Everyday Incentives For Faith

Introduction

Yes, Tim is not done singing, but the next two songs are going to take place during the lesson. I thought they would be more aptly placed there. So get out your Bibles and let’s begin this morning. A brief review. We briefly noted last week the causes of languishing zeal. This lesson today will explore further the kind of meditation that will lead to an enlivened zeal for the Lord.

I think too many of us realize that sometimes we delve into a service of minimums rather than giving ourselves completely unto the Lord, as those of Macedonia did in 2 Corinthians chapter 8 and verse 5. These are some of the causes as to why zeal languish is. But as we talk about purity, as we talked about recently having a passion for purity, I want us to consider a couple things. Wouldn’t you rather desire purity rather than refrain from impurity because it’s restricted? Wouldn’t you rather desire it? Wouldn’t you rather look forward with anticipation to occasions of worship rather than seeing it as putting in your time for the Lord? Wouldn’t you rather want to do it and desire it? And even in regard to prayer, not praying because we’re supposed to, but that we really delight in communion with the Lord and enjoy our time in fellowship with him.

Wouldn’t that be better than praying because you know you should? I want to talk to you this morning about incentives. We live in an incentive-based world. A lot of our jobs involve incentives. You do certain things, accomplishing certain things, you get rewarded for those things. A lot of athletes work on performance-based contracts. And so we’re very understanding of the idea of incentives and motivations. What kind of motivations exist for us to live the kind of life that the Lord prescribes for us? So that we, as we answer the question of Luke 18 and verse 8, I love that whole context. But the point of the parable that Jesus tells is when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? If the Lord were to return today, would you be one of those people of faith that he’s looking for?

And would you be that kind of person because you understand the motivations that are there, the incentives that are there to be the kind of person the scriptures call us to be as servants of Jesus Christ? I mean, why are you here? I think a lot of times that tradition is a very powerful motivation. We’ve done this for a long time. This is what we’ve done as a family. And besides their expectations, if I don’t show up, you know, the preacher’s going to be on me from the pulpit, the elders are going to call me, my family members are going to inquire. So here, I’ll show up. It’s my tradition, but aren’t there higher motivations than that? That doesn’t sound like to me, Colossians chapter 1, walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, trying to please him in all respects.

Bearing fruit and every good work, strengthened with all power. Look at Colossians 1, 9 through 12 this week. Write that down. Colossians 1, 9 through 12, and ask yourself, does that describe me religiously? Does that describe what’s going on in here with me?

Do I want to be God’s person? It was labor day, and I got these thoughts, and they came to me. I was thinking about motivations because of our service Sunday night, actually, which I’ll reference again in a moment. Why we do what we do. And so I thought I would send it out there to my Facebook friends, because they always have great things to say when you ask questions like this. And then I get accused of allowing the brethren to write my sermons for me. But I already had the three points in my mind and did not waver from those. But here’s what I asked. What is the major motivating factor in your faith, your worship, and your obedience to the Lord? I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.

I wanted to hear people say, what motivates them to serve the Lord? To pursue faith and love and obedience.

Bob Balch Jr. said, the yearning for that day when the creator of the entire universe will say to me personally, Well done, good and faithful servant. We can’t earn salvation, but what son doesn’t desire for his father to be proud of him? Cheryl McClellan, whom I know is a friend of Stephen Terry’s, because he is always with me through good and the bad. If you trust in him, things always work out for the best. He can make the impossible happen. In the end, I will get to look in his face and be with him forever. This kid named Banning chimed in. The desire to lead a life that is worth something. The fear of wasting God’s gift of life. Fear God and keep his commandments because this applies to every person.

Brett Mox said.

He was real. He was a human. He walked as we do, except without sin. He talked like we do, except with authority and power. He loved like we do, except even to the point of death on a cross. He died as we do, except he was resurrected. He was God on earth. There is no other belief system based on such an amazing and awesome reality. To which John Banning said, that’s another sermon in and of itself.

