For the Common Good

SERMON: 2013-06-16--sg1305--for-the-common-good SOURCE DURATION: 00:39:33.000 PROPOSED CUTS: 1 CONFIDENCE: 1.00 APPROVED: false REASON: The recording begins with the speaker launching into theological exposition regarding God's commitment to meeting needs and the purpose of spiritual gifts (Segments [0] through [31]). The singing/music that follows is separate from the main sermon content. Acoustic segmentation found sustained music at the end edge and moved the boundary to the adjacent transcript segment. ACOUSTIC EVIDENCE: available ACOUSTIC MUSIC INTERVALS: 00:34:53.160-00:39:30.440 ACOUSTIC SPEECH OVERLAP: yes ACOUSTIC BOUNDARIES APPLIED: end Inline CUT markers identify each proposed audio boundary after the relevant word. --- ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPT WITH PROPOSED CUTS MARKED --- Now it's true, of course, that the Lord God is committed to meeting our needs and does that very often directly and sometimes even supernaturally. It's equally true, however, that more often than not He does it through other people. The scripture makes so plain. We are in so many ways the hands and the feet of Jesus. And it's that theme Paul now turns to in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 when he says, "To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." Quick review, this is our third time at looking at 1 Corinthians chapter 12. And we've seen that the purpose of the gift of the Holy Spirit is, first of all, to point us to Jesus. Nobody can confess that He is Lord but by the Spirit. And secondly, that the Spirit is given to empower us for service. And now Paul begins to talk about the fact that these spiritual gifts, these manifestations of the Spirit, are given for the common good. And that's where I want to begin this morning. What is the common good? And the short answer is that the common good is the upbuilding of the body of Christ. Paul, speaking of his own ministry in 2 Corinthians chapter 10, puts it this way. He says, "For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up, rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it." Note the emphasis there on building up Christian community. Same thing in Ephesians 4, 11, and 12, verses that we have spoken about often in this church. It was He that is the exalted Jesus who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers to prepare God's people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up. The common good is the upbuilding of the body of Christ. Let me reflect on that with you for just a few moments because this ties into the overall redemptive purposes of God for the world. If I were to ask you this morning, "What is God about in the world?" What would you say? If I were to ask you, "What is it that God is after in the lives of people and in the life of the world?" What would you say? Well, you might say, "He wants to seek and to save the lost," and that would be absolutely true. And you might say, "He wants to grow people up so they become like Jesus," and that would be absolutely true. But it's very important for us to understand that important as these two elements are, they are but a small part of a much bigger picture. The much bigger picture is that God is seeking to regain a lost creation and make sure that His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. Let me just again quickly refer to my favorite circles, as you know by now. This is the world, the way that we find it. We're separated from God. We're under Satan's dominion. We are selfish. The world is filled with confusion and turmoil. All you have to do is read the newspaper or listen to the news any given day and you discover how real that brokenness is. The Bible says it's because we have sinned and we have turned against God and thereby we have turned against each other. God's purpose in redemption is to reestablish what the Bible calls the kingdom of God. And in the kingdom of God, we are in right relationship with God and we are in right relationship with each other. The kingdom of God happens through faith in the Lord Jesus because when we come to faith in Him, our sins are forgiven, we are restored to fellowship with God, and we are given the power, listen to this, we are given the power to reestablish meaningful relationships with each other. That's what God is after historically. In Paul in Ephesians chapter 2, verses that we have also previously referred to, he puts it this way, he says, "In Him that is in Christ," changing analogies now from body to building because Paul uses both of these repeatedly, "In Christ the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord, and in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit." So what is God about in the world? God is about bringing us into relationship with Him, bringing us into relationship with each other so that as we submit to God's authority, His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. That is His purpose and the church, listen to this, the church is the first fruits of that. One day the world will be burned up in fire and in judgment and all its works will be cast into outer darkness. God's people will be established forever as His kingdom, but in the meantime, and that's why these circles overlap as you know, we the church are a reflection, a model, a small picture, however imperfectly, of that kingdom that God is building. Peter talks about that in 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 9, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." So the common good is the upbuilding of the church and when Paul says to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good, what he is saying is that if God has given you a spiritual gift, it's not just so that you can feel important, not just so that you can feel good, it is so that other people can be built up in the faith and in the relationship with God and practically speaking what that means is that if God gives you the gift of wisdom, that's not just so that you can feel that you're a smart person and that can become your identity, if God gives you wisdom, it is so that when you are confronted by somebody with a difficult situation, God working through you can speak into that person's life, show where the problems come from, how they can be