Gifts Without Grasping!
Sermon
Out From The Ordinary
First Lesson Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost (First Third)
I don't know about you, but I hate the guys who minimize and criticize the guys whose enterprise has made them rise above the guys who criticize. Don't you? I'm talking about envy. It was Frederick Buechner who said that envy is "the consuming desire to have everyone as unsuccessful as we are." ENVY! Lloyd John Oglive said that "envy is that hungry beggar who never has enough." Envy in some ways is worse than its green-eyed first cousin, jealousy.
Basically, jealousy is an over-protectiveness of something we already have. Envy is worse than jealousy from the standpoint that envy is desirous of and seeks something that belongs to someone else. The Bible says that God is a jealous God, but never in Scriptures does God "fess" up to envy. Envy is subtle, sneaky, sinister, plotting, conniving, manipulating, and controlling. Envy grasps!
I was talking with a great Southern Baptist leader about a mutual friend. He made the statement, "You know, that fellow has an angle on everything he does." Then he said, "Wait a minute. Don't get me wrong. I did not mean that in a negative way." But it does make you wonder. Do you know the worst thing about envy? Envy is begrudging God's generosity to someone else. Envy is being angry that God is good and gracious to another.
We see a portrait of envy in a parable that Jesus told in Matthew 20. A man went out very early in the morning to gather workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. They worked all day. He went out at nine o'clock and then twelve o'clock and found other workers and put them to work. Then he went out at five o'clock and found other workers and also sent them to his vineyard to work. When evening came, he told his foreman to call in the workers and pay them their wages beginning with the last first. The people who worked one hour were given a denarius. The people who worked all day also were given a denarius. But when the group hired first received only one denarius, they began to complain to the owner of the vineyard, "You gave them a denarius and they only worked one hour. We've worked twelve hours and you have given to us the same amount." The owner said, "Have I not lived up to my part of the bargain with you? Did you not contract to work for one day for a denarius? Am I not free to do with what is mine? Are you envious that I am generous?" And, of course, the answer is: "Yes!"
Envy is a word that characterized King Saul of Israel. Saul was in charge of God's people as its first king, but the crown sat uneasily upon Saul's head. He fidgeted upon the throne. The young boy, David, slew Goliath, the Philistine giant. Saul's jealously of David caused the throne to set more uneasily upon his head. The crowds proclaimed David's favor and glory. "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." Everything David did, he did well adding to the growing distrust and suspicion of Saul!
Saul became so envious of David that he sought to kill him. In verse 10 of chapter 18, Saul is prophesying while David plays the harp. Saul takes his spear and throws it at David. David eludes the spear twice, but does not retaliate.
Later on Saul is willing to sacrifice the happiness of his daughter, Merab, just to get back at David. Jealous of David's military success, Saul sends him to the front line of battle hoping that he will be killed, but to no avail. David continues to excel in everything he does.
Why was Saul envious of David? Why could Saul not be happy? He was the leader of the people, right? When David won battles for Israel, was that not good for the nation? Instead of being happy that Israel was conquering its enemies, Saul was envious of David. All he could think of was himself and his own public image. "How do I look? What do the people think of me?" As a result of his envy and paranoia, everything Saul touched turned to dust, and everything that David touched turned to glory.
Everyone loved David. The people loved David. Jonathan, the king's son, loved him as did Michal, the king's daughter. Saul's servants loved him and sang his praises. The military loved David. David was the "fair-haired" child, the "golden boy." Everything David did, he did well. How did David do it? How was David able to maintain his balance and equilibrium when the king he was serving was seeking to kill him? The very king that David was seeking to build up was trying to bring him down. The very king for whom he was winning battles was sending him into the heat of the battle so he might be killed. How did David do it?
First of all, David always acted; he never reacted. When Saul tried to kill David with the spear, we do not see David reacting in retaliation. He simply eluded him and went on faithfully trying to do what he was supposed to do. David was acting, not reacting. David realized he could not control all outside circumstances, but he knew he could control himself. David was only responsible for himself! It was as if David trusted in God of the process. He knew that God was involved in the process of David's life. He knew that he did not have to react emotionally to the events around him.
