"All Things to All Men" By Chris Ulrich June 26th,
2016
Good morning everybody. I’d like to have Mike come. He’s going to lead us in a word of prayer as
we begin the message this morning. Mike: Dear Lord Jesus, we
just praise Your holy name, Lord, God, and we’re thankful for the men who stood
up for Pastor Davis, who was nothing when he was a kid. People didn’t think he would amount to
anything, God. He just humbled himself
before You, and he was a human being. I
think that was the legacy that’s his life.
Yeah, he had mistakes, everybody does.
King David, a man after God’s own heart, committed murder and
adultery. Everybody does. But, I never met a man like Pastor
Davis. The Spirit of God, the anointing
on his life. Pastor Paine has got his
own anointing. And the same with Pastor
Thomas. But, I never met anybody like
Pastor Davis. Lord God, I just thank You
for all the blessings and letting me a part of this ministry, and help continue
this legacy. I just pray this in Your
name, and, Jesus I ask that You would bless this service. Bless Brother Chris. In the name of Jesus, amen. Amen. Thank you, Mike. Good to see everybody this morning. We want to welcome back Bob Heirtzler from
Maine. Bob’s mom passed away recently
and he went there along with Pastor Paine and Debbie. Pastor Paine did the eulogy, and our hearts
go out to you, Bob. I know you’re still
in a time of grieving, and it’s difficult.
My parents are both alive, but I know that those whose parents have gone
on. People set an example. They set an example, for those of us who know
it’s inevitable. I don’t really know
what other way to put it, but, like what you shared, Ken, this is the whole
purpose of God: Fear God and keep His
commandments, for God will bring everything into judgment, and every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Earlier this month, we were at
Grandwood—and I’m kind of going on to another point, here, as far as—and Pastor
Ulysse was up here—he’s our associate general pastor, for those of you who
don’t know—and we had a study, and he asked us a simple question: “What does it mean to be a man?” That’s right in line with what’s been our
theme of the month. I would venture to
say that, if you’re a man today, you really need to know yourself. That’s going to be one of the main points. • Know
Yourself • Get
to Know Others • Find
Common Ground 1st Point – Know Yourself I’m not talking about just your
name, rank, and serial number, to borrow a line from the military. I think a lot of us have heard that
before. I’m not talking about your likes
and dislikes, but, where you’re from, what your testimony is, what some of your
favorite verses are. Even, we’re going
to talk about some other things: Movies
that you like, TV shows, and I’m not talking about getting worldly; this has
nothing to do with that, but I’m talking about you have to know yourself. And, I know that, in a lot of ways, the same
is true with women—I’m not just speaking to the men, today. I believe that, in a lot of ways, a lot of
this message is going to be for both.
It’s not just about, this is isolated, or this is about separating us. And I’m not talking about this from an
analytical standpoint, like, so, “Okay, Why do I like this?” or “Why did I choose
to do that?” or, “Why did I color in this color?” That has nothing to do with it. Those are something—let the psychiatrist and
the psychologists deal with that. As far
as, from a standpoint of being led of God, and having an understanding that we
have a walk with God, and why we might do certain things that confound the
world—which it does. But, really, what
it comes down to is, let them be confounded.
Like in that skit, that man, Cat—whom I’ve never met; that was quite a
bit before my time—he had his agenda, but, when he was challenged by the man of
God, he backed off. And, when he
understood that his life was in the balance, he called out for the man of God,
and that’s a very powerful point. Or
that young child, that act of kindness that stayed with him for many years;
probably his whole lifetime. God doesn’t
want us to fake what we’ve done, where we’re from, what we stand for, what we
believe in. He’s not looking for the
most far-fetched story, or where we’re going to end up with our own reality
show. It’s about coming clean with God
and being honest with ourselves, and understanding that we—like you shared,
Andy, about looking up at the stars, and as far as the eyes could see, and just
seeing the universe, that we could think of ourselves as insignificant, but
then we also look at it like Jesus died on the cross for our sins; He died for
us individually. And that’s something
that does give us confidence. That is
something that does get us through day to day. Romans 13:11-14 And that,
knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is
our salvation nearer than when we believed.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off
the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in
rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and
envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. So what do you know about
yourself? Where are you from? Where is your family? What places do you like to travel to? What got you seeking God? What Bible verses really encourage you? What examples of faith in the Bible—I know,
like you mentioned, Ken, about being solid; like Arman shared about Jacob. I know all of us—I know, personally, one
person that stands out to me is Apostle John.
