Turn with me this morning to Genesis 1:26-28. I want to speak a message that I had started a little bit last week. The Lord has been dealing with me about this particular subject for awhile and I love what the Lord is going to do here this morning.
Genesis 1:26-28 is a very familiar portion of scripture to those who know about creation. It says, "And God said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image and in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth".
Father, we thank you for your presence here this morning, we thank you for your faithfulness to us. Spirit of the living God, this morning as we come to this word we pray that we would decrease and that you would increase. Father, may this word have its perfect way in us. In Jesus name, Amen.
All of us have some kind of ability. The title of the message this morning is, "Your greatest ability". All of us have some kind of abilities. For some it's music, for others it's organization. Some people have the ability for leadership, others are great at baking, sewing or creating, others at architecture. The truth is there are so many different abilities based on all the types of people that we are. All of us have God given abilities that many others don't have but all of us have the same greatest ability. I believe that this ability is life's great equalizer. Everyone has this ability and it is our greatest ability, which is our responsibility.
It is our ability to respond in life that is one of God's greatest gifts to us. When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden, the first thing that he did is to give them responsibility. He created them and the first thing that he did was give them something to do, he gave them dominion over the birds of the air, over the fish of the sea, over all the earth. He said, "Subdue it and multiply". How many of you are thankful that God believed enough in us to give us something to do? He gave us ability and dominion or rule over every living thing on this earth. The first thing that God did was give us responsibility.
I want to say this, to rule does not mean to be the the boss. I think many times when we talk about authority and ruling we think about someone being bossy. The real issue of authority is to care for and to be in charge of something or to have responsibility over it, the same exact way that a parent is to care for a child or a king is to care for his country or the people. How many of you when you first held your kids in your arms for the very first time thought, "Dear Jesus, what were you thinking?" Not because of what they looked like but because you wondered if you were going to be able to do what you just had set in front of you. I remember the first time I held my daughter in my arms, it was amazing, I was 19 years old and I thought, "God, the responsibility that is before us to raise this child for you and to take care of her". When God said to Adam and Eve that they were to rule and take dominion, he was saying he wanted them to take care of this and take responsibility over it the same way that a parent cares for a child.
The truth is that there has been a dramatic decline in our acceptance of personal responsibility in our society. How many have noticed that all over America? We can respond in many ways and every way that we respond is our choice, how we handle stress, what we do in our relationships, even after hurtful, difficult and sometimes horrible things that have happened to us. I have found that how I respond is still my choice. A lot of what happens to us is out of our control but we can act and and control our reactions and responses to those things that happened to us and nobody can ever take that away from us.
Louis Brandes, the Supreme court justice from way back, said "Responsibility is the great developer", and I have found that to be true. No one can ever take away the wonderful freedom that we have to be responsible for our life. You may do something to me or something in my life may happen that's not good, but I still have the choice and it's my responsibility, not yours, to keep moving on. I can make something happen with Jesus that is still good and it's my choice. I've spent time counseling kids and people that have had things happen to them that sometimes are very unspeakable and never their fault. In my own family I have known those who have been raped and have been hurt. My brothers and sisters were adopted, my brother was in an orphanage in Korea and half of his body was burned by a fire that happened there. I want to tell you, he could have throughout his life could have just said, "This is all someone else's fault". But what he decided was this, "God gave me this life, it's my responsibility to respond to it" and today he is one of the most successful men that I've ever seen and one of the greatest fathers.
Our responsibilities also deal with three areas of obligation. There's actually 4 areas of obligation, the first one we have is to the Lord. The greatest responsibility you and I will ever have is our relationship with God. It's our choice whether we have one or not. God said to seek him first, that's our responsibility. The second obligation that we're responsible for is our families. There is no greater privilege I believe that God could ever give us than the privilege to take care of those who are near and dear to our heart.
1st Timothy 5:8 says, "But if anyone does not provide for his own and especially those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever".
I want to say this, the responsibility to provide for a family is not only found in the obligation to make sure that we provide a good living and that they have money and a roof over their heads, it also means to make sure they have stability and care and the proper instruction in the way of the Lord. That's a great obligation and responsibility of the believer. The third responsibility that we have is to love our neighbor as ourselves. When we see people hurting or in need we're responsible to help, it's our responsibility to care. It's our responsibility to set the tone of love and life. Of course the fourth great responsibility in the Lord is to be responsible for ourselves. Our life and what we do with it is up to us and we must submit it to the Lord.
