Trinity Baptist Church

Back to the Basics

#2: God Doesn't Need Us but We Desperately Need Him

 

Last Sunday we started a new sermon series called “Back to the Basics”. We are going to look at Seven things every Christian needs to know to live successfully.  My purpose is for these studies to be very practical and fundamental.

 

I really believe we need some things to grab hold of that will keep us steady in life.  Far too many of God’s people struggle with tragedies and difficulties and uncertainties because they’ve never established some basic, foundational truths to rely on in life. 

 

The basic teaches us the fundamental truth that He’s God and We’re Not. All spiritual reality must begin at this point. Until we have settled the issue of who’s God and who’s not, we’re still in spiritual kindergarten. And as long as we fight against God’s right to be God, our lives will be miserable and we will be angry and deeply frustrated. But when we finally come to the place where we can rip the Big G off our sweatshirt, then we’re ready to move on.

 

That brings us to the second basic which builds directly on the first one.  In fact, I alluded to this truth last week in the first study.

 

Basic #1 is He’s God and We’re Not

 

Basic #2 is God Doesn’t Need Us But We Desperately Need Him

 

Now this basic tells us something about God and something about us.

 

First, it tells us about

 

 

To say that God doesn’t need us means that he is absolutely independent.  He is totally and truly sovereign over the universe. He’s the boss, the ruler, and the Lord of all things. And as we saw last week, that means he alone has true freedom.

 

There is a lot of debate and argument in Biblically conservative circles about the term “free will.” And most of the time the argument is about the “free will of man”.  Now in fairness, we need to keep in mind that phrase appears nowhere in Scripture.

 

The truth of the matter is only one Person in the universe has free will and that is God.  . Our “free will” is drastically limited, His is not. He can do whatever he wants to do whenever he wants to do it, which is the proper definition of free will.

 

It’s true that we humans have important moral choices to make and it is also true that God will hold us 100% accountable for those choices. But any “free will” we have is strictly derivative. The “freedom” we have to obey or to rebel is freedom that God has given to us.

 

It also tells us something about

 

Transcendence means that God not only created the universe but He is separate from it. The Bible uses phrases like “high and lifted up” to speak of His transcendence.

 

The universe is not an extension of God or a necessary part of God. He existed in and of himself long before the universe was created.

 

This basic law also points us to

 

- God’s Holiness

 

This is a hard attribute to define because it is basic to who God is. As one writer put it, holiness is what makes God God. It’s the “goodness” of God that separates him from his creation. It involves purity and separation from sin but goes beyond that.

 

We might say it this way: If God were not holy, he would not be God at all.

 

Finally, this basic reminds us of

 

 

All power and all wisdom and all majesty reside in him alone. He inhabits all things and His presence fills every part of the universe. There is nowhere you can go where he is not already there.

 

Not only does this law tell us something about God, notice

 

 

What it says about us is primarily summed up in one word and that is

 

 

We are sinners by birth, by nature and by choice. If you want to know who we really are, then read

 

Romans 3:10-12

 

Notice how those words cover everyone.  “no one … not even one … no one … no one … all … no one … not even one.” It’s hard to miss the point. The whole human race has rebelled against God. As a result, when God looks down from heaven he can’t find a single righteous person. Not even one. He can’t even find anyone who truly seeks him.

 

Sin has so warped the human heart that no one does anything truly good in his sight. We are all “worthless” in his sight. That last part is a pretty tough bottom line. How can you square the word “worthless” with the fact that “God so loved the world?” Why would anyone love a “worthless” person?

 

The answer goes to the very heart of this Basic. God can do whatever He wants to do and He chooses to loves us in spite of our sin and not because of some supposed worth he found in us. To put it in crass terms, he found nothing worth saving in us but he saved us anyway because that’s the kind of God he is.

 

None of us deserved God’s grace. If we deserved it, it wouldn’t be grace at all. Any “worth” we have to God is worth that he gives to us. We have value because he values us, not because of anything in us.

 

When we say, “We desperately need God”, we are exposing our independence, our arrogance, our pride and our need to be in control because it tells us that we aren’t in control and we weren’t ever in control, not even when we thought we were.

