Who Cares?

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