James 4:17 says, "Therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin". We have the ability to make sure what takes priority in our lives, to make sure the things that we do are pleasing to Jesus and that is our greatest ability. Remember that God understands his responsibility and his obligation to us. Do you realize that God's greatest ability is not that he's all powerful, not that he is all knowing, not that he is everywhere at once, but God's greatest ability is the obligation and love that he shows to us every single day?
I want you to remember that our king and creator is obligated to us. Think about this for just a minute, that is really what Christmas is all about. When God said, "To go and multiply and be fruitful"and he saw that sin came into our lives and he saw that the enemy came in, God understood that he had an obligation to us. Not because he had to but because he loves us. Love is the great obligation and love becomes the great obligator. If you love somebody you will take responsibility for them and you will care for them because you understand that they are your very own. God knows that we are his very own.
On that Christmas day thousands of years ago God sent his son, Jesus, to the earth. His greatest ability was that he knew he was responsible for us and he took that obligation and made sure that there was a way for us to always have right relationship with the father. Someone once said this, "Love will find a way and indifference will always find an excuse". God found a way to make sure we could be with him. Love always finds a way and through Jesus he made the way.
There are three mentalities that I've found are prevalent in society today. One is the Rights mentality, the second is the Victim mentality, and the third is the Entitlement mentality. The Rights mentality says, "I have my rights, that's all I'm interested in". Greg was telling me yesterday that he was out until 2 in the morning because there was a concert last night in West Palm Beach for a charity fund raiser. There were a group of Christians that came and stood on the grounds and were yelling about how God hated everybody. How many know that we have the responsibility as believers to help people see the love of Jesus? When Greg came up to them as a police officer, that so called preacher looked at him and said, "Are you going to violate my first amendment rights?"
We need to not only have a Bill of Rights in America, we need to have a Bill of Responsibilty. The truth is this, we have that and it's called "The Ten Commandments". It is our Bill of Responsibility that the Lord gives us. We talk about criminal rights, womens rights, abortion rights and the rights to die. We're obsessed with individual rights and so many times this has covered our right to neglect. But God has given us an obligation to have responsibility. Greg, if you would have called me last night I could have come down. Next time it happens give me a call, wake me up at midnight, I want to talk to those so called Christians. I want to pull them off to the side and say, "Listen, you can yell all about sin and that's ok but the truth is this, you've got to love people to Jesus, that's the way that they get there.
The Bible says to speak the truth in love, that's our responsibility and that's our greatest ability, to love people. That doesn't mean we're wimps.
The second thing is the Victim mentality. The Victim mentality says, "None of my problems are my fault. As a matter of fact, all my problems are your fault and because you didn't stop me, I want you to pay for the things that are my fault. One man was fired because he was showing up for work late consistently. So he went and got a lawyer and filed a lawsuit saying that this man suffered from "chronic lateness syndrome". Because he suffered from this ailment they gave him his job back. How many understand we've got a problem in America? One teen died while stealing a car from a mall and his family sued the mall for not having enough security to prevent this from happening on their property. One family sued McDonalds because after feeding their child "Happy Meals" everyday for several years, Johnny was obese, unhappy and unhealthy. He was a victim of McDonalds. How many of you understand that our greatest ability is our responsibility?
I'm looking for another preacher besides me that will stand up once and say, "Listen, America, take responsibility for your life. It is the greatest ability God ever gave you". I'm looking for judges who will stand up and laugh people out of court over this stuff. If Johnny is obese, we can love him. Let's feed him salad for the next 2 years and he'll be ok.
The third mentality is the Entitlement mentality. This says, "I deserve everything". It comes from a generation of baby boomers who were raised by parents who believed Dr. Spock's philosophy that said, "leave a child alone, don't discipline them, you might retard their growth or you might hurt their psyche". Because of that we now have a bunch of special ed students who don't know how to do work. We've raised selfish, lazy people who can play video games but don't know how to clean a house or to trim bushes or mow a yard. We have a government who will take care of you from the cradle to the grave. The Entitlement mentality is "I have a right not to work and you should pay me for not working".
Responsible people understand the meaning and purpose of their life and they pursue it, doing their part to work hard and to make sure that their life is productive and that our country is a better place because they are there.