I just like how he kept living. I
like how—there is an example, it’s not Biblical, but it’s in the Foe’s Book of
Martyrs, as far the attempt to eliminate him, was that he was boiled in
oil. And he survived, so he was exiled
to the island of Patmos. That’s where he
spent his remaining days, and that’s where he wrote the Book of
Revelation. So, how old was he when he
eventually went to be with God? Probably
his nineties. Does anybody really
know? I mean, you’re going back now a
couple of thousand years. And, again, I
know I could be talking to the women, here, as far as answering those same
questions… But how many’s ever heard the
expression, “I got so far away from what I knew was right that I didn’t even
know myself anymore.” How many’s heard
that expression? That’s a pretty ugly
place to be. And I believe that, in a
lot of ways, maybe, we ourselves were the ones asking ourselves that. I know that—and this was in 1987, this was just
before going in the military—and I’m just going to be honest, I’m just going to
share exactly this particular one night that this friend of mine and myself, we
had taken a pretty strong hallucinogen, LSD, for those of you that have heard
of it, and, it’s kind of an all-night event.
I mean, it’s the kind of thing where it just goes on and on, and it does
have a pretty severe, long-lasting effect.
But, I remember, the net morning, I had come home, and I remember
looking in the mirror, and, I remember, just kind of evaluating myself, and,
just, not liking what I saw. And it had
nothing to do with appearance; it had nothing to do with, “Oh, now I’m getting
some grey hair.” I was nineteen. Or, “Oh, I’ve got acne,” you know, it had
nothing to do with those kind of things that you’d think a nineteen-year-old
might be looking at and finding flaw. It
had to do with, “I see darkness. I see
darkness in my own life.” And it’s
something that, “I feel like I’m out of control.” But I know that God was dealing with me, and
I know it was the kind of thing where it was like, I believe there’s a truth
out there to find. And it is real, but
it took changing some behaviors. It took
praying, which I certainly wasn’t accustomed to, at least, not at that point,
not very much at all. But, sometimes we
do lose control, but, more so before we have the power of God in our life to
keep us on the straight and narrow path. Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two
sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground
without your Father. But the very hairs
of your head are all numbered. Fear ye
not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. So what’s my point in reading that
passage? What’s my point in sharing that
story? It’s about knowing ourselves; knowing
what we’re really made of, knowing our own pratfalls, and knowing that, without
Christ—it would be easy to say, “Oh, I’d never do that. I’d never go down that road. I’d never become a mass-murderer, or a serial
killer, or a rapist,” or any of those other things that we look at in society
with scorn, or look at, maybe even contemptuously. But, we’ve heard this expression before,
“Except for the Grace of God, there go I.”
And it’s a matter of looking at it like, “You know what? Except for the Grace of God, there go I.” 2nd Point – Get To Know
Others That’s part of the Gospel. That’s part of our decree from the Lord. Where are you from? That’s probably the question I ask people
more than anything else. And I know
there’s a lot of people here from all over the country. Like, Rich, we were talking: Canajoharie, New York, and I remember when
you first told me that, that’s upstate, and it’s maybe a few hours’ drive from
where I’m from, originally, but it’s kind of a funny name. It’s like, there’s a guy down in Norfolk,
John H.—how many knows John? Does
anybody know the town John’s actually from?
Skaneateles. It’s a small town at
the base of one of the bigger lakes in upstate New York, but I thought—I’d
never even heard of that. And I’m not
saying we’ve got to remember every single, solitary thing about everybody, and
we’re going to get into that a little more.