David did not engage in silly comparisons. David could have bemoaned his fate. Jonathan was born in the house of a king and had it made. Saul had fame and fortune, and David could have easily compared himself to Saul or Jonathan or anyone else, but he did not.
Sometimes I go to the beautiful home of a friend, and I say, "I don't measure up." I listen to an excellent sermon of a preacher friend, and I say, "I don't measure up." I hear of an outstanding ministry of a neighboring church, and I say, "I don't measure up." How foolish! I'd make a lousy anybody else, but I make the best "me" around. You would make a lousy anybody else, but you make the best "you" in existence. Let us not engage in silly comparisons. There will always be people who have more and less than you do. There will always be people who are more attractive and less attractive than you are.
David always acted and never reacted. David, especially early in his life, was a model of what we call biblical maturity. David was a man of maturity even at a young age. The New Testament says, "Be ye perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48 KJV). A good translation is, "Be ye mature as your Father in Heaven is mature." The Greek word translated "mature" means "toward an end." Biblical maturity means that we are headed toward an end. We are always reaching for the goal. We are always on the path upon which God has set us. To be mature is to be headed in God's direction for your life. David followed God's plan for his life.
In almost every one of Billy Graham's sermons, he stresses, "God has a plan for your life." You make the best "you" in existence. God knows that and God has a plan for you.
When I was just beginning in the ministry, about the same age as David, I was privileged to serve under my pastor, Scott Bryant. I was still wet behind the ears. I couldn't preach my way out of a wet paper bag, but at homecoming he asked me to preach. I preached Easter Sunday morning, the biggest crowd of the year. This humble pastor was so secure in who God had called him to be that he was able to relinquish the limelight and let me hear the applause.
I was privileged to have Major Ian Thomas in the church I was serving in Tuscumbia, Alabama. As we were talking one afternoon, he told me that he was having problems with a worship center in Australia, one in London, and one in Colorado. I said, "My gracious, man, how do you keep up with all of that?" He said, "I don't." I said, "How are you going to solve all of those problems?" He said, "I do not have the foggiest idea, but God called me to this ministry. It's God's ministry and God will come up with the answers." He said, "Now don't misunderstand. This doesn't mean that I am lazy. It means that I work harder than ever before, but it means that I realize ultimately the results belong to God." All we are to do is walk where God has told us to walk. God has a plan for our life. We don't have to grasp to control or manipulate.
Mother Teresa once said, "If you are frustrated, it is a sign of pride, because it shows you trust in your own powers. Do not be discouraged. Just remain humble. God has placed me where I am, and God will come up with a solution."1 To be mature in Christ means that we are headed in the direction that God wants for us. God has a plan for our lives.
David was an individual who acted and did not react. He was a man of maturity, and basically David was an individual of integrity. "Integrity" is such an important word. It means "wholeness." The word comes from the mathematical term "integer," which is a whole number. To be whole means that our lives are characterized by a consistency and unwavering faithfulness.
Did you see the movie Rob Roy? It is about an individual who lived many years ago in a much more difficult time than ours. Through a series of misfortunes, he lost his home and his cattle. He borrowed money and it was stolen. His brother was killed. His village was ransacked and worst of all his wife was violated. That was the last straw. He went to avenge her. He called it a point of honor. He told his young sons who were gathered before him that honor is one's gift to oneself. I call that integrity. Early in his life, David was a man of integrity who gave to himself the gift of honor.
At the end of the Civil War, Robert E. Lee was approached by a group of business persons. He was broke. They said, "We will give you 10,000 dollars if you will give us the use of your name to a lottery." Robert E. Lee said, "My name is all I have left and it's not for sale." Integrity -- a consistency, a steadfastness in one's life that is not for sale. It has something to do with truth. It has something to do with knowing and being true to oneself.
No wonder David was successful -- a man who did not react but always acted, a man of maturity who was on the path that God had chosen for him, and a man of integrity. Please do not misunderstand what I'm saying. In no way did David earn his success. The Bible is very clear to point out that David was successful because "God was with him." He was an individual favored of God. God was with him, and it was because of God that he was successful. David didn't deserve it. It was God's gift of grace. Did this mean that David was always successful? No! For ten years he lived as a fugitive running from Saul in daily fear for his life. Does that mean that he always made wise choices? No! David made tons of mistakes and was a horrible parent.
