WALKING IN THE SPRIT #16 ROSS SMITH
I want to continue this morning again on the route that we have been following of WALKING AND LIVING IN THE SPIRIT and as we’ve looked at this subject, it has become patently obvious that there is one component that is vitally important if we are going to be successful. That component, which comes by many names or descriptions, is reliability, or faithfulness or stability or dependability.
Call it what you may, it is the same characteristic even though the descriptions may vary. Without that dependability, we will qualify for what James 1:8 calls double-mindedness. He says that a man who is double-minded is unstable in all his ways – uncertain about everything he thinks and decides.
But we are fortunate in the fact that we have that opportunity to be dependable outside of any great degree of spiritual acumen. It does not require us to be spiritual giants to be reliable or dependable. Paul said, however, in
1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].
IT IS ESSENTIALLY REQUIRED THAT WE BE FOUND FAITHFUL
Unfortunately in this day and generation, most tradesmen allegedly carry the stigma of unreliability just as used car salesmen allegedly carry the stigma of dishonesty. The fact that a few have created this unfortunate condition now infects the whole trade. Have you ever called for the plumber or the electrician and he gives you a time and a date that he’ll be there but you find that after three or four more phone calls he eventually turns up.
I think that Father must feel the same way about us so often and on many occasions, for we don’t honour God with our dependability or reliability to the degree that He can look upon us and look us squarely in the face and say “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”.
And if He can’t say that to us in this day and generation and in the circumstances in which we are found, what will happen if tomorrow we stand before Him and He looks upon us. I wonder if He will be able to declare “Well done thou good and faithful servant” in the heavenlies.
It requires that we EXPEND OUR LIVES. In the past couple of weeks, we have looked at the EXPANDED LIFE, last week we looked at the EXPOUNDED LIFE and this week I want to look at the EXPENDED LIFE.
When we speak in terms of expenditure, it probably conjures up many different concepts in our minds for the term expenditure is generally used in relation to the disposal of our resources, to our funds, both on things which are necessary and things which are unnecessary, and depending upon the ratio of the expenditure on the necessary to the unnecessary determines our reliability or faithfulness.
Did you hear then, dependent upon the ratio of our expenditure on the necessary to the unnecessary determines the degree of our faithfulness or reliability or our stewardship.
But the expenditure of our lives as we WALK AND LIVE IN THE SPIRIT must not be considered as an expenditure of our resources or an unnecessary expense. Instead, we must come to see it as an investment, made by Almighty God in human tabernacles of flesh and blood and it is intended by God that He get a dividend or interest on the investment that He has made, and He quite justly deserves and demands it.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,
1 Corinthians 6:20 You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honour God and bring glory to Him in your body.
Gospel according to Ross!!! You are God’s investment. He has placed His confidence and resource within you. It says your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, you are no longer your own, God has purchased you. Therefore, Paul says, honour God with your body.
If we use the terms that we are using, we need to expend ourselves. Honour God with your body means to make every faculty available to Him. But most often, we would hardly know that we are “not our own, we are bought with a price,” for our striving in most instances is for the gratification of our desires, and we give only cursory consideration to the right and the authority that God has over our lives.
And instead of seeing the expenditure of our lives for God as the greatest privilege that has ever been afforded man, so often we view it as an imposition, as an intrusion, as an invasion of my privacy or my free time or my leisure or my funds. The Bible says in
Acts 20:35b It is more blessed (makes one happier and more to be envied) to give than to receive.
Now whenever that Scripture is mentioned, we immediately slip into the MONEY mode. We think that when someone says that it is more blessed to give than it is to receive, they must mean my money. But there is a principle threaded through Scripture which prescribes that we are to give ourselves, not just our money, but WE are to become a source of strength and comfort and aid to the Body of Christ, and to those who are in need and who God is attempting to draw into the Kingdom.
A person who is not prepared to give – and when I say give, again I want to get away from the mentality that has attached itself to the church for so long – to give effort, love, patience, time, encouragement, and ministry – whatever it is that God has equipped us with. He has given us ALL THINGS which pertain to life and godliness. A Person who is not prepared to give, who resents having to help others, most often will be suffering from a malnourished spirit, spiritual anorexia nervosa.
Proverbs 3:27 Withhold not good from those to whom it is due [its rightful owners], when it is in the power of your hand to do it.
Now that precludes a lot of people from being a benevolent philanthropist and pouring millions of dollars into some underdeveloped situation, but it does not preclude anybody from giving aid and love and comfort and hospitality and ministry.
