(Transcript of a sermon preached at Bible Truth Baptist Church, Griffin, GA, on 21 January 2015.)
Text: Ezek. 9:1-11
INTRODUCTION
In
reading through the book of Ezekiel over the years, I've always found chapter 9
to be a fascinating and stirring chapter for a number of reasons. In this chapter, the Lord gives Ezekiel a
terrifying glimpse of coming judgment on Jerusalem, beyond that which it had
experienced already in Ezekiel's time.
Ezekiel is a contemporary of Jeremiah, whom I spoke about last time, and
while Jeremiah is prophesying to the Jews remaining in the homeland, Ezekiel is
prophesying to the captive Jews in Babylon of what's to come.
In chapter 9, God gives him a glimpse of his just dealings
with the Jews remaining in Judah: he
will preserve those worthy of preservation and destroy the rest. Note in v. 4 whom he marks (literally) for
preservation: “the men that sigh and cry for all the abominations that be
done in the midst thereof” (i.e. of Jerusalem). In other words, those who were concerned or
really cared about the spiritual state of Judah...like Jeremiah (he was
preserved, wasn't he?). Their sighing and crying showed that they cared, and
God took note of it.
An important final note about this passage before I get into
the message. The man with the inkhorn
sent to mark such men in Jerusalem seems to come back quickly, indicating that
few men were marked...maybe just Jeremiah and a few others [Baruch, the
Rechabites, Ebed-melech, Ahikam, Sheriah, et al.]. A sad conclusion, but I'm convinced that's
what it's meant to show.
When you think about it, few people, including few
believers, really care about spiritual matters.
Paul speaks of the Corinthian believers being, as a whole, carnal, even
though they were saved. Their lives were
dominated by the flesh, even though they were saved. It's quite possible and quite widespread, if
you've got to know many Christians in your lifetime. It doesn't mean that they're not saved; but it
does mean that they need to grow up and become spiritual believers and quit walking
“as men” like Paul says in 1 Cor. 3:3.
But what is it to “care”? And what should a believer care
about? I'd like to show you what the
Bible defines care as, then give you a few examples of things that you should,
as a believer, care about deeply. The
golden mean between being “care-ful,” which Paul says we shouldn't be in Phil.
4:6, and “care-less” is to care, and that's what I like for us to meditate
on.
I
found a good working definition for “care” in 1 Sam. 9, where young Saul is
seeking his father's donkeys. By God’s providence (not luck), he runs into
Samuel, who is tasked with anointing him as the first king of Israel. Notice how vv. 5 and 20 define “care” for us:
1
Sam. 9:5, “Come and let us return; lest
my father leave caring for the asses,
and take thought for us.” So to care for something is to take
thought for it; caring is taking thought. But I think that it’s more than just
thinking about something, and v. 20 brings this out.
1
Sam. 9:20, “And as for thine asses that
were lost three days ago, set not thy
mind on them…” So to care about something is not merely to
think about it, but to set your mind
on it.
So in
this message we’ll be looking at things that we should set our minds on, things
that we should be deeply concerned about, so much that they deserve continual
thought, not just occasional.
Before
we look at some things that believers should care about, I’d like to point out
that caring is an attribute of God. Care is connected with love, as we’ll see
later, and since “God is love” (1
John 4:8, 16), scripture shows that care is an attribute of God as well. Let’s look at a few verses to support
this.
1
Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon
him; for he careth for you.”
2
Cor. 8:16, “But thanks be to God, which
put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.”
God
is a caring God, and he puts his care in believers’ hearts for certain things;
therefore, we need to learn what God cares about and participate in this care,
like Titus did, and not hinder it.
THINGS THAT BELIEVERS OUGHT TO CARE ABOUT
Now
let’s look at a few things that we as believers ought to care about, if we are
in tune with the caring God living in us.
The
first place “care” is mentioned in the new testament is Mt. 13:22, where Christ
warns that “the care of this world”
can make someone “unfruitful.” Of course we have to tend to earthly matters:
Paul commands us to work and to provide for our own (2 Thes. 3:10; 1 Tim.
5:8). But the context here is inordinate
or excessive care. In 2 Tim. 2:4, Paul calls it “entangl[ing]
[your]self with the affairs of this life.”
