Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for a New Year, new beginnings and your Word that in every way equips us for an unknown future. May this message, with the help of your spirit be faithful to your Word, to encourage and exhort to your glory. Amen.
Today, in churches all over the world, something will inevitably be said about New Year's resolutions. I don't know about you, but most often I've heard the pastor joke negatively about resolutions? And how useless they are.
I've always been saddened by this because as Christians, are we not more than conquerors? (Romans 8:37) Philippians 4:13 says "we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength."
This is a time of the year when people do take stock and resolve to take on some things and leave others behind. These resolutions may involve, living more healthily, doing exercise, being a better mom or dad, achieving better at work. These are not necessarily bad things.
Who's at school? Anyone just finished Grade 9? At the end of grade 9, between Christmas and New Year, I went to an athletics coaching camp where a heard a coach encourage us with a story about a 10000m world record holder, Ron Clark who was asked what his secret to success was. He said regularity, regularity, regularity! Put on your running gear everyday and get out there, even on your rest days, put on you running kit even to out for ten minutes. That next year of 1984, I ran 350 days of the year, I missed two weeks because of a cold and fall. What a great year it was for me and probably one of my best achievements. And what did I have? A simple plan or blue print - put on your running clothes and get out there! A good blue print but today I'll share the best blue print! It was a huge object lesson for me and today 42 years later I still remember it fondly.
Today's message is titled: Resolve for God's Glory! Where we look at God's blue print. He's got the best blue print for how to live and succeed!
1 Corinthians 10:31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do ALL to the glory of God" Interestingly,
1 Corinthians 1:31 says; "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."
The two key ideas I'll share are:
- Why it's important and commanded
- The application
The Importance and Command
Behind me we have a wonderful illustration of the Gospel, the cross on your left symbolising Christ's death for our sins. Unmerited by us, there's nothing we can ever do to earn it. This is a gift from God not by works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:9) It's an empty cross symbolising His resurrection and that He is alive!
And on your right, is this declaration - All Glory to God. It's not here for show.
1 Corinthians 6:20 "For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
This is the response we are called to live by. "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do ALL to the glory of God"
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Again, this is the rightful response of gratitude and glory to our Saviour.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism, as with all confessions and creeds categorises and contextualises God's Word and is what we call the subordinate standard. It is not the Bible but serves a valuable place in expounding God's Word.
The first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks; "What is the chief end of man?"
"The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."
On the left, the cross is God's glory on the right is the little we give back, in some ways it's sad but it's wonderful in that God's glory is the greatest and we can never out give our God.
There is the worldly system of doing things and there's God's way of doing things.
I'm going use the metaphor of the economy.
God's economy is not like the world's economy. Let's give you boys and girls a quick economics lesson.
Know what an economics is? Economics is the study of limited resources, money against unlimited wants. A whole lot of things feed into an economy, going to school and studying prepared you to be earn money to buy goods. Government policy, interest rates, jobs and inflation all affect a country's well- being. Here in South Africa, we have the highest unemployment rate in the world - that means we have the most people in he world without jobs compared to the number of people who live here. Economies all over the world struggle because we live in a fallen and broken world. We always hear about shortages of jobs. There's just two important words I want you to remember JOBS and the multiplier effect which refers to money flowing though an economy, for example one person pays another for something, who in turn uses that money to buy a good or service, each time tax is charged so the money moving along gets less and less.
Now, God's economy is the opposite. In Matthew 9:37 we read; "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few." People need the Lord, so many need to be told the Gospel, here there is no shortage of jobs! Remember, the multiplier effect I mentioned before? There's no tax or no dishonesty to reduce value. When we sow into another's life, we have no idea of how the Lord may use it. Enabled by His spirit there can be untold upside. Think of the people who impacted the greatest evangelists, some were to never know how the Lord used them.
Who's heard of Charles Spurgeon? One cold Sunday, still a boy, he stepped into a church to get out of the cold. The preacher who was meant to be there didn't arrive and an old man reluctantly came up to the pulpit completely unprepared and nervous. All he could think of was to bellow the words; "You need the Lord! You must follow the Lord!", he said little else but repeated the same thing. Yet God used that man and Charles Spurgeon became a Christian that day. Spurgeon himself said, the man seemed stupid but God brought him to repentance through that man's humble effort. Charles Spurgeon went on to preach for decades at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London using him mightily. His books and sermons continue to encourage and minister to people to this day. I don't know if that old man ever saw the fruit of his efforts or the person God used to originally bring that old man to repentance.
We may, without realising it be used mightily in our Lord's service - the Lord can multiply our efforts beyond what we can imagine!
This brings me to another difference between God's way and the world's way, if you sell a product or service you get paid. When we do things for the Lord, we are most often not rewarded immediately. This can be discouraging and our Lord in His foreknowledge and infinite wisdom gave Paul this encouragement for the Philippian church.
Philippians 3:14 - I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
There are heavenly rewards for us.
The other difference is that we can glorify God irrespective of our qualifications, age or physical ability. Every single person here today has a part to play in His economy. I dare say our God is the ultimate equal opportunity employer!
Application
How do we apply this? "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do ALL to the glory of God"
The application is really simple, but first a warning. I have a question for you?
What is your most valuable resource? Is it your money, your time or something else? Who says money, who says time? Most people will say time.
There's another economy, it's an acknowledged term in this world, Advertisers, business people and self-help gurus call it the attention economy. I would agree that your attention is your most valuable resource since it dictates your use of time.
Distraction is truly the devil's device. Never in our lives has our attention been under so much attack, but this was always true.
David Livingstone was a great explorer and evangelist who lived in the 1800's, he travelled much of Africa, faced many trials, had numerous fevers and illnesses and was even attacked by a lion. So respected was he that when he died, there was a procession of his casket through London to Westminster Abbey where he was buried. Today, if you go to Westminster Abbey, you can see his stone there. During this procession, a minister was standing in the crowd a few people deep lining the route. When the casket came by, a dishevelled beggar standing in front of the minister repeated; "You were right Davey, you were right Davey, you were right Davey". The minister's curiosity got the better of him and he asked the man if he knew David Livingstone. "We went to the same Sunday school"; the beggar said and, "on the day, I decided to leave never to return, David Livingstone told me that I was doing the wrong thing and would come to ruin, he was right."
Here's an important warning.
Proverbs 4:26 & 27 says: Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established.
Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil.
If there's a great manifesto for this coming year let it be: "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do ALL to the glory of God"
To apply this wonderful encouragement, we must be ruthless about being single-minded about using our time well. Use these words like a magnifying glass, a lens to look through and help you decide. Am I doing this for God's glory.
You can do even the smallest of tasks with right spirit for God's glory.
Do your school work like you are doing it for the Lord, do your chores for God's glory, not only yours.
Perhaps you are sitting here today and wondering if you have this salvation mentioned earlier. Please don't leave, God commands us to repent. If you've not yet done so, your day to bend your knee to the all-powerful almighty God is today.
So that your manifesto for the year can also be:
"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do ALL to the glory of God"
