I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds [us].

A picture really is worth a thousand words sometimes.  Though not a perfect depiction, perhaps this picture will help in your understanding as you remember all we’ve talked about.  God’s master plan is to bring all things together in Christ Jesus, the Messiah (Ephesians 1:9-10).  Towards that end He revealed Himself to the Jews and prepared a people through whom the revelation of God’s plan, the Messiah would come to earth (Luke 1:30-33).  Christ tore down the dividing wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles and brought peace through the blood of His cross (Ephesians 2:14).  All who by faith believe in the Son receive the gift of life in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).  As a down payment of the inheritance, the Holy Spirit indwells every believer (Ephesians 1:13-14).  Both Jew and Gentile now have access by one Spirit to the Father and are being fitted and built together into one body, the Body of Christ—the Church (Ephesians 2:18-22).  Even though at the present time during our life on earth we are all at differing levels of maturity in Christ, we will one day reach unity in the faith as together we grow into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness (Ephesians 4:13).

Now, here we are once again looking at what it means to walk worthy of the calling we have received to be in Christ—what it means to walk in a manner appropriate and fitting for those who are in Christ.  We see that God’s plan to bring the collective body of believers under the rule and reign of the Messiah begins with individuals yielding control of everything to Christ.  As I said in the first post of this series, cooperating with the Father in His work and submitting every attitude, relationship, thought, opinion, action and reaction to the rule and reign of Christ IS HARD WORK.  But, a work in which we will be blessed if we persevere.

As we see in our text above, the first two qualities that must characterize our way of life, if we are going to walk worthy of our calling, are humility and gentleness.  These two character qualities go hand in hand.  Humility is lowliness of mind and freedom from vanity or boastfulness; gentleness, or meekness as the KJV translates the word, means mild or temperate in feeling or behavior toward others.  When we speak of something being “mild”—let’s take the weather for example—we understand that it is not cold or severe or extreme in either direction.  If we’re describing a flavor or smell with the word “mild” we understand that what we’re describing is not sharp, pungent, or strong.  The same understanding must be carried into our description of what it means to walk worthy.  The way to walk worthy is to walk in humility considering others as more important than yourselves (Philippians 2:3), and with gentleness in your dealings with others.  What I mean is that our manner of life is not to be cold, severe or extreme, nor sharp, stinging or biting in our relationships.

The next quality by which our lives should be marked is that of patience.  Patience is endurance of hardship, injuries or offenses.  It is self-control, that is, control or restraint of oneself or one’s actions and feelings.  It is the abstaining from the enforcement of a right.  Patience is mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously.  And it is patience that motivated by love for Christ and love for His Body enables us to accept—to bear with and put up with one another.

To walk worthy means diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit.  That particular word, diligent, doesn’t just mean being earnest and persistent, but it carries the idea of being eager, of using speed, of making effort and being prompt.  And what is it that we’re to be eager and prompt in doing?  We’re to be eager and prompt in guarding the unity of the Spirit from loss or injury by keeping our eyes upon it.    What is the unity of the Spirit?  Fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. (Philippians 2:2)  Now that’s oneness and unanimity.  And, when the thoughts and the love, and the feelings and the goals are yielded to and under the control of the Holy Spirit, the unity is of the Spirit.

The means by which we guard and keep that unity is the peace that binds us.  Look again at the illustration above.  The peace that binds us IS the cross of Christ.  What one thing do we all have in common that put us “in Christ” and resulted in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?  The one thing everyone in Christ has in common is belief in the cross of Christ and His atoning work.  Colossians 3:15 tells us to let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts.  If we are to let the peace Christ brought through the cross arbitrate in the decisions of how to behave towards one another we must look at the example Christ gave us in the cross.

In the cross we see Love.

But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!  (Romans 5:8)

In the cross we see humility and obedience.

He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death–even to death on a cross.  (Philippians 2:8)

In the cross we see submission.

And He said, ”Abba, Father!  All things are possible for You.  Take this cup away from Me.  Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”  (Mark 14:36)

And, in the cross we see perseverance.

Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and dispised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.  (Hebrews 12:2)

Yes, the means by which we guard and keep the unity of the Spirit is the peace that binds us—the cross of Christ and following His example.