What does "God with you" mean? What does it mean for you today? Does it mean that you are always going to be successful, healthy, wealthy, and wise? No! No matter what some preachers promise, that's not biblical. Does it mean that you are going to be the next king of Israel or win the lottery and have fame and fortune? No! Does it mean that you are always going to make wise choices? No! Does it mean that you have control of everything that happens to you? No! What does it mean? I think it means that God is with you no matter what happens to you, and no matter what happens within you. The God who is with you uses every experience in your life to make you more like Jesus. God's plan for every person's life is that you would become more and more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-30).
Mother Teresa tells of starting a home in New York City for people dying with AIDS. She heard of four individuals who were in jail and dying from AIDS. She received permission to bring them to the home because she did not want them to die in jail. One of the men had to be taken to the hospital. When she visited him, he said, "Mother (this was a man who had not been in church or received communion in over 25 years), when I have this terrible pain in my head, I remember the pain that Jesus must have suffered when they rammed the crown of thorns upon his head. When I have these awful pains in my back, I think of the pain that Jesus must have suffered when they scourged him terribly. When I have these horrible pains in my hands and feet, I think of the pain that Jesus must have suffered when they crucified him. Mother, you have shown me Jesus and I want to go home with you to die."2 Three days later he died, and continued his journey of being more like Jesus.
"To be like Jesus" -- now there is something of which to be envious. "He that tries to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for Jesus' sake will find it."
A southern pastor tells of his church turning their parking lot into an outdoor skating rink for inner-city children in the '60s. As he stood with pride and watched the children glide on new skates, he felt a tug at his shirt. A small African-American boy looked up at him and pointed to his untied shoe laces. "Okay, sure I'll tie your shoe," replied the pastor. A few moments later he received another tug from the same little boy pointing to the other untied shoe. The pastor complied.
A moment or two later another tug occurred. It was the same little boy, but now the first shoe had come untied again. The pastor, looking down at the boy, said with exasperation, "Not you again! What do you think I am -- your servant!?" Catching his breath and his perspective, the pastor said to himself, "Yes, that's exactly what I am."
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ: who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant ..." (Philippians 2:5-7a NIV).
____________
1. Mother Teresa, No Greater Love (Novato, California: New World Library, 1997), p. 31.
2. Mother Teresa, op. cit., p. 139.
Basically, jealousy is an over-protectiveness of something we already have. Envy is worse than jealousy from the standpoint that envy is desirous of and seeks something that belongs to someone else. The Bible says that God is a jealous God, but never in Scriptures does God "fess" up to envy. Envy is subtle, sneaky, sinister, plotting, conniving, manipulating, and controlling. Envy grasps!
I was talking with a great Southern Baptist leader about a mutual friend. He made the statement, "You know, that fellow has an angle on everything he does." Then he said, "Wait a minute. Don't get me wrong. I did not mean that in a negative way." But it does make you wonder. Do you know the worst thing about envy? Envy is begrudging God's generosity to someone else. Envy is being angry that God is good and gracious to another.
We see a portrait of envy in a parable that Jesus told in Matthew 20. A man went out very early in the morning to gather workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. They worked all day. He went out at nine o'clock and then twelve o'clock and found other workers and put them to work. Then he went out at five o'clock and found other workers and also sent them to his vineyard to work. When evening came, he told his foreman to call in the workers and pay them their wages beginning with the last first. The people who worked one hour were given a denarius. The people who worked all day also were given a denarius. But when the group hired first received only one denarius, they began to complain to the owner of the vineyard, "You gave them a denarius and they only worked one hour. We've worked twelve hours and you have given to us the same amount." The owner said, "Have I not lived up to my part of the bargain with you? Did you not contract to work for one day for a denarius? Am I not free to do with what is mine? Are you envious that I am generous?" And, of course, the answer is: "Yes!"
Envy is a word that characterized King Saul of Israel. Saul was in charge of God's people as its first king, but the crown sat uneasily upon Saul's head. He fidgeted upon the throne. The young boy, David, slew Goliath, the Philistine giant. Saul's jealously of David caused the throne to set more uneasily upon his head. The crowds proclaimed David's favor and glory. "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." Everything David did, he did well adding to the growing distrust and suspicion of Saul!