resolved with a view of helping that person to move forward into the purposes of God. Likewise, if you have to give to faith, faith to move mountains, it's not just so that you can acquire for yourself all the pretty and beautiful things that the world is to offer, it's so that when you are confronted by a mountain, whether in your own life or in somebody else's life, you can speak a word of faith into that situation, you can command that mountain to move, a person's afflictions can be lifted, their problems can be solved, and they can come into new liberty and new freedom in the purposes of God. God gives you the gift of making money, that isn't just so that you can feather your own bed and live in luxury and be the envy of all your neighbors, no, if God gives you the ability to be successful in whatever area of life, part of the purpose of that gift is so that you can share that gift with other people. The manifestation of the Spirit is always for the common good. Peter again, he puts it this way, 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 10 and 11, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." Let me stop there for a moment, faithfully administering God's grace. That means you are a steward of what God has given you and you are responsible to Him for how you handle it and on the day of judgment we will all stand before Him and we will give account of what we have done with the time, talent, and treasure that He has entrusted to us. If anyone speaks, because grace comes in various forms now, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. And each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. And you don't have to be too wide awake this morning to see how immediately this contrasts to how we view our time, talent, and treasures in the world, because in the world my giftedness and my success is first of all to serve myself, isn't it? It's to establish my reputation, it's to establish my security, it's to establish my well-being. And if I have a little bit left over then maybe I will share that with you, but at the end of the day the whole world exists to serve me instead of me serving the world. And Jesus is very categorical about this. When He talks about that with His disciples, they were arguing about who is the greatest among them. Listen to these verses, Matthew chapter 20, 25 to 28. It goes like this, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them, not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many." To each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. God calls us to serve each other. Now, if that is true for community in general, particularly Christian community, that is of course especially true of fathers. And in the time that remains, I want to touch on three particular gifts that God gives to fathers so that they can be shared with their families and particularly with their children. And the first is this, fathers impart wisdom to their children. Proverbs chapter 4 puts it this way, "Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble." Wisdom is knowing how life works. It is acquired by submitting to God, and it's acquired by submitting to life's disciplines. And one of the reasons Scripture says for children to honor their fathers and their mothers and then linking it to your life will be long is because fathers and mothers have lived longer than children have lived. And we all know the little adage of, well, it was Mark Twain who said he was amazed at how much wiser his father got as he himself grew from his teenage years into his early adulthood. Because, you know, when a kid is young, dad knows everything. You know, when a kid is young, dad knows everything; when a kid's a teenager, dad knows nothing. And when the kid turns 25 or 30 or 40, he says, "I wish my dad was here because he was such a wise person." God gives parents to children so that children don't have to learn firsthand how life works. Because nobody can live long enough to understand the consequences of their actions unless, in fact, they have lived long enough. And the illustration that I sometimes use is that of a kid, you know, left to himself, would want to gorge on candies before he went to bed, has no interest or use to brush his teeth because, well, as far as he's concerned, his teeth aren't going to fall out tomorrow. But if you're a wise parent, you don't want your kid to do that, why? Because you know that tooth decay takes time, and eventually he's going to face a lot of pain at the dentist because he hasn't been smart enough to figure that out himself. Parents impart wisdom to their children, and every father ought to be taking the teachable moments of a kid's life and explaining the end from the beginning and why it is important to submit to the authority and the word of God. One of the dangers, by the way, let me say this about the technological revolution that we live in, is that it concentrates power in the hands of those who are the youngest and who are the least wise. Think that through for just a moment. When you need to fix technology, who do you lean to? You draw on one of the kids. And the world is wired together technologically, and the power for technology lies in the hands of the young. But the young haven't lived long enough to know what the consequences of certain kinds of behaviors are, and that is why older people need to not surrender their wisdom to those who have the least experience. You see this in the Middle East. All these revolutions in the Middle East are run largely by young people, but the young people have no idea of the instability that is being produced in their societies and the fact that often these revolutions turn out to be far more, it's a lot easier to start a fire than to put it out. Have you ever noticed that? And the difference between the young and the old is that the old have lived long enough to know things can really get off the track real fast, and it's much easier to wreck your life than it is to find it back, isn't that true? Fathers have a responsibility to impart wisdom to their children. Heavenly fathers impart strength to their children. And if a mother's tendency is to nurture and protect, then a father's inclination is to call forth and to strengthen, and the Apostle Paul talks about that rather interestingly