But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ. (Ephesians 4:15)  Now comes the hard part.  It’s time to grow.  It’ time to ask the Holy Spirit to answer these questions about you, then respond accordingly:

1. Is my way of life an appropriate and fitting reflection of the invitation I have received in Christ?  In other words, does my life show that I’ve accepted the invitation to live in Christ?
2. Is my mind free from conceited and boastful thinking?
3. Would others say that I am gentle in my words and reactions, or am I cold and severe?  Are my words and reactions sharp and pungent?
4. Do I patiently endure hardships, injuries and offenses?
5. Do I exhibit self-control in my words and actions, abstaining from demanding MY rights?
6. Do I courageously face difficulty, adversity, danger and temptation with mental and emotional strength?
7. Do I accept my brothers and sisters in Christ AS brothers and sisters in Christ?
8. Do I put up with them in love no matter what level of maturity they have reached in Christ?
9. Am I eager and prompt to guard the oneness that we have in Christ by earnestly paying attention to any and all obstacles that would hinder the way we relate to one another?
10. Do I let the peace of the Messiah control my heart?  In other words, do I let the peace Christ brought through the cross arbitrate in the decisions of how to behave?  Do I follow Christ’s example of love, humility and obedience, submission and perseverance?

I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received. (Ephesians 4:1)

There it is—the first of our series of practical applications of how we are to walk in Christ.  We are to walk worthy.  Before we can fully comprehend what this admonition means, there’s one word we need to explore and that is the word therefore.  To understand that word we need to go all the way back to Ephesians 1:9-10.

He [God] made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He planned in Him for the administration of the days of fulfillment—to bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him. [HCSB]

What we know from this Scripture is this:

• God’s will is in line with His plan that not only pleases Him, but that will one day be fulfilled.
• God’s will was a mystery, but has now been made known to man.
• God’s will is to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ, the Messiah.

From the start God’s plan was to bring everything together in the Messiah.  Uh, oh…does anybody else see a problem here?  How could that plan be accomplished in light of man’s choice in the Garden to disobey?  Not to worry, because before the foundation of the world God made the choice that all who were “in Christ” would be holy and blameless before Him.  (Eph. 1:4)  He set the boundary to which He would go to enfold mankind “in Christ” and redeem us from the power and penalty of sin, and that boundary was love.  It was love that took the only begotten Son of God all the way to the cross where He paid the price for our rebellion against the Father and opened the way for mankind to be adopted as sons and daughters for God Himself.  You see, the cross of Christ is the ultimate expression of God’s love for mankind (John 3:16), and the Gospel is the revelation of that which was once a mystery—God’s plan for bringing all things together in the Messiah.  The way “in” is the way of faith, the way of believing and trusting.

But to all who did receive Him [Jesus], He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name. (John 1:12)

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)

That’s why there’s no place in heaven for those who reject Christ.  Because everything will be under the rule and reign of the Messiah, those who refuse to be under His authority must be banished.  And because God is the source of life and light and hope and peace and everything that is good, the unrepentant will be banished to a place of eternal darkness and torment apart from everything that is good.  The only way to live in God’s presence is to be holy and blameless, and because of man’s sinful condition, the only way to be holy and blameless before God is to be “in Christ.”

With this great plan in mind, God chose Abraham through his son, Isaac, and grandson, Jacob, to create a people through whom the Messiah would appear.  During the days of Moses the Law was given to them as a guardian to restrain their evil behavior and preserve them for God’s purpose (Gal. 3:24).  But hostility existed between those who lived under the Law (Jews) and those who didn’t (Gentiles).

When Jesus came to earth, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, He made peace by the blood of His cross—peace within, peace with God, peace with man.

For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility.  In His flesh, He did away with the law of the commandments in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.  [He did this so] that He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross and put the hostility to death by it.  (Eph. 2:14-16)

That “one new man” which Christ created IS His body—the Church, whose purpose Paul states in the verses immediately preceding our text is to bring glory to God.  In fact, earlier in Eph. 1:22 Paul described the Body of Christ as the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way.  Wait…push pause…think about that a minute.  Can there be any greater source of glory to God than the completion and fulfillment of His plan to bring everything together in the Messiah?  Can there be any other fulfillment of that plan than the Body of Christ, that “one new man” under the rule and reign of Christ?