 

It occurs to me that 30 years ago when I first began to pastor I doubt that I would have even preached this sermon.  After all, when you’re a young bronc and know everything, who wants to admit they need God?  But I have come to have a different perspective on life.

 

And if you live long enough, you’ll have to deal with the fact that you aren’t nearly as strong and independent as you once thought.  I am more aware than ever of my own limitations. I can think of more things I can’t do than I can do. I am not nearly as impressed with my talents and abilities as I used to be.

 

So it goes for all of us. And in place of those things, I find myself increasingly glad that we worship a God whose power is unlimited, who never grows weary, whose plans will not be defeated, and whose ways are far beyond my own. What a comfort to serve a God like that.

 

I need that God and I need him more than I know. I desperately need God. Sometimes I feel my need, often I don’t. But feelings don’t matter in any case.

I desperately need the Lord. And so do you, as do all of us. That means this basic is a whole lot more than just a theological statement.  It is a crucial ingredient in living the Christian life and not growing tired and discouraged.

 

First, you admit that God is God and you are not. Then you confess you can’t do anything without Him and until you can say that from your heart, you are not yet to first base on your spiritual journey.

 

There are many places in the Bible that teach this truth but I don’t think any handle it any better than the 100^th Psalm.

 

Many years ago this psalm was sung to a tune called “the Old Hundredth.” Today we know the tune better as the “Doxology.” You can find a musical version of Psalm 100 in most hymnals, usually under the title “All Creatures That on Earth Do Dwell.” The Hebrew text calls it, “A psalm for giving thanks.”

 

There are a lot of Psalms that mention giving thanks and center on doing it, but this is the only one specifically titled that way. It is sometimes called the “Jubilate,” which means “O be joyful.” In Old Testament times, the Jews used it as part of the Temple worship. These simple words have blessed the hearts of God’s people for nearly 3,000 years.

 

Psalm 100 has two stanzas and both are centered around God and why we should give Him our thanks and praise.  First of all, because

 

1. He is God (verses 1-3), and

 

2. He is good (verses 4-5).

Verse 3 says, “Know that the Lord, He is God.” Some of the newer translations simply say, “Know that the Lord is God,” but I like the older version.  It makes it more pointed and direct.  Then, once that acknowledgment is made, the psalmist offers three responses.

 

We shout for joy (verse 1),

 

We serve the Lord with gladness (verse 2a),

 

We sing with joy (verse 2b).

 

Then there is a statement of ownership and assurance: “It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.

 

Again, many newer versions word that differently to say, “It is He who made us and we are His.”  There’s nothing wrong with saying that and the rest of the verse underlines that truth.

 

But again I like that original version because it emphasizes that there are no self-made men or women. It’s the psalmist’s way of saying, “He’s God and we’re not”!  All that we have was given to us by God. By the way, that includes men like Hugh Hefner and Donald Trump and Michael Jackson who use their God-given talents and gifts in selfish or even perverted ways.

 

The fact that they have badly misused them does not change the fact that they came from God in the first place and they‘ll ultimately answer to God .

 

 

Then notice this personal confession and praise then leads to visible, public thanksgiving and praise.

 

Verse 4

 

The design of the tabernacle and the temple allowed for large courtyards where great crowds of people would gather. The psalmist here exhorts the people to come into that courtyard singing and openly praising God’s name.

 

It’s almost as if God is saying, “You want to meet me? You can. Start singing a hymn or a chorus and I’ll meet you on the second verse.” Part of the emphasis is surely meant to be that Israel would publicly praise the Lord.

 

As the pagan nations watched from a distance, the public, loud, joyful worship of the Israelites would send a message to the watching world: “These people know and love their God.”

 

In light of this verse, I don’t think it is out-of-place to suggest that we should be bolder and more public in our praise.  And I’m not talking about emotional junk and putting on a show on Sunday.  I’m talking about publicly and openly giving God the glory in our lives. It might be in conversation or in conduct, but there is a compulsion on the child of God to give God praise unashamedly.