But, you know, most people like to talk a little bit, if given the opportunity. And, I’m talking about, from our standpoint,
asking people about themselves. Asking them
where they’re from. Asking them what
they like to do. We’re the ministers;
there is an expectation from God for our lives, and, it’s more than just a
testimony, because, a lot of times, it is about listening. And I get that there is a balance, I mean,
there has to be fellowship, there has to be conversation, there has to be
things shared both ways. I’m not saying
it’s a one size fits all, but it’s usually a good ice-breaker. I’ve also found that I get asked that a lot,
myself, “Well, where are you from? How
did you end up here?” I’d venture to say
that, in twenty-seven years, I’ve probably told people, “Well, I moved up here
because of the ministry I’m involved in.”
And some say, “Oh, really? What church is that?” and some just, you
know, so they may not say anything about it.
So, it’s not trying to force open doors, but, a lot of times--I’m proud
of that fact. And, I’m not looking at it
like, “Oh, well, you know, I just ended up here, just, randomly, like, the wind
blew this way, and I just landed here,” or you could use, “Well, I was in the
military,” and that’s fine, and I get that there’s a lot of people who are from
this area, too; not everybody is from elsewhere in the United States. And we don’t always have to be the one to
initiate conversation, ourselves, but we have to remember that God gives us
power to be able to function in society, to be able to interact, and not be
intimidated but not be condescending. I’m going to ask if you could turn
with me to the Book of Proverbs. It’s a
common verse, it’s a simple verse; it’s what they call a one-liner Proverbs 18:24 A man that hath
friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer
than a brother. So, I’m going to ask everybody, do
you see yourself as a friendly person? And,
I mean, you don’t have to say, “Yes!” or “No!”
That’s not the point. Maybe you
do and maybe you don’t or maybe you’re somewhere in the middle—and I think
that’s where most people really live). Looking
at it from the standpoint, it’s not a competition, like, trying to out-do each
other. But, I think that people have to
generally understand that, can they trust us?
Can they confide in us with certain things? I’m not talking about they’re always going to
tell us their complete life story. But, I
believe we could all do a little better.
But it makes me think of the song, “I have a long way to go to be like
the Lord.” I say that more, pointing it
at myself, but, truthfully, that’s not a bad perspective to have, because you
have to look at it like, okay, there’s always room for improvement. And, whether it’s in business, or whether
it’s in family relations, as far as our walk with God, it is an on-going thing. I know this isn’t a main point,
but it’s sort of a point within the bigger picture of getting to know
others. It never hurts to highlight the
good in people. Oh, I’m not referring to
mass murderers, or armed robbers, but, you know, looking at it, when we’re
functioning day-to-day, when we’re at the mall, when we’re on a plan ride, when
we’re on a train ride, when we’re at a restaurant… How often do you think that the person
sitting next to you really fits into one of those categories? I’ not saying absolutely never, but I would
have to say, maybe a few times? But, if
our guard is up so much that we’re so protective, and so ready to just fight
against everybody, and I see that sometimes in myself, like, just the trying to
think, “Well, you know what? What if I
get attacked out here; I’m out mowing the lawn.
Somebody drives by, and just goes on a rampage…” You know, you have to deal with that when the
time comes. There’s a slogan that the
Red Cross has, and they tie in with our company, and it has to do with, like, whenever
there’s natural disasters, it’s called, “Ready when the time comes,” but, it’s
something like, you can prepare, and I believe that we have to prepare, but what
if that time doesn’t come? Well, it’s
good to still be prepared, but if we’re just ready to wall ourselves off completely
from anybody and everybody, then what do you end up with? Not really preaching the Gospel very
much. Not getting out into society, or even
taking some chances, or meeting some new people… We’re going to get into that a little bit
more. And it doesn’t hurt to applaud
someone for a job well done, or congratulating them for becoming a father or
mother for the first time, or being happy that their team won the championship
(as long as they didn’t beat my team!).
Maria, you’re here, right? I’ve
got something for you. And, I know we’re
in church, but, Maria’s from Pittsburgh, and when she told me, “Oh, yeah, I
really like the Penguins.” Ah, you know,
I don’t hate them, but… I got something
for you; I’m going to bring it out to you.
