What We Need Now
Text: Ps.84: 11, 12; Ps.86: 6, 11
Intro: The writer of Psalm 84 concludes that psalm with some very encouraging thoughts. In verse 11, he compares God to the sun, by saying that, “God, like the chief heavenly body in the physical realm, is the sole source of all our spiritual power, energy, and light” (Charles F. Pfeiffer and Everett F. Harrison, editors, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary: Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois, pg. 526). He then refers to God as our shield, which basically is a reference to God as our protector. And finally, He says that God would not withhold any good thing from those that walk in fellowship with Him. So in essence, the psalmist saw God as the source of power, protection, and provision for his people.
In Psalm 86, David, sensing his neediness, asked God to be attentive to his prayers in verse six. And then in verse 11, he prays for God to instruct him in God’s ways, and to teach him to have more respect and honor for God. These were certainly valid requests. God will always honor the sincere prayer to know, love, and serve Him better.
Today as I think about the fact that God says that He will not withhold any good thing from those that walk with Him, and that He wants to teach us to walk in His truth and to fear His name, I have some requests of my own to ask of God. I believe these requests are things that our church, and we as individuals need in order to serve our Lord faithfully.
The pastor cannot supply these things for you. Neither is the preacher the only one in the church responsible to possess these qualities. You as an individual must be concerned enough to seek them of God for yourself. Let me share with you what I’m asking God to do for us in the days ahead.
Theme: What we need now is:
I. RENEWED VISION
NOTE: The type of vision that I’m speaking of today is a special kind of sight. More accurately, it is a special insight. Vision can be defined as, “The ability to perceive something not actually visible, as through mental acuteness or keen foresight” (Victoria Neufeldt, Editor in Chief, and David B. Guralnik, Editor in Chief Emeritus, Webster’s New World Dictionary Of American English: Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, New York, pg. 1492).
A. We Need A Fresh Vision Of Our Savior’s Death.
1. Jesus died for our sins according to God’s plan.
Rom.8: 3 “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”
II Cor.5: 21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
2. Jesus died in agonizing pain.
Isa.52: 14 “As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.”
NOTE: [1] The NIV translates the word “astonied” as, “appalled” (Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor and Richard P. Polcyn, Associate Editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, pg. 301). The idea is that when the onlooker saw Jesus hanging on the cross, their reaction was one of shock. Jesus’ “…bodily appearance seemed hardly human” (Ibid, pg. 301).
[2] Strong’s Concordance defines the word “astonied” as, “to stun (or…grow numb), i.e. devastate or (fig.) stupefy” (James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible: MacDonald Publishing Company, McLean, Virginia, #8074 of the Hebrew And Chaldee Dictionary, pg. 118). Folks, when the Roman soldiers got through beating and abusing Jesus, He was a bleeding mass of open wounds. He was ghoulish in appearance. To say that He suffered an agonizing death is a tremendous understatement.
[3] If we ever expect to win our community for Christ we’ll have to have a renewed vision of what our sin cost the Lord Jesus. The following story illustrates what Christ did for us:
Grace
The boy stood defiantly. “Go ahead, give it to me.”
The principal looked at the young rebel and asked, “How many times have you been here?”
The child sneered rebelliously, “Apparently not enough.”
“And you have been punished each time?” the principal responded.
“Yeah, I been punished, if that’s what you want to call it. Go ahead. I can take whatever you dish out. I always have.”
“And no thought of your punishment enters your head the next time you decide to break the rules does it?”
“Nope, I do whatever I want to do. Ain’t nothin’ you people gonna do to stop me either.”
The principal looked at the teacher who stood nearby. “What did he do this time?”
“Fighting. He shoved Tommy’s face into the sandbox.”
The principal looked at the boy, “What did Tommy do to you?”
“Nothin’, I didn’t like the way he was lookin’ at me.”
The teacher stiffened, but a quick look from the principal stopped him as he quietly said, “Today, is the day you learn about grace.”
“Grace? Isn’t that what you old people do before you sit down to eat? I don’t need none of your stinkin’ grace.”
“Oh but you do,” said the principal. The principal studied the young man’s face and whispered, “Oh yes, you truly do…” The boy continued to glare as the principal continued, “Grace, in its short definition is unmerited favor. You cannot earn it. It is a gift, and is always freely given. It means that you will not be getting what you so richly deserve.”
The boy looked puzzled. “You’re not gonna whup me? You just gonna let me walk?” The boy studied the face of the principal, “No punishment at all? Even though I socked Tommy and shoved his face into the sandbox?” “Oh, there has to be punishment. What you did was wrong, and there are always consequences to our actions. There will be punishment. Grace is not an excuse for doing wrong.”
“I knew it,” sneered the boy as he held out his hands. “Let’s get on with it.”
