Who Cares?
Psalms 142:4 Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; refuge has failed me; no one cares for my soul.
Introduction: Psalm 142 was written by David when he was hiding in a cave from Saul, who was seeking his life. It is possible that while in that cave he was joined by a total 400 men including his brothers, his father’s house, and men who were going through difficult times. Even though there were men all around him David felt alone emotionally and spiritually. These men had joined him vowing their allegiance and care but the words they said were empty and hollow. Although David had 400 men around him,
They were all so focused on their own concerns that they didn’t really care about David and what he was going through. His statement in verse four expresses his dispair and raises a question for us today – “Who cares?” Do we care about the Body of Christ? Do we care about the Mission of Christ? Do we care about the Heart of Christ? Or do we just offer up idle, hollow words when we say “I love you Brother”, “I care about the Lost”, “I love You Lord” Do we really care?
I. Do we care about the Body of Christ?
John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 13:35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
John 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
John 15:17 "These things I command you, that you love one another.
It has become almost a cliché, that as Christians are saying goodbye to one another they say “I love you.” But are these just words? Is there any depth of meaning or sincerity to these words? Do we understand what these words mean?
Love is thinking and acting in a positive and caring manner toward another person regardless of their attitude or behavior. It means being committed to the other person as a family member. It assumes that someone should behave like a Christian, someone should be the adult, someone should do what is good and someone should do what is right whether the other person does what is right or not. – adapted
1 Corinthians 12:25 “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.”
“Notice in verse 25 what the opposite of division is. He could have said, "That there be no division in the body, but rather unified ideas on things like organs." But he didn't say that. He said, "That there be no division in the body, but (here's the opposite of division) that the members should have the same care for each other." So the positive command to us from the Lord concerning last Wednesday night is this: whatever your difference from another person on the organ issue, care for that person. Show concern for that person. Love that person. If we are called to love our enemies outside the church (Matthew 5:43–48) who have a difference from us a thousand times more serious than this one, how much more shall we then love another child of God. – John Piper
Caring is loving another regardless of who they are, what they have done or what they think. Caring is also seeing the need and doing what we can to meet the need how little or great.
James 2:15-16 (New Living) "Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, "Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well"—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?"
Illustration - A well-to-do businessman gave a fine car to his brother. One day when the brother went to the place he'd parked the car, he saw a ragged boy looking the car over with great interest. Instead of saying, "Get away from that car, kid," he smiled at the youngster. The boy was the first to speak. "Is that car yours, Mister?" "Yes, it is," was the reply.
"What did it cost?" was the next question. "Nothing," said the man.
The boy looked at him curiously and said, "You don't look like the kind of guy who would steal a car." The owner laughed and said, "No, it was a present from my brother." The boy seemed disbelieving. "Do you mean to say he gave it to you as a present, and it didn't cost you anything?" "That's right." Then the boy said the most surprising thing of all: "I sure do wish I could be such a brother as yours." One might have expected him to say, "How I wish I could have such a brother as yours." The man asked him what he meant, and he explained: "I'll tell you. My youngest brother has polio and he can't walk to see all the shops in town and enjoy the toys, at least by seeing them in the windows. How I wish I had a car like this to take him around. Our father died, and we won't get any presents this Christmas. But at least I can walk along the streets and enjoy the shop windows; my brother can't even do this. That's why I'd like to be a brother like your brother." - copied
"Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:7-8, NLT)
II. Do we care about Mission of Christ?
Luke 19:10 “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Matthew 9:36 “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”
The heart of God is for the lost. Love for the lost world was the motive of God the Father in sending Jesus to die for sin. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
Those who are lost is anyone who has not become a follower of Jesus Christ. That’s who the lost are. Every single person is in one of two categories: either Lost or Saved. That’s it. Only those two categories. You’re either one or the other. There is no in-between. You’re either lost or saved. We need to realize that every lost person is headed for a Christless eternity in Hell unless they come to Christ and are saved.
John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Loving the lost is the first step in leading the lost to Christ. You do not win the lost by living like the lost. You win the lost by loving the lost and living like the saved. A hundred years ago our evangelical ancestors gave us the proper formula. They said we are to be “in the world but not of the world.” That means we are to live among the lost, loving them, befriending them, caring for them, and at the same time we are to live by an entirely different value system. - copied
1 Timothy 1:15 “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
D. L. Moody once said, "I believe that if an angel were to wing his way from earth up to Heaven, and were to say that there was one poor, ragged boy, without father or mother, with no one to care for him and teach him the way of life; and if God were to ask who among them were willing to come down to this earth and live here for fifty years and lead that one to Jesus Christ, every angel in Heaven would volunteer to go. Even Gabriel, who stands in the presence of the Almighty, would say, "Let me leave my high and lofty position, and let me have the luxury of leading one soul to Jesus Christ." There is no greater honor than to be the instrument in God's hands of leading one person out of the kingdom of Satan into the glorious light of Heaven." -- copied
III. Do we care about the Heart of Christ?
Would it bother you if you knew you were breaking Christ’s heart?
Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
• Grieve (3076) (lupeo from lupe = sadness, grief) means to feel deep emotional or physical pain, distress. As used here lupeo means to afflict one with sorrow.
Do we really care what God thinks, wants and desires?
1. Philippians 2:20-21 “For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.”
2. Here are a few thoughts on Christ’s things:
• Christ cared more about saving people from themselves than saving Himself from them
• Christ cared more about the will of His Father than His own will
• Christ cared more about His Church than His convenience
• Christ cared more about His mission than His reputation
• Christ cared more about exercising submission than authority
Do we really care what God says?
1. Luke 6:46 (NASB) “Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?”
2. The next time you read your Bible, try this exercise. Whenever you come to a passage that points out your sin or tells you what you ought to do, tear out that page and burn it! Ridiculous? Of course. No one today would do to God's Word what Jehoiakim did to Jeremiah's scroll [in Jeremiah 36]... Or would they? Have you ever read a command in God's Word you didn't like and just ignored it and kept on reading? That's a sure way to save your expensive Bible-- while accomplishing the same spiritual damage as the knife-wielding King Jehoiakim. - "The Daily Walk Bible,"
Do we really care that our sins and our lives break His heart?
1. Psalms 51:4 “Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight -- That You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge”
2. When we give all our heart, soul and mind to Jesus there should be no room for those things which break His heart in our life. When we sin, we break Jesus heart and we don’t do that for someone we love.
3. Ask yourself ““Are the things that break Jesus’ heart, are the things that bring Jesus to tears the same things that break my heart, that bring me to tears.”