in the context of his own ministry in 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 7 when he says, "We were gentle among you like a mother caring for her little children." Hold on to that verse for just a moment and then go on to verse 11, "For you know," now he switches to fathering, "we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God who calls you into his kingdom and glory." Notice the contrast. He's talking about his own ministry, but he's talking about his ministry as both a mother and a father to these believers in Thessalonica. And he says, "As a mother or a nursing maid, I cared for you," because that's the primary function of mothers is to bond with their children, to nurture their children, and to protect their children, as Phil Hamburg told us when he was here. That bonding process is foundational for the well-being of an individual, and the lack thereof is at the root of much social trouble as people spend their whole lifetime trying to determine, "Am I loved, am I lovable, who am I, and where is my life going?" That's where it begins with a mom. But a father's job is to bring forth the child and to enable that child to stand on his own two feet, because the child, by definition, is tied physically and emotionally initially to his mom. And for that boy to become a man, and even for that girl to become a woman, they need to be strengthened by their fathers, and their father's job then is to, in the words of that passage, to encourage, to comfort, and to urge them to live lives worthy of God. To encourage is to help identify the gifts in your child. It is to mark out the areas where you know that God is at work in their lives, and it's to, it's to prop them up and to say, "You can do this. You may not feel like you can do this." You know, yesterday at these high ropes, the instructors were telling us about all the people that have come through there and how the object is to move people out of their comfort zone. And I can tell you, when you first look at those poles 38 feet up, that is, heck of a long way to climb, and a lot of people really have to move out of their comfort zone in order to discover that they can do far more than what their fear would indicate. And sometimes our children are fearful. Sometimes our children feel inadequate. Sometimes our children are overwhelmed by the demands that life is making upon them. And one of the jobs of a father is to encourage and to say, "You know, I'll come alongside you and together we can do this." That's how we teach kids sports. That's how we teach the skills that they are sometimes afraid to try. And then when they fail, as sometimes they will, and they refuse to get back up, then we come alongside and we comfort, we kiss it all better. It's not the end of the world. Yesterday, they made a big point out of the fact that some people can only barely get up on the ladder, and then they come back down, and then they feel like real failures. And the philosophy of the high ropes people is, "No, you step outside of your comfort zone. You're not a loser. You can, in fact, do it," and then very often they are encouraged to go beyond that place because they have been comforted in their sense of failure. And then a father urges, urges, "You can do this. You can do this for the sake of God. You can do this for the sake of God's glory, and you can do this because God's calling is on your life." And this always has to be in the context of discerning who the child is and what the child can actually do. That's a very fine line because we all know parents who are trying to find their identity in their children, and so they push the children into things that their children cannot do. And that's what Scripture forbids when it says in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 4, "Fathers do not exasperate your children. Don't push them beyond what they can do, but do push them beyond where their laziness wants to keep them so that in every way they can be encouraged and strengthened." That is uniquely the gifting of a father. Our mother can contribute to that as well, but mothers are much more likely to put their arms around them and say, "Oh, poor little thing, I don't want you to get hurt." And a father will say, "Get hurt or not, get up and get at it." That's what life is, and you might as well get used to it, true? That's a fatherly contribution, and a father has to share those gifts with his family. All right, one more very quickly, and then we're going to see what that looks like in the real world, fathers impart discipline to their children. I've already quoted part of Ephesians 6, 4, "Fathers do not exasperate your children." That is to say, don't demand of them more than what they can produce, instead bring them up in the training. Other translations have discipline in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Verse 623, "These commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are a way to life." Human nature being what it is, none of us wants to submit by nature to the authority of God. None of us wants to submit to the authority of parents who have been placed over us, and all of us by nature tend to think that what we think and what we feel is better than what other people are suggesting to us. Part of the challenge in life, and those of you that are parents know this all too well, part of the challenge of parenting is to help a child gain control over his or her own impulses, or her own ideas, and ultimately submit to God, because in submitting to God, through faith in Christ, there is hope. That's why the Bible says, "Discipline your son, for in that there is hope. Do not be a willing party to his death." Fascinating verse, Proverbs 19, verse 18, 23, 13, "Do not withhold discipline from a child. If you punish him with a rod, he will not die." You'd never believe that if you listened to today's educators, no offense. Proverbs 29, 17, "Discipline your son, and he will give you peace, and he will bring delight to your soul." Part of a father's job is first and foremost to be submitted to the discipline of God in his own life through faith in Christ, and then you take your child by the hand, and you help him to recognize the law of God, not only in the need to live before his face, but then you teach him grace. You