 

We should praise the Lord on the street, in the parks, in the classrooms, on the job, in our offices, in our neighborhood, and with our friends and loved ones. And while we don’t need to be pushy or offensive, we shouldn’t be silent either.

 

As I think about our corporate worship, I think we do pretty well in this area. At least we do pretty well for a bunch of middle class white folk!  We don’t worship like they do in Africa or many other countries of the world.  But guess what?  We’re not in Africa or some of the other countries.

 

We’re a little more reserved for that. We’re in Southern Oklahoma in a conservative, Southern Baptist church.  I’m not saying there’s no room for improvement.  Certainly there is.  But I doubt if things every change very much from what they are right now.

 

I’ve been in a Southern Baptist church for 50 years and we’re just about like we’ve always been.  In fact, some of the things we do would get you thrown out of the church I was raised in!  So if this is not the way you like to worship then by all means find a place where you fit and turn yourself loose!

 

I’m just saying, there’s more than one way to worship.  But at its core it is to be joyful, celebrative and sincere.

 

Then notice how the psalm ends.

 

Psalm 100:5

 

Because God’s mercy endures forever, it has no beginning and no end. Before time began, he was the eternal Father of Mercies. And since God is eternal, his mercy extends as far into the future as the mind can conceive. And then infinitely farther. When eternity is finally done—if such a thing can be contemplated—God’s mercy will still endure.

It never runs out, is never exhausted, and when you feel you have used up your allotment of mercy, you discover that there is an infinite river flowing from God’s throne.

 

God’s mercy is not like the weather. It does not change with the seasons. And it does not depend on you or on anything you may do. There is nothing you can do to make God love you more and there is nothing you can do to make him love you less. His mercy is so great and his love so free that it is truly infinite and everlasting.

 

We see God’s love and mercy most clearly at the cross. You’ve probably seen that little plaque that says, “I asked Jesus, ‘How much do you love me?’ ‘This much,’ he answered. And he stretched out his arms and died.”

 

Fix your eyes upon the bloody cross of Calvary. Gaze upon the dying form of the Son of God. There you will find grace unmeasured, mercy undeserved, and love beyond degree.

 

No changes, however great, can produce any changes in him. All things are moving according to his divine plan. There are no mistakes with the Lord. You may think it otherwise, but it is not true. You may say, “All things are against me,” but it is not so. All things are for you but you do not yet see it. God is ordering all for the best.

 

And don’t miss that final phrase: “through all generations.” It literally means “from generation to generation.” Exodus 20:6 tells us that God shows his love to “a thousand generations” of those who love him.

In Biblical terms, a generation is 40 years.  That means God’s love lasts at least 40,000 years. And since this promise was given to Moses at Mt. Sinai about 3,500 years ago, that means we have at least another 36,500 years to go.

 

Thinking about it very literally that means, even though we are 3,500 years away from when that promise was made, we’ve only used 10% of God’s love and faithfulness.

 

But it’s not literal, you say. No it isn’t.  But it’s also not purely figurative.  It’s a tangible way that God has given us to understand that His love and faithfulness go far beyond any human understanding.

 

Suppose we line up a grandfather, a father, a son, a grandson, and a great-grandson on the platform. This text tells us that what God is to the grandfather, he will be to the father. What he is to the father, he will be to the son. What he is to the son, he will be to the grandson. What he is to the grandson, he will be to the great-grandson.

 

And so it goes across the centuries. You can back up all the way to Adam in history and go forward as far as you want in the future and anywhere you stop along the way you will find an faithful God who is absolutely the same.  Generations come and go, one after the other. Only God remains forever.

 

I am so glad that God’s faithfulness transcends the generations. Most of us will be blessed to live between 60 and 90 years.  Some a little shorter; others a little longer.  But I’ve got some news for you:  none of us will live forever on this earth.

I was thinking this week about how long a year used to be.  As soon as Christmas would pass I would begin to think about how long it would be until next Christmas.

 

Now I find myself thinking about how short a year is.  Christmas just passed and before I know it, it will be here again. Now Christmas is especially significant for me because my birthday is the following day.  That means every Christmas I get another year older.

