Beware Satan will do whatever he can to destroy the working of God’s grace in your life. We live in a society where our personal relationship with Jesus Christ is under constant attack. Satan is a deceiver and if he cannot tempt you with the temporary pleasures of sin, or convince you are of no use to God, he will use the influences of the world to keep you distracted, off-balance and stretched in so many directions you can get little done for the Lord. I fear if Jesus were to examine some of us this morning as he did the fig tree in Jerusalem he would find nothing but leaves where fruit should be expected. Ask yourself this question: “Did I find it difficult to spend time in God’s Word last week? Does it seem when I pray there are constant interruptions? Do I seem to spend less time meditating on the Glory of God and the wonder of His Grace?” Subtle it may be but the influence of the world can draw our focus away from the One Critical need that matters most: our relationship with Jesus Christ. Tomorrow public school resumes in Leon County with its impact on teachers, parents and students. Many of us will be back on the treadmill of “busyness” and weeks filled with distractions. So I want to talk with you this morning about how we can rise above these influences that may appear rationale, feasible and even justifiable on the surface - and live our lives for Christ in a world that desperately need Him and yet is pulling us in the opposite directions.
Listen to what Oswald Chambers says in his devotional book, My Utmost for His Highest concerning our personal relationship with Jesus Christ:
“As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.”
As I read Chambers writings I recalled the story of Mary and Martha in Luke chapter 10. Mary listened to the Lord’s word, seated at his feet. But Martha, distracted with all her preparations, came up to Jesus and said, Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me. Jesus responded in Luke 10:41-42: “… and said to her “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
This is “one thing” or “the good part, which shall not be taken away” which Jesus mentions in Luke 10 and this most important aspect of Christianity Oswald Chambers references in his writing is what we want to focus on in the next few minutes. As Chambers says, “It is not in the work we do but the relationship we maintain with Him (meaning Jesus Christ) that results in the good part, which shall not be taken away.” Having studied Jeremiah’s prayer in Jeremiah 10:23-34, I believe the prophet had a deep understanding of this one critical need in his life. Listen to his prayer: “I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself; Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me, O Lord, but with justice; Not with Thine anger, lest Thou bring me to nothing.” (Jeremiah 10:23-24)
Jeremiah’s declaration in verse 23 is found in the words “I know”. But what did Jeremiah know? He knew a man’s way was not to be found in himself nor did man have the power to direct his own steps in this world. He realized from his own poverty as each of us need to do his need to be totally dependant upon the Lord and not himself if he was to overcome the draw of worldly influences and grow in his relationship with the Lord. He knew his own power and resources he could not obtain the good part which shall not be taken away.
The Hebrew word Jeremiah uses for “know” is the Hebrew word “yada”. It is the same word used in Jeremiah 1:5 where the Lord says to Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” “Yada” goes deeper than mere intellectual knowledge. It is awareness of truth that comes from a deep personal involvement in the life of another – it is the difference between an acquaintance and an intimate relationship - the same word used in Genesis 4:1 for the relationship between husband and wife – “And Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived and bare Cain…” Thus with the word “yada” knowledge and relationship are terms that are used interchangeably. It implies an intimate personal knowledge involving body, mind and soul that brings two together as one SO THAT ONE NOT TWO IS DIRECTING THE TWO AS ONE. It is a oneness of emotions, intellect and spirit.
Jesus speaks of a similar oneness in John 15:16 when He tells His disciples: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.” Likewise, the Apostle Paul writes concerning this personal and intimate union where two are one in Romans 7:4: “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God.” The focus in these verses is on the critical need of two becoming one in relationship for the purpose of bearing fruit for God. Fruit is the good part which shall not be taken away. And as Jeremiah discovered, the catalyst for this Oneness resulting in fruit bearing is LOVE. The Lord had told Jeremiah in 31:3 that “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” Thus, Jeremiah knew at the most intimate level of his being that God loved him and he was drawn by the Lord’s lovingkindness to return His love. Love proved to be the essential energy in which Jeremiah’s faith existed. The Scripture tells each of us this morning that God demonstrated His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us – and the great love chapter tells us without love we are nothing. Yet, this love is not simply an emotional feeling or intellectual ascension but a love which impacts the very depths of your will and motivates you to action to serve the One you love. You see it is the love of God in your heart.