take him by the hand and you say, "I know you can't help being what you are. You know that you cannot be obedient in these areas because you're wired this way, but I know somebody who can help you, his name is Jesus." And as we lead them to faith in Jesus and they begin to trust him, they discover that by faith in Christ, they can be a whole lot more than they or sometimes we have ever imagined. Now, just to show you this morning what that looks like in the real world, our drama team has prepared a drama called Family Snapshots. Take a look at this. Mom? Mom? She's not here. Well where is she? She went somewhere. You mean she left the house? What? She left? Just like that? She had a meeting to go to. Again? Did she say when she'd be back? No, but you don't imagine she'll be too late. Well it seems like she's been gone for almost every night for the past two weeks. What's the deal? Well honey, when you're president of an organization, sometimes you're needed at a lot of functions. Yeah well, sometimes you're needed at home too. I'm sorry, what did you say? Nothing. Dad, did you have a few minutes? What did I do with that form? Ah, here it is. I'm sorry, what did you say? I asked if you had a few minutes. Yeah sure, what's on your mind? Well there's this big party I was thinking about going to this weekend, but I'm not sure whether I should go or not. I mean, everybody's going. I mean everybody. I mean, I wouldn't even think about going except that Sue and Kathy are going. And that's just not exactly my kind of party, you know, there's going to be a lot of drinking and stuff. And I just figured that if I didn't drink it would be okay. What do you think? Uh-huh. Dad? Yeah honey, I'm listening. What do you think? About what? About the party. What do you think? A party? Ah sure, that sounds nice. You haven't been listening to me, have you? I'm sorry honey, I've got this job here and a deadline hanging over me, but go ahead, what were you saying? Forget it. It's not important. Jenny, come on, what were you saying? Something about a party? I said forget it. Jenny, what's the matter? Why do I have to say everything twice to you? You don't, you just caught me at a bad time. Is there ever a good time? Maybe I should make an appointment. Jenny, come on, I think you're overreacting. I am on the verge of making the worst mistake of my entire life, and you say I'm overreacting. What big mistake? Going to this party. Well, if it's such a big mistake, then don't go. It's not that easy, Dad, that is what I'm trying to tell you. Well, then like I said, will you explain it to me again? There's this big party this weekend, and I was thinking about going, and everybody's going, but I'm just not sure whether I should or not. Why? Because it's not exactly my kind of party. There's going to be drinking and stuff. Well honey, if you don't think you should go, then don't. But I'll be the only one that doesn't go. So? So if I don't go, I'll be an even bigger geek than I already am. Who says you're a geek? Some of the kids at school. I'm too straight. I think I'm a little goody-two-shoes. Who cares what they think? I do. They're my friends. Those kind of friends you don't need. I should have known you wouldn't understand. Jenny, if they don't like you, then just find some other friends. These are my friends, Dad. At least I want them to be. Tired of being a loner, tired of not belonging, most of all, I'm just tired of sitting at home while everybody else goes out and has a good time. A good time? Good time? Let me tell you, going to this party is not the answer. Well it's too late. What do you mean? I already went, it was last weekend, and you'll be happy to know it was the worst mistake of my entire life. Why didn't you talk to your mother or me before you went? Because, Mom's always gone and your nose is always stuck in those papers. Oh honey, I'm sorry. So tell me about it. It was awful, Dad. Everybody was drunk or high, all they wanted to do was get out of there, but no one would give me a ride home. So I just sat in a corner and prayed no one would come near me. Did someone? Yeah, but I just pretended I had the flu and would make like I was going to throw up. Smart girl. Yeah, I guess it worked pretty well. Honey, I'm sorry. It was awful, Dad. You have every right to be angry with your mother and I. No, it was my idea to go to the party. In any case, Jen, I'm sorry. Feel like I let you down. I hate to see you hurting. It can be a cruel world out there. I wish I could protect you from it all, but I can't. Neither can your mother. Promise me one thing. What? Don't stop talking to me. I'll try to be less distracted. Deal? Deal. Know what? What? I think you're terrific and I'm here for you always. You can count on that. Thanks, Dad. [CUT] [PROPOSED CUT 1 START at 00:34:53.160; remove through 00:39:33.000] [MUSIC PLAYING] There is an endless song that echoes in my soul. I hear the music raise. And though the storms may fall, I am holding on to the rock I made. How can I keep from singing your praise? How could I ever say enough? How amazing is your love? How can I keep from shouting your name? I know I am loved by the king, and it makes my heart want to sing. I will lift up my eyes in the darkest night. For I know my savior lives. And I will walk with you, knowing you'll see me through. And sing the songs you give. How can I keep from singing your praise? How could I ever say enough? How amazing is your love? How could I keep from shouting your name? I know I am loved by the king, and it makes my heart want to sing. I can sing in the troubled times. Sing when I win, I can sing when I lose my state, fall down again. I can sing 'cause you picked me up. Sing 'cause you're later. I can sing 'cause you hear me, Lord, when I call to you in prayer. I can sing with my last breath. Sing for I know that I'll sing with the angels and the saints around the cross. How can I keep from singing your praise? How could I ever say enough? How amazing is your love? How could I keep from shouting your name? I know I am loved by the king, and it makes my heart want to sing. I am loved by the king, and it makes my heart. I am loved by the king, and it makes my heart want to sing. [MUSIC] [CUT] [PROPOSED CUT 1 END at 00:39:33.000; resume after this marked segment]