The principal nodded toward the teacher. “Bring me the belt.” The teacher presented the belt to the principal. He carefully folded it in two, and then handed it back to the teacher. He looked at the child and said, “I want you to count the blows.” The principal walked over to stand directly in front of the young man. He gently reached out and folded the child’s outstretched, expectant hands together and then turned to face the teacher with his own hands outstretched. One quiet word came forth from his mouth. “Begin.” The belt whipped down on the outstretched hands of the principal. Crack!
The young man jumped. Shock registered across his face, “One,” he whispered. Crack! “Two.” His voice raised an octave. Crack! “Three.” He couldn’t believe this. Crack! “Four.” Big tears welled up in the eyes of the rebel. “OK stop! That’s enough. Stop!” Crack! came the belt down on the hands of the principal. Crack! The child flinched with each blow, tears beginning to stream down his face. Crack! Crack!
“No, please,” the former rebel begged. “Stop, I did it, I’m the one who deserves it. Stop! Please. Stop…” Still the blows came. Crack! Crack! One after another.
Finally it was over. The principal stood with sweat glistening across his forehead and beads trickling down his face. Slowly he knelt down. He studied the young man for a second and then his swollen hands reached out to cradle the face of the weeping child and said, “Grace…”
Grace came to you through the sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth who at Calvary received the punishment that you and I deserve for our sin. His back was whipped for the idols that we have bent our backs to. Nails were driven through His sinless hands for the things that we have done with our hands. Nails were driven through His feet for the paths that we have chosen to walk. He wore a crown of thorns for the things we have given our minds to. A lance was driven into his heart for the things we have held in our hearts. Truly we have received God’s grace. G-R-A-C-E=God’s Righteousness At Christ’s Expense!
Author Unknown, Adapted.
3. Jesus died in the sinner’s place.
I Pet.2: 24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
NOTE: Christ’s death on Calvary was a selfless and sacrificial act. Much like the following story, Jesus gave Himself, so we might live.
It was May 21, 1946. The place—Los Alamos. A young and daring scientist was carrying out a necessary experiment in preparation for the atomic test to be conducted in the waters of the South Pacific at Bikini.
He had successfully performed such an experiment many times before. In his effort to determine the amount of U-235 necessary for a chain reaction—scientists call it the critical mass—he would push two hemispheres of uranium together. Then, just as the mass became critical, he would push them apart with his screwdriver, thus instantly stopping the chain reaction. But that day, just as the material became critical, the screwdriver slipped! The hemispheres of uranium came too close together. Instantly the room was filled with a dazzling bluish haze. Young Louis Slotin, instead of ducking and thereby possibly saving himself, tore the two hemispheres apart with his hands and thus interrupted the chain reaction.
“By this instant, self-forgetful daring, he saved the lives of the seven other persons in the room. . .As he waited. . .for the car that was to take him to the hospital, he said quietly to his companion, ‘You’ll come through all right. But I haven’t the faintest chance myself.’ It was only too true. Nine days later he died in agony.”
Nineteen centuries ago the Son of the living God walked directly into sin’s most concentrated radiation, allowed Himself to be touched by its curse, and let it take His life. . .But by that act He broke the chain reaction. He broke the power of sin.
George Vandeman, Planet In Rebellion.
4. Jesus died and rose again that He might have the preeminence.
Col.1: 17 “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist (cohere, held together).
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning (originator), the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence (first or foremost).”
B. We Need A Fresh Vision Of A World Destined For Destruction.
1. In Noah’s day, God’s patience ran out with the world’s obstinacy.
Matt.24: 38 “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark.
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
2. Peter tells us that one day God’s patience with this present world will run out.
II Pet.3: 10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
3. One day the sinner will have missed salvation’s opportunity.
Prov.29: 1 “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”
II Cor.6: 2b “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”
NOTE: “More than four out of every five Americans agree that ‘we all will be called before God at judgment day to answer for our sins,’ says a poll conducted for the Times Mirror Company” (National and International Religion Report, quoted in Signs of the Times, August, 1993, p. 6). One would never know that Americans ever held this view, by looking at today’s disdain for God, and lack of morals.
C. We Need A Fresh Vision Of The Message To Be Delivered.
1. The Gospel is nothing of which to be ashamed.
Matt.10: 33 “But whosoever shall deny (disavow as Savior and Lord) me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”
Rom.1: 16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
2. How will others come to know “the power of God unto salvation,” if we are not available?
Rom.10: 13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”
II. RENEWED VITALITY
A. We Need A Life Positioned On A Bible-Based Foundation.
1. The Word of God to produce spiritual life in the believer.
John 6: 63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
Phil.2: 16 “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”
NOTE: [1] Folks, the Word of God produces spiritual life, as the following story illustrates:
The true story of the Mutiny on the Bounty has often been retold. One part that deserves retelling was the transformation wrought by one book. Nine mutineers with six native men and twelve native (Tahitian) women put ashore on Pitcairn Island in 1790. One sailor soon began distilling alcohol, and the little colony was plunged into debauchery and vice.
