Two introductory verses from the book of Genesis will establish a basic premise that will be developed in this message. After Adam and Eve had sinned, God told them, … cursed is the ground for thy sake…. Genesis 3:17.
When Noah and his family were coming out of the ark, God said, … I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake…. Genesis 8:21.
When God does things to us that seem to be very harsh, He always has our good at heart. It is for our sake that these things happen. His judgments are always redemptive.
The eleventh chapter of John relates that when Lazarus was sick, Jesus stayed where He was a few days longer. Finally He told His disciples, “We are going to go wake Lazarus out of sleep.” They replied, “If he is sleeping, he will do well.”
Then He told them, “Lazarus is dead. But I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent that you might believe.” It was for their sakes that many things had to happen.
We do not realize how many things happen for our sakes, if we only understood how all things work together for good. God sometimes seems to bring us to a very difficult situation, but it is for our sakes that He does it. You may not realize what God has done in your life, what He has provided for you, how many things He has brought forth just for your sakes.
As we develop this principle, we will apply it to several areas, so that we may better understand the Sabbath, the principles of submission and authority, the restrictions that are laid upon us, and what God is really trying to do in our lives.
And it came about that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. (They were taking some of the fresh grain to eat.) And the Pharisees were saying to Him, “See here, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and became hungry, he and his companions: how he entered into the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he gave it also to those who were with him?” And He was saying to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Consequently, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
And He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there with a withered hand. And they were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, in order that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man with the withered hand, “Rise and come forward!” And He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent.
And after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. And the Pharisees went out and immediately began taking counsel with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. Mark 2:23–3:6.
This incident is recorded also in the twelfth chapter of Matthew and in the sixth chapter of Luke. It is given a place of importance in the Gospels, inasmuch as it is recorded three times. It is good for us to remember that this is a very important passage which the Lord is emphasizing to our hearts. The Sabbath was made for us; we were not made for the Sabbath. We did not come into this world for the sake of the Sabbath; the Sabbath came into existence for our sake, even though God rested from His work of creation on the seventh day.
This truth concerning the Sabbath applies to many of the things that God has set before us—things that we usually regard as restrictions. Because we assume that God is trying to take our lives and put them into some little strait jacket, we declare, “I’m not going to keep the Sabbath!”
I think the opposite attitude should be taken, not only concerning the Sabbath, but in regard to authority, to the Scriptures, to tithing, to the tragedies and problems that come into our lives. We must see what God is trying to do in ministering to us in them.
We should try a different approach on the feast days too, and not only let them be days that are altogether joyful, but let them minister to us in a greater measure. Although we serve, everything should be so well organized that these days reach through to bless our spirits.
I do not think we know yet how to let the Sabbath day minister to us. We talk about keeping the Sabbath; what we should do is let the Sabbath keep us. Enter into His rest.
Do something that lifts you up. You were not made to come to church on the Sabbath day; the Sabbath was made for you, that you could come and find a blessing and an anointing reaching out to you. We must be very careful that in all things, the idea of grace and not of legalism pervades our thinking. God has provided all these things for us in order to minister to us.
When restrictions are placed on young people, they usually do not accept them. They feel that their life is being deprived, that their whole life style is being cramped. They fail to realize that certain restrictions are designed to open up great opportunities to them.
How many a young person has chafed under the discipline of his home and run away to do his own thing, only to wake up about ten years later to the realization that he would give anything for the education he could have had if he had stayed home. It is true, I am generalizing, for some young people are much better off away from their parents.
Some parents are very unwise in failing to discipline their children, with the result that their home is almost destroyed. If parents follow the modern idea of permissiveness, letting their children just do their own thing without disciplining them, before long they will have a situation that they can’t even live with.
No home should come to the place where it is turned over to lawlessness and lack of discipline. Discipline was designed, not for restrictions, but for blessings. The happiest children are the ones who have someone to keep a curb on them and restrain them.
Undisciplined children would learn to shape up in a hurry if they were disciplined properly just one time. The next time they were told to do something, they would be so eager to do it!
So also should you receive the chastening of the Lord. Don’t be dismayed, don’t be weary and discouraged at those chastenings. Whom the Lord loves, He chastens. He scourges every son whom He receives (Hebrews 12:6). If He chastens you, then He is dealing with you as sons and not as bastards. You are not some misbegotten spiritual entity; you are brought forth to be the sons of God.
Therefore you should be grateful and you should rejoice. Through his disciple the Lord is only trying to drive you into the place of appropriation where your heart is open and rejoicing in the Lord, where you understand the fantastic privilege He has given you to reach in and partake of His holiness, of His very life, of His very nature.
He has designed the process and He is enforcing it to bring you right into sonship in the name of the Lord. In all of this we are trying to determine, “For whose sake do all of these things happen? For whose sake?” It is for your sake that He brings discipline and chastening, so that you will be a partaker of His very nature.
