"Motivation"

If I can today, I would like to talk to you about motivation; about the things behind the action, things that move us to do what we do. I appreciate the line of our hymn that says, "Search all my thoughts, the secret springs, The motives that control..." What we do is probably not as important as the motive behind the doing. Had I lived in New Testament days, I would probably have had great admiration for Judas when he kissed Jesus in the middle of the crying, angry mob. On the surface it looked a very courageous act, but the motive was wrong. We all may ask ourselves, "What moves us to tears?" "What moves us to pray?" Well may we examine the motivation behind every act and word of our lives. In Acts 17:5 it tells us about the Jews who believed not and were `moved with envy' and it tells us that they took certain people. It was envy that motivated these people to do what they did, jealousy, but these people were outside the family of God. In Acts 7:9 it says, "The patriarchs `moved with envy' sold Joseph into Egypt." Envy on the outside is sad, but envy amongst us is much sadder. Away back in Genesis 37:11 it says, "His brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying." Because of envy in the hearts of those brothers, they sold Joseph into Egypt. In Proverbs 27:4 it says, "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?" Probably nothing is crueler than jealousy. Jealousy lurks in every human heart. Sometimes when I speak against my brother I think I am righteous, but I am actually jealous. In the Song of Solomon 8:6, it says, "Jealousy is as cruel as the grave." Believe me, the grave is cruel. I had an older sister who lost her daughter. This little girl was coming home from school when the bus stopped in front of her house. My nephew came screaming into the house. Fortunately my sister's husband was home that afternoon and he went out to see what was wrong. When he did not come back, my sister went out to see what the trouble was. A crowd of people had gathered round the school bus and one of the neighbor friends tried to restrain my sister from going there. Of course nothing could restrain her then, and she found her little girl with her head crushed. She had been run over by the bus. My sister became almost mental as a result of that tragedy. One day when she could not be found, my mother went to the grave and found my sister with her bare hands, digging into the earth above that grave. The cruel grave never released that little girl. "Jealousy is as cruel as the grave." When we find ourselves motivated by envy, may God help us to deal with it in our own hearts. I Corinthians 13:4 says, "Charity envieth not." Love does not envy. When I find myself jealous of my brother or sister, I had better examine the love that is lacking in my own heart. In John 12:43 we find men who were motivated by self-love. It says, "Many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." Self-love is a dangerous motivation. In John 8 we read of people being motivated by self-righteousness. Our brother spoke from this chapter yesterday of this woman taken in sin. The self-righteous, religious people said, "Let us get her killed." Their attitude was, "We will deal with this." They told Jesus, "The law says to kill her", and they said then, "What do you have to say?" They asked Jesus this to get something against Him. In no way did Jesus condone what was done. He did not refute what the law said, but He did say, "Gentlemen, whoever is without sin pick up the first stone." When we examine our own failure, it keeps us from being critical of a brother's sin, a brother's failure. I appreciated what we heard yesterday, "The finger that wrote the law in stone was the finger that wrote her guilt in sand." Even those self-righteous individuals, remembering their own guilt, turned and walked away. Finally it was the woman alone with Jesus. That is the way it is going to be with every one of us; alone before the Lord. Jesus asked her, "Woman, where are thine accusers? Is there no man to condemn thee?" She said, "No man Lord." There were plenty of men to accuse her, but the only man that could have condemned her did not do it. God help us all to be true to what the Lord said mercifully to those who have failed in keeping the Word. No one stands so straight as he who stoops to help a fallen brother. Hebrews 11:7, "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Happy and wise is the man who is motivated by Godly fear. "Moved with fear" Noah did something that brought salvation, not alone to himself but also to his family. In Genesis 42:18, Joseph, the ruler in Egypt, had his ten guilty brothers before him. He had the power to keep them in prison, but Joseph said, "I fear God. This do and live." Godly fear in your heart and mine will move us to set our guilty brothers free. If any of us had to pay for our own sin, how many of us would be free today? Abraham in his day, lied about Sarah, his wife. He did it because he was afraid for his life. He said he thought there was no fear of God in the land. There is no telling what any man will do if the fear of God is totally gone from a heart and life. In Exodus 1 we read where the king Pharaoh said that every boy baby was to die in the waters of the Nile. That is ancient history, but there is a Pharaoh who lives today, the god of this world who has decreed that not only your baby boys, but also your baby daughters will perish in the world of sin around us everywhere. Thank God for midwives, and thank God for parents who feared God, and their boy babies were saved. Moses's father and mother kept him as long as they could in the home. When finally the time, like an everlasting stream takes all our live away, came for their baby boy to be thrown into the waters of the Nile, they made an ark that saved him. I feel very thankful for parents who wove something around my life when I was only a boy at home, and finally, in my teenage years when I left home. I found then that there were places that I could not go, and things I could not do, even though I had left the parental restraint. May God move every parent in the meeting today to weave something about your children that will keep them from sin and keep them from worldliness. In Malachi 3:16 we read, "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another." When the fear of God motivates our conversation we will leave our friends better for the visit. In Mark 1:40 a leper came to Jesus saying, "If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." It says that Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be thou clean." For one to touch a leper was unthinkable. How thankful we can be for God's people today, who saw us in our leprosy, and it didn't move them to condemn us, but moved with compassion they reached out and touched us with love and care. When we are most unlovely is when we need love the most. Every other man in the country would have recoiled and pulled away from that leper, but Jesus, moved with compassion, did something no one else was willing to do. I shall be thankful for all eternity for those who, with loving compassion, touched my life with help when I was most unworthy. In Matthew 9 we read when Jesus saw the multitude He was "moved with compassion" towards them. He said, "Pray the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labour's." In Mark 1 Jesus was moved with compassion for one soul. In Matthew 9 Jesus was moved with compassion toward a multitude, a world. I was very much impressed yesterday when our brother told us that in the midst of a billion people, there was one woman who was interested in visiting. Thank God for men and women today who are interested in individuals. They are willing to spend time and strength and dollars just to help one individual. I am not used to the multitudes that we see here in Korea. One of the things I will remember most from my weeks here is just a handful in this home, and that home, who have come to listen to the Gospel. When I see my fellow Servants walking miles over rough and rocky roads just for an individual, it has done something for me. Thank God for hearts in our day who are still motivated and moved with compassion. In Luke 10 we read of the man who went from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was going in the wrong direction; he was on a downward course. He fell among thieves. They robbed him, they beat him, and left him half dead. The priest came along. He took a look and passed by on the other side. The Levite came along and did the same. The good Samaritan came along and he, moved with compassion, took oil and wine and helped the poor man. So easily the priest could have given him a lecture, "You should not have been going down that road in the first place." In other words, "Mixing with those kind of companions, of course you are going to lose your testimony, your garments." But isn't it wonderful when the Good Samaritan came, moved with compassion, and he simply helped him. It says, "He took care of him." There is no time in life that we don't need care. There is no time in life when honest care won't do a lot to help us. Just knowing that someone really cares will do more than most things to help us. In Matthew 18 we read about a man who owed a debt of $12 000 000, and the creditor was going to throw him into prison, and the man who owed the debt asked for mercy saying, "Give me time and I will pay it all."That was stupid. How could any one of us pay a debt of $12 000,000? We could not even pay the interest! But the creditor was moved with compassion for that man and forgave him all. I hope none of us will ever be foolish enough to think we can pay the price of our guilt and sin. Salvation is a gift. "In my hand no price I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling. Could my tears forever flow? Could my zeal no languor know. These for sin could not atone. Thou must save and Thou alone." Hopefully we, as God's people are the busiest working people in the world, but don't ever forget that our works are the result of our salvation, not the cause of our salvation. Foolishly this poor man thought, "Given time I will pay my debt." We thank God for a Friend who was moved with compassion for us and He paid the debt we owe. This poor fellow, having been forgiven, took his brother who owed him $17, and threw him into prison. Could you imagine anything sadder? Having been forgiven $12,000,000 he would not forgive the paltry debt of $17. Problems and misunderstandings come, and they will, but may God help you and me to understand how much we have been forgiven and then we just could not, not forgive. May compassion move us as it moved our Master, toward any brother or sister. In II Peter 1:21, Peter said that the Bible did not come through any private interpretation but holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Romans 8:14 tells us that, "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." In Acts 16:6 we read where that Godly man Paul wanted to go somewhere, but the Spirit of God would not let him. It is wonderful when the places we go are motivated by the Holy Spirit. Many years ago an old brother George Walker said this to me, that looking back across the many years, the one thing he thanked God for was simply thoughts that God put into his heart. I don't really claim to be a man of prayer though I surely believe in prayer, please understand that. But I love to begin a day for at least a few moments on my knees asking God to put thoughts into my mind and heart to guide me through the day. We know it was God who guided Paul and his companions to Philippi in Acts 16. In Acts 2:24 the Holy Ghost was given. God's servants began to speak with other tongues as the Holy Ghost gave them utterance. It is a wonderful thing that results when our tongue is guided by the Holy Ghost. This is the story when five thousand men got saved as a result of what was said at that time. This gathering here which thrills me today, is as a result of God's servants being guided by and speaking by the Holy Ghost. They did not come with a massage of their own, they came with a message of the Holy Spirit. I appreciate what Isaiah said when he said, "God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I might know how to speak a word in season." You will notice that he did not say, "what to speak,' but that, "I might know how to speak." So often it is not what we say, but how we say it. In Colossians 4:6, Paul said, "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Again, not `what' to answer. When the Children of Israel left the land of bondage and the passover lamb was eaten, they were given instructions not to eat the lamb raw. It was to be roast with fire, and we know that God is love and God is a consuming fire. There is nothing worse than raw