I’m glad to be back from vacation. Thursday afternoon of last week, while Esther was napping and Susan was relaxing in front of the television, I sat quietly in front of my laptop in the Palm Spring resort home where we were staying. Susan suddenly asked me what I was doing. I sheepishly replied, "I’m working."
And on Sunday morning, before we left the resort, we had breakfast with a couple. The husband commented, "It’s back to the daily grind for you."
And I replied, "I don’t see it that way. I’m passionate about what I do."
Most people don’t know what a pastor does. He spends time listening to others. He goes to meetings. He preaches. He prays. He leads Bible studies. But what exactly do pastors hope to achieve through these various activities?
I summarize my pastoral mission with this one sentence: "I help more and more English-speaking Asians come to a right and healthy relationship with God and with one another through Jesus Christ." The achievement of this mission has less to do with what I do, and more to do with what you do and with what God does.
The question was asked, "How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?" The answer is, "One, but the light bulb really has to want to change."
And for the Christian, "How many Calvinists does it take to change a light bulb?’ The answer is, "None. Only God can change a light bulb."
The truth is I can’t change you. And I can’t have a right and healthy relationship with God and with one another for you. I can do that for myself, and you need to do that for yourself. Each one of us has to really want a right and healthy relationship with God, and each one of us has to personally turn to Jesus Christ for that kind of relationship.
Over the past year and a half, I’ve discovered nine characteristics necessary to fulfill this pastoral mission. They are listed on the banner behind me. And I want to help you grow in these nine characteristics. If you grow in these characteristics, instead of one person, myself, involved in achieving this mission, we can have forty or so people involved in achieving this mission.
So I will teach on one characteristic on the fourth Sunday of each month. This being the fourth Sunday of May, we will look at the first characteristic, a grace-sustained life. A grace-sustained life is a life characterized by confidence in and legitimate dependence upon God.
Grace simply means God’s favor, His provisions or His promises to us that we cannot earn and do not deserve. Who can say to God that they deserve to be born? Who can earn forgiveness for the wrongs done in life and done against God? Or what have we done to cause God to care for us?
A grace-sustained life, then, is a life that humbly and confidently receives God’s favor, provisions and promises to us. He gave us life, and we wake up each morning with thanksgiving. He gave us Jesus on the cross for the forgiveness of sin, and we trust Him and receive His pardon. He maneuvers people and happenings moment by moment to provide for us and to fulfill His promises. So from morning to night, we thank and rely on God for His goodness that we need and cannot earn.
But how does a person enter into a grace-sustained relationship with God? Is she born into such a relationship? And once she has entered the grace-sustained life, does she ever slip from this confidence in God and return to an insecure or and self-centered life?
This morning, we will look at Psalm 73, to discover some answers for entering the grace-sustained life.
Asaph was a man who lived the grace-sustained life or the God-dependent life, but he almost lost confidence in God. Envy, self-pity, doubt, frustration and even resentment built up as Asaph looked at the prosperity, health and earthly rewards enjoyed by those who ignored God and did evil. Asaph kept his heart pure by living life with the purpose of pleasing God. But he was not rewarded with prosperity, health and a carefree life.
A Christian lady calls my wife periodically to complain about life. This lady points out that her church friends and co-workers are getting married, but she remains single and lonely. She knows the Bible teaches Christians to marry only Christians, but her confidence in God to provide a Christian mate is dwindling as each year passes.
Maybe you honor God in your family, your work and your church, but those who benefit from your faithfulness don’t appreciate you, and God hasn’t rewarded you with wealth and health. To make matters harder to understand, you see dishonest and godless people in your work, your neighborhood or in the news enjoy their marriage, wealth and health.
You wonder if God cares or if God is really there? Envy, self-pity and doubt begin to replace your confidence in God. What will you do? Who will you turn to?
How much of your relationship with God and your character are you willing to sacrifice to numb the pain and loneliness you feel or to acquire the earthly rewards and temporary pleasures? How will you answer the envy and doubt that bubble up in your mind and emotions?
Maybe like Asaph, you’ve thought, "Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence." Can you identify with the first fourteen verses of Psalm 73?
Maybe you’ve never trusted in God. You’ve always trusted in yourself, your own abilities and perseverance. The grace-sustained life seems irresponsible to you. You’ve earned all that you have with your own two hands, so why change now?
In either case, whether you never depended on God or whether your confidence in God is slipping, Asaph has some wisdom for us this morning to enter into, for the first time or to regain entrance into, the grace-sustained life. Let’s look together.
First, Asaph would have us know that correct handling of negative outlooks promotes our confidence in God. We see this in verse 15-16.
Asaph knew that if he expressed the negative outlooks noted in the first fourteen verses to those who were young in the faith or to those who don’t have a relationship with God yet, he would get in the way of others having confidence in God. And if he tried to understand the situation by replaying the negative outlooks in his own mind, he would be oppressed by these thoughts rather than regain confidence in God.
I am not saying that we should deny or hide what we see, but we need to be wise in when and to whom we express our negative outlooks. We need to be careful not to repeat them to ourselves unnecessarily. After all, negative outlooks are not facts, and they have negative impacts when expressed indiscriminately. Negative outlooks in life are generally isolated incidents colored by temporary negative emotions.
Ephesians 4:15 tells us to "speak the truth in love." Negative outlooks are generally not true or not altogether true when colored by negative emotions - such as envy or grief.
