SERMON: I'LL LIVE WHAT I SING, EVERY DAY
Scripture: Psalm 61, 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 (from THE MESSAGE)
Psalm 61
God, listen to me shout, bend an ear to my prayer. When I’m far from anywhere, down to my last gasp, I call out, “Guide me up High Rock Mountain!”
You’ve always given me breathing room, a place to get away from it all, a lifetime pass to Your safe-house, an open invitation as Your guest. You’ve always taken me seriously, God, made me welcome among those who know and love You.
Let the days of the king add up to years and years of good rule. Set his throne in the full light of God; post Steady Love and Good Faith as lookouts, And I’ll be the poet who sings Your glory— and live what I sing every day.
2 Thessalonians 1:3-4
You need to know, friends, that thanking God over and over for you is not only a pleasure; it’s a must. We have to do it. Your faith is growing phenomenally; your love for each other is developing wonderfully. Why, it’s only right that we give thanks. We’re so proud of you; you’re so steady and determined in your faith despite all the hard times that have come down on you. We tell everyone we meet in the churches all about you.
The title of the sermon is a promise. And I’ll be the poet who sings Your glory— and live what I sing every day.
Promises should not be made, if the one making the promise cannot keep it; or, perhaps has no intention of keeping it. For example, if I promise you that I will pay you $4 million dollars for your house, I am making you a promise than I cannot possibly keep. Why? I do not have $4 million dollars, nor do I expect to have such a sum in the near, or far, future.
Or perhaps, I have no intention of keeping the promise ... I may have other reasons for making such a promise. I might be like the guy who took his girl out for a date on Friday night, and in the course of the evening, took her shopping. He bought her a gorgeous fur coat, and wrote a check for it ... $5,000 worth! He bought her a marvelous sapphire, and paid $8,000 for it. He bought her a brand new car, and paid $35,000 for it .... writing checks for everything.
Come Monday morning, the furrier called, explaining that the bank bounced his check. The jeweler called, explaining that his check bounced. The car dealer called and said that his check bounced.
To each he said, of course they bounced! I have no money, but... thank you for the most wonderful weekend I've ever had!
He had no intention of keeping his promises, you see.
When we examine Psalm 61, we find that the one who wrote it had a narrow escape from some perilous event, and was thanking God for the deliverance. And in his gratitude, he makes the promise! And I’ll be the poet who sings Your glory— and live what I sing every day.
So, for this morning, let's look at what we sing on Sunday morning.... and see how well, perhaps, we are keeping our promises!
Hymn # 458 TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE
We sung those words a few moments ago ....now, let's examine what we promised!
Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord, to Thee. Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love. Wow! Let my hands move at the impulse of God's love? Now, honestly! How well do we keep that promise?
What are the impulses of God's love? Those are the moments when we think, "I really need to go see brother so and so. He has been having such a hard time, lately. And maybe I can take him a pie." But.... we let the moment slip by, and do nothing. How may times, do you think, over the past 50 years have we sung this lovely hymn.... and how many impulses of God's love have we let come and go?
Look at the second verse...
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee, take my voice and let me sing always only for my King! When was the last time you let your feet take you to a nursing home or hospital to visit someone, someone, not of your immediate family, that is, but someone you have known for a long time? When was the last time you let your feet take you to visit a shut-in, or near shut-in, just to let them know they are in your prayers and in your heart?
And let me sing always only for my King? This one causes us trouble, because we probably don't sing for our King, nearly so much as we sing for our own amusement, or the amusement of others. And many of the songs we do sing are not the kind that remind us of God.
The third verse ....
Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from Thee, take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold.
Here's one place where the rubber hits the road, isn't it! Our lips, filled with God's messages? Messages like those we offer in prayer for our friends and loved ones, strangers and aliens alike. Messages like, "Here, let me help you with that!" Messages like, "Hey, Preacher! I would LOVE to have a Sunday School class to teach!"
And we won't get close to the last like of that verse, about not withholding a mite of our silver and gold ... that one smacks all of us like a pie in the face.
The fourth verse: Take my love, my Lord, I pour; at Thy feet it's treasures store. Take myself and I will be ever only all for Thee.
Oh, how wonderful life would be should we truly keep this promise that we sing. Take myself? Lord, I want to keep myself for myself, and do the things I want to do, and go the places I want to go. The African mission field is not for me! Mercy, Father, even Bluefield is not the right mission field for me!
MOVING ON: Let's look at Hymn # 473. MAKE ME A BLESSING
This is a hymn of prayer, is it not?