When it is in your power to do it, do not withhold good. By the way, it is interesting to note about a person suffering from anorexia nervosa – doctors say that it is a psychological thing and it is because that person is afraid of adulthood or maturity, something within their psychological make-up doesn’t want to let them grow up and accept responsibility.
How relevant that is in spiritual terms. We still have so many kindergarten Christians because they are not prepared to mature and grow and accept the responsibilities that God wants to place on us to be a living testimony – a life expounded to the world round about, so that they can look on us and say “There goes a man who has been with Jesus”.
Proverbs 11:25 The liberal person shall be enriched, and he who waters shall himself be watered.
What a basis for giving out of ourselves. Isaiah 58:10 gets much more vigorous.
Isaiah 58:10 And if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday.
Oh what a blessed principle we have found in the Word of God. If we learn to expend ourselves in the dimensions that we understand – that is in the temporal or the natural arenas – we will find it much more comfortable then when the Lord requires that decisive dedication, which is a sacrifice.
We know from Samuel that obedience is better than sacrifice. If we can make that decisive dedication, it will be much easier to expend ourselves. Have you ever found that when you really love somebody, it is not difficult to expend yourself for them? It is no longer a task. It is a pleasure to do things for those that you love.
2 Corinthians 9:7 Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving].
You see, that giving comes out of the heart. So often, we give out of the mentality, we think “What is the proper thing to do here, what would be the right thing, we try to work it out. The book says
Let each man decide in his heart what he should give, and then not give reluctantly or under compulsion.
That is mental giving.
But God loves a cheerful giver.
Proverbs 3:9 Honour the Lord with your capital and sufficiency [from righteous labours] and with the first fruits of all your income;
Proverbs 3:10 So shall your storage places be filled with plenty, and your vats shall be overflowing with new wine.
That is in the dimensions of the natural, we can look at these things with the wrong motives. We think, “He said if I give, He’ll give back to me in good measure, pressed down and running over”, so I’d better give because I need some more next week.
That is the wrong motive, we have been redeemed to glorify God, not to show off how much I can earn or how much I have of those temporal benefits. We have been redeemed to lift up the Name of Jesus, we have been redeemed to educate the principalities and powers into the many faceted wisdom of God. God will give you what you need when you do what Matthew 6:33 says
Matthew 6:33 But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.
Do you know what the criteria there are: When we are dependable, when we are faithful, when we are reliable?
The disciples provided an example of what we should do if we are going to walk and live in the Spirit.
Matthew 10:8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely (without pay) you have received, freely (without charge) give.
Now I hear you say, I’d love to do those things, I’d love to go through this city to cure the sick, and cast out demons and raise the dead, I would love to do those things, I would love to be used by God for the restoration of men’s lives. Well, you can, but it requires that you expend yourselves. Let’s see what it involves.
Matthew 10:1 And Jesus summoned to Him His twelve disciples and gave them power and authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of weakness and infirmity.
What a gift! What a magnificent impartation of His nature, He gave them this power and authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure all kinds of disease, weakness and infirmity.
Now, some would contend that when Jesus did this, He did it as a special dispensation of His power, to a special group of men at a special time in the history of the church. I thought about it, knowing that there would be that controversy, until, by the Holy Spirit, I recalled that
Mark 16:17 And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages;
Mark 16:18 They will pick up serpents; and [even] if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.
“THESE SIGNS SHALL ACCOMPANY THOSE WHO BELIEVE” and He went on to enumerate the same power and the same people. Who? The Disciples, the only thing that is changed is the time. When Jesus did this in Matthew, it was specifically to the disciples, but every Scripture is there for our instruction, our direction, for our encouragement, and when we come up to Mark, He says, now you, as My disciples will do exactly the same thing. But in Mark 16:15, it says
Mark16:15 And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to EVERY CREATURE [of the whole human race].
Oh! Now, we are aware that that which comes first in Scripture is priority, so verse 15 logically comes before Verse 16 and 17, and so, obviously verse 15 takes priority.
When we read Matthew 10:5-6, we see that the disciples had some limitations imposed on them. When Jesus called them, it says that He sent out the twelve, charging them “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and do not go into any town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Now the disciples haven’t got as big and broad and powerful commission as we have, because Jesus said in Mark 16, I want you now to go into the whole world, and preach the gospel to EVERY CREATURE.
But in that there are two particular requirements that we so often want to overlook or maybe just defer for a while or maybe even ignore. The first one says
Matthew 10:7 AND AS YOU GO,
That is the first requirement. The next thing it says
Matthew 10:7 And as you go, PREACH,
Oh! Shock! Horror! Distress!