You can feel Jeremiah’s passion in Verse 24 as he cries to the Lord that he might not miss the compelling purpose of God and be brought to nothing – he didn’t want to come to the end of his days with nothing to show from this union – he did not want his life to be fruitless or settle for hay, wood and straw. This morning Jesus reminds us of the same truth in John 15:5: “I am the vine, you are the branches, he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” This explains why the Apostle Paul urges the church at Corinth to work together so we do not receive the grace of God in vain. Paul’s concern like Jeremiah’s was Christians coming to the end of their lives and finding their life was rendered fruitless and void from God’s perspective?
Jeremiah understood this to be the need of each person. So the question is: Do you believe this truth? Do you believe the One Critical Need in your life is to maintain your relationship with the Lord at all costs and to be one with Him? If you do, do you know for sure you are? As in Jeremiah’s life, I believe there will be 3 evidences that will assure you you are maintaining your personal intimate relationship with the Lord.
The first evidence is SUBMISSIVENESS. Your will will be the Lord’s will. His heart’s desire will be your heart’s desire. So ask yourself this morning, “Have I committed my life to doing God’s will?” This is critical because you do not produce fruit in your life, the Lord does – fruit is his responsibility. Your role is to commit and surrender your life to doing the Lord’s will and the Lord will do the rest. The psalmist promises, “Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.” (Psalm 37:5) Do you believe this? Do you believe Matthew 6:33? The issue in not having time for One but faith for One.
On a deeper level, submissiveness means as it did for Jeremiah the need for the Lord’s on-going guidance and correction. The word “Correct” in verse 24 means to chasten, discipline, instruct, admonish – “but with justice” – which implies that which is proper, fitting in measure to mold and shape your life for fruit production. To me it is significant that Jeremiah, perhaps the most religious person of his day, says “Correct me, O Lord” not correct the other person, not correct the circumstance I am in right now but “Correct me, O Lord.” The writer of Hebrews shows us why the Lord’s discipline is so critical: “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Jeremiah knew the blessing of the Lord’s discipline and as a result his life produced the peaceful fruit of righteousness. This is a will under the control of the Lord’s direction. I wonder this morning, is your life under the control of the Lord’s direction? Or are you just playing games; just going through the motions or living on past accomplishments? Are you willing to be submissive to the Lord’s chastening and discipline as He determines it to be proper and fitting?
The second evidence is READINESS. Readiness means I see things through what I call the Filter of Christ. Living in a state of readiness means I must hold on to all things loosely except for Christ. Christ must always have His rightful place in your life. He doesn’t just want space on your calendar; he wants your calendar so He might work through every circumstance in your life. Past Chancellor of King’s College, Rev. Bob Cook said, “Don’t hold on to things so tightly that the Lord has to pry them out of your hand.” Readiness means I live in a state of readiness and wait for God’s guidance as to what He would have you do. As the Psalmist says, “Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)
Seeing things through the filter of Christ should cause us to pray about everything. Does not the Bible say “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God”? Jeremiah was a great man of prayer who experienced the Lord’s lovingkindness were new every morning. You cannot foresee every circumstance – some circumstances may entirely alter your direction in life – there are unexpected difficulties – your health may fail – you may suffer the sudden loss of a love one or experience great financial loss. You may be experiencing that this morning. Life is truly a maze and as lambs we will get lost if we try to walk without a shepherd to lead and guide us. The truth is that God has a better plan and His plan for you will not fail. Listen to his words to Jeremiah and us this morning: “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
The final evidence in your life is PEACEFULNESS. Do you have peace with God this morning? Do you have the peace of God which passes all understanding? Can you answer “yes” to both of those questions? Your peace like Jeremiah’s should rest in the Lord. The prophet Isaiah says: “The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in Thee. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting rock.” (Isaiah 26:3-4) To overcome the influences of this world and live a fruitful life you must acknowledge as Jeremiah: Your future is not in yourself but in an abiding love relationship with Jesus Christ from which everything else flows. The Apostle Paul calls this: “Christ in you, the hope of Glory!” Do you have this Christ in your life this morning? If you do have Christ in you, are you submissive to His will? Are you living in a state of readiness by viewing things through the filter of Christ? Are you experiencing His peace? If not, the Lord says to you, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jeremiah 33:3) Don’t try to make it alone this morning. You will not find you way in this life in yourself.