To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph. 3:21)

And that’s what the “therefore” is “there for”.  Because of all Paul taught in Eph. 1-3 about God’s purpose and our position as believers “in Christ”, he’s now going to turn His attention to the practical matter of how that life in Christ is lived out during our remaining time on earth.  And he begins by saying walk worthy of the calling you have received.  That word “calling” means “invitation.”  Now the invitation to be “in Christ” is open to every man.

The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

But Paul’s admonition to the church here is that ever believer’s walk should be appropriate or fitting for one who’s been invited to be “in Christ”.  In other words, as a believer in Christ your manner of life should reflect the fact that you’ve accepted the invitation.  He goes on in vv.2-3 to describe what that walk looks like.

With all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds [us]. (Eph. 4:2-3)

Next time we’ll look at each of these qualities in more detail to discover what a worthy walk looks like. Until then, may your heart be encouraged and overflow with thanksgiving as day by day you live in the knowledge of God’s plan and purpose for your life—to be under the rule and reign of the Messiah.

1) He reminds the believers at Ephesus how they used to walk in the past:

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to this worldly age, according to the ruler of the atmospheric domain, the spirit now working in the disobedient.  We all too previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and by nature we were children under wrath, as the others were also.  (Ephesians 2:1-3)

Paul is reminding them that at one time they were walking dead men.  They walked according to this world, according to the spirit working in the disobedient.  They lived to carry out the desires of their fleshly thoughts.

2) He directs their gaze forward to how they now walk as believers in Christ.  Verse 4 of that chapter begins with the words, “But God…”  But God, because of His mercy and love intervened to bring salvation; not by the merits of man, not through any work of man, but solely and completely by the grace of God—God giving the desire and power to believe; faith being the expression of that belief.

For we are His creation—created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

We are saved—not by good works, but for good works; works in which God prepared for us to walk.  You may be wondering, “What are the good works God prepared for us to walk in?”  Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians gives us a series of practical applications of how we are to walk, that is how we are to live in Christ.

• 4:1- walk worthy
• 4:17- walk not as the Gentiles in the futility of their thoughts
• 5:2- walk in love
• 5:8- walk as children of light
• 5:15- walk paying careful attention

In the next few weeks we will examine each of these individually to see how they apply them to our walk as a believer in the 21^st century.  Then, as backwards as it may seem to us, we’ll see in Ephesians 6 that it’s in learning how to walk that we learn to stand.

We must cooperate with the Father in His work of bringing every part of our lives together in the Messiah, that is in bringing every part of our lives under the rule and reign of Christ.  That means every attitude, every relationship, every thought, every opinion, every action, every reaction, EVERYTHING submitted to the rule and reign of Christ.  And that’s HARD WORK.  Remember James 1:25, But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts—this person will be blessed in what he does.  If we persevere in this hard work, that is the work of bringing everything in our lives under the rule and reign of Christ, we will be blessed!

Now you may be wondering, “How do we walk in those good works?”  As believers, we walk according to the power God gives us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation—in Him when you believed—were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.  (Ephesians 1:13)

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the…immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.  (Ephesians 1:18-19)

The power He gives us is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and gave Him all authority for all eternity.  (Ephesians 1:20-23)  That’s the ultimate in power!  It’s the power that is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20)  It’s the power that is able to give us the desire, courage, and everything we need to do His will.  (2 Peter 1:3)  It’s the power of the Holy Spirit, our guide and comforter that, working in us as we cooperate, conforms us to the image of His Son, and brings God glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:21)

In the next few weeks you will have the opportunity to examine your walk as a believer in Christ, and order your steps according to God’s Word.  As long as you are in this body of flesh, no matter what stage of maturity you reach in Christ, you will never get beyond the need of examining your walk in the light of God’s Word and your willingness to yield to God’s Spirit.   I’ll say it again:  It’s hard work!  It’s work we want to procrastinate. It’s work we want to avoid.  It’s work we want to ignore.  But it’s work that will be blessed!  Will you join me in encouraging one another to persevere in this work?  Together let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ.  (Ephesians 4:15)

