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Oct 05 '08
(A Series of Sermons on Building Character in Your Life)
Rev. Erik O. Garthe, Pastor - Edgemere Baptist Church
Message #10 ... October 5, 2008
“It is Necessary to Carry Out Good Works”
Matthew 5:44-45
Although the scoreboard is the primary focus of the NCAA "Final Four" Championship, in 1991 a group of investors had their eyes on the floor. After the title game was played on April 1, 1991 in Indianapolis, a group from Iowa Sports Marketing Inc. used their creativity to make Wall Street cringe with envy. They plopped down $65,000 in an investment that gave them an 850 percent return in less than a week. That's $548,900 to be exact. By purchasing the basketball floor on which the Final Four Tournament was played, the folks from Iowa gained the rights to do whatever they wanted to with the wooden court. Most companies would take the $65,000 court and seek to find users that would eventually help them recover their costs. These guys did the exact opposite. They cut up this brand new basketball court into 22,000 little pieces. To some it seemed like quite a waste; only three basketball games had been played on it. To the Hawkeyes, those little 61/2 inch x 5 inch pieces of floor represented a great investment. You see, they sold all 22,000 pieces of that basketball court for souvenirs at $24.95 a pop. Their creativity turned $65,000 into $548,900 in less than a week. [Houston Chronicle, April 1991]
Read 2 Kings 1:1-12
2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so he sent messengers and said to them, "Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury." … 5 When the messengers returned to him, he said to them, "Why have you come back?" 6 So they said to him, "A man came up to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you, and say to him, "Thus says the LORD: ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’"’" 7 Then he said to them, "What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and told you these words?" 8 So they answered him, "A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite." 9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So he went up to him; and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: "Man of God, the king has said, ‘Come down!’" 10 So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men." And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 11 Then he sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he answered and said to him: "Man of God, thus has the king said, ‘Come down quickly!’" 12 So Elijah answered and said to them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men." And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
Also read 2 Kings 6:8-23
8 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, "My camp will be in such and such a place." 9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, "Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there." 10 Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice. 11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?" 12 And one of his servants said, "None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom." 13 So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him." And it was told him, saying, "Surely he is in Dothan." 14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" 16 So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, "Strike this people, I pray, with blindness." And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 Now Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." But he led them to Samaria. 20 So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, "LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see." And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and there they were, inside Samaria! 21 Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?" 22 But he answered, "You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master." 23 Then he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel.
A question for us to consider: “If we are to honor the king and love our enemies, why did Elijah call down fire from heaven to consume the 102 soldiers whom the king of Israel sent to arrest him, while Elisha told the King of Israel to welcome and feed the great host of soldiers whom the King of Syria sent to arrest him?
Answer: Proverbs 16:7 promises, “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” However, when our ways do not please the Lord, He may stir up enemies to oppress us and draw us back to Himself. This was God’s continual practice with the nation of Israel.
• When Israel turned away from the Lord and worshiped other gods, He would raise up nations to fight against them. See Judges 2:14
14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.
• On other occasions, God would raise prophets and judges and give them supernatural power to bring judgment on His people.
In Elijah’s case, the soldiers who came to arrest him were sent by King Ahaziah, who served Baal and “provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger” (1 Kings 22:53). In calling down fire on them, Elijah was God’s minister of judgment to the king who had turned the nation from God.
In Elisha’s day, the Syrian nation was used by God to afflict Israel. When the King of Syria sent “a great army” to arrest Elisha for revealing his secret strategy, Elisha asked God to strike the Syrians with temporary blindness and then led them to the king of Israel. The king wanted to kill the Syrians, but Elisha instructed him to give them a banquet and send them back to the King of Syria.
What was the result? Verse 23 says that “the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel.”
See Romans 12:20-21
20 Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Creativity … is using wise thoughts, careful words, and skillful actions to carry out God’s will.
Most Americans have encountered the cultural phenomenon of a "Wal-Mart Greeter." What seems to be a very polite and hospitable gesture was actually created to deter shoplifting. In 1980, Sam Walton visited a store in Crowley, Louisiana that was attempting to curtail their problem with shoplifters. Rather than post a guard and raise the concerns of honest customers, the manager positioned a friendly greeter at the door to visually inform potential thieves that they were being watched. As a byproduct it provided an additional personal touch to the overall shopping experience at Wal-Mart. Walton loved what he saw and immediately implemented the strategy in every store. It was a creative way to resolve a problem. [The Meaning of A Man, Ronnie Floyd, 1996, p.42]
o The Hebrew word for “create” is bara’. It means “to shape” or “to fashion.” It was used to define creation of man in Genesis 1:27.
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
A somewhat similar word—yatsar—was used in Genesis 2:7, when God “formed man of the dust of the ground.” Yatsar is a word that describes the work of a potter when he forms a vessel for some specific purpose.
See Isaiah 29:16
16 Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, "He did not make me"? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?
The wisdom and understanding of the Creator is seen in what He creates.
Creativity is a quality used for making not only things but also plans. There are two words that help understand the quality of creativity:
a. Skillful—is a word that combines skill and cleverness with creativity. “Esau was a skillful hunter” (Genesis 25:27), and David was “a skillful player on the harp” (1 Samuel 16:16).
b. Prudence—is the ability to strategize to accomplish a goal. It is using discretion and knowledge in working out a plan. The Proverbs were written “to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.” (Proverbs 1:4).
Here’s an ideal job. Express Personnel Services, a career placement company, wrote about one of their unique vocational opportunities. This job called for someone to simply ride as a passenger in a delivery truck so the driver could utilize the carpool lane. The pay was $11 per hour. It's a creative resolution of an obvious problem. [Reader's Digest, February 2005, p.50]
What Is the Purpose of Creativity?
Every character quality must be based in genuine love in order for it to function properly, and one of the best ways to express love is through good works.
• Creativity is necessary to effectively carry out good works. And we are called to demonstrate good works:
“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10).
In Romans 12:21, Paul directed believers to … overcome evil with good.
Read Matthew 5:44-45 (the words of Jesus)
44 "I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Two Questions to consider regarding creativity:
I. What Activates Creativity?
Creativity is activated by thoughts. Before God created the world, He determined in the counsel of His will that He would create man, provide a Redeemer, and establish good works for believers to follow.
If our thoughts are based on the Word of God, our creativity will be used for good purposes.
If our thoughts are not based on Scripture, our creativity will produce selfish or evil results.
Creativity is energized by words. After God conceived creation in His mind, He spoke the words, and it came about. God warns that every word must be carefully chosen before it is spoken. See Proverbs 18:21
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
II. What Increases Creativity?
Creativity is an expression of wisdom
Consider these passages:
12 "I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and discretion. (Proverbs 8:12)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (James 1:5-6).
If we are serious about increasing our creativity, we should not only ask for wisdom but also fervently cry out for it. See Proverbs 2:3-6
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
The ultimate source of wisdom is the Bible. The more we study, memorize, and meditate on God’ Word, the greater capacity we will have in our life for true spiritual creativity.
How creative are you?
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