This entanglement is totally unfitting for a believer, since you don’t
even live in this world—you live in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6; Phil. 3:20; Col.
3:3). So when Paul tells you to “Set your affection on things above, not on
things on the earth” (Col. 3:2), he does so for a reason: because you’re
real life is up there and out there, not down here.
Now let’s look at 1 Tim. 4:7-8. My wife and I recently joined LA Fitness, so
exercise is on our minds quite a bit these days; but there’s an exercise far
more important than any we’ll ever do at a health club. It’s what Paul refers to as “exercis[ing] [your]self unto godliness”
(v. 7). We need to exercise our bodies,
obviously, if we want to enjoy good health, long life, and a good testimony
(Phil. 4:5), but why should we exercise ourselves unto godliness? Look at v. 8.
Because there’s not only “the
life that now is” to be concerned about, but also “that [life] which is to come.”
We should care deeply about eternity since that’s where
we’re all headed and actually live now. God lives in eternity (Is. 57:15), and
if we’re in him then we live there too.
How could you be lost if you’ve already gone to heaven? All that we’re
waiting on right now is the salvation of our bodies. That’s what Paul was referring to when he
said, “…for now is our salvation nearer
than when we believed” (Rom. 13:11): the salvation or redemption (Rom.
8:23) of your body. I purposely put this
care, the care about eternity, first, since you have to begin with the end in mind, if you wish to succeed as a
Christian. Many Christians are so caught
up with this world that they’re ignorant of what’s going to happen to them in
the next life, beginning with the rapture, then the judgment seat of Christ,
then everything thereafter. But not the
apostle Paul: he knew who he believed (2
Tim. 1:12); he knew where he was headed (2 Tim. 4:8, 18); and he even knew what
rewards were waiting for him on the other side (2 Tim. 4:8). But excessive “care of this world” will cloud
all of those things if you let it.
I’ve got three other things that you should care about, but
I put eternity first for good reason. If
you don’t have an eternal perspective, you won’t care about these two things
like you should. You’ll see what I mean
when we look at them more closely, but having an eternal perspective, or “long
look” as some call it, is critical to caring about the right things.
I
know that this seems obvious, but plenty of people could care less about their
family’s welfare. That certainly shouldn’t be true of any believer. We should be the ones who care about our
families the most. I appreciate
ministries like No Greater Joy, Focus on the Family, and Vision Forum that are
promoting the welfare of Christian families from all angles. We sure need them,
since we’re being attacked from all angles!
Scripture mentions caring for your spouses, children, and your entire
“house” in general, which could also include your parents and other
relatives.
· 1 Cor. 7:32-34.
Spouses fulfill their worldly duties to each other because they care
about one another and want to please one another. You don’t care about your spouse if you’re
not meeting their physical needs, no matter how spiritual you think that is.
True spirituality involves helping others physically (Acts 20:34-35; Eph. 4:28;
etc.), including your spouse.
· 1 Sam 9:5, 10:2; 1 Tim. 3:5. Parents should care about their
children. Again, this seems to go
without saying, but in the last days, men will be “without natural affection,” including proper parental
affection. If you’re a good parent, you
care about who your kids hang around, what they watch and listen to, and what
types of habits they’re forming, to name just a few things.
I saw a Facebook post where a parent took
their teenager to see an R-rated movie and raved about it. Any parent who lets their kids watch R-rated
movies doesn’t care about them like they should. I thought to myself, do you
want that kid to have that violence, and cursing, and nudity stored in their
brain the rest of their life? That’s
what’s happening, whether you realize it or not, when you allow yourself and
others to watch garbage. It’s stored in
the supercomputer between your ears for life, so better be careful what you
store up there, since you reap what you sow (Gal. 6:7-8). Care about your kids, and think about their
future today by the example you set as well as what you say.
According
to 1 Thes. 4:9, believers in Christ “are
taught of God to love one another.” So it’s natural for us to care about
other believers, but just as we don’t want to let “the care of this world” fill our hearts, we do want to let care for other believers fill
it. But it’s up to us to do so. God won’t make us care about other believers. We must choose
to. Paul told the Philippians in Phil.