Saul became so envious of David that he sought to kill him. In verse 10 of chapter 18, Saul is prophesying while David plays the harp. Saul takes his spear and throws it at David. David eludes the spear twice, but does not retaliate.
Later on Saul is willing to sacrifice the happiness of his daughter, Merab, just to get back at David. Jealous of David's military success, Saul sends him to the front line of battle hoping that he will be killed, but to no avail. David continues to excel in everything he does.
Why was Saul envious of David? Why could Saul not be happy? He was the leader of the people, right? When David won battles for Israel, was that not good for the nation? Instead of being happy that Israel was conquering its enemies, Saul was envious of David. All he could think of was himself and his own public image. "How do I look? What do the people think of me?" As a result of his envy and paranoia, everything Saul touched turned to dust, and everything that David touched turned to glory.
Everyone loved David. The people loved David. Jonathan, the king's son, loved him as did Michal, the king's daughter. Saul's servants loved him and sang his praises. The military loved David. David was the "fair-haired" child, the "golden boy." Everything David did, he did well. How did David do it? How was David able to maintain his balance and equilibrium when the king he was serving was seeking to kill him? The very king that David was seeking to build up was trying to bring him down. The very king for whom he was winning battles was sending him into the heat of the battle so he might be killed. How did David do it?
First of all, David always acted; he never reacted. When Saul tried to kill David with the spear, we do not see David reacting in retaliation. He simply eluded him and went on faithfully trying to do what he was supposed to do. David was acting, not reacting. David realized he could not control all outside circumstances, but he knew he could control himself. David was only responsible for himself! It was as if David trusted in God of the process. He knew that God was involved in the process of David's life. He knew that he did not have to react emotionally to the events around him.
David did not engage in silly comparisons. David could have bemoaned his fate. Jonathan was born in the house of a king and had it made. Saul had fame and fortune, and David could have easily compared himself to Saul or Jonathan or anyone else, but he did not.
Sometimes I go to the beautiful home of a friend, and I say, "I don't measure up." I listen to an excellent sermon of a preacher friend, and I say, "I don't measure up." I hear of an outstanding ministry of a neighboring church, and I say, "I don't measure up." How foolish! I'd make a lousy anybody else, but I make the best "me" around. You would make a lousy anybody else, but you make the best "you" in existence. Let us not engage in silly comparisons. There will always be people who have more and less than you do. There will always be people who are more attractive and less attractive than you are.
David always acted and never reacted. David, especially early in his life, was a model of what we call biblical maturity. David was a man of maturity even at a young age. The New Testament says, "Be ye perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48 KJV). A good translation is, "Be ye mature as your Father in Heaven is mature." The Greek word translated "mature" means "toward an end." Biblical maturity means that we are headed toward an end. We are always reaching for the goal. We are always on the path upon which God has set us. To be mature is to be headed in God's direction for your life. David followed God's plan for his life.
In almost every one of Billy Graham's sermons, he stresses, "God has a plan for your life." You make the best "you" in existence. God knows that and God has a plan for you.
When I was just beginning in the ministry, about the same age as David, I was privileged to serve under my pastor, Scott Bryant. I was still wet behind the ears. I couldn't preach my way out of a wet paper bag, but at homecoming he asked me to preach. I preached Easter Sunday morning, the biggest crowd of the year. This humble pastor was so secure in who God had called him to be that he was able to relinquish the limelight and let me hear the applause.
I was privileged to have Major Ian Thomas in the church I was serving in Tuscumbia, Alabama. As we were talking one afternoon, he told me that he was having problems with a worship center in Australia, one in London, and one in Colorado. I said, "My gracious, man, how do you keep up with all of that?" He said, "I don't." I said, "How are you going to solve all of those problems?" He said, "I do not have the foggiest idea, but God called me to this ministry. It's God's ministry and God will come up with the answers." He said, "Now don't misunderstand. This doesn't mean that I am lazy. It means that I work harder than ever before, but it means that I realize ultimately the results belong to God." All we are to do is walk where God has told us to walk. God has a plan for our life. We don't have to grasp to control or manipulate.