God is trying to teach you that it’s for your sake that the Sabbath was created. Then learn it. Let it minister to you. It is for your sake that He puts authority over you.
Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey them that have the rule over you as they that watch for your soul.” You are fortunate to have someone looking after you.
In this Walk with God people need ten times as much attention as do the nominal Christians in old order, many of whom come to church only on Easter and Christmas.
They are visited once or twice a year by the financial committee to see how much they will pledge to the church. They are invited to banquets and social programs.
In this Walk with God you are in trouble from the time you go through the front door! You need help. The screws have been taken off that lock that froze you into a certain pattern. No longer are you a static individual, but you are growing and progressing, and consequently problems arise. So the Lord puts you under discipline.
First of all He teaches you, “Come on, now. Line up. You are going to be submissive to the authority that is over you.” You may think, “Look at them; they are no better than I am. I know the Word of God as well as those elders do. I am not going to pay any attention to them. No man should have the say-so over people’s lives—who is to get married and to whom, and who is not to get married—like those elders do when they minister to the people. That isn’t right.”
You may think it isn’t right, but we have a very good batting average as a result of so earnestly seeking the will of the Lord and being submissive. If you don’t think so, compare it with the old-order way of doing things and notice the utter chaos coming out of that.
For whose sake is God bringing the divine order? It is for your sake. Submission is not a restriction. It is not depriving you nor making you lose your identity; is it giving you an identity as a member of the Body of Christ. It is for your sakes that these things are coming to pass.
What about the tithe? Is that to be considered as a legalistic command? In this Walk the common practice is to start with the tithe, and many people go on beyond. But why do we tithe?
We read in Malachi 3:10: Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse … and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Notice the next verse: And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes.
God is bringing a restoration of tithing because this is a time for the rebuking of the devourer and the liberation of creation. Instead of feeling restricted and thinking, “It’s going to cost us ten percent to be in the church,” we are entering in with faith to tithe because we have a promise that God is going to rebuke the devourer. He is going to liberate creation as we come forth as sons of God. It’s for our sakes that we are tithing!
All the things that happened in the Old Testament are for examples and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. I Corinthians 10:11.
They were written for our sake. The more we get into the flow of the Word that is coming right now as God is opening it up, the more we realize that God has not placed a lot of restrictions on us.
He doesn’t say, “Now, you better go to church or you will lose out with God.” Hebrews 10:25 tells us, “Cease not the assembling of yourselves together, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.”
As we see the day approaching, so much the more ought we to assemble together. The churches could solve their problems much easier if they would have more church services. Let the people come and participate. It must become a way of life to you.
Instead of saying, “We have too much church; we have to go to church all the time,” consider it a blessing to go to church. As the day is approaching, we sense that we need this ministry. We need to sing to one another, to exhort one another. We need to have opportunity to grow and develop in the Lord. It is for your sake.
The many services have become the center of your lives. For your sakes it must be. You will not be able to do a lot of things in the world. You will find your activities of service and dedication in doing the will of the Lord.
We are learning how to think about the things that seem to be demands on us as we realize that these things exist for our sake. God is doing something in our lives as we learn to be obedient. Though Jesus was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things that He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). As God puts us through all of these things, He teaches us and shows us how to walk with Him.
So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God. Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. I Corinthians 3:21–4:1.
It can be a very unhealthy condition when people are ministry samplers, running from one elder to another to get the most favorable word. Or they may show preference and only come to church when “So-and-So” is preaching the sermon.
One of these days God is going to give the most world-shaking revelation to some “Joe” that no one wants to hear and you will be very sorry if you weren’t there for that word. We will learn the voice of God. The Word is going to come and we should honor it.
Apart from being partial to ministries and preferring one over another, there is another great danger—that of not taking seriously your responsibility to be a participating member of the body. Regardless of who gets up to speak, collectively you all become a spiritual force that ministers to anyone who comes into the place. Take seriously your responsibility of being a member of a ministering body.
You must understand that the ministries exist for your sake; you do not exist for their sake. If God wants a man to preach, does He have to fill up a lot of seats with people to listen to Him? No, He brings those people together, but He raises up the ministry to give them a word. It is for their sake that these ministries stand, as oracles of God to speak through to you.
The next time you want to rebel or show partiality because you don’t care for So-and-so’s ministry, remember that it will be very necessary for you to learn to accept it, because God raised that ministry up for your sake. Even if you prefer another one, that doesn’t matter. You will accept them all; they are raised up for your sake, to help you and to bless you.
I feel very sorry for the people who profess to be so submissive, but the minute someone crosses them, they run. The minute you try to help them constructively, they leave. They are absolutely unable to accept any kind of discipline or corrective criticism.