He’s awesome. I can’t wrap my mind around it. Awesome. Tina Tucker Ashley affirmed. Because of the unchanging character of God, he always keeps his promises. Therefore, I want to obey, worship, and build my faith in him who is an ever constant and eternal king. In a world where so many things and people change and are unreliable. He is always the same. And I always know where to find him. My fellow classmate at FC and member of the church in Nashville, Tennessee, Tim Edmondson said, because he deserves it. Another short answer from my friend Carrie Brewer in Indianapolis. Because it makes God happy. Tom Simmons. Thankfulness for redemption from sin and eternal joy with the faithful. The awe of bowing my knee in the presence of God.

And our own Jamie Harrett, who’s with Lyric. Serving one better than myself. Hope of a life better than the temporal. Yeah, there’s always the matter of Blake in the temporal. Just throwing that in. And then there’s the award-winning comment of Donna Tackett, who said, Right now, my motivation is looking forward to hearing the sermon you deliver on Sunday from all these posts. You win, Donna Tackett. Those are just a sampling. Laura Harkwriter got in at the last second, but I didn’t have time to get it in. So many great thoughts. A lot of them revolved around the second and third points in my lesson. And I wasn’t really surprised that the first point didn’t get a lot of play, but I do think it is a powerful incentive and motivator for us and incorporate some other thoughts that people had.

And so I want to talk to you for a moment this morning about why we believe our incentives. And I want to express to you three incentives that are true of everyone. I think it varies from person to person, the kinds of things that motivate us. There’s a lot of different kinds of motivations that the scriptures give us, and it does vary from person to person, but I want to talk about three incentives that all of us can share that should motivate us to serve the Lord and the way that He has instructed us to. And again, I think one of the great problems that we experience in not having these motivations ever present before our minds is just what the disciples experienced in the garden when they were sleeping while Jesus was praying, and he said to them, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

One of the reasons why these motivations are not present with us and spurring us on and helping us towards spiritual growth is that while we may want to be that, we may want to do that.

1. My Unavoidable Mortality Compels Me

Remember what I talked about in the very beginning about why zeal languishes. The flesh runs interference with that. So I want to give you three things, three simple things that I believe are everyday incentives for faith. The first is my unavoidable mortality compels me. I almost use the word sobers me, but we so associate that word with not drinking. But it is the idea of sobriety. My mortality, it compels me, it sobers me because as I look at my life, look, I’m getting older in a hurry. I sometimes can’t believe that I’m in my 50s. I know it’s hard for you to believe. But here I am in my 50s. That’s like I can’t. Joan Rivers just died. I mean, people that we knew as in our 20s and 30s that were celebrities are getting old.

They pass away. We read about it all the time. Certainly we have to ask the question as we’re rapidly being hurled through lives. Our lives are but a vapor that appear for a short time and then vanish away. We read that, but are we really intellectually grasping that? James 4 and verse 14. Our days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle. Job said, I don’t know all about that, but I’m pretty sure that thing went pretty fast. It’s faster than a computer chip, I guess. And how it accesses that. I mean, an illustration, the fastest thing that you can imagine. Our days are over. I like what David, I have been young, but now I’m old. Psalm 37 and 25, I’ve not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.

And he says that here’s this young strapping man who slays the giant Goliath. What a glorious moment in his life. He’s been gone from this earth for 3,000 years. I mean, he’s been gone for a long time. We have to deal with my morality, my mortality. Well, what then? When I die, what then? You got to ask that question. And then there’s this thing. If I don’t come to graps with my grapple with my mortality, if I don’t come to grasp with that, what? What are we going to do? If I’m not going to listen to my creator, well, there’s warnings. And this is something that several people mention. We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the things done in our body, whether those things be good or bad.

Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, Paul said. Several people mentioned hell as a motivator. My fellow Auburn tiger, Marshall Reid said, My primary motivation actually varies according to my mood or the circumstances. Sometimes the motivation may be spiritually immature, though it be a valid motivation. For instance, I really don’t want to go to hell. I do believe that spiritual maturity leads us to more positive motivations. Love of God, spending eternity with him over negative motivation, but I have to admit that at times the fear of punishment is greater than obedience out of love. Several people mentioned hell as a motivating factor. And 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 has always resonated with me. When he says, and these will pay. When the angels are revealed from heaven in flaming fire, taking vengeance, these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power.

