RESULTS FOR GOD
Kenny J Walker
1 Timothy 4: 12-15
1 Samuel 3:19
2 Samuel 23:11-17
I have been thinking - and these are just three scriptures that have come to mind - in relation to the matter of results. God is looking for results. We mentioned it recently, and too on Lord’s day, that in every dispensation God will have those who are faithful to Him. You could say that He will have a result out of every generation and dispensation; no matter what the opposition and the difficulties may be, God will have results.
But I was thinking about what the result will be in the present time. What will be the result in your life and my life? What will be the result in our gatherings? What will be the result in our families and households? Will it be a result for God? We have mentioned so many times recently about being here for the testimony and the service of God. It was mentioned at the meetings last weekend, that we are here for the testimony and the service of God. There are to be results for God out of our lives and out of the lives of every believer. There will be a result. I had thought of the scripture at the beginning of Philippians to clarify what I have in mind. It says, “he who has begun in you a good work will complete it unto Jesus Christ’s day”, v6. There is a good work which is the work of God which has begun in every believer, and it will be completed at some time. A believer may be taken to be with Christ; the work of God is complete in that believer and there has been a result for God out of that life.
But what is going to be the result in our lives for the Lord Jesus and for God? It does not just happen. We speak about the circumstances of men; men get results out of their circumstances. Most here are probably beyond school age, but you have your studies, and exams, and then the results. How do these results come about? It is usually due to effort and study and time. It is the same at work in that you do things in view of a result. In divine things this applies to an extent, but I do not think it is just by effort and time. There are a few points which we have to bear in mind and two of these scriptures suggest that prayer is required. One thing that brings results is prayerful exercise, and too the Spirit’s work. Making way for the Spirit in your life - in our lives - is essential. A number of these scriptures we read also mentioned ‘the word’, and listening to the word and allowing it to have an effect is another way that results come about. For example, we have had a season of three-day meetings in this place, and someone might ask what have the results have been? There are also three-day meetings in other places, and fellowship meetings and other gatherings together. I just ask a simple question, What is going to be the result in my life and in your life as a result of these meetings?
We often refer to the time when the people of Israel gathered together for what may have been like a three-day meeting. Nehemiah 8 says, “he read in it before the open place”, v 3. They gathered together before the open place and they had an interpretation of what was read. However, at the end of the chapter there is a wonderful result of the gathering together. It says in verse 12, “And all the people went their way, to eat and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great rejoicing”. There were results in that chapter of listening to the word, coming under the sound of the divine word.
I thought of Timothy, and the word that came to me is that it says at the end of verse 15, “that thy progress may be manifest to all”. There was a result in Timothy’s life and Paul could commit things to him. You read of him back in Acts 16, that he was a young man and it says he “had a good testimony of the brethren”, v 2. A result had come about. He had a believing mother, who I would suggest was like Hannah. That work came as a result of a believing mother, of a prayerful mother. Then he comes into service, and he is taken up, and he works with Paul who could entrust things to him. We read a number of points and I would suggest that these are things which would bring about a result for God; there is progress. We may ask what is going to be the progress in my life and in your life? What is going to be the progress in our locality? What is going to be the progress in our households? What is going to be the result for God? It has been said that we are either going forward or going back. Are we progressing? What has been the progress? It speaks of various things that have come about here, but I think we should all try and be like Timothy, and that there may be progress in our lives. Progress is different with everyone, and has to be worked out in the divine presence, by listening to the word and making way for the Spirit. I would challenge myself and challenge us all as to the word here to Timothy, “let thy progress be manifest to all”. What progress has there been?
We read in 1 Samuel 3, “And Samuel grew”. We know that he was given a coat each year, and that he grew, which I suppose was natural growth. We read that “Samuel grew, and Jehovah was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground”. One of the ways that Samuel grew was because of the prayerful exercise of his mother. She had prayed for a man-child and was granted this man-child. It says a few times that the boy ministered to Jehovah; and the boy grew. There was a result brought about. Why? Because of the prayerful exercise of his mother, and no doubt we could all take account of that, that there are those who have prayed for us. When we were younger there were those who prayed for us. We may not know who it was, whether it was our grandparents or our parents, but there was prayer for us.
There is also the matter of the word. Jehovah was speaking to Samuel and you get the sense as it says, “Jehovah … let none of his words fell to the ground”. Samuel seemed to be attentive to hear the word and to gather up the words. I would just suggest that he was ready to hear, ready to receive what Jehovah would say to him; he would not just let them pass by him. I feel the exercise of that for myself. God speaks to us in a number of ways. He might speak to us in our circumstances, speak to us in a gathering like this, or speak to us individually, and He could speak to us in other ways. Have I learned something through the circumstance and has there been some result? Has there been a gathering up of the words that there may be growth?
I also read at the end of 2 Samuel and had in mind these mighty men. There are no doubt many examples, but what results come about in these mighty men because of exercise! We may ask how they became mighty men. 1 Samuel 22 speaks about those who came to David at the cave of Adullam, v 1, 2. “Every one in distress … and every one of embittered spirit”: they were down and did not know where to turn and could do nothing for themselves. They gathered around David and he became a captain over them, which is a lesson for us all. Christ is to be our Captain and to be our Lord and our Guide and our Strength. It was mentioned at the meetings about Him being King. He is King and as He is our King: we are to take our direction and rule from Him. It is interesting that the men gathered to David at the cave of Adullam in the earlier chapter and again here in chapter 22 by which time they had become mighty men. I would like to suggest that there has been progress in these mighty men from spending time with David. For ourselves spending time with the Lord Jesus, or spending time with divine Persons will bring about a result. There is strength, power, resource and help. These mighty men have learned in the company of David. One mighty man that we read about had the resource to go and defend the plot of lentils, somewhere there was food. He was exercised about providing food, and the food supply being preserved. Spiritual food is important: it needs to be provided and defended and not given up. We need to spend time in the company of Christ in view of a positive result.
It says later in the chapter where we read of the mighty men going down and coming to David in the cave of Adullam. Think of the result of spending time with David, typically with Christ. They had come a long way from being in embittered spirit and in distress. They had come to Christ typically and come to find Him not only as their Saviour, but as their resource, and also to know His heart. It says, “David longed”, and they knew his longings and his heart. And then there is this wonderful pouring out; they go at the risk of their lives to bring water for David’s heart, but he pours it out to Jehovah. There is a response for God as a result of the exercise of the whole matter. I think that is one suggestion from this scripture, and I would just like to commend it to us all. What is going to be the result? Are we going to be mighty men or women who have spent time in the company of Christ so that there may be something for His heart? Typically, there is something for the heart of Christ, and ultimately something for God. As a result of this drink offering there is a response for God.
May we be encouraged. I feel the edge of the word, that we have these times together, we have three-day meetings, we have local gatherings, we have times when we talk together about the scriptures and about what we have had. What is going to be the result? What progress have I made? Let us challenge ourselves first. You may well ask where you were a year ago. Have we each made progress in the testimony? Have we made progress in the service of God? Has there been a richer response for God as a result of ministry and spending time in the company of Christ? May we be more like Timothy, Samuel and the mighty men.
May we be encouraged and challenged. For His Name’s sake.
Word in Meeting for Ministry in Dundee
16th April 2019