Firstly we have to GO. Now, I don’t believe that what Matthew was talking about there is that everyone has to give up their jobs, go and find a mission field and there become a 1990 type Willy Burton.
The expression that has been used down through the years, GO MAN GO – we all understand that – and I believe that that is the expression that Matthew is using here. It doesn’t require any degree from a university or a theological college, it requires that I recognize the priorities of God’s Word, and I put Him first.
How many times have you and I had to please and serve the Lord, by being in service, in prayer or reaching out to somebody who needs help by being hospitable, but so often we pass up the opportunity because, I’ve got something that I’ve got to do I’ve got something planned for this afternoon, I’ve got a barby on, I’ve got to go shopping, I need to visit somebody – somebody I like.
That’s generally the criteria, isn’t it? Isn’t it difficult to visit somebody you don’t like? I’ve got to go to bed tonight, but (in the back of our minds) there is a good TV programme on. And should I add to the compendium, I just don’t feel like it. I hope Father is never infected with that malaise.
We are all aware of the story here of the man who prepared a wedding feast and he told his servant to go and invite people, and the servant came back and told him:
Luke 14:18 But they all alike began to make excuses and to beg off. The first said to him, I have bought a piece of land, and I have to go out and see it; I beg you, have me excused.
Luke 14:19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine and put my approval on them; I beg you, have me excused.
Luke 14:20 And another said, I have married a wife, and because of this I am unable to come.
I think the book is very blunt, Luke didn’t mince words here, they all began to make excuses and beg off. The Body of Christ is infected with the same malaise, so often, God gives us opportunity to expend ourselves for Him, and what do we do? We make excuses and we beg off.
The second thing we have to do is “As you go, PREACH!” Now already, I can hear that protest, “I’m not called to preach.” Have you ever heard anybody say that?
Last week we studied the principle that every component of our life should preach, that expounded life where our lives should expound the truth of the Gospel. So we this morning, whether we say we’re not called to preach or whether we think we are, the book says our lives should be living testimonies read and known by men, we need to preach.
More than that, when we are living and walking in the Spirit, men will enquire of us, “What makes the difference?” and when we go to
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord.
Remember the thrust of the Spirit this morning. “I will create perfection in you when you establish fellowship with me’. Here Peter says ‘But in your heart, set apart Christ as Lord.
Always be ready to give a logical defence to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully.
Sometimes, I’d like just to push the words apart in the phrase so that I could put some brackets in, because I need reminding. What I would have put in here is “NOT ANY OLD ANSWER.” So often, when we are confronted for the testimony of what we believe, what we trust in and the dependency we have on God, we back up. The book says “Buy the truth and sell it not”, and when Peter says
Always be ready to give an answer (not any old answer) but to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully.
Now there has to be some reason for us going to these lengths, to expend ourselves like this. We don’t do it because we are so good natured, we don’t do it because we are motivated by such a compulsion and compassion for the lost – that will come – but because, when we think like God thinks, we will feel like God feels, and we will act like God acts.
The Body of Christ in days not far hence will have compassion and a compulsion for those that are lost, but for now we have to have a proper reason whilst we lack the compulsion.
Matthew 10:8 spelled it out for us. It says
Matthew 10:8b Freely (without pay) you have received, freely (without charge) give.
Good enough reason, isn’t it?
I contemplated as we have found such depth of intention and such richness in Romans 12 and in the first 10 to 12 verses. We are acquainted with the requirements that are attached to ministry, but then as I read down further in that same chapter from verse 13-21, it became much more personal, much more direct.
I just want to share with you the verbs that were used in the next nine verses and you will find again that they don’t require any degrees from Oral Roberts University or from some theological college, but what they require is dependability, reliability and application.
“Contribute, pursue hospitality, bless, share, live in harmony, adjust yourselves, never overestimate yourselves, repay no evil, aim, live at peace, never avenge, feed your enemies, overcome.”
These are all things that you and I can do this morning, these are all things that you and I MUST do this morning, these are all part of the “GO MAN GO.”
What we have to do is pursue hospitality, aim to please, never over-estimate ourselves, share, live in harmony, contribute, feed your enemies, never avenge, overcome. These are all part of the GO.
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace (the unmerited favour and blessing) of God I am what I am ….
And I can identify with that this morning, it is only by God’s grace that I am what I am.
But he said, and His grace toward me was not [found to be] for nothing (fruitless and without effect).