So what we can do with our negative outlooks? We can express them to God and tell God how we feel, whether inadequate, disappointed, afraid or hurt. Or we can talk to someone who can help rather than to someone who might simply wallow in the negative emotions with us. Handle your negative outlooks correctly or you will be oppresses by them.
Second, Asaph would have us know that our closeness to God promotes our confidence in God. We see this in verse 17.
With some people, the closer you get to know them, the less confidence you have in them. Not so with God. Asaph regained confidence in God when he came near to God. The sanctuary of God is the presence of God. We come into God’s presence when we read God’s Word, the Bible, when we pray or when we come to worship on Sundays.
I have a confession to make. Over the last two weeks, I’ve been listening to audiocassettes and reading up on organizational leadership. Seminary doesn’t teach very much organizational leadership. So I thought immersing myself in organizational management material would give me confidence in leading our church organizationally.
As a result of spending so much of my time learning about management, I’ve not spent much time in the Bible relating to the God I serve. I began to rely on myself and on the management information I was learning. When I left God out of the picture, my confidence in God using me to lead His church began to slip.
James 4:8 reminded me, "Come near to God and He will come near to you." And Hebrews 11:6 tells us, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
In other words, if we keep God at a distance, we will never have confidence in God or know God is trustworthy and reliable. So take actions to get close to God through prayer, Bible study and Sunday worship.
Third, Asaph would have us know that correct understanding of God’s timing promotes our confidence in God. We see this in verses 18-20 and 27.
Asaph remembered when he came into God’s presence that God doesn’t punish wrongdoing immediately. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, "The Lord [God] is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (turn away from wrong and turn to God)."
God doesn’t punish wrongdoing immediately not because He is powerless or unjust. God patiently waits for us to turn from wronging and to turn toward His mercy and forgiveness. We need to remember this, when we see godless people prosper. We need to remember this, when we are not punished for our wrongdoing.
Isaiah 55:6-7 tells us, "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon."
Know that God is patient, but go to God as soon as possible. His patience will run out. He will balance His books.
Fourth, Asaph would have us know that correct evaluation of the situation promotes our confidence in God. We see this in verses 21-22.
Asaph came to his senses, realizing that his negative emotions of envy, self-pity and grief kept him from seeing life and God correctly. A person overpowered by negative emotions should wait until he regains his senses before he makes important judgments or decisions.
When we are overwhelmed by negative emotions, we want to do something right away, anything, even stupid and sinful things to retaliate at the one who hurt us or to relieve the pain we feel. A.W. Tozer wrote, "Sin is never a thing to be proud of. No act is wise that ignores future consequences, and sin always does. Sin sees only today, or at most tomorrow; never the day after tomorrow, next month or next year."
Therefore, we need to correctly evaluate our lives, other people, actions and reactions and consequences.
Fifth, Asaph would have us know that a right relationship with God currently promotes our confidence in God. We see this in verses 23-26 and 28.
Asaph understood that people who think that a right relationship with God is possible in the afterlife without a right relationship with God currently are in for a rude awakening. We cannot wait until we are dead to trust God to forgive us our sins. We have to trust God now, if we are to trust Him to care for our afterlife.
Hebrews 9:27-28, "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Are you waiting for Him or running from Him?
Let me read a portion of an email from my Sister’s church fellowship, "Boli Zhang, a young Chinese writer, was born in Heilong Jiang Province in China. He studied writing at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Beijing University. His news reporting had won several literature awards in mainland China and Taiwan.
In 1989, Zhang participated in the pro-democracy movement of Tiananmen Square. He was among the 21 student leaders who were wanted by the Chinese government after "June Fourth." Zhang fled to the Soviet Union and was sent back by the KGB.
In his journey to escape, Zhang was surrounded by ice and snow. When he was near death, God saved him. After that, Zhang lived a savage life in the forest of northeastern China for two years.
In June of1991, Zhang landed in Hong Kong and eventually came to the United States later. He became a visiting scholar in Princeton University. During Christmas of 1995, Zhang heard God’s call and entered Logos Evangelical Seminary in Los Angeles.
Since that time he has determined to witness for the Lord by proclaiming Christ. In 1999, he became one of the pastors in Home of Christians, East Los Angeles. He is one of the most welcomed evangelists in the Chinese churches in Taiwan, Southeast Asia and North America. (You can hear him speak at First Baptist Church of Burlingame on June 7, 8, 9. Let me know if you’re interested.)
Former president of the United States, George Bush, praised Boli Zhang as "the bravest man."
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi called him a modern "Robinson."
Yet Zhang responded to this praise by saying, " I am only a sinner who received grace from God."
A grace-sustained life is a relationship with God that depends on God to do what we cannot do. Only God could have given Zhang the courage, perseverance and provisions to survive and thrive through those hardships and to humbly testify of God’s grace.
A lecturer was giving a talk to students on stress management. He raised a glass of water and asked the audience, "How heavy do you think this glass of water is?"
The students’ answers ranged from 20 grams to 500 grams.
The lecturer replied, " The absolute weight doesn’t matter. What matters is how long you hold it. If I hold the cup for a minute, I would be Ok. If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for one day, you will have to call an ambulance. The cup of water is the exact same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels and the more damage it can do to me."
God never intended mankind to carry alone his or her own life’s burdens or to pay his or her sins’ penalty. God wants to carry our life’s burdens along with us and to pay our sin’s penalty for us.
To let God do what He alone can do for us is not irresponsible but wise. Only God can forgive and give eternal life. So choose to enter the grace-sustained life by putting your trust in Jesus’ death on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins and for a right relationship with God now.