These mentality's have permeated our society. The greatest ability God has given us is our responsibility. I don't believe there is any problem with the government helping those who have become unemployed in making sure that they eat. How many believe America is the greatest country and we don't mind helping our fellow brothers? But the Bible says, "If you don't work you don't get to eat". The truth is, nothing is a greater motivator to get you to work than hunger in your belly.
There are three reasons for living a responsible life. The first reason is because God is watching us. He's looking to see what we will do with our ability. The truth is that we will give an account for how we lived to God and I believe that's ok. If the Savior of the world would come from Heaven and God would take responsibility for us out of love to send his only son to make sure that there was a way, then it's ok that we give an account to God for how we lived.
Hebrews 4:13 says, "There is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to his eyes, to the eyes of him whom we must give an account". We will give an account for how we lived by the test of our responsibility. God doesn't care about our success, he really doesn't. He doesn't care about all our achievements, he doesn't even care about your bank account. As a matter of fact, when you get to heaven, how many of you know even those with a billion dollars are all going to start out with nothing anyway because it all belongs to the Lord. Everyone of us will be rich. What God is interested in is respectability and character and the account that we will give to the Lord is based on our character. Just like the parable of the talents, God expects a return on his interest and investment he has made in us. The great investment that God made in sending Jesus he will expect a return for.
Luke 12:48 says, "To whom much is given, from him much will be required". I believe that God will expect more from Americans and this country with all the blessings that we have than he will expect from other countries that don't have all the blessings and all the prosperity that we have. I believe that we'll give an account. We are a rich nation, a blessed nation, and we have worked hard for it and paid dearly for it but how many of you are thankful for the blessing of God in your lives?
I believe that we're in a great church but more will be expected of us than those who have never heard. More will be expected of those who have read and heard and know the word and have had the blessings of God. How many of you this morning have tasted and seen that God is good? Do you realize we are called, we are responsible to make sure that others know that same Jesus, to make sure that they can have that same experience? To whom much has been given much will be required. The truth is that's an ok thing.
We must be responsible because others will be affected by our life. Phillipians 2:4 says, "Let each one of you look out not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others". Every decision we make will affect others, even the secret ones. Do you realize the responsibility you take to have a prayer time with the Lord will affect our families? The time we take to spend in the word will affect the people we talk to. Every choice, every word that we speak, every way that we are will affect those around us. Private actions have public consequences. Ask the families that have been devastated by the drunk driver, the one who decide that life was a little bit rough so he was going to have a couple drinks and on the way home wasn't responsible to realize that he was driving a 3-4000 ton vehicle. Think of the taxpayer who foots the bill for those who smoke but can't afford the cost of cancer. When somebody in the family has a problem, it affects everybody in that family. The truth is we are all connected, every one of us are a part of each others lives. Everyone of us are necessary to one another.
I want you to hear this, "My Space" has public consequences. How many of you are familiar with that place on the internet called "My Space"? No child has the right to "My Space". Why? Because they live in your space. Many of us don't know what's happening in our space on their space because they keep it a secret. Many parents need to be getting in the face book of their children in their home. Make sure you know whats going on and see what's happening in their lives. We are responsible for what goes on under our roofs. As parents we're responsible to know whats going on in the lives of our kids.
Some lady went to court because her daughter was having a spat with another teenage girl in school. Parents need to grow up. We get so upset because Jennie and Julie had a little catfight at school. How many know that's been going on for a long, long time? We need to be parents, we need to stop it but we need to be the ones who are mature and responsible in the situation. The Mom went on and began to pose as a boyfriend on the internet and began to say nasty things to the other girl and pretty soon that girl committed suicide. The courts couldn't hold the mom responsible, there were no criminal charges made. I hope that the laws are being rewritten. Our greatest ability is our responsibility.
Another reason why we must be responsible is because God rewards it. How many of you are thankful and you have found that if you will do what God asks you to do with your life that you will be blessed beyond all belief? I have found that if I will be responsible with the abilities that God has given me and the things that he has done in my life that God will bless my socks off. What does it mean to have your socks blessed off you? It means that God will do so much you can't even fit your own feet in it anymore? God is a good God.
