MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(Powerpoints used with this message are available for free. Just email me at mnewland@sstelco.com and request #158.)
(Revised: 2019)
TEXT: 1 Samuel 17:20 29; Deuteronomy 6:7
A. In the New King James Version of the Bible, in 1 Samuel 17:29, we read these words, "And David said, ‘What have I done now? Is there not a cause?’"
Do you know what was happening when David spoke those words? He was a shepherd boy sent by his father to take food to his older brothers on the front lines of the army of Israel, facing the Philistine army camped on the other side of the valley.
But no fighting was going on because they were all afraid of Goliath. Each day, this nine foot giant of a Philistine warrior would stalk out & chal¬lenge anyone in the army of Israel to one-on-one combat, but no one was brave enough to accept his challenge.
That's when David arrived on the scene. He heard Goliath's boastings & couldn't understand why no one was doing anything about it. And David asked, "Why are you letting this idolatrous man taunt the armies of the living God? I know that God will give the victory to Israel!"
Vs’s 28-29 tells us, "Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, ‘Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness?
‘I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.'" And David replied, "What have I done now? Is there not a cause?"
B. Just what did David mean when he asked, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?” Was he saying, "Why are you criticizing me? Can't I even ask a question around here?"
But maybe there was more to his question than that. Maybe David was asking, "Why are you hassling me when there is something much more important to be concerned about? Why isn't anybody doing anything about Goliath? That's the problem, that’s the cause you ought to be concerned about."
PROP. Now I think David's question is a good question today, too. What are we concerned about? What cause motivates our lives, our church? You see, we need a cause that motivates us!
I. WE NEED A CAUSE THAT MOTIVATES US
ILL. Not far from Lincoln, KS, stands a strange group of tombstones. John Davis had them erected. A self made man, he became rather wealthy, much to the surprise of his wife's family, because they always said that she had married beneath herself.
When his wife died, Davis erected a large & elaborate monument to her memory. He was so pleased with it that he ordered another, & then another.
When someone suggested, "Mr. Davis, instead of putting up so many tomb-stones, why not furnish a park for the city in her memory, or put in a pool for the children?" he replied, "Hey, what has this town ever done for me?"
The remaining years of his life were dedicated to this strange cause of erecting monuments in her memory. When John Davis died at 92, he had spent nearly half a million dollars on tombstones.
He had a cause, but it died with him. All that is left today are tombstones slowly deteriorating, victims of time, victims of vandalism, victims of neglect.
ILL. A number of years ago, Dave Cowen was a star basketball center for the Boston Celtics when he quit without any warning. He just walked off the court, showered, dressed, & drove away. The only explanation he ever gave was, "I just didn't feel right about myself. I needed to get my head together."
Some would say he had everything fame, a body in prime physical condition, & lots of money. Sportscasters, management, his teammates & the fans were dumbfounded. But he was searching for something, a sense of purpose, of accomplishment, a cause bigger than himself.
Think what you may, fame, possessions, money, by themselves don't provide inner fulfillment. We need a purpose, a cause bigger than ourselves, if we are ever going to have a real sense of accomplishment & peace in life.
APPL. It is the same way with a church. A church has to have a cause outside of its own walls. If it doesn't, then it is just another social club in the community. The church is to be a hospital for sinners, not a rest home for saints.
ILL. One of the hymns we sing says, "Others, Lord, yes others. Let this my motto be. Let me live for others that I may live for thee."
B. It is sad when you have no purpose which lifts you out of yourself to a higher plane, something that you can live for, suffer for, fight for, & for which you might even be willing to die.
Some may think that having a cause sounds fine for the young, but “I'm too old to be concerned about goals & causes anymore." But is that really true? C.S. Lewis said, “You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.”
ILL. At 80 years of age Moses began leading 3 million people out of Egyptian slavery to freedom. And the great preacher, John Wesley, traveled 100's of miles on horseback at 88 years of age.
And last week I received a phone call from June French, a former member of the church I served in TX. She & her husband, Earl, were “Winter Texans” living in Brownsville 6 months each year, & were very active in helping the new churches our congregation was starting across the border in Mexico.
They were also dedicated trail riders, taking part in trail rides all over the country.
