worshipping other gods that they kept asking Moses to take them back into bondage. God in His great love continued to extend His invitation to be their God and remind them of the things He had done and would do for them if they would only take Him at His word and let Him be their God.
Leviticus 22:32-33 (NIV)
32 Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the LORD, who makes you holy 33 and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD.”Leviticus 25:38 (NIV)
38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.Leviticus 26:12 (NIV)
12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.
Numbers 15:41 (NIV)
41 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.’”
God emphasized over and over to the children of Israel that He wanted them to be His people and that He wanted to be their God. What a wonderful invitation. But God had already determined that Israel would not be the only recipients of this invitation.
Genesis 12:3 (NIV)
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
And so the nations have been and are being blessed by the ?seed? of Abraham ? for as we follow the lineage traced in the book of Matthew we find Jesus listed as the seed of Abraham. DISCOVER this morning the invitation that God has placed not only before Abraham but also to every person on this planet through Jesus Christ ? ?I will be YOUR God?!
This, then, is God?s Resolution ? to be Your God. However we can?t stop there. For you see although His resolution ? His decision is to be your God ? His desire is for you to embrace Him as Your God. And God?s resolution will come to pass ? Ephesians 1:9-10 emphasizes that all things in heaven and on earth will be brought together under one head, Jesus Christ ? however, only those who have embraced God?s Resolution will receive the benefits of His desire being fulfilled in their lives.
There is another place in Scripture which talks about God?s Resolution that brings more understanding to this statement. The book of Revelation is a book about the last days and the ?times of fulfillment? that Paul writes about in Ephesians. Without going into any great detail in today?s message about the contents of this book let me summarize it by saying this. There is a day, a time period, a point at which this planet will go through something it has never experienced before and no one will want to be a part of. There will be many catastrophes during this time. It will be a time of great tribulation ? and great suffering and anguish. There is an event that I would like to pick up on in Revelation that has great significance:
Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV)
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
I can confidently say that in the future for every single one of us will be a day where we stand before God and He will either be Our God or not be our God. And for those who do not know Him as their God their destination is grim. But now I?d like to read a few verses found after this time of judgement:
Revelation 21:1-8 (NIV)
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
This passage in Revelations is what Paul is writing about in Ephesians 1:9-10. Paul is writing about the fulfillment of God?s Resolution ? that He would be Your God. A resolution that only comes to pass in your life as you embrace it.
And this folks is where God?s Resolution is echoed forth in his calling. For He is calling out to each one of you.
Ephesians 1:18 (NIV)
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
Do you know that God has and is calling each one of you? This calling is found in the first part of the scripture read this morning:
holy and blameless (vs 4)
Ephesians 1:4 (NIV)
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
Notice the similarity between God?s call here and that found?
Genesis 17:1 (NIV)
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.
Deuteronomy 18:13 (NIV)
13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God.Leviticus 11:44-45 (NIV)
44 I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy? 45 I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
Here, in this passage we find the first inkling as to why God emphasizes the need for holiness and blameless ? it is because God is holy and blameless ? let?s read further ?
Psalm 15:1-2 (NIV)
1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? 2 He whose walk is blameless ?Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)
14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
The truth of the matter is that it is only those who are holy and blameless who can approach a holy and blameless God. We find these two words used again in 2 Peter 3:10-14 when Peter refers to the Day of the Lord which we have already talked about.
2 Peter 3:10-14 (NIV)
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
So God?s call to those who would embrace His resolution to be their God is to be Holy and Blameless before Him. The next question is How? And this is answered in verses 5-6.
adopted as sons
Ephesians 1:5-6 (NIV)
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will– 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
You become holy and blameless by becoming sons of God plain and simple. Isn?t this awesome ? God calls us to be Holy and Blameless in his sight by adopting us as His children! With this adoption comes a wonderful promise as found in Galatians 3:26-29?
Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV)
26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Notice the last verse ? heirs according to the promise. What is the biggest promise God gave to Abraham? ?I will be Your God and you will be mine!?
But this can still leave us hanging a bit ? God?s call to those who would embrace his resolution is to be holy and blameless and this occurs when we are adopted as His sons but then the question is ?How are we adopted as His sons?? The answer is in verse 7-8.
redemption/forgiveness (vs 7)
Ephesians 1:7-8 (NIV)
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
In who? Verse 5 tells us who ? In Christ, we have redemption through his blood?