There you go. Like pastor Paine
used to say, “Is it okay to have fun in church?” I appreciate that, because you’ve got to have
some ice-breakers, you’ve got to have a little—I’m not talking about getting
crazy and I’m not talking about being ungodly at all. But I know that—I know Mike H. isn’t here
this morning, but, for those of you that know Mike, especially during football
season, the guy wears a hat for just about every other team, other than my
team. He doesn’t wear the Ravens,
either, Parrish. But he’ll wear the
Saints, or the Chiefs or the Seahawks, or the---“Mike, come on! What?”
And he’ll say, “Anybody but the Patriots.” So, I’m like, okay. So, I’ve got to just show it to you. And, I know it’s a little far up here to see,
but, I’m just going to show you something.
Mike, he’s like, “I hate the Patriots.”
He buys me this Patriots mug.
This was a couple of years ago.
And he bought me this scarf, I mean, this nice winter scarf, and I’m
like, “Jeez, Mike, you really had to pray to God to do that.” I appreciate that, and, if you see him,
mention it to him. But, I appreciate
that, you know, different things like that that will minister to people, and
you get to know other people. And, you
know, it’s not—there’s times, like, Bob, what you and I have talked, and I know
many others have talked to you the last couple of months about what you’re
going through. There’s nothing wrong
with offering our condolences in the wake of sadness or tragedy or loss. It’s more than what God wants. Romans 12:15-16 Rejoice with
them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another.
Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your
own conceits. This is going to be our main text
for today, but, as we go through life, and we do experience heartache, it pays
to know what’s going on. And, again, we
don’t know every single, solitary detail about everybody else’s life, but, what
you do, as far as being a minister of the Gospel, as far as being a man, it’s
something that we need to do. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 For
though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I
might gain the more. And unto the Jews I
became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as
under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are
without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law
to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might
gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save
some. And this I do for the gospel's
sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. 3rd Point – Find Common
Ground This is our main text for the
sermon today, and the title of the sermon is derived from that passage; it’s,
“All Things to All Men.” A few weeks
ago, I had put together some things, and—I’ll just back it up by saying, a
couple of years ago I did a message which was titled, “Jesus Is Not Glamorous,
But He Will Save our souls.” And, the
thought that came earlier in the month was, we’re not a prestigious
ministry. I mean, look around, I mean,
even those of us that are going down to Virginia, it’s not prestigious. And Jesus is not prestigious, but He will
save our souls. But, we’re not striving
for that, either, those of us who are seeking God. And the reason I want to juxtapose those two
points is because, really, when you think about it, and this is not meant to
sound too gender-slanted, but glamour is probably more associated with
women. I mean, think about Glamour
magazine, and, okay, we got it. Prestige
is probably something here it’s a little bit more, “Oh, that’s a prestigious
school,” “That’s a prestigious place to live,” “That’s a prestigious business,”
and it’s probably something that—women can, too—but, probably a little bit more
on the men’s side. But God talked about,
just talk about all things to all men. And
I just wanted to highlight that a little bit, because it’s important to know
where we’re at, too, and to not get our head out in front of our skis, as the
expression goes. To get too far in
thinking that we’ve just really got it going on. God does.
And we’ve had some ups and downs as a ministry, too, but, ultimately,
we’ve got to have a plan to stay. A plan
to endure to the end (Matthew 24:13). A
plan to stay in the faith. Like the
expression goes, “Come Hell or high water.”
And that’s not big talk, that’s not just like, “I’m going to do it all!”
because it’s not about doing it all ourselves, it’s about trusting in God. Even in John, it talks about, “He must
increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)
Is that easy to do? no. I mean,
that’s as hard as it could possibly get.
That doesn’t mean that we don’t know ourselves; that doesn’t mean that
we don’t get to know others; that only means that the presence of God increases
in our lives. I’m going to share this: Some of the biggest hurdles we face in society
are racial, ethnic, and language barriers.
I don’t think that’s a profound statement, and I also don’t think it
comes as any secret and if you know history it’s an on-going thing. Especially as far as being in America, being
as integrated as it is, demographically.