Ever since we sang these words in church last night I’ve been drawn to reflect on my own personal experience of salvation.  I do still remember the day that I was saved.  For me it wasn’t the first time I heard Him call out my name.  Even as a nine year old child I tried to rationalize salvation with three excuses.  First, I didn’t think my sin wasn’t so bad–after all, I was just nine.  Surely I hadn’t done anything really bad. (Had I?…)  Second, I was active in church.  When I say active, I mean more than active–we were there for every event of the church.  in fact, we involved ourselves in no activity that would interfere with being in God’s house doing God’s work anytime, anywhere.  Surely my actions were good enough.  (Weren’t they?…)  Third, I recognized that my parents had a genuine relationship with Christ.  Surely He wouldn’t let me go tot hell and disappoint them.  (Would He?…)

Ironically, it was because of what I learned from all that time in church, and what I saw in my parents’ lives that God’s Word had been embedded in my heart.  When every argument I hurled at that Solid Rock of Truth shattered against it, I saw that truly Christ was the only way I would ever get to heaven–the only way I would ever have real life.  In an instant I embraced that Truth from the depths of my being and that was the moment I was saved–Wednesday evening, May 26, 1965.

Do you remember the day He saved you?  Maybe you don’t remember the exact date, but you remember the occasion.  Take time to reflect on it.  (Share it below if you like.)  You will be blessed as you joyfully draw water from the springs of salvation (Isaiah 12:3).  If you don’t have a salvation experience to remember, perhaps this is the day you hear Him calling your name.  I urge you to respond to His tender mercies.

“Come, to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

 

Jesus answered, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.  My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14:23)

I promise you, you’ll never be the same!

(We Will Remember by Tommy Walker © 2005 Doulos Publishing)

First every chair must be filled with a body.  Participation is necessary to the choir ministry.  Obviously, without choir members there can be no choir.  We can boast large numbers on paper from people who come and go, but without choir members showing up in the flesh, effectively we have no choir.  It’s just that simple.  Participation is necessary to the choir ministry.  Every chair must be filled with a body, for without bodies the choir has no presence.

But simply filling chairs with bodies isn’t enough.  Every chair must be filled with a song.  While there are many beautiful songs in the world, nothing surpasses the beauty of a song that springs from the lips of a heart that has been changed.  As the redeemed, we have a song to sing; a song that reflects the work of God in our lives; a song that expresses our love and devotion to Christ; a song—the only song—that is worth singing.  If we have NO song in our hearts, may no choir chair ever be filled again!  While participation is necessary, songs are vital, for without a song the choir has no purpose.

As important as it is to have every chair filled with a body and a song, one thing more is needed.  Every chair must be filled with the Spirit.  To quote the old hymn, “All is vain unless the Spirit of the Holy One comes down.”  God’s Word through Zechariah was, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit.”  Even our Savior reminded us, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”    We can fill every chair in the choir loft with bodies every Sunday morning to gratify our eyes.  Every Sunday morning we can fill every chair in the choir loft with beautiful songs to satisfy our ears.  But as the Holy Spirit fills each body and anoints each song, the fragrance of Christ is lavished on every needy soul and is a pleasing aroma to our Heavenly Father.  Participation is necessary, songs are vital, and the Holy Spirit is indispensable, for without the Spirit the choir has no power.

Presence, purpose, power; a body, a song, the Spirit.  Do you understand that all are essential to an effective choir ministry?  Now, how serious will you take the charge?  Will you prayerfully consider your part in making it more than a motto, but a reality?  It must become our battle cry:  Every Chair Filled…with a body, a song, and the Spirit!

Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of Go—let us hold fast to the confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time. (HCSB)

Is temptation something you battle?  Somehow as a child hearing sermons on temptation I thought that was a subject reserved for really “bad” sins, like drinking, or smoking, or cussing, or fornication, etc.  But as I’ve grown in my walk with Christ, I’ve discovered that I’m subject to temptation in what I call more “subtle” sins, like being tempted to have a bad attitude, or being tempted to let my feelings get hurt, or being tempted to take offense, or being tempted to complain.  Yes, the areas of temptation include a multitude of sins.  But in my experience I have found I Corinthians 10:13 to be true:

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity.  God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it. (HCSB)