Who are those people? It says very clearly who they are. Those who do not know God and consistent with that, those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the fact that I’m going to die, and there’s going to be this inevitable interview with God, where I’m going to stand before the judgment seat of God, and he’s going to say, your behavior either measured up, consistent with the life of faith, a sufficient response to all that I’ve done for you, either it did or it did not. And I can’t escape that. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap. He that sows to the flesh, if that’s what my life, my short time here is all about.

2. My Savior's Sacrificial Love Draws Me

He that sows to his flesh, does whatever he wants, follows his desires, he shall of his flesh reap corruption. But he that sows to the spirit shall of the spirit reap everlasting life. So my mortality compels me, it sobers me to seek the things of God. I have a creator. He has designs and plans for me. So that’s motivation number one. But now we go to an even higher motivation, as Marshall mentioned. Not just the fact that my unavoidable mortality compels me, but my Savior’s sacrificial love draws me. This was the most common point that my brethren mentioned in that Facebook request. And I thought of a couple of songs that express beautifully how the love of our Savior motivates us. Tim’s going to leave them there.

And when I see our style in to all each glory will come to the door and I shall enter my home to dwell the world.

The love of God is greater for the pain can ever tell it goes beyond the highest thought and reaches to the lowest hell the guilty pay with care is to wish his very child’s and hard and promise his love of God and pure measure from it shall forever more endure name Joseph Where time shall pass away an earthly throne and kingdoms fall when they who here refuse to pray on rocks and hills and mountains call God’s love of sure shall still endure our measure and strong redeeming grace to Adam Grace the saints and a love of God how rich and pure our measure and strong it shall forever endure the saints and a song could we with the ocean thin where the sky of our cake where every stall on earth will and every man ascribe our train to write the law of God above will drain the old sun drive nor could the scroll contain the whole stretch from sky to sky our love of God our rich and pure measure life and strong it shall forever enjoy the safe name.

Well, that’s astonishing, the things that we have sung. When I got this graphic to represent this thought, this incentive, this motivation, the word outrageous sort of jumped out of me. The outrageous love of God. But really, that’s a good word. A love like this is outrageous. It is unbelievable if we did not so trust in God. God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Scarily, scarcely for a righteous man would one dare to die, he said previously in that context, but that even while we were rebellious, even though we have chosen our own way time and time again, even while we were sinners, even those who were crucifying Jesus, he was dying to save them. That’s outrageous love.

And that’s why the message of the cross is so presented in the scripture in John 12 and verse 32. When Jesus says, if I be lifted up on the cross, if I be lifted up, then I will draw all men to myself. Or as we look at Paul, one who was extremely motivated in his service to the Lord because he had once persecuted the church of God, he had opposed the way of the gospel. And he repents and he comes to the Lord, he writes to the Corinthians and says, the love of Christ controls us. And so if we’re looking for sufficient motivation, everyday incentive for doing what we’ve been instructed to do and living lives of devotion to God, we’ve got to come back to that.

Meditating on the Savior’s love. That’s the drawing card of the gospel. And that’s why if we crucify afresh the Son of God, there remains no more sacrifice for sins. I mean, if that is not going to draw us, there is nothing powerful enough besides that. Another comment.

Our Savior gave up everything, sacrificing himself because he loved us so much, even giving his life for those who despised him. How could we not dedicate our lives to him? Ashley Wieson has been my friend ever since he came and spoke to us. He preaches in South Africa, and we communicate from time to time. And he simply said, His great love for me is my motivation. And another sister from our days in Auburn said, He created me and loves me. I love him and am able to read his word and pray to him.

3. My Incomparable Hope Drives Me

1 John chapter 3 and verse 1. And it’s interesting as people talked about the love of God, they also mentioned the peace of God that He supplies us. And that perhaps could be another point in and of itself. But one more thing. Not only is it my mortality that compels me, and the Savior’s amazing, outrageous, sacrificial love that draws me. As we sang last Sunday night, my incomparable hope drives me also. Of course, too many to count mentioned heaven. As we were singing Sunday night and thinking about the wonderful things that our young men said, things Ross said, and Daniel. I thought about it from the standpoint of our young people. And I thought, what is it about heaven? I think as you get older, you appreciate the promise of heaven more.