Ten years later, only one white man survived, surrounded by native women and half-breed children. In an old chest from the Bounty, this sailor one day found a Bible. He began to read it and then to teach it to the others. The result was that his own life and ultimately the lives of all those in the colony were changed. Discovered in 1808 by the USS Topas, Pitcairn had become a prosperous community with no jail, no whisky, no crime, and no laziness.
Timothy A. West at westmin@theinnet.net, as quoted from Gospel Herald.
[2] It’s sad that, with many of the saints, once they have initially received God’s Word, and are saved, later, they act as though it has no importance in their life. Often, the TV Guide becomes the most popular book in the house.
Side By Side
They lie on the table side by side,
The Holy Bible and the TV Guide.
One is well worn and cherished with pride,
Not the Bible…but the TV Guide.
One is used daily to help folks decide,
No, not the Bible…but the TV Guide.
As the pages are turned, what shall they see?
Oh, what does it matter, turn on the TV.
Then confusion reigns, they can’t all agree,
On what they should watch on the old TV.
So they open the book in which they confide,
No, not the Bible…but the TV Guide.
The Word of God is seldom read,
Maybe a verse as they fall into bed.
Exhausted and sleepy and tired as can be,
Not from reading the Bible…from watching TV.
So then back to the table side by side,
Lay the Holy Bible and the TV Guide.
No time for prayer; no time for the Word.
The plan of Salvation is seldom heard.
But forgiveness of sin, so full and free,
Is found in the Bible…not on TV.
Author Unknown
2. God’s Word is the only firm foundation when the winds of confusion blow.
Luke 6: 46 “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like:
48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”
B. We Need A Life Possessed By A God-Focused Faith.
1. Faith is that by which the child of God should live.
Heb.10: 38a “Now the just shall live by faith…”
Matt.9: 29 “Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.”
2. God cannot be pleased apart from the faith life.
Heb.11: 6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Rom.14: 23b “…whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
3. Faith is resting in the truth of God’s Word for our daily living.
Rom.4: 20 “He (Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
NOTE: [1] Someone has said, “Sometimes the majority only means that all the fools are on the same side” (Taken from http://www.good4asmile.com/heartsoul/some_thoughts.htm, 8/12/00).
[2] Living our life in faith toward God keeps us dependent upon God, and intimate with Him. One reason for this is that living by faith requires one to focus on the Word of God and its promises.
C. We Need A Life Possessed Of Heavenly Fire.
1. This means we are willing to live a life consumed in God’s service and worship.
a. It was the consuming fire that revealed to wayward Israel, their heavenly Sovereign.
I Kings 18: 21 “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
……..………………………………………..
24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
…..…………………………………………..
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.”
NOTE: This sacrifice, set on fire by God, revealed the truth about God to a doubting Israel. That’s exactly what will happen when the saint gets on fire for God. These saints are not consumed with doing good, but with God. Doing good is the natural by-product of being consumed with God. That in turn, will reveal a part of the nature, character and love of God to others.
b. Today, God is not interested in burnt sacrifices, but in on-fire saints.
Rom.12: 1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice (refers to a whole burnt offering), holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
2. This means we live with a burning desire for God, as a thirsty man desires water.
Ps.42: 1 “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”
3. This means that you delight to obey God and do His will.
Ps.40: 8 “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”
Ps.27: 8 “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.”
NOTE: What are we talking about when we speak of someone being on fire for God? This story should answer that question.
Stained Glass Saints
As a young boy and his mother wandered through a cathedral in the south of France, much was unfamiliar to the boy. But he recognized the beautiful stained glass as being similar to the windows of his own church back home.
As the boy paused to admire each window, his mother told him a brief story about the saint depicted in the art glass. “There,” said his mother, “is Saint Francis, who loved all creatures, great and small. And over here is Saint Thomas Aquinas, who loved to learn about God.” As they made their way down the aisle, stopping at each frame, she introduced her young son to numerous heroes of the Christian faith.
When they arrived back at their hotel room, the boy’s grandmother asked about his afternoon outing. “What did you do?” she asked.
“Oh, Grandmother! I saw the beautiful windows of the cathedral. And each one was a different saint!”
“And what exactly is a saint?” she asked.
“You know, Grandma. They’re those people the light shines through”
Excerpted from Creative Sermon Starters: Group Publishing Inc., Loveland, Colorado; Michael D. Warden, Editor.