I’m not going to try and recap the entire history of this ministry,
either, in ten minutes, but a lot of what our ministry was founded on was based
on having a welcoming to everyone, regardless of who they were, where they were
from, what they did, and that is a big difference-maker. Now I get that most of us came from a church
or background or whatever where it wasn’t integrated, and, you know, there’s
certain parts of the country where it’s quite of a certain nationality. You know what? So what?
I mean, are we supposed to go in there like gangbusters, and, like, tell
them off, or tell them how bad they are? no.
It has nothing to do with that.
But, when people are seeking God, the Word of God says, in Revelation,
“I stand at the door and I knock. If any
man will listen, I will come in and sup with him.” (Revelation 3:20) So what does that little editorial
have to do with finding common ground?
Well, think about what we talked about earlier and what we like to do,
what we like to eat, what kind of movies, and so on and so forth. That might sound a little bit carnal for
some, but if we already have the truth and are trying to reach people in the
world with the Gospel, don’t you think we need to use the world a little bit
for the benefit of the Gospel? So, this
is a verse here that—probably not a real common verse: 1 Corinthians 7:31 And they that
use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. I’m not talking about, again,
ungodliness or lewd behavior. I’m
talking about relating to people. So, if
I say I like Mexican, Filipino, or German food, don’t you think that people
from those ethnicities are going to be glad to hear that? Or perk up a little bit? The same is true in other areas of
society. Personally, there’s an author
by the name of John Steinbeck; he’s--wrote in the early nineteen hundreds. He’s a pretty famous American author, wrote a
book called, “The Grapes of Wrath,” about the Great Depression. Probably one of the more iconic novels of
American history, but if I’m talking with someone that’s Jewish and the topic
comes up, I would think that they’d be appreciative of that. I know there’s some TV shows that I’ve liked,
and maybe some people go, “Oh no!
You—you actually have a preference?”
Yes, I do, actually. I liked the
show, “Martin,”—it was a little older--“Bernie Mac,” “Sanford and Son…” I always liked Bernie Mac talking into the
camera, like, “You know what, America?”
How many doesn’t know the show?
How many does not know that show?
Okay, Kirk, he used to talk into the camera, and say, “You know what,
America?” But, it was the kind of thing
where it was like, I like that, because, up here, I feel like I’m talking to
America. This is it. I mean, this is something where it’s like
we’ve got people from this country or that country or this age group or that
background, and it’s a pleasure to see.
I know that there’s a couple of film producers: Sergio Leone, Francis
Coppola, Martin Scorsese, these guys produced some of the greatest movies in
the history of American cinema, I believe.
You know, again, “Oh, these are worldly things!” We’re talking about finding common
ground. We’re talking about you dealing
with people in the world. We’re talking
about, if we’re like, “No, I don’t know any movies; I don’t watch TV. Nope, no, no.” I’m just going to share something because I
think I feel led, but, we were talking about Pastor Davis, earlier, and he came
out of the United Pentecostal Church.
This is not aimed at them, because it’s more about one statement that he
made one time that I got a lot out of it; he said, “You know, I came out of a
church that labelled everything sin.
Coffee drinking, short sleeves, facial hair…” So, what do think they label, like, “You
watch TV? Oh my God! We’re going to have to get a committee and
flog you!” I mean, where it’s like… You know, and there’s other things,
where—I’ve always liked American Indian artwork. I’ve been to several pow-wows with Tony
Mattia, when he was alive, and even afterwards.
I remember growing up, and watching the Olympics, and there’s a lot of
different events that I liked. I liked
the down-hill skiing, you know? I’m
going to mention this to Elmira and Aleks, there was a couple from Russia by
the names of Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev; they were so spectacularly
good. How many remembers that? Okay, Kirk, you were the only one who raised
your hand. They were like-I’ve never seen
a pair of figure-skaters like this couple, this man and woman. They were phenomenal. They won gold medals and championships every
single, solitary year. And they were
from Russia. And our American propaganda
machine went, “Oh! Russians!” And it’s like, you know what? It’s ridiculous. Now, I’ve got a trivia question: How many here know who the founders of Google
(you know, Google the search engine)?