Deuteronomy 28:2 says, "All these blessings shall overtake you because you obey the voice of your Lord". What a wonderful thing. That means that at some point those blessings were back here, you were out here doing first things first, obeying the word of God and being responsible but you knew God was right back there watching over you, you knew that God was obligated to his word. He is the King who cares for us, the God who loves us. How many understand what it means when something overtakes you? How many have ever been in the ocean and all of a sudden you had one of those waves that you didn't realize was coming and it just soaks you? But this is a good thing with God.
The truth is God's blessings will be experienced if we'll obey him. He'll bless us with time, he'll bless us in our finances. If we'll be responsible in our relationships his blessings in our lives is his responsibility. Ours is to obey, his is to keep his word. God wants and desires us to have those things and I found that before I knew it when I was faithful to the Lord, I kept asking "Lord, when is it going to come?"and pretty soon I'm being overtaken and so blessed that I stand back and say, "Lord, it has been worth it".
One of the ways God rewards us is with more responsibility. In the parable of the talents, God gave so much to one man, so much to another man and so much to another. We know the story, one man whom the Bible called the wicked servant didn't do anything with what God had given him because he was afraid. You don't need to be afraid of what God will do. If you will obey him you will be amazed at what God will do. God took away from that servant who did nothing and gave more to the one who did something with what he gave him. He said, "Now that I've given you more, to whom much is given, much is required. Now go and do something with it".
Too many in America today see responsibility as a curse. Responsibility is a blessing. I look back at our nation and I think we have some of the greatest people in the world. I think of Dwight Eisenhauer who rose up as a general and led our forces to victory in Europe. You know what we rewarded him with? More responsibility. We gave him the responsibility to put Europe back together. After he got done putting Europe back together we rewarded him with more responsibility, we made him President. The truth is God is like that because he knows that you're faithful. God rewards not success but faithfulness with more responsibility, more authority, to care for and more privilege to do what God has called you to do.
The true mark of those who accept responsibility are also those who admit their mistakes. I wonder if there's anyone in this room who's perfect? How many have made mistakes? Owning up to what is ours and not passing the buck is a mark of those who are responsible. It's a great ability. The truth is that passing the buck has been typical since Adam and Eve. Adam blamed Eve for giving him the apple, Eve blamed the serpent and the serpent couldn't blame anybody.
Proverbs 28:13 says, "He who covers his sins will not prosper but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy". We don't just cover our sin with lies and denial but we cover them with excuses, justifications, good reason for why we did what we did. The truth is we have the great ability to stop, to admit and go a completely different direction. The thing that I've found is that If I will be responsible, one of the greatest abilities that I have when I messed up is to say, "I messed up". I'm thankful for men in my life who rewarded that. How many know there are times when you just want to hide everything?
Those who have worked for me know that one of the things that I appreciate the most is when they come to me and say, "Pastor, I messed up", whether it was in their personal life or with something else. If I get the phone call and they tell me it was their fault then I know that's a person I can trust. That's how God looks at it. Really, there should be no fear because God understands that. Repentance and our salvation are based on our greatest ability, that I recognize that I need a savior and that I messed up. All God says is to take the first step. You take the responsibility for it.
How we spend our money, how we spend our time, how we treat our family, how we treat our friends and our co-workers, our walk with God, our health, our attitudes, our temper, all of that is our responsibility. My prayer is that as Christians we will use the greatest ability that God ever gave us for his glory. I want to say this to you, as you come through Christmas time, the great ability that we have is to be responsible for this wonderful salvation that is before us. The greatest ability that we have is to make sure we give this Christmas season to Jesus who gave his all for us and to make sure we're giving our all to Him. If there are areas of our life where we have messed up, take responsibility and understand that God even rewards that. "If you will come and repent I will give you eternal life". How many know that's a pretty good deal? It's all within our control.
My prayer is that Harvest will recognize that the greatest ability God gives us is the responsibility we have with this message to the world. I pray you won't hide that light God gave you this Christmas season. Let your family know the love of Jesus. If you can't afford to give your kids all the greatest gifts in the world, that's nothing, give them Jesus. Give them what you can, there's no guilt behind that because it's not about those gifts. How many know that needs to be said while you're about to go shopping? Because some of you are going to be walking through the store feeling guilty because you want to get this and that and then after Christmas you have this huge credit card bill and are wondering how you're going to pay it the rest of the year. Don't spend it in December if you don't have it. Be responsible and God will bless you all the year through.