Out in the highways and byways of life, many are weary and sad. Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife, making the sorrowing glad.
Friends, it is very true that many folks are weary and sad. I know. I talk with them, daily. And, I do try to bring a little sunshine. I do try to make the sorrowing glad. But, I don't do that, daily. There are those folks that I would just as soon forget, to walk on by, and not even wait on the corner.
Every person you meet has a sorrow of some kind, or at least ought to have. The uncertainties of life, the gradual falling apart of our bodies, at whatever age it starts ... we are affected, and we do have sorrows. But since we do have them, and know others do, too, it should not be all that hard to sympathize with them. The question is, simply, how well do we do that?
The chorus of this lovely hymn says it like this:
MAKE ME A BLESSING! out of my life, may Jesus shine! Make me a blessing to someone today!
Our theme for the morning is this: I'll live what I sing, every day! Oh, Lord! Yes, Lord! Make me a blessing!
Mostly, though, I fear that our daily practice is more like, "Lord, GIVE me a blessing today."
Verse two: Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love; tell of His power to forgive; Others will trust Him if only YOU prove true, EVERY moment you live.
The rub here is proving true, every moment we live. Now, I don't know about you, I can only testify about me. Forgive me, Lord, but I don't prove true, every moment that I live. I have a temper. I sulk. I pout. I feel sorry for myself. I am self-indulgent. I don't always greet folks on the street with a sunny smile, and a wish for them to have a good day.
Among the saddest words I've ever heard, spoken about me are these: "Jerry isn't the man I thought he was." But that's nothing, in a sense, because Jerry isn't even the man he thinks he is.
Jerry is of the kind that should be praying, "Lord, make my words sweet in case I have to eat them!"
Third Verse: Give as twas given to you in your need; Love as the Master Loves You; Be to the helpless, a helper indeed. Unto your mission be true!"
I know that in this body of the flesh, we can never love as God loves us. I'm simple, but not that simple. God loves us with a perfect love. We pick and choose who, and how, and how intently we love, you see.
I know that perhaps all of us do help the helpless from time to time, and that is very commendable! And I know that God blesses you every single time you help someone! So, let's keep true to our mission, friends. Let's be God's servants while we are here on this earth!
Yes, Lord! Make me a blessing .... out of my life, may Jesus shine! Make me a blessing to someone, today!
Our third hymn, which we haven't sung yet, but plan to, at the end of the service, is # 408 I SURRENDER ALL.
All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live.
Well, now! All to Him I FREELY give? I don't know about you, but I am not sure that I would qualify on the freely part. I have been known to make bargains, you know. I've been known to promise God I would do this or that, if He would do this or that for me. The most outlandish one that I suppose I ever did was to promise God that I would serve Him full time, if I could have $100,000 in the bank. Now, when I offered this stupendous deal to God, the interest rates that banks were paying were 4% .... a hundred thousand dollars would net me $4000 per year, or about $333 per month ... which to me would have been enough to live on, back then. Of course, it wouldn't go very far, today, would it.
Can you see the arrogance in my offer? If God gives me enough money, I will serve Him? Come on, Jerry! Get real! My duty, you see, is to serve God full time, money or no money. I should be serving because of my love and devotion.
And my text for the day is , "I'll live what I sing every day."
Verse two of the song goes like this:
All to Jesus I surrender, humbly at His feet I bow, worldly pleasures all forsaken, Take me, Jesus, take me now.
Right. Bowing at the feet of Jesus, forsaking all worldly pleasures .... But, Lord, allow me this one indulgence ... just this one ... it's a little one, and I just don't want to give it up. You can insert the name of the indulgence to suit your own particular situation .... but we all have those little things that we call harmless ... and perhaps most of them are ... but then.... there's always something that seems too good to quit.
And when it comes to Take me, Jesus, take me now .... we want to wait to a more convenient time, you see! We want to do right, but we want to do it later. Or.... am I really preaching ONLY to myself, this morning?
Verse 3: All to Jesus I surrender, make me, Savior, wholly Thine. Let me feel the Holy Spirit, truly know that Thou art mine.
What would happen in Fincastle Presbyterian Church in Bluefield, Virginia, if our Church would be rocked with the movement of Spirit like that in Acts 2, when the Spirit filled the place like a mighty rushing wind?
Enough said. Verse 4: All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee; fill me with that Love and power, let Thy blessing fall on me.
Again, the text for the day: "I'll live what I sing every day." All to Jesus, I surrender. Amen.