2:20, “For I have no man likeminded, who
will naturally care for your state…” which is sad. What was the problem? Look at v. 21, “For all seek their own, not the things
which are Jesus Christ’s.” The
problem was selfishness, or self-love.
The greatest hindrance to caring about others is caring too much about
yourself. But God has a put a natural
care in you for other saints that is stronger than your self-love, if you will
allow it to work. Now let’s look at some
references that show the scope of our care for the saints.
Individual saints (1 Cor. 12:25). [Let’s start on the most basic level: caring
about individual saints.] The body of Christ is a spiritual organism, but it’s
made up of individuals, and you need to care about all of them, because of who
they are in Christ. Fellowship with many
believers is impossible due to their disobedience, but that doesn’t mean you
don’t care about them and do everything that you can to help them. The “same care one for another” in v. 25 is
recognizing each member’s value, your need of them, and your duty toward them.
Where they thrive, you thrive; where they suffer, you suffer, they suffer (v.
26). The great enemy of this care is “schism” or division, and at its root
it’s not caring about the other members.
If you really cared about others, you wouldn’t be divisive. Sometimes it’s necessary to separate, but even
that shouldn’t be done with a divisive spirit, but with a spirit of meekness
(Tit. 3:2). We need to care about the
individual saints that make up the larger body of Christ.
Congregations (2 Cor. 8:16; 1 Tim.
3:5). The care in both of these passages
is that of ministers for congregations, one an evangelist (Titus) for the young
church at Corinth, the other a bishop for his local congregation. As ministers and believers, we should care
about the welfare of congregations, and not just our own. Paul said in Rom. 16:16b that “The churches of Christ salute you…”,
and that’s not talking about the cult.
That is showing that the churches at large cared about the Roman church,
and we should have the same spirit, even one that transcends denominations, as
long as the group in question is preaching the gospel. Paul was grateful for however Christ was
preached, even if the motive or method wasn’t exactly right, as long as the
truth was getting out (Phil. 1:18).
That’s how urgent it is to reach people, so more power to anyone that’s
trying to get the true gospel out, even if they’re not doing it perfectly. So we need to care about congregations:
top-down (leaders for their flocks), internally (our own congregation), and
externally (other congregations).
Body of Christ at large (2 Cor.
11:28). Paul speaks of caring for “all the churches” in a pastoral sense,
but it’s more than that. Every believer
needs to care for the body of Christ as a whole. All believers in Christ are a unit, as we saw
in 1 Cor. 12, and there are ways that we can show our care for them as a whole, even if we are not
globe-trotting evangelists. An obvious
way is by praying for the entire body of Christ. Did you know that you can and should do
that? Look with me at Eph. 6:17-20. We’ve all heard of “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (6:17), but
look what follows that…another part of the armament: prayer. Sorry, folks, but you can’t triumph over the
enemy without prayer. Verse 17 ends with
a colon, so the thought continues into v. 18.
Part of your spiritual defense against the enemy is prayer, and your
prayers, at their farthest level, should reach “all saints.” You can go to
God and ask him to help the entire body of Christ in numerous ways. How about asking God to help everyone else to
stand against the wiles of the devil, the subject of this passage? Ask him to supply the saints’ physical needs,
to help them mature in the Lord Jesus, to comfort them in their troubles, to
help them reach and convert sinners, and so on.
If you want to know how to pray as a believer, study the prayers of
Paul, who is the apostle to the Gentiles and the pattern for all believers in
this age. God inspired him to reveal his
prayer burdens to us, and I believe that we should pray along the same lines
ourselves, following Paul’s example.
Paul cared deeply for the body of Christ, and it’s evident in his life
and prayers, both of which we should study closely.
Ministers (Phil. 4:10). Finally, to complete the cares that should be
present within the body, churches should care for their ministers. This may seem obvious, but often it is
shamefully absent. The concept of
rewarding ministers physically for
their spiritual service goes all the way back to Melchizedek, and the general
principle running through scripture is this: “…The labourer is worthy of his reward” (1 Tim. 5:18). That’s Paul in the church age quoting Christ
under the law (cf. Mt. 10:10; Luke 10:7).