Whenever that happens, God will begin to deal with them directly, which can be very difficult. If I can’t reach an individual and he refuses to talk to me or let me minister to him, I’m still going to answer to God for it. In order to show my faithfulness, I must use some means by which I can minister to that man for his sake. As the last resort, I will use apostolic authority to put him under the judgment of God, and he will have a difficult time from then on. Does that sound terrible? It is for his sake.
The Word says, “Submit to those that have the rule over you, for they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, that they might do it with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you (Hebrews 13:7).
It is for your sake. It is not profitable for you if I have to go to the Lord and say, “Sorry Lord, but he won’t respond.”
If they do not receive ministry from us then God will have to dealt with them, then they will be yelling for help. Then they will be very pleased to have me lay my hands on them, God had a marvelous way of making them not only willing, but more than eager to receive the ministry. It was for their sakes, not mine that the sharp dealings had to come.
For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore also we speak; knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes. (notice that: all things are for your sakes), that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. II Corinthians 4:11–15.
That gives a different slant to the situation. Why does God put me through so much? The work of the cross should have been accomplished long ago. Then why do I still carry the dying of the Lord Jesus in my person? Why is it so difficult for me to survive that I am literally dependent on the Lord, by day and by night? Does He have something special for me? Is He going to make my life extremely pleasurable or make me very successful? No, it is not for my sake. Death works in me so that life can work in you. It is for your sake, so that you can come and hear a word that is fresh and alive instead of one that is old and rehashed.
Eventually the greatest ministries in the Word, the greatest preaching in the whole earth will come forth from the members of the body, the layman that God raises up.
Because they will be speaking fresh living words from the Lord, their preaching will be superior to that of all the great pulpit artists. What brings this about? I have to die, that life can work in you. It is for your sake, for the sake of the word that will come to you.
This is why you should pray for me continually. The flow of this word is for your sake. You grow and you change. It is more than something that causes the ear to rejoice, it is something that changes your spirit. It transforms. You hear it and you know, “I am different. Life is abounding within me because of a word I heard from God.” That word is born through the work of the cross. Therefore we do not lose heart…. Verse 16. All these things are for your sake. That is the way the Lord did it. For you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. II Corinthians 8:9.
All the things that happen in a walk with God are designed because God has His flock in mind. He is ministering to you. Sometimes you may think you are being neglected. You would like to be able to pour out your woes on someone and it doesn’t happen. Why not?
What you get on your terms isn’t necessarily for your good. Often the people who drop out are those who received too much ministry; they were just looking for a “pacifier.”
The people who really receive a blessing are those who receive ministry through someone in whom death is working as God puts him through it. That ministry gives a word that can feed hundreds of people, that can transform them and do things in their lives that weeks of counseling could not do—if the people will only listen. If they will just listen!
How much God is going to do for you. How much He loves you. All these things are written for our admonition. All these things are given for our sakes. God loves you. All things are yours.
What should be your attitude now concerning the Sabbath? It is not enough to say, “I should keep the Sabbath. The Lord is going to restore it in the Kingdom. I’d better find out just what He wants me to do.”
At this time when Satan is trying to wear out the saints of the Most High, the Sabbath will bring a spiritual rest to you. It is only a foretaste of the great rest that is going to come on this earth for a thousand years. Let it minister to you.
Instead of seeing how many things you can do, try to find some time between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday, in which you ask the Lord to minister to you.
Don’t go back to keeping the Sabbath in a legalistic way. There are Scriptures warning against this. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “You observe certain days and seasons. I’m afraid, lest I bestowed labor upon you in vain.” To go back to a legalistic observance would be anti-Scriptural. Let us go ahead to a spiritual purpose, to a function that God has in mind, and let the Lord minister to us. Let there be a spiritual blessing as you enter into His rest.
Get rid of the feeling that someone is trying to pull you into a strait jacket. The Lord raises up ministries and teaches us submission; He orders circumstances and brings discipline to us—all for our good.”
“Ship Zion” is about the only thing that will make it through these troubled waters. Everyone else’s little boat will go under. You had better be prepared. It is for your sake, for your preservation that God is bringing all of these things to pass.
Let God loose you from the rebellion in your circumstances. It is great to have faith to overcome, but it is wrong to have rebellion mixed in with it. We are to have faith and be submissive to the Lord, and we are also to reach in and believe God to overcome all things.
Lord, You love us enough that You are not going to let us keep making mistakes. Thank You, Lord, that we are in Your hand. Thank You for the elders that are over us. Thank You for the apostolic company, the foundational ministry that You have given for our guidance.
Thank You, Lord, for all the things that You are teaching us as we learn to obey and to be submissive. We submit to You afresh in our heart. We thank You for the Sabbath. We take it, not as a burden upon our heart, but as a blessing, something that You have made for us. Because You are Lord over the Sabbath, will You minister rest to your people on the Sabbath day. Satan attempts to wear us out. We will keep the Sabbath to be refreshed and made strong in the Lord.