He makes a way of escape through His Word hidden in my heart teaching me to recognize sin and turn away from evil.  He makes a way of escape through His Spirit which lives in me gently saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” 

Now if you think that because you aren’t tempted to do “bad” sins you don’t deal with temptation, think again!  Perhaps you don’t recognize it because you yield so quickly in the “subtle” areas of temptation.  You may think, “I’m just being me. That’s just the way I am.”  My answer to that is James 1:14.  “But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires.”  Yes, that’s you just being the way you are.  You see, the only way to avoid temptation in all areas of life is for the desire of your heart to be changed.  How does that happen?  It happens when like Mary you sit at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:39,42).  It happens when like David you gaze on the beauty of the Lord, seeking Him (Psalm 27:4).  It happens when you don’t give in to temptation because you’re listening to the Spirit and obeying the Word.  It happens when you get to the place where in all honesty you can say to your heavenly Father, “I desire nothing on earth but You.” (Psalm 73:25)  Even though it is a hard place to get to, let’s heed the admonition of Hosea 6:3—

So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.
His going forth is as certain as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the rain,
Like the spring rain watering the earth. (NAS)

How refreshing!—like the spring rain watering the earth.
What a promise!—He will come to us.
What a reality!—His going forth is as certain as the dawn.
What a Savior!—tested in every way as we are, yet without sin

Yield Not to Temptation (A Hymn by Dr. Horatio R. Palmer)
Yield not to temptation for yielding is sin; each victory will help you some other to win; fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue; look ever to Jesus—He’ll carry you through.

Shun evil companions, bad language disdain; God’s name hold in rev’rence, nor take it in vain; be thoughtful and earnest, kind-hearted and true; look ever to Jesus—He’ll carry you through.

To him that o’er-cometh God giveth a crown; thru faith we will conquer tho often cast down; He who is our Savior our strength to renew; look ever to Jesus—He’ll carry you through.

Ask the Savior to help you, comfort, strengthen and keep you; He is willing to aid you—He will carry you through.

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”  Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.  So because of Christ, I am pleased in weaknesss, in insults, in catastrophes, in persecutions, and in pressures.  For when I am weak, than I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:9)

Clearly, Paul sets forth that God’s grace is power.  Paul could be pleased in every weakness, insult, catastrophe, persecution and pressure of any kind because each cirumstance was an opportunity for the power of God to fashion him into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fulness.  (Eph. 4:13)  God’s grace was sufficient to give him both the desire and the power to endure and even overcome.  (The triumph, by the way, IS being conformed to the image of Christ, not necessarily the cessation of a difficult time or ”winning” in a controversy.)  Not that he took pride in always being in some kind of trouble, mind you, but when he found himself in the daily pressures of life, he was pleased to give God’s grace a platform to shine.  And if I want God’s power to be perfected in me, I too must be pleased with–not merely content or resigned to–unpleasant circumstances.  To have any other attitude is to resist the grace of God.  God’s power at work within me will be evident to others as I reflect His grace.

Lord, I want to be pleased for you to manifest Your power in any circumstance I find myself:

• weakness
• insult
• catastrophe
• persecution
• pressure

The thing that will bring me pleasure in these circumstances is that they give Your power an opportunity to be displayed.  When Your power is shown Your name will be known, and I will give You praise for what You do in and through me.

When I am not pleased for God’s power to be perfected in my circumstances, I am getting “entangled in the concerns of everyday life” (the weaknesses, the insults, the catastrophes, the persecutions, the pressures).  When that happens I am not pleasing to my “recruiter.”  (2 Tim. 2:4)  I am not pleasing because I’m not walking in faith. (Heb.11:6)   If I’m not walking in faith, I’m not walking in the Spirit but in the flesh. (Gal. 5:16)

Lord, help me to be mindful of these things when I am weak, when I am insulted, when a catastrophe occurs, when I am persecuted, and when I am under pressure.  Help me remember that Your grace is sufficient and pleasing You–not myself–is my goal!

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.  (Psalm 46:1-3)

1)  God is our refuge—that means He is our shelter; He is a place of protection and a place where we can let down our defenses because He will protect us.  Just as a child runs to his parents for comfort and protection when scared or hurt, so may we run to God in the same way.  There’s never a reason to stay in a defenseless place.