God?s resolution is that He would be Our God. It would have been impossible if He had left it at that. When He made that statement to Abraham He followed up on it by telling Abraham what to do in order to make that possible (see Genesis 17:9). God established his covenant with Abraham and the Israelites by giving them the law that they could follow to show that they embraced His resolution. Through Moses, God set up a sacrificial system which necessitated the shedding of the blood of ?clean? animals to bring the forgiveness of sins for those who offered the sacrifices. Because sin demanded death it was only through the smoke of the sacrifices that the Israelites could know God?s favor by having their sins covered by the blood of the sacrifices. This would give them the appearance of being holy and blameless before God. It was their faith in the sacrifice that made this possible.
But this system of the law was set up merely to show how impossible it is for man to measure up to God?s standards of holiness and blamelessness. Truly, it is only by God?s grace that forgiveness of sins can be obtained and thus the fulfillment of God?s Resolution realized. And it is into this arena that the well known verse John 3:16 comes to mind.
John 3:16 (NIV)
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
It was through the blood of Christ shed on the cross that the grace of God is released to all who will receive it. His sacrifice, ?once and for all? made possible not only for the forgiveness of sins, but also our adoption as sons and thus us not only appearing but being holy and blameless before God. Do you know what that means? It means that for those who embrace God?s resolution for their lives you ARE HOLY AND BLAMELESS before God. He doesn?t look at you and say, ?O look at that wretched creature?, He looks at you and says, ?Come here, my child?!
CONCLUSION
Many of us begin the new year with different resolutions that often by year end leave us feeling defeated and hopeless. But this year I invite you to discover or rediscover the Resolution God has made. The language Paul uses in this passage found in his letter to the Ephesians emphasizes that God chose us first. He called us to HIS OWN purpose and grace. It is his resolution to be our God AND our Father! BUT it is a resolution that will only be fulfilled when we embrace it.
Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV)
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.
PRAY
To those who don?t believe in God:
- whether you believe in God or not is moot ? the fact is, God believes in you and wants to be your God and wants you to know His love in your life. There will be a day that all of us will face where your unbelief will be brought up short as you realize that He exists. This moment will be the most fearful moment of all eternity as you are confronted with the realization that He is not your God and He doesn?t recognize you as one of His. To you I say right now, there is nothing to lose by believing in Him and embracing His resolution and receiving the gift of His son Jesus Christ. But you have everything to lose if you fail..
To those who aren?t sure what to believe:
- many faiths and many different positions have probably floated around your heart and your mind. But you?ve probably discovered that there seems to be no faith that is more demanding than this one. It seems there is no other faith that claims to be the ?only way to salvation?, or contains such a seemingly narrow and rigid view of God and Heaven. And then, you?re probably not even sure you?d like to believe in a loving God sending someone to hell. To you I shout the wake up call. Hell is not a creation of our loving God but a necessity for a sinful Evil. God does not choose hell for anyone ? He chooses that all would be with Him in eternal life ? that?s why He went to such GREAT lengths and sacrifice to make this possible. It is our OWN choice or LACK of choice that condemns us to hell. Why does a loving parent tell their child not to play on a busy road? Or why is their the concept of Law and Order in a Free society? The point is that with the entrance of sin into the world there needed to be a plan for the dealing and healing of sin ? and sin can only be dealt with by destroying it so that the healing of it?s effects may take place. This view may seem narrow and may appear rigid ? and it is so ? but that doesn?t mean it isn?t right. On the day of judgment the only words that will ensure you life are, ?I am one of Yours Lord, I am your son through Jesus Christ? Don?t waste another moment, study the word of God ? not books about the Bible ? not what others say about it ? but study it yourself. Everyone who enters into a serious study of the Bible in an attempt to discover God find Him and find Christ. Don?t wait ? embrace God?s resolution for your life.
To those who nervous or scared or afraid of what this next step will bring:
- Don?t be nervous, don?t be scared, don?t be afraid. Be reassured ? God loves you! No matter what problems you bring ? no matter what past you bring ? not matter what you bring ? come to God and let Him be Your God. Know that for those who embrace His resolution for their life Paul writes,
Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
To those who are Christians who feel distant from God:
- Don?t let your feelings get in the way of the truth of your status in God?s eyes. You are his child! And just as children go astray sometimes, we too are apt to do this. But the fact remains that in a loving way God will bring us back to Him and even now He is doing that. Don?t run away from the discipline of God but embrace it ? for He is your Father and He is Your God!
To those who have embraced God?s Resolution for their life and are Christians in name and belief and are serving Him wholeheartedly and with joy:
- Let this message be a challenge and a reminder to keep in your heart of the fact that God has made you his own. Let it be an encouragement that it is through His work of grace and mercy that we are His children (not by anything we can do). And let it be a motivation to express God?s resolution to all we come in contact with so that they too can come into a wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ.