Timothy J. Clarke - The Power of One: Delight

So let’s go to the passage; I just thought I’d share that with you all in my travels: Psalm 40, verses 6 through 8. «Sacrifice and offering you do not desire; my ears you have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering you do not require. Then I said, 'Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.'» Verse 8: «I delight to do your will, O my God; and your law, your word, your commandments, your precepts are written within my heart.» Thus far, God’s word. Be seated in the presence of the Lord.

One of the sad realities of our times, especially regarding Uncle George Deacon Murray as it relates to the Christian faith, is not just the erroneous views that many hold of this faith we cherish so dearly, but along with it, Smitty, are the disparaging ways in which many people talk about our faith as well. If you were to ask the average person what their view of Christianity is and how they perceive the Christian life, you would most likely hear words like harsh, stern, dull, boring, legalistic, unloving, critical, and the list could go on and on. And, beloved, what’s amazing to me is that so many who hold those views have not had any real contact or experience with Christ or his church. Now, I’m not going to say it disparagingly; those who have had some experience with the church and with believers have often had the misfortune of encountering poor examples of what it means to live the Christian life.

I’m convinced, Tony, and I hope you won’t get mad at me, that sometimes Christians—I’ll use that word sparingly because of where I’m going—I’m convinced that some 'Christians' are the worst examples of the Christian faith anybody could find. They are bitter, they are mean, they are angry, they are nasty, they are mean-spirited. Just keep looking straight ahead; amen? And they walk around with a chip on their shoulder. They are short-tempered and have very short fuses. They fly off the handle at a moment’s notice. All you have to do is look at them to trigger a venomous outburst. Then they’ll talk about how they praise the Lord and are blessed and highly favored.

Scientists say that some of the folks sitting in some other churches—not in this church—are poor examples of what it means to be a believer. And because of that, there are, unfortunately, men and women who look harshly upon us, not because they’ve encountered Christ but because they’ve encountered poor examples of Christ. It’s sad, Helen, that the average person—and you will allow me to say this, will you not? —I say it with love, tenderness, and concern. The reason some of us—I didn’t say you—have such a hard time witnessing to our family, children, siblings, and relatives is that they ran into some brash or harsh Christian who ripped them apart, leaving them wanting nothing to do with the church.

Since I’m on a roll, I’ll just keep going. It is not just people in the pew; it’s some fellas in the pulpit who have given the church a bad name. It is the goings-on and misconduct of some who have turned not only the minds of people but also the stomachs of some who have said, «If that’s what it means to be a Christian and a preacher, then thank you, but no thank you. I’ll do the best I can and trust God or grade me on a curve.»

It’s sad that many people have this disparaging view of what it means to live the Christian life. Eula, if you would ask the average person—don’t do it, but if you were brave enough to do so tomorrow at your job and ask someone, «What do you think of the Christian life? How would you describe it?”—they would say, „Oh, it’s harsh, tough, cruel, boring, dull.“ And really, they aren’t talking about the life; they’re talking about some folks they know.

The reason I bring that up, O’Neill, is that would you be surprised that while that is the view of the world, it is not the view of those of us who truly know Jesus for ourselves? I’m going to leave it alone. In reality, those of us who know God, walk with God, and experience life with God know the wonderful thrill of having God in our lives. And that’s why, on this Father’s Day, I want to propose a theological hypothesis to you and suggest that part of serving God can be, and ought to be…