SOMEONE NEEDS YOU

SOMEONE NEEDS YOU Proverbs 3:27-28 January 1, 2006 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction The movie Radio is based upon the true story of a high school football coach (Ed Harris) and a developmentally challenged young man, known as "Radio" (Cuba Gooding Jr.), whom he takes under his wing. The coach invites Radio to team practice sessions. He drives him back to his home. He invites him to school, to be a part of the class. In this tiny slice of that good movie, Radio's mother and coach Jones are seated at her kitchen table having a talk. SHOW FILM CLIP (Radio, 101:50--from “You know, coach, it wasn’t that long ago, I see you drive up. . .to “There’s a whole lot more that’s right. Don’t mean we always do it.” Those who have been fortunate enough to have seen this movie know that the coach was definitely the guy to help the young man, Radio; and Radio was (you might even say) destined to be helped by this man. But, what about all the other needy teenagers in his community (and, for those who saw the film, what about his own kids)? Why didn’t anyone else beside coach help Radio? As Radio’s mother put it, there are a lot of “right” things to do. There are real needs all around us. The question is not, “Is there anyone I should help in the name of Jesus?” The tough question for any Christian, moved by his love for the Lord and compassion for people in need, is this: “Since there is a limit to what I can do, which needs do I help with? And which needs am I excused from helping with?” Is there any order to our world, any organizing principle that can help us know what we are uniquely responsible for? Well, you know there is—and the Word of God has something to say about it all. And there is a “Radio” out there for each of us to help. The Overarching Principle: Do Good Our text this morning is Proverbs 3:27-28 – Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”—when you now have it with you. This text gives us our overarching principle: to do good. Stated negatively, “do not withhold good” speaks against our carnal human tendency toward selfishness and in favor of the spiritually positive principle of giving to those in need—whether it be monetary help or some other kind of help. And we are exhorted to help without delay, with a sense of immediacy. Don’t put the needy off. I think I know why. Because as every telemarketer understands, when people have a chance to “think it over,” they inevitable default to saying No. You almost hear an encouragement toward impulsiveness in our generosity. But that’s not precisely accurate, and we’ll discover how to bring balance to that in a moment. Then there are two conditions given to us concerning our helping the needy. The first is, Help those who deserve help. What does that mean? What it does not mean is that in order to receive our help a needy person must measure up to some moral standard or personal expectation. It is saying what the Levitical law says, on which this text is based: help those who are genuinely in need. We are to be generous in our helping and giving, but also frugal Jesus taught that the only condition a person needs to meet in order to qualify for a distribution of our Christian love is that they have a need. The parable of the Good Samaritan clarifies this matter. Elsewhere He taught that we are not to wait until someone loves us first before we love them, or until they apologize for their shortcomings first or promise to repay us. Christian love demands that we be available to help those in need, and genuine need is the only qualifier. The other condition is, when it is in your power to act. We are never required to give or serve beyond our abilities, unless God is clearly providing miraculous resources. It is important for us to understand, though, that it does not say when it is in your convenience to act. Please forgive me for using a personal illustration, but it is so timely. Yesterday morning, while I was adding to my notes for this message, we received a call from Karen Johnson who lives now in Mississippi. She tearfully told us that her dad was having a heart attack and had just driven himself to St. Elizabeth’s hospital in Belleville, asking if we would pray for him and go to see him and her mother, adding that her mother’s mother was also in the same hospital, recently the victim of a stroke. Frankly, that kind of a thing is a no-brainer. You don’t stop to assess all that remains for you to do—finish your notes, go to the store, go to that birthday party and make those phone calls about Life Groups—when that kind of call comes to you. By the way, Jim is fine thanks to good care and an emergency stint. Not to make a hero out of myself or Charlotte—we did what any of you would do when you get a call saying, “I need you”—we went. “When it is in your power to act” translates into “everything else goes on hold” when there is a real need to be met. On the other hand, I can remember receiving phone calls in the middle of the night and a drunken voice would slur out the words, “Riitcchhh, I neeed t-to t-talk to yyyoouu.” A couple of quick questions certified there was no real emergency and I put them off until the next day—which appointment the caller completely forgot about. Plus I learned a long time ago you can’t help a drunk when he’s drunk. The Scripturally Emphatic Principle Doing good, being available to those in real need, is basic to our faith. It is Christianity 101. The scriptures emphasize God’s will that we serve others in His name as much as His desire that we find our salvation in Christ. In fact, the two ideas are vitally connected. Let’s consider the teaching at Ephesians 2:8-10. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Doing good works is not just a good idea or a nice supplemental behavior for the Christian—it is part and parcel of who he is. We are not involved in extra-curricular, extra-credit activity when we make ourselves available to meet needs around us—doing good works is our core curriculum! It is the very reason we were saved, as this purpose clause in verse 10 clearly teaches. That means that to not avail ourselves to doing good works in the name of the Lord to help meet the real needs around us is to scorn our God and to mock His grace. Positively speaking, it also means that the greatest joy and fulfillment possible for the believer must be when he is living out the life of availability and service to others in the name of Christ. There is no greater joy than that which is ours as we serve the living God by meeting needs around us. Maybe that is why everywhere we turn in the pages of the Bible we find replete references to the idea of doing good or doing good works. Just a couple of the hundreds of references are: Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Psalm 37:3 In Matthew 5:16 Jesus taught us to let our lights shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Jesus endorsed the doing of good works as highly valuable in the kingdom when He said: …if anyone gives a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward. Matthew 