Now I have to take stock and say, Can I still qualify? Yes I am what I am by the grace of God, but can I stand before this city and say “The grace that God imparted to me when I accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour has not been fruitless; it has not been to no effect?” How did he come by that? Paul went on to say in the same verse
1 Corinthians 15v10b In fact, I WORKED HARDER than all of them [the apostles], though it was not really I, but the grace (the unmerited favour and blessing) of God which was with me.
Paul was no piker, Paul was no wimp, Paul didn’t slack on the job. In fact, when Paul went around he carried his needle and apron with him, and in his spare time, whatever or whenever that was, he made tents.
Sometimes we feel that we are ill-equipped to do what the Lord requires, “O I’m too old brother, or I’m too young, nobody will take any notice of me.”
The book says in Psalm 103:5, [for those of you this morning who feel like you’ve gone past the prime, who feel like you no longer can generate the fervour and the energy that is required to evidence God in your situation.]
Psalm 103:5 Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!
I thought I’d get a chorus of amens from those over forty.
1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise or think less of you because of your youth, but be an example (pattern) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.
Young people, this morning, God is not partial, God doesn’t have any preferences. He will pick up a man or a woman, a boy or a girl, a pensioner – all those who think they are senile, and if they’re prepared to move into that dimension of fellowship which we were encouraged to do by the Spirit this morning, He will perfect us.
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers – those people that Mark 16 says the signs shall follow.
When you are young, you can still be in the company of men and women with signs following them, who are healing the sick, casting out demons, drinking deadly things and picking up serpents unknowingly, and without it hurting them. You, as a young person, can be an example to those people.
Do you know what you’ve got, Paul (our youth leader) in that group of young men and women? Potential apostles that will shake the very foundation of this nation!
Paul said: Be an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith, in purity. If we can put all those components together in one mortal frame, we will have one mighty man, but how far are we prepared to expend our lives?
I want to give you some examples so that we can see what the Word of God says. In Acts 20:23 Paul says
Acts 20:23 Except that the Holy Spirit clearly and emphatically affirms to me in city after city that imprisonment and suffering await me.
If that had been me and the Holy Spirit warned me “Ross, if you go to Sydney this week, they are going to jail you and you will encounter much hardship!” I’d book a Qantas flight! Hong Kong! Anywhere but Sydney! Who wants to be imprisoned and suffer hardship?
Paul says I know that the Holy Spirit has warned me that in every city I go to, I will encounter the jails and I will encounter hardship, he was prepared to expend himself.
Luke 17:10 Even so on your part, when you have done everything that was assigned and commanded you, say, We are unworthy servants [possessing no merit, for we have not gone beyond our obligation]; we have [merely] done what was our duty to do.
Luke 17:33 Whoever tries to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve and quicken it.
Let’s put it this way, whoever expends his life for Christ will redeem it. I thought Stephen was a classic example, in
Acts 7:59 And while they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, Lord Jesus, receive and accept and welcome my spirit!
While they were stoning him, Stephen PRAYED!
The word to expend means that which can be expended or sacrificed in order to accomplish an objective. What is your goal this morning?
There is a song we sing,
To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus,
All I ask is to be like Him.
All through life’s journey from earth to glory
All I ask is to be like Him.
Is that your objective, this morning? The dictionary says that to expend, is that which can be sacrificed in order to obtain an objective.
Paul had some very, very dedicated assistants.
Philippians 2:30 (Speaking about Epaphroditus) For it was through working for Christ that he came so near death, risking his [very] life to complete the deficiencies in your service to me [which distance prevented you yourselves from rendering].
The Bible says that we have done so much, but we have not yet resisted unto blood.
Epaphroditus worked so hard, he was so faithful, he was so dedicated, he was so reliable and dependable that he almost expended himself to death, he risked his life.
Are you prepared to risk yourself to be in service this week? To expend means to put yourself out. There are people within the body of Christ today that need us to expend ourselves, to contribute, to share, to be hospitable, to feed. We need to put ourselves out, not that we might indulge ourselves in good works, but that we might indeed expend that which God has given to us and come into a closer intimate relationship.
Why must we do it, I’ll tell you why. Some are sick this morning, others are not here this morning – their physical frame is suffering the effects that came by the fall of man.
The Bible says that He has again reinstated us to be in His image and His likeness. He said, I am going to go away, and because I go away, the works that I do, greater works will you do. But those signs follow, don’t look for signs for signs sake. The miraculous never preserves anybody, but those signs WILL FOLLOW those who believe.
Are you prepared to expend yourselves for Him this morning? Are you prepared to risk your life to the point of death? That is what the Lord requires.
oOo
Ross Smith 