2)  God is our strength—because He is our strength, He makes us strong to endure whatever comes against us.  But, we have to go to Him to tap into that strength.  He literally breathes new life into us everyday and gives us hope to go on and strength for our journey.  He does that through His Word.  As we read scriptures we are filled with strength and courage to keep going.  There have been many times I thought all I could do was just give in to the storm and let it take me wherever it would.  But God has always been faithful to strengthen me and give hope and instruction for the next step.

3)  God is a very present help in trouble—this phrase literally translated means, “God is abundantly available for help when I’m in tight places.”  Notice He is “abundantly available.”  Abundant means overflowing—more than enough.  He is always available to help.  In fact, He is overflowing with ability to help.  And He wants to help when we find ourselves in “tight places.”  And notice there’s no qualification that He only helps when the tight place isn’t one of our own making.  It doesn’t matter—He wants to have mercy on us and help us anytime we find ourselves in a tight place and we’re willing to call on Him for help.

4) The Psalmist’s conclusion?  Therefore I will not fear—What a statement!  No qualifications there either, but a strong confession.  In fact, He goes on to say in essence NO MATTER WHAT, I WILL NOT FEAR.  Look at all the circumstances in which he will not fear:

• Though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea
• Though the waters of the sea roar and foam
• Though the mountains quake at swelling pride of the sea

Wow!  No matter what catastrophic event happens, I WILL NOT FEAR.  Why?  Because “God is my refuge and strength, abundantly available for help in tight places.”

Consider with me another passage in which God offers help in time of trouble:

 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me. (Psalm 50:14-15)

1)  Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving.  The starting point of our quest to secure the help of God is a heart with an attitude of thanksgiving.  First of all it says, Offer to God.  We are to offer something to God.  There is no coercion on His part and no regret on our part.  We are to OFFER to God.  What are we to offer?  A sacrifice of thanksgiving.  First notice that the sacrifice IS thanksgiving.  It doesn’t say, a sacrifice WITH thanksgiving—it says, a sacrifice OF thanksgiving.  Is thanksgiving what He really wants from me?  Even in the New Testament Paul instructs us, In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  (I Thessalonians 5:18)  Notice it doesn’t say, FOR everything give thanks, but rather, IN everything give thanks.  Think about the difference.  It doesn’t mean be thankful for bad and wrong things that happen, but in every circumstance keep an attitude of thankfulness to God for all He has done, is doing, and will do in the future.  You cannot be a thankful individual without having a humble heart.  Did you notice the fact that He calls thanksgiving a sacrifice?  A sacrifice would imply that you have to give up something precious to you.  What could that be?  How about your personal pride?  The hardest thing in the world to turn loose of is pride.  And Scripture says, God resists the proud.  A proud person cannot humble themselves to thank anyone for anything.  But a humble person is thankful to everyone, most of all God.  When something good happens to you do you thank God?—because ultimately, Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.  (James 1:17)  Do you thank the people that have helped you or done something for you?  Do you look for opportunities to thank others, rather than criticize them?  Determine to be a person with a thankful attitude.  According to Psalm 50 it’s the first step to receiving the help of God.

2)  Pay your vows to the Most High.  Is there anything you have vowed to God that you have not fulfilled?  I’m not talking about a commandment in the Bible you’ve not obeyed.  I’m talking about something that only you and God know about.  Is there anything in your heart, just between you and God that you’ve promised Him?  If so, don’t delay in fulfilling that vow.  Proverbs says its better to not make a vow at all than to make one and not fulfill it.  We can all think of ways we’ve fallen short before God, so don’t let Satan give you a false sense of guilt.  Remember, we’re talking about what YOU have vowed before God.

3)  Call upon Me in the day of trouble.  Simple instruction—not hard—one phrase—Call upon Me in the day of trouble.  Once again, calling upon God requires humility.  Maybe that’s why thankfulness is the first step.  When God revealed Himself to Moses, this is what He declared His name to be:

The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth, who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin.

Isn’t that the kind of God you want to call on?  One who is compassionate and gracious?  One who is slow to anger?  One who overflows with lovingkindness and truth?  One who keeps lovingkindness for thousands?  One who forgives iniquity, transgressions and sin?  WHAT A GOD!  There is none like Him!  That’s who we can call on in the day of trouble?  Why should we fear?  Yet, there’s more.