Mother Teresa once said, "If you are frustrated, it is a sign of pride, because it shows you trust in your own powers. Do not be discouraged. Just remain humble. God has placed me where I am, and God will come up with a solution."1 To be mature in Christ means that we are headed in the direction that God wants for us. God has a plan for our lives.
David was an individual who acted and did not react. He was a man of maturity, and basically David was an individual of integrity. "Integrity" is such an important word. It means "wholeness." The word comes from the mathematical term "integer," which is a whole number. To be whole means that our lives are characterized by a consistency and unwavering faithfulness.
Did you see the movie Rob Roy? It is about an individual who lived many years ago in a much more difficult time than ours. Through a series of misfortunes, he lost his home and his cattle. He borrowed money and it was stolen. His brother was killed. His village was ransacked and worst of all his wife was violated. That was the last straw. He went to avenge her. He called it a point of honor. He told his young sons who were gathered before him that honor is one's gift to oneself. I call that integrity. Early in his life, David was a man of integrity who gave to himself the gift of honor.
At the end of the Civil War, Robert E. Lee was approached by a group of business persons. He was broke. They said, "We will give you 10,000 dollars if you will give us the use of your name to a lottery." Robert E. Lee said, "My name is all I have left and it's not for sale." Integrity -- a consistency, a steadfastness in one's life that is not for sale. It has something to do with truth. It has something to do with knowing and being true to oneself.
No wonder David was successful -- a man who did not react but always acted, a man of maturity who was on the path that God had chosen for him, and a man of integrity. Please do not misunderstand what I'm saying. In no way did David earn his success. The Bible is very clear to point out that David was successful because "God was with him." He was an individual favored of God. God was with him, and it was because of God that he was successful. David didn't deserve it. It was God's gift of grace. Did this mean that David was always successful? No! For ten years he lived as a fugitive running from Saul in daily fear for his life. Does that mean that he always made wise choices? No! David made tons of mistakes and was a horrible parent.
What does "God with you" mean? What does it mean for you today? Does it mean that you are always going to be successful, healthy, wealthy, and wise? No! No matter what some preachers promise, that's not biblical. Does it mean that you are going to be the next king of Israel or win the lottery and have fame and fortune? No! Does it mean that you are always going to make wise choices? No! Does it mean that you have control of everything that happens to you? No! What does it mean? I think it means that God is with you no matter what happens to you, and no matter what happens within you. The God who is with you uses every experience in your life to make you more like Jesus. God's plan for every person's life is that you would become more and more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-30).
Mother Teresa tells of starting a home in New York City for people dying with AIDS. She heard of four individuals who were in jail and dying from AIDS. She received permission to bring them to the home because she did not want them to die in jail. One of the men had to be taken to the hospital. When she visited him, he said, "Mother (this was a man who had not been in church or received communion in over 25 years), when I have this terrible pain in my head, I remember the pain that Jesus must have suffered when they rammed the crown of thorns upon his head. When I have these awful pains in my back, I think of the pain that Jesus must have suffered when they scourged him terribly. When I have these horrible pains in my hands and feet, I think of the pain that Jesus must have suffered when they crucified him. Mother, you have shown me Jesus and I want to go home with you to die."2 Three days later he died, and continued his journey of being more like Jesus.
"To be like Jesus" -- now there is something of which to be envious. "He that tries to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for Jesus' sake will find it."
A southern pastor tells of his church turning their parking lot into an outdoor skating rink for inner-city children in the '60s. As he stood with pride and watched the children glide on new skates, he felt a tug at his shirt. A small African-American boy looked up at him and pointed to his untied shoe laces. "Okay, sure I'll tie your shoe," replied the pastor. A few moments later he received another tug from the same little boy pointing to the other untied shoe. The pastor complied.
A moment or two later another tug occurred. It was the same little boy, but now the first shoe had come untied again. The pastor, looking down at the boy, said with exasperation, "Not you again! What do you think I am -- your servant!?" Catching his breath and his perspective, the pastor said to himself, "Yes, that's exactly what I am."
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ: who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant ..." (Philippians 2:5-7a NIV).
____________
1. Mother Teresa, No Greater Love (Novato, California: New World Library, 1997), p. 31.
2. Mother Teresa, op. cit., p. 139.