10:42 To the churches of Galatia, the apostle Paul appealed: As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:10 About a month ago we studied the passage in 1 Timothy 6 where the young pastor was instructed to teach those who are wealthy in this world with these words from Paul: …command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 1 Timothy 6:18 Then there is the exhortation to all believers in Hebrews: And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16 And to remind the Christians who were enduring persecution that their good works witness even to their persecutors, Peter wrote: Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 1 Peter 2:12 God has prepared for each of us a life full of good works, unique to us and our abilities and resources. And He has wonderfully arranged to put us in contact with people and needs in which He can use us. He is arranging divine appointments between people with needs and His own people, with His resources to meet those needs. If we will tune in to Him, surrender to His will and His leading, He will meet those needs through us, bless us in the process and bring glory to His name through our obedience. Translation: Someone out there needs you. What we have from the Spirit of God in the pages of scripture is a picture of an army of people who love God so much that they make themselves available to Him to serve Him in every way they can. And we have a picture of God who, in essence, says, Okay, if you want to serve me, do it by serving other people, meeting their real needs. They get their needs met, you get the reward of faithful service, I get glorified in the earth—EVERYBODY WINS! PASS THE P’s, PLEASE Good, now we understand the overarching biblical concept, pass the P’s, please. There are at least three very practical ideas I want to present. I sincerely believe that if these things are implemented in your life and mine, we will become far more effective agents of God’s love and grace in a world of real needs. Each begins with the letter “P”. The 3 “P’s” of Good Works: 1. Pray for divine leading What is indispensable to Christians who are serious about being obedient servants of the Lord, especially when it comes to doing the good works that God has prepared for them to do, is prayer. Prayer keeps us close enough to God that we can more easily understand His ways and His character. I have lots of friends and lots of acquaintances, but I have a very few close friends. Do you know the difference between a friend and a close friend? I know the heart of a close friend—I know his deepest hopes and dreams and I know what pleases and what displeases him. The Lord wants us to be His close friends. I no longer call you [just] servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15 Prayer brings us into deeper intimacy with our best Friend, and in that place of close relationship, we know His heart, what pleases and displeases Him. But prayer also serves as our bold request of Him. When we pray we are coming to our Savior and Friend, asking Him directly, What do you want me to do for You? Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 Once, when I was in a time of emotional turmoil and personal need, a friend called me and asked how I was doing. Then he said what no one else thought to say: What can I do for you? Now, the Lord is not in need that we should help or deliver Him, but He longs for His trusted servants to come to Him in humble and sincere devotion saying, Lord, what would you have me do for you today? One last thought about prayer. When we come to Him with such prayers for His leading and direction, what do you think He will do? Answer mysteriously, withhold His response, fool us with a trick answer? Of course not—we are His servants, His ambassadors, His soldiers, His children. If we ask for bread He will not give us a stone. If we ask for fish He won’t give us a snapping turtle! Brothers and sisters, we must learn to pray for His leading—He will not withhold it, but will perfect our capacity to hear it. 2. Provide time and energy This is about as counter-cultural as it gets, folks, but here goes. We must learn to free ourselves of too much busy-ness. We are way too busy. We don’t hear the wonderful service opportunities that God wants us to obey, because we already know we’re too committed to our own agendas. We’re going after what we want and if it should happen to coincide with what God wants we are happy to cooperate. But if it takes us away from our ambitions, well, forget it! That answer is to repent, renew our commitment to Him and promise Him (here’s a great New Year’s resolution) that we will make more free time to be available to Him, to listen to what He want us to do, and be accessible. The same holds true with our resources. We have committed every last dime, many of us, and some of us even more than what we have. We don’t even make regular, generous contributions to His church, let alone keep anything aside to use if He calls on us with a special need in someone’s life. Listen, in God’s plan, someone needs you, your time and your resources. Are you available? Can you help when God leads them to call on you? 3. Prepare your witness The primary purpose of your being ready and available to meet the needs of others in the name of Christ is NOT just to meet those temporal needs. It is to help bring those others into a saved and sanctified relationship with Him. Here’s God’s agenda in using you to meet human needs: He wants to get the attention of the needy on Him. He wants to save them, and He wants to bring them to an ever-closer relationship with Him (just like He’s doing with you!). That’s what the Word means when it says that others will see your good works and give praise to your Father in heaven. The miracles Jesus and the apostles worked, and miracles that occur yet today are not simply to satisfy physical, emotional and financial needs. That are to bring people into faith relationships with the Lord of their lives! John wrote that Jesus did so many signs and wonders that it would be impossible to record them all, but, he said, …these are written that you may believe that Jesus in the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31 What does all that mean? It means that beyond using your gifts, your time and your resources to help meet real needs, you must be prepared to share something of infinitely greater importance than time, talent and treasure. I simply want to remind us this morning of 1 Peter 3:15 which says, Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect… Very simply, there are two primary things you should be ready with when it comes to your witness: your personal testimony (a 60- to 90-second statement that summarizes what Christ has done for you. You should have this memorized, ready to go, because when you help someone in need the opportunity will probably come your way to share your personal testimony, too. The second part: you should be ready on a moment’s notice to share from the Bible (memory) how a person can come to Christ.   [Back to Top]