 

And before long, it will all be over.  But this is our hope at the edge of death. I do not know how far we have to go until we reach the end of our earthly road. But this I know—that road is paved with God’s love and faithfulness. And we need not be afraid.

 

This week I ran across a quote from Lloyd Ogilvie.  He pastored Presbyterian church in Hollywood for a number of years and served as Chaplain of the United States Senate. He said that Psalm 100 “makes a strong case for gladness as the sure sign that we are living by grace and not our efforts.”

 

Think about that.  Happy Christians are those who understand they don’t work for their salvation.  They don’t have to be or do certain things to be accepted by God.  They simply enjoy His grace and praise Him for it.

 

If I could boil that down to a single sentence, I’d say it this way:  Happy Christians honor God. Interestingly, Spurgeon commented that “our happy God deserves to be worshiped by a happy people.”

 

If our hearts are not filled with joy as we think about the Lord and what He’s done for us, if we are so uptight that no one would ever associate the word “gladness” with us, perhaps we need to discover the grace of God all over again.

 

Did you ever think about the last sentence of the Lord’s Prayer?  It says, “Yours is the kingdom, yours is the power, yours is the glory, forever. Amen”

 

That’s a part of the Lord’s Prayer that most of us don’t even think about, but it is absolutely crucial. We pray “yours is the kingdom” because we know that the kingdoms of the earth will give way to the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

We pray “yours is the power” because we do not give up in the face of difficult trials but instead live in faith that the Lord has a purpose and will give us whatever we need to face the challenges of each day.

 

We pray “yours is the glory” because we have chosen to live for God instead of for the praise of men. And we need to pray that way because we are all kingdom builders who love to operate in our own power and for our own glory.

 

So it is good to say to the Lord, “Not my kingdom but yours, Lord. Not my power but yours, Lord. Not my glory but yours, Lord, and not just today or tomorrow but forever. Amen.” If we pray like that, and if we live like that, we’ll stay out of the kind of trouble that could destroy us.

 

Let me close with three simple statements regarding this basic truth.  :

 

Our problem is that too often we don’t feel our need until things aren’t going well. But we need God just as much when we have a million dollars as when we are flat broke. And we need him just as much when our health is good as when we have cancer.

 

We need the Lord. We need him desperately. We need him more than we know.

 

 

Sin has messed everything up. The whole world groans and travails because of sin. Nothing works right, things break, little children are shot by the side of the road, marriages disintegrate, promises are broken, laws violated, and terrorists fly airplanes into buildings. The world is broken and we are broken. Like Humpty Dumpty, nothing we do can put us back together again.

 

 

That should be pretty obvious by now. I love how David puts it in Psalm 34:6, “This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.”

 

Take that verse backwards and you come to a wonderful truth. If you want to be saved, the Lord must hear you. But to be heard, you must call on the Lord. But only a “poor man” calls on the Lord.

 

Those who think themselves self-sufficient have no need for God so they never call on him. Only the “poor man” calls and only he is heard and only he is saved and delivered.  It is a giant step forward in your Christian walk the day you bow before the Lord and say, “Oh God, I need you. I can’t do this myself. Please help me.” No one who has cried out to the Lord like that has ever been turned away.

 

And when we finally get off our high horse and cry out to God, then, and only then are our prayers finally heard and answered. But you’ll never know until you see for yourself. I can preach all day long, but it will have no effect until you admit how much you need the Lord.  Some of us have to hit rock bottom before we will finally look up and cry out to God in desperation.

 

Years ago I heard it said this way: You’ll never know if Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have. When Jesus is all you have, then you will know that Jesus is all you need. If you are weary, if you are tired, if you are discouraged, if you need a fresh start, if you know your life is going nowhere, if you want your sins forgiven, if you want to know God, then drop what you are doing and run to the cross.

 

Don’t delay, don’t put it off, and don’t make any excuses. Drop everything and run to the cross of Christ. Come to the Christ who loves you and died for you. Lay all your sins on Jesus. Trust him and him alone as your Savior.  Remember, God doesn’t need us.  But we desperately need him and the sooner we come to realize that the better off we’ll be.

 

Let’s pray.