But what is it about heaven that should motivate me, even as a young person, to want to go there to make the decisions necessary to please God? Because heaven is definitely presented to us in Scripture as a motivating factor. What is it exactly that is so appealing about heaven that I wouldn’t want to jeopardize it in any way, that I would be compelled to go against the current of culture and do what is right regardless of what anybody else thinks. And young people, as you face your high school days and your college days, what is it about heaven? That is an incentive to be different, to stand against the pressure of conformity and the current of our culture. And I thought about some things that were spoken of on Sunday night, things we sang about.

Certainly, we are in the presence of the most awesome person when we go to heaven. There is no relationship on earth that is so intense, so wonderful, so incredible, that will rival that relationship with God in eternity. I will see his face. As someone said, the perfect relationship with the ultimate person. And flowing out of that, my favorite verse in all the Bible in his presence is fullness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures forever. Psalm 16 and verse 11. I mean, that ought to be motivating to us. You can’t get that here. Where joy is full, where pleasures never end, only in the presence of God. But I thought about other things that are motivating about heaven. When sometimes you don’t feel very good.

You know, when you’re you’re impressed with your mortality when you’re sick. And your body is just aching when you’re running that 102 fever and you have the flu. Or you get food poisoning. Or some of us all had it one time recently. You know, you’re just sick. Kyle Hall was laying on the bathroom floor when Kelly found him one morning. Just miserable. When I think about going to heaven. This is enough, by the way. You know, we’re going to feel 100% all the time. Isn’t that incredible? Here we get tired, we hurt. As you get older, you hurt more. You have to have surgeries. Up there. You feel 100% all the time. That’s what heaven is. I mean, there’s never any temptation. Aren’t you glad that whole fight will be over?

There’s no temptation to do anything wrong. There’s no want. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. You won’t be lacking anything. Everything is going to be perfect 100% of the time. That’s heaven. That’s better than anything here by a million miles. Because we’re going to be in the presence of the ultimate person who provides ultimate things. Who richly supplies all of our needs even now in Christ Jesus and its glory. It’s awesome majesty. That’s why the scriptures presented over and over and over again as treasure. Think about how many times heaven is referred to as treasure. Don’t we get the concept? Treasure in heaven. Don’t lay it for yourselves, treasures on the earth. All this stuff is temporary, not near to be compared with the treasures that are in heaven.

You think of what winning the sweepstakes. Look. Let’s say you did. You won the 10 million dollar sweepstakes. You’d be pretty excited about that. We’d be pretty excited about that because you’re in a gift. No, I’m just kidding. That just came to me.

Conclusion

You win the snake. That’s exciting. You’re going to be able to buy whatever car you want, live in whatever neighborhood you want, whatever house you want. You won the sweepstak. That’s nothing compared to this. Nothing. It’s hard for us to grasp that because it must be apprehended by faith. We don’t have sufficient motivation because our faith lacks. And because we don’t spend enough time meditating about this. The fact that, number one, I’m not going to live here forever. That the Savior’s love was incredible. That he could love the likes of me and go so far and give up so much for me, and that he’s promised the likes of me something like we’ve just talked about. That to me is enough. Three things. That is enough incentive to live for the Lord.

My good friend Cheryl Dickerson just said, I need his help. Fellow preacher of the gospel, Ira Lynn said several things motivate me, but one thing stands out. I know I can’t do it by myself. And so whether you realize it or not, you need him. And not only do you need him, he makes amazing promises to us. This should be enough motivation for us to say, you know, I’m done living outside of the Lord’s purposes for me. I’m going to choose faithfulness and obedience to Him. I’m going to allow the Savior’s love to draw me like God intended, and I’m going to put on Christ.

I’m going to change where I need to change. I’m going to confess with my lips that awesome confession. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And I’m going to be baptized and wash away my sins, calling on his name. Isn’t that amazing that I can do this and make an appeal to God in doing it? That he hears and that he rewards. And that he will cleanse me from all iniquity. Arise and wash away your sins, calling upon the name of the Lord. Making an appeal to God to cleanse your conscience. 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 21. And living in hope of an awesome resurrection. If there’s anyone who is compelled this morning to choose the ultimate life, won’t you come while we stand and see?