lamb; raw truth. In Proverbs 25:11 Solomon said that, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." We know gold is a type of divinity and silver is a type of redemption. A golden apple is beautiful but if the frame is not right it distracts from the picture. We can say a lot of right things, Godly things, but if the background of our lives does not speak of redemption, then the whole thing is spoiled. Jesus said in Matthew 23 that all those false preachers say the right thing, and what they tell you to do, do it, but the tragedy is, they say itbut they don't do it. May God help you and me to have golden words, words that are life itself, and may we have a life behind the word that gives unmistakable proof of our redemption. The last motivation that I would like to speak about is love. I appreciate the hymn Don ( Garland ) asked us to sing: "Upon a lonely mount, obeying God's behest, A father offered up his son. It was his very best." Gladly yielding all, moved by love divine. Proving we are not our own, For all we have is thine." John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Moved by love God gave His only Son for you and me. What brought Don ( Garland ) and Sproulie (Denio) to Korea originally? Can anyone here stand up and say, "I paid them to come." What has brought each of these other Workers across the sea or your own Korean Workers, what moved them to come to your community? Did you hire them? "Moved by love", they go again to seek the lost and dying men, because in their hearts there is burning a flame of burning love for Jesus' name.All the power of this love is not wrapped up alone in God's servants. People in Korea will never know what their love, their care, their welcome, the warmth of their homes, has done for me. "For God so loved... that He gave..." Thank God that that same love is rewrapped in human packages that are giving this love to this needy world. Love will move us to do what nothing else on earth will. I told you before that my youngest sister lost her only son. Some weeks before he died I went home to be with my sister. Her boy was in Stanford hospital in San Francisco and there were nurses with him around the clock. I must say they were wonderful young women. We all appreciated them very, very much. At the end of every eight hour shift each one went home, but there was another woman who sat in that room almost twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I need not tell you it was Larry's mother. What kept her there while the other women, eight hours at a time, went home? Moved by love she sat by the bedside of her dying boy until the last page of life's story was turned. I thank God for these young men and young women with the sweet red wine of youth coursing through their veins. Impelled by love they go again, but oh friends, don't ever cease to thank God for those who are no longer young, who sit by our side and who care for your souls until life's last page is turned. In John 12 a young woman named Mary brought an alabaster box that was very costly and she broke it and anointed the body of Jesus, and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. There is no record of a single word that was said, but what was done is affecting your life and mine. Long after anything we have said has been forgotten, the influence of our spirit, what we do, is going to live on. Four days later in another home, another woman whose name I do not know, did exactly the same thing. She anointed the body of Jesus. I do not know that she was in Mary's home, but I have the feeling that she was and what she saw that day moved her to do the same thing four days later. What moved these young men and women here in our midst to give their lives in the harvest field? It is not what they have heard. I don't think the older Workers have walked up to any of them and commanded their lives. It is the influence of broken boxes, broken lives, broken plans, broken future, and the fragrance of the sacrifice has flowed out to touch other young lives, moving them to do what older Workers have done. In Exodus 21 we read about a slave who had served for six years and was permitted to go free. This man, if he had learned to love his master, refused to go free. He first was moved by love to become a servant forever. When this happened he was taken to the door of his master's home and a hole was bored through the lobe of his ear. By that, the whole world knew that he was listening to a master's voice and the blood that flowed from the ear of the slave was mixed with the blood of the lamb that was sprinkled on the doorpost of that home. Those of us who are His slaves by choice, slaves by love, our blood, our future, is mixed with the blood of the Lamb and His future is our future. I heard of a slave being sold at an auction in our country, and a buyer came to look over the human wares. This man looked at the slave and the slave took a violent dislike to the buyer. He told him, "Buy me if you will, but I will never be your slave. I will take my life first." The bidding went high, but the poor black man was bought by this man he so violently disliked. The man who paid so high a price for him sent him a note saying, "I bought you only to set you free." It was then that the poor black man, overwhelmed by such love, said, as he fell on his knees, "So long as I live, I will live only to be your servant." How thankful we can be that the price of our freedom was paid and we are free today; we are slaves by choice and hopefully we will live only to serve the One who bought us. Last of all, in John 13 it says that "Jesus, ... having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them to the end." There is a lot I would like to say about that but I will simply close by saying, young love is beautiful, but old love is infinitely more beautiful. It is wonderful seeing how young people in love with each other, treat each other. It is tragic when that love wears thin, and they become critical, snapping at each other. It is wonderful when love brings greater kindness, greater courtesy, rather than less of it. Jesus having loved His own, He loved them unto the end. If it is ever my privilege to return to Korea , I hope I will still see these young men and women who love the Work today, a year from now, or ten years from now, whatever the case may be. Jesus, having loved His own, moved by love, loved them unto the end. H. Brownlee