Earl died a few years ago & June moved back to Lamar, MO. She is now 100 years old, & this year was chosen to be the Grand Marshall of Lamar’s annual holiday parade. When she told me about this I went to the internet, & there she was, 100 years old, riding her own horse, leading the parade!
But what she really wanted me to know was that she was still active in the church, volunteering, working 2 days a week in the church office there in Lamar.
Moses, John Wesley, June French, & many others in the twilight years of their lives - we can almost hear them saying, "You want us to quit - to crawl off somewhere & die? No thank you! We have things to do, work to be accomplished, & a cause, a purpose to keep on living."
They’re like David, who said, "There is a cause worth fighting for, & if no one else will try, then I’m willing to do my best!" And we all know how the battle between David & Goliath turned out!
Or maybe some are saying, "I'm too young. I'll have plenty of time to worry about goals & purposes & causes later on."
But listen to some words of advice that I was given years ago. If you understand what it means, & take it to heart, it can make a real difference in your life. Here it is, "To fail to plan, is to plan to fail."
SUM. We need to make plans, to set goals, to have a purpose in life, to have something that is so important that we are determined we must not fail.
II. TWO GREAT CAUSES IN LIFE
A. The first area in which we just must not fail is in our relationship with Jesus Christ, in our personal walk with Him.
ILL. There is a religion practiced in the modern church today that is not found in the Bible. It has infected churches like a cancer. It is called "comfortable Christianity."
Comfortable Christianity says we can follow Jesus if it is convenient. It allows us to believe we can have one foot in the world, one foot in the church, & still maintain our balance.
We pray at our leisure. We serve at our convenience. We forgive if we feel like it. We follow if the path is smooth. We read His Word if there is nothing exciting on TV. We attend church services if nothing else interferes. Comfortable Christianity!
It demands no pain. It asks no sacrifice. It requires no commitment.
But Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." (Matthew 16:24)
B. Let me give you another great cause: To teach by your example – to be the finest example of a Christian that you can be. And that is not easy.
ILL. In her book called "What Is A Family?" Edith Schaefer devo¬tes her longest chapter to the cause of developing family character. She says that it is a marathon, not a sprint. There are no 50 yard dashes in the building of character.
That is why Moses urged fathers to teach their families the Law of God, he said, "Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down & when you get up." (Deuteronomy 6:7)
That is the plan. Godly parenting consistently 12 months a year. And you can't fake it. If you haven't given them the real thing, sooner or later it is going to show up, for the secret of good parenting is consistency.
SUM. Now, coming straight to the point this morning is neither thoughtless nor unfeeling. The easiest thing would be to let you leave here without knowing you need a goal, a cause, a purpose in life.
Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."
When a bricklayer has a vision he becomes a mason. When a carpenter has a vision he becomes a builder. When a cook has a vision he becomes a chef.
And when a Christian has a vision he begins telling others the good news of Jesus Christ. So I ask you this morning, do you have that vision? Do you know Jesus as your Savior & your Lord?
ILL. A missionary was working among the mining camps in eastern Africa. Some of the people there were already Christians, but many of the miners came from pagan tribes in the region.
So every evening he & the other Christians would have evangelistic services. They would invite the miners & their families to come & they would tell them about Jesus.
One night, a big, tall man who had been listening, came up to the missionary & asked, "Have you known about this Jesus all of your life?" The missionary replied, "Yes, I have."
He asked again, "Your father, did he know about this Jesus?" "Yes," the missionary answered, “In fact, my grandfather knew about Jesus, too. As far back as we can trace in the history of our family, we have always been Christians. We have always known about Jesus."
Then the man said, "If you have known about Jesus all this time, why are you just now telling us about Him?"
CONCL. It's a disturbing question, isn't it? Nearly 2,000 years ago the most important thing that ever happened in this world took place. And now, 2,000 years later, much of the world still doesn't know.
Now how about you? This morning we offer His invitation. If you’re ready to accept Jesus as your Savior, we invite you to come, repenting of your sins, confessing your faith in Him, & then following His example & command in Christian baptism, rising to walk in a new life with your sins forgiven, & His Holy Spirit within you.
If you're already a Christian, we invite you to come & make this congrega¬tion your church home, to find brothers & sisters in Christ, & a place of service. Will you come as we stand & as we sing?
INVITATION HYMN
