The Four Voices
1 Cor 15:9-10
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them-- yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
There are lots of voices clamoring to be heard today–some good, some not so good, and some down right damaging. God is speaking. Satan is speaking. A whole host of isms cry to be heard as well. Who to listen to and how to listen is an art in itself. But to listen to the voices within, that’s an absolute necessity. The voices of the soul scream at us from time to time. Do we listen? I can think of at least four voices within.
1. First Voice: “I am not what I used to be.”
This is the voice of MEMORY. Even bad memories can be helpful–in the sense that they keep us humble and dependent upon God. They help us see how far we have come by God’s grace. They help us to give praise and glory to God.
Paul remembered that he was a persecutor of believers and it served him well to remember.
Illus. “Jack Eckerd’s Change” (see Illustrations Unlimited, Hewett, pp.46,47)
2. Second Voice: “I am not what I ought to be.”
This is the voice of CONSCIENCE. Who of us would dare say that we are all that we could be? No matter how far along in the Christian way, there is room for improvement. For example, couldn’t we:
• pray more?
• care more?
• witness more?
• be more thankful?
• be more loving?
• be more holy?
Beware of the sin of complacency!
The great apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Illus.: “Stuck in the Mud”
A rural church had one member who insisted he was the best Christian in town but who rarely attended services or gave anything of his time, abilities, or money to the Lord’s work. The pastor would challenge him from time to time, but he always had the same answer: “Preacher, I may not seem to make much progress, but my faith is firmly established.” Then one day when he was hauling a heavy load of logs, his truck got stuck in the mud at the side of the road and couldn’t budge. Just then the pastor happened by and couldn’t resist the opportunity to remark, “Well brother, I see you’re not making much progress, but you are surely firmly established.”
3. Third Voice: “I am not what I hope to be.”
This is the voice of ASPIRATION. The two great aspirations of the Christian are:
■ To be more Christlike
■ To enter heaven’s gates and take as many with us as we can.
What spiritual goals have you set for yourself?
When Abraham Lincoln was a boy he husked corn three days to pay for a second-hand copy of “The Life of Washington.” After he had read the book he said, “I don’t intend to shuck corn and split rails all my life.” When asked what he aspired to, he said, “Someday I’ll be president of the U.S.” They laughed at young Abe, but we don’t laugh, do we? Because we know the rest of the story.
Of all people on this planet, Christians should be the most visionary. After all, God has a plan for our lives and I’m sure its not to live a self-satisfied existence.
Said a teacher to a class of boys in a school in Germany long ago: “Boys, when I meet you on the street, I will no doubt remove my hat in your presence, for who knows but that from this class of boys will come, one day, a man who will change the course of human history. His confidence and vision was rewarded for in that class was a boy by the name of Martin Luther.
Who knows but what that statement by a teacher spurred Luther on to strive for something better than himself.
Remember the words of Jesus in John 14:12:
“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”
In other words, Jesus believes in us because the Spirit of the Lord is in us
4. Fourth Voice: “By the grace of God I am what I am.”
This is the Voice of HUMILITY. We are aware that were it not for God’s unearned favor, we would still be in our sin–still lost, without hope, uncaring.
We can say along with Paul, “If there is anything good in me, anything praiseworthy, anything commendable, it is only because God’s grace is at work in me.”
Andrew Murray: “Just as water seeks to fill the lowest places, so God fills you with His glory and power when He finds you empty of self.”
Vance Havner: “Few of us are big enough to become little enough to be used of God.”
The story is told about an old minister who survived the great Johnstown flood. He loved to tell the story over and over in great detail. Everywhere he went he would spend all his time talking about this great historic event in his life. One day he died and went to heaven and there in a meeting all the saints had gathered together to share their life experiences. The old minister got all excited and ran to Peter (who, naturally, was in charge) and asked if he might tell the exciting story of his survival from the Johnstown flood. Peter hesitated for a moment and then said, "Yes, you may share, but just remember that Noah will be in the audience tonight."
Although George Whitefield disagreed with John Wesley on some theological matters, he was careful not to create problems in public that could be used to hinder the preaching of the gospel. When someone asked Whitefield if he thought he would see Wesley in heaven, Whitefield replied, "I fear not, for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him."
Four Voices:
■ Memory: “I am not what I used to be.”
■ Conscience: “I am not what I ought to be.”
■ Aspiration: “I am not what I hope to be.”
■ Humility: “I am what I am by the grace of God.”
Prayer
Lord, we thank You that Your grace is at work in us. We praise You for the changes You have made in our lives. We confess that we are not all that we could be. Forgive us for often being too complacent. Forgive us for sometimes taking the credit for good in us. Forgive us for the times when we are too full of ourselves. Help us to stretch and grow and climb and risk and whatever else we can do to glorify Your name.
Stir us up. Set us on fire with a holy determination. Send us forth to do Your will. In the name of the ever-transforming Christ we pray. Amen.