4)  I shall rescue you.  Simple instruction:  Call upon Me.  Simple answer:  I shall rescue you.  What a promise!  I SHALL rescue you.  Not, “Maybe I’ll rescue you.”  Not, “If I feel like it I’ll rescue you.”  Not, “Unless I change my mind I’ll rescue you.”  But, I SHALL rescue you.  And more than that He goes on to say, You will honor Me.  I always thought of that as something I was bringing to God that paid homage to Him, but consider it in the sense that the honor is His because He got to rescue you.  Have you ever been asked to do something that made you feel honored because you were asked to do it?  It’s that kind of honor.  We say, “Thank you,” and He says, “The pleasure was all mine.”  It honors Him when we call upon Him with a thankful heart that has fulfilled its vows.  Now you may think, “Why would it honor God for Him to have to rescue me when I’m in trouble?”  By humbling yourself before Him, by being thankful and showing your heart to be pure towards Him, by fulfilling your vows, you are acknowledging your total inability to rescue yourself and His unique ability to rescue you.  Isn’t that what we all did at the moment of our salvation?  We each had to come to the place that we realized our utter inability to save ourselves from an eternity of suffering.  Wouldn’t you agree that at that point, the pride that made us believe we could somehow save ourselves had to be cast aside?  That each of us had to humble ourselves to call upon his name for salvation—the only name under heaven whereby we must be saved?  The name that is compassionate and gracious?  The name that is slow to anger?  The name that overflows with lovingkindness and truth?  The name that keeps lovingkindness for thousands?  The name that forgives iniquity, transgression and sin?  You see, our walk continues every day just as we first believed.

The Psalmist closes the chapter with what on the one hand is a grave warning, and yet on the other is a beautiful promise:

 Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.  He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me.  And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.  Psalm 50:22-23

What does it mean to “order” you way “aright?”  What else can it mean except to follow the instruction set out in the previous verses?

• Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving
• Pay your vows to the Most High
• Call upon Me in the day of trouble

I SHALL RESCUE YOU!  An emphatic promise from a capable and Mighty God.

A few years ago I sat in a choir rehearsal and sang that very phrase, “There is hope in desperation.” As the words came out of my mouth, the truth in that statement was made clear to me by the Holy Spirit. He brought to my mind the times in my life when I was in desperate situations; situations that seemed hopeless; situations that were hopeless apart from the intervention of my Heavenly Father; situations that, in fact, brought me to my Heavenly Father. Sometimes desperation leads people to be reckless and dangerous as they furiously struggle against circumstances with utter disregard of consequences. But when desperation causes us to abandon all hope in self and others, and impels us toward the arms of a loving Father, there is hope! Hope is not just offered in the midst of desperation, hope lies in the very act of being desperate. Nothing seems to drive us or cause us to run towards Him like circumstances that are too much for us to cope with. What a paradox: hope springs from hopelessness. Perhaps this is the truth of Romans 4:18 “Against hope, with hope he believed…”

Often desperation is what God uses to teach us to depend on Him for every step. The third day of our choir tour this year, I managed to secure top honors for the “Klutz of the Year” award by tripping over a bag in the hotel parking lot amidst the chaos of unloading bags and handing out room keys all while trying to remain quiet so as not to disturb the other guests.  In the process of trying to free my foot from the bag while I was in the motion of falling, I managed to twist my knee. The bag won and I fell. Behind my knee it hurt…bad. Simple tasks like putting on socks and shoes, even sitting down and standing up were painful. As I laid in bed that night trying to sleep resting my leg on a Zip-lock bag filled with ice, I became desperate. I worried about what to do. “Am I going to be able to walk? Am I going to slow everyone down? Should I see a doctor?” After battling back and forth in my mind, “Do I need to go to the ER…do I not need to go?” the answer became clear. No, there was no time scheduled in the tourbook for that. I said, “OK, Lord, what are you telling me through this? Am I too old to go on these choir trips? (I mean, in 5 or 6 years I’ll have grandkids old enough to go.) Is it time for someone else to do this? Do I need to go home?” I knew we had a capable sponsor on the trip who could play, so I told Him I would go home and let someone else do it if that’s what He wanted. I just needed to know from Him what I should do. The answer was immediate. The Holy Spirit brought to my mind a phrase in a song we sang at church that evening: “Though there’s pain in the offering.” For the first time in my life I realized that phrase wasn’t just talking about the initial pain of surrender to God, but the pain that comes from taking every step. It takes a conscience decision to not abandon the offering just because it is painful. When I went to bed that night, I was desperate. But when I awakened in the morning I was determined; determined to trust Him once again in the face of difficulty; determined to offer myself to serve Him; determined to fulfill my calling even if…  Oh, by the way, God gave me strength to walk all over Washington D.C. and this “Grammy” didn’t slow anyone down. He even provided opportunities for rest along the way. Yes, there is hope in desperation.  My knee?  It’s still in the process of healing, but I’m content knowing I have a Father who answers when I call and brings hope out of despair.