Nancy, who are they? Come on, you
raised your hand! Mike? “I don’t know their names, but two Chinese
brothers, right?” No, they’re not. Mike F.?
“Sergey Brin and Larry Page.”
That’s right. And Sergey Brin is the
Russian. He was born in Moscow; one of
the founders of Google. Yeah, that
Google. You know, the biggest search
engine in the world. From Russia. I mean, you’d think, “Wow!” I mean, that shows industriousness. That shows entrepreneurialship. And, again, we’re still in church, this is
the Gospel, but we’re talking about appreciating other ethnicities or what
other people bring to the table, and getting something from it, and it’s about
knowing ourselves, knowing others, and appreciating our differences. It’s not all about ethnic cultures,
either. We can talk about experiences as
well (good and bad). I remember the
first time I ever broke a bone; this was, probably, thirteen years ago. I remember taking a job, and losing it very
unexpectedly and being on unemployment for a few months. That stung a little bit, I’d say. I remember my roof repair last fall that cost
about $5000, and, Kirk, while we’re on you, $9000 for that repair of your
downstairs, right? $8000. That’s the kind of thing—you get hit with a
ton of bricks like that… But, you know,
I also remember getting an honorable discharge from the Navy. I remember getting hired at the company I
work at now eighteen years ago. I
remember the first time ever teaching a Bible study. Like I said, it’s a combination of good and
bad. What common ground do we
find? What ways are we looking for to
relate to people? And it’s not about patronizing,
or putting on a show, or, “Well, I just want them to think I’m a good guy.” Whether they do or they don’t, it’s about the
gospel. It’s about, eventually, hearing
the Gospel. And, it’s not about forcing
it on people; we’ll make friends that will never come to church. That’s just a fact. But, there was a guy, years and years ago, by
the name of Jim Allsop, that, him and his wife, Martha—now she came, got
baptized, and she was pretty faithful for a good number of years, but he
never—he’d come out, but he’d sort of sit in the background, but he wouldn’t take
communion. Then he took communion. Then he made a profession of faith. He got baptized in Jesus’ name; passed away,
maybe a couple of years later. But that
guy had been an atheist for a period of time.
It was just a matter of, like, that guy was a friend. It was, you know, not to harp on him, or,
like, beat him over the head with a stick, that kind of thing. You know, we think about hobbies,
we think about hiking, or camping, or fishing, or boating. I remember a sermon, a couple of years ago, Jesse,
that you had done, about don’t focus on what we don’t have, but using what we
do have. Because it’s easy to say, “I
don’t have this. I don’t have that. I’m not super wealthy. I don’t have this college degree,” or
whatever it is that sort of holds us up, sometimes. But focus on what you do have. I mean, to me, I got a lot out of that. It was, like, sometimes those things that
sink in and resurface two years later, five years later, ten years later. And I’m going to be closing, here. But God doesn’t want us to fake it, or
embellish our life’s story. He wants us
to be honest and true. I know this isn’t a sermon about
evangelism, but, in a lot of ways, it is.
Sometimes we manage relationships.
Now, I know that sounds like business terminology, but, we can’t always
be the only one to, say, visit somebody in the hospital, or, have your mom come
from upstate New York, Pastor Brand. And
it’s times like that where it’s like, it shows the power of God, and how God
works through other people. We see
that. Like, as far as Malcolm being the
narrator this morning. I mean, that’s
something where it’s like, I thought you did a good job. And I look at something like that, like, I
wasn’t the one doing it, and, I think, sometimes, just being able to just thank
God when other things get done, not to exempt ourselves, or to try to take less
and less responsibility, but just be glad when something good does happen that
benefits preaching of the Gospel. So, take
some chances with people. Sit with some
strangers every now and then. Make some
acquaintances along the way. Find some
common ground and who knows? You might
make yourself a friend for life or even better, you might win someone to the
Lord. Thank you for your time, and God
bless.
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