One other Pauline reference that illustrates this principle is Gal. 6:6,
“Let him that his taught in the word
communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.” The sense of “communicate” here is not
talking to them but giving to them
(Phil. 4:15). You owe your teachers for
giving you the word of God, whoever they are: evangelists, pastors, or Bible
teachers. I think that Paul uses the words “taught”
and “teacheth” to emphasize that
every minister should be teaching his
people the scriptures. Paul wasn’t just
a preacher; he also mentions his teaching ministry in numerous places (Col.
1:28; 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11; etc.). If
you’re receiving the word of God from someone, you should care about their physical needs as well as their
spiritual.
Lastly,
you should care about the world. In Gal.
6:10, Paul says that we should care for other believers first, but our care
doesn’t stop there. The believer’s heart
should embrace the whole world. Do y’all
remember that old Coke commercial that said, “I’d like to buy the world a Coke,
and keep it company”? Well, folks, the
world needs far more care than that.
They need you to care about their eternal destinies first and foremost,
and after that their physical needs.
Most people are oblivious to the first need and devote their energies to
the second, which really doesn’t leave the person any better spiritually, even
if they’re better physically. Remember
the words of Jesus Christ, “Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of
God” (Mt. 4:4) and the words of Job, “..and
I did esteem the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job
23:12b). A few scriptures on caring for
the world.
·
Ps. 142:4.
David wrote this when fleeing from Saul, so historically it refers to
him, prophetically to Israel in the great tribulation, but inspirationally it
could apply to every lost sinner “having
no hope, and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12).
·
John 12:5.
We should indeed care for the poor, as Christ affirms in 12:8, esp. poor
saints, which is the context of
Paul’s instructions on giving in 2 Cor. 8-9.
As we saw earlier, we’re commanded to do good to “all men,” not just the church, which is fitting, since God doesn’t
just do good to the church, but to all men. Ps. 145:9 says, “The LORD is good to all; and his
tender mercies are over all his works...” and Acts 14:16-17: “Who in times past suffered all nations to
walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in
that he did good [to all nations],
and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with
food and gladness.”
·
Luke 10:34-35.
Finally, we care about those who are “in any trouble” (2 Cor. 1:4). Christ helped us “when we were yet without strength” (Rom.
5:6), and, like him and the good
Samaritan, we should be ready to lend a helping hand to those in need, even our
enemies. A great example of this from
church history is the Anabaptist Dirk Willems.
Let’s read about him from Martyr’s Mirror, the Anabaptist “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs”:
“Concerning his apprehension, it is stated
by trustworthy persons, that when he fled he was hotly pursued by a
thief-catcher, and as there had been some frost, said Dirk Willems ran before
over the ice, getting across with considerable peril. The thief-catcher
following him broke through, when Dirk Willems, perceiving that the former was
in danger of his life, quickly returned and aided him in getting out, and thus
saved his life. The thief-catcher wanted to let him go, but the burgomaster,
very sternly called to him to consider his oath, and thus he was again seized
by the thief-catcher, and, at said place, after severe imprisonment and great
trials proceeding from the deceitful papists, put to death…by these
bloodthirsty, ravening wolves, enduring it with great steadfastness, and
confirming the genuine faith of the truth with his death and blood, as an
instructive example to all pious Christians of this time, and to the
everlasting disgrace of the tyrannous papists.”
This man’s care moved the thief-catcher so
deeply that he wanted to let Willems go, but he was overruled, and this act of
kindness cost Willems his life. I
realize that this may be an extreme example of caring for the world, but I
doubt that the thief-catcher ever forgot that incident, and I hope that it
haunted him all the way to the cross. What a great picture of Christ’s care for
us! We were the enemies of God and
sinking in the icy waters of sin, when Christ turned about and helped us, yet
we, as a race, put him to death and forgot about him. But not everyone: Down through the ages, a few
have been moved by his care for us and opened their hearts to him, and now his
care is working through them toward
others.
CONCLUSION
Do you care, folks?
God cares…it’s who he is, and since he now lives inside of you, you
should care too. Believers should be
known as the most caring people in the world, and if we don’t care it’s simply
because we don’t know God like we should and what he’s done for us and in us
through Christ. May God help us to care
like we should about the things we should, as long as we should. Amen.