“Yet the Lord was pleased to crush Him,…He will see light out of His anguish, and He will be satisfied with His knowledge. (Isaiah 53: 10, 11 HCSB)

I . . . recommend my Soul to that Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.

Will of Samuel Adams

On the mercy of my Redeemer I rely for salvation and on His merits; not on the works I have done in obedience to His precepts.

From an autographed letter written by Charles Carroll to Charles W. Wharton, Esq., on September 27, 1825, from Doughoragen, Maryland.

I desire to bless and praise the name of God most high for appointing me my birth in a land of Gospel Light where the glorious tidings of a Savior and of pardon and salvation through Him have been continually sounding in mine ears.

Robert Treat Paine, The Papers of Robert Treat Paine, Stephen Riley and Edward Hanson, editors (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1992), Vol. I, p. 48, March/April, 1749.

[W]hen I consider that this instrument contemplates my departure from this life and all earthly enjoyments and my entrance on another state of existence, I am constrained to express my adoration of the Supreme Being, the Author of my existence, in full belief of his providential goodness and his forgiving mercy revealed to the world through Jesus Christ, through whom I hope for never ending happiness in a future state, acknowledging with grateful remembrance the happiness I have enjoyed in my passage through a long life. . .

Will of Robert Treat Paine

My only hope of salvation is in the infinite, transcendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of His Son upon the cross. Nothing but His blood will wash away my sins. I rely exclusively upon it. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!

Benjamin Rush, The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush, George Corner, editor (Princeton: Princeton University Press for the American Philosophical Society, 1948), p. 166, Travels Through Life, An Account of Sundry Incidents & Events in the Life of Benjamin Rush.

I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. . . . that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a revelation from God. . . . that God did send His own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners, and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the Gospel offer.

Lewis Henry Boutell, The Life of Roger Sherman (Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company, 1896), pp. 272-273.

I think it proper here not only to subscribe to the entire belief of the great and leading doctrines of the Christian religion, such as the Being of God, the universal defection and depravity of human nature, the divinity of the person and the completeness of the redemption purchased by the blessed Savior, the necessity of the operations of the Divine Spirit, of Divine Faith, accompanied with an habitual virtuous life, and the universality of the divine Providence, but also . . . that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; that the way of life held up in the Christian system is calculated for the most complete happiness that can be enjoyed in this mortal state; that all occasions of vice and immorality is injurious either immediately or consequentially, even in this life; that as Almighty God hath not been pleased in the Holy Scriptures to prescribe any precise mode in which He is to be publicly worshiped, all contention about it generally arises from want of knowledge or want of virtue

Will of Richard Stockton

I entreat you in the most earnest manner to believe in Jesus Christ, for there is no salvation in any other [Acts 4:12]. . . . [I]f you are not reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, if you are not clothed with the spotless robe of His righteousness, you must forever perish.

John Witherspoon, The Works of John Witherspoon (Edinburgh: J. Ogle, 1815), Vol. V, pp. 276, 278, The Absolute Necessity of Salvation Through Christ, January 2, 1758.

Rendering thanks to my Creator for my existence and station among His works, for my birth in a country enlightened by the Gospel and enjoying freedom, and for all His other kindnesses, to Him I resign myself, humbly confiding in His goodness and in His mercy through Jesus Christ for the events of eternity.

Will of John Dickinson