III. RENEWED VICTORY
A. We Need Victory Over Worldliness.
1. The world system is in constant competition for the affection of the saints.
I John 2: 15 “Love not the world (“do not deem precious”), neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
NOTE: [1] The word, “world,” as used here, refers to:
…the ordered system of which Satan is the head, his fallen angels and demons are his emissaries, and the unsaved of the human race are his subjects, together with those purposes, pursuits, pleasures, practices, and places where God is not wanted. Much in this world-system is religious, cultured, refined, and intellectual. But it is anti-God and anti-Christ.
Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies: published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Vol. II, The Exegesis Of I John, pg. 125.
[2] Not only is the saint exhorted to stop loving the world, but John goes on to indicate that one who “…loves the world as a habit of life,” shows that they are not God’s child (Ibid, pg. 127). The verb used in the phrase, “if any man love the world,” is in a tense and mood of the Greek language that “…stresses continuous, habitual action” (Ibid, pg. 127).
[3] George Gallup, of “The Gallup Poll,” had some interesting things to say about worldliness. He said:
We find there is very little difference in ethical behavior between churchgoers and those who are not active religiously…The levels of lying, cheating, and stealing are remarkably similar in both groups.
George Gallup, addressing a national seminar of Southern Baptist leaders. Quoted from http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/w/worldliness.htm.
2. The true child of God has the ability to resist and overcome the allurements of the world.
I John 5: 4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
NOTE: [1] The word, “whatsoever” is of such a construction in the Greek, so as to refer to a universal principle. In other words, John is saying that it is universally true of all God’s children, that they have the ability to overcome the world system, with all of its attractions.
[2] This does not mean that Christians are not occasionally defeated by sin. However, it does mean that yielding to sin is not the norm in the Christian life. It is not the ruling principle of their life, for Jesus, Who lives within them by His Spirit, has won the victory for them (I John 4: 4b).
3. Worldliness and real worship toward God are antithetical (“opposing,” “negating,” “adverse,”
“hostile”) of the Christian life.
Matt.6: 24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
James 4: 4 “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity (opposition) with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”
NOTE: [1] Being a friend of the world is:
…to be on good terms with persons and forces and things that are at least indifferent toward God if not openly hostile to him,’ and thus to be at enmity with God.
Charles F. Pfeiffer and Everett F. Harrison, editors, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary: published by Mood Press, Chicago, IL., pg. 1437.
[2] C. H. Spurgeon graphically illustrated how we should shun worldliness in our life when he said the following:
If I had a brother who had been murdered, what would you think of me if I…daily consorted with the assassin who drove the dagger into my brother’s heart; surely I too must be an accomplice in the crime. Sin murdered Christ; will you be a friend to it? Sin pierced the heart of the Incarnate God; can you love it?
Taken from http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/w/worldliness.htm.
B. We Need Victory Over Our Petty Wrangling.
1. A contentious attitude is simply the outgrowth of pride.
Prov.13: 10a “Only by pride cometh contention…”
2. It is a disgrace that there is so much criticism and picking one another apart among God’s people.
Gal.5: 15 “But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.”
Prov.12: 18 “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.”
3. Instead of finding fault with our brother, we need to deal with our own spiritual problems.
Matt.7: 3 “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
…………………………………………………….
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
NOTE: Perhaps we should practice what this poem suggest:
A horse can’t pull while kicking.
This fact we merely mention.
And he can’t kick while pulling,
Which is our chief contention.
Let’s imitate the good old horse,
And lead a life that’s fitting;
Just pull an honest load, and then
There’ll be no time for kicking.
Bits & Pieces, May 1990, p. 7.
4. Paul rebuked the church at Corinth for their wrangling and pettiness.
I Cor.1: 10 “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.”
5. Churches need to stop functioning on carnality, and start functioning on charity and godly passion.
I Pet.4: 8 “And above all things have fervent charity (agape) among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”
C. We Need Victory Over Spiritual Weariness.
Gal.6: 9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
II Thess.3: 13 “But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.”
NOTE: The Greek word translated, “weary” in the passages above, means “to be…weak, i.e. (by impl.) to fail (in heart):--faint, be weary” (James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., The Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible: published by MacDonald Publishing Company, McLean, Virginia; Greek Dictionary Of The New Testament, #1573, pg. 26). The basic idea here is that we are not to lose heart, or give up, in our efforts to do what is right (Amplified New Testament, Luke 18: 1, pg. 116).
1. In order to do this, we must keep our Lord in sharp focus.
Heb.12: 1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”
2. We must pray fervently.
James 5: 16b “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Luke 18: 1 “And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men out always to pray, and not to faint;”
NOTE: The Amplified New Testament translates this verse this way: “Also [Jesus] told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward—faint, lose heart and give up” (The Lockman Foundation, The Amplified New Testament: copyright 1958, published by Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan; pg. 116).
Theme: What we need now is:
I. RENEWED VISION
II. RENEWED VITALITY
III. RENEWED VICTORY
