Rock Foundation

CAUSE and AFFECT
WAYiou wed night series

expanded sermon notes for 10/14/09
"What is your CAUSE?"

       The CAUSE & AFFECT theme of this series is not merely a play on words. Intentionally, the hope is to convey the command in Matt 28:19, “Go and make disciples…” Jesus was clear in his resolve for us to go CAUSE something. Moreover, he was telling us to go AFFECT the world, the environment, and the people all around for the glory of the Kingdom of His Name. “…I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for the harvest...” and “…the workers are few…send out some more workers…”

 Series Verse: Nehemiah 2:17
       “…you see the trouble we are in… [everything] lies in ruins… Come let us rebuild the wall… [so] that we will no longer be in disgrace.”
       All throughout the book of Nehemiah are scattered examples of a group of people receiving a cause, taking note of the cost and striving persistently in providing a response. I urge you to read over this book along with this series. See the trials and testing that these people fought their way through and see if you can identify or sympathize with their struggles and victories.
       So how do we go about this task? There 3 major aspects we will discover throughout this series. It is an adaptation from a series of lectures taught by Ravi Zacharias in which he presents 3 major challenges: “Is there not a Cause? (This is the first with which we will be dealing with momentarily.) “Is there not a Cost?” & “Is there not a Correspondence?” (We will be dealing with these over the next few weeks).
       Recently in our small groups discussion, we have been probing various YouTube clips as well as addressing our personal life situations so that we might discover what some of our possible CAUSES may be. We asked this one question to bring it to the surface, “What grieves your heart the most about the world around you?” We have had answers across a telling array of issues: “Teen sexuality”, “violence”, “hypocrisy” & “whether or not Christianity is exciting or boring” to name a few. There cannot be enough emphasis placed on the importance of allowing our hearts to be stirred in the area of CAUSE.


What is “CAUSE”?
       It is the reason for which we decide one way or the other. It is the grounds from which we present our case. It is the source that we always come back to when we feel lost, confused and alone. It is the root that sustains the fruit. It is the origin that decides how something will progress. It is the foundation on which a purpose is built. CAUSE brings about something else after itself. CAUSE produces an unending line of reactions. CAUSE is the trigger before the spark. CAUSE initiates all else that follows. CAUSE is the affect that gives birth to the effect.

CAUSE in its 3 stages:

“Is there not a cause?” 1Samuel 17:29
       David came out of a relatively simple environment & was introduced to the real world of war. He looked for bravery & courage, but found none. He searched the crowd for someone to step up to the perilous task at hand, so he could perhaps cheer them on, only to be disappointed when no one did. He longed to hear someone defend the relentlessly cruel mocking of the one he called God, but witnessed everyone around him helplessly tolerate the sound.
       This is the 1st stage of CAUSE. The awareness in a soul. This is where the discovery of some particular matter has CAUSED our hearts to grieve. This is a question asked by most, if not all, of humanity. Christian & non. Your emotions often times overwhelm you when this question and the dire need for an answer to it invades your mind and heart. You desperately are trying to figure out what’s wrong and if there is any hope for a solution. You begin to try to make others aware with some success, but no one else really seems to “get it”. You try to rally people, but no one seems motivated.
       The danger in staying camped out in this stage is that you might become tempted to give up the pursuit of CAUSE altogether after being frustrated by the confusion of the apparent anarchy around you. Over time you may develop a numbness to your surroundings and learn to not care. “But those who endure until the end shall be saved” is the passage that comes to mind when you might need encouragement to persevere through this stage of CAUSE and onto the next.


“Lord, plead my cause…” Psalms 35:1
       At repeated points in David’s life, he called upon his God to deliver him. He was chased by his condemned predecessor and later on by his even more greedy and over anxious would be successors. He was attacked often times by those who posed as friends and allies. It was at times such as these that he would call upon God to check his actions, his motives, his heart and his thoughts. He promoted his right standing in humility before God and asked that because of his innocence that God would rescue him from those who were threatening his life.
       This is the 2nd stage of CAUSE. The justification of a soul. At this crossroads, you have journeyed through the “There must be something wrong” point and have yourself determined what it must be. Believing that you see the solution, you now become intentional about the possible difference you could make. Then you begin on your quest to search for like-minded people and you discover a new found desperation for God’s help in order to accomplish that “something” that seems to overwhelm your soul.

“Lord, plead thine own cause…” Psalms 74:22
       This is the final stage of CAUSE. A soul is in line with the heart of God. This happens when you receive the revelation of what grieves the very heart of God Himself. You are moved by what moves God. You are concerned with fulfilling His will as you purposefully align your words, motives and habits to accomplish what you believe that the Lord is asking of you. You have become anchored in the life motto of “…not my will, but yours be done.” For one to consistently operate in this arena of CAUSE, you must continually check yourself. Recognize when you are mistaken and humbly be willing to admit it to yourself, others and also to your Heavenly Father. On the other hand, know when the Holy Spirit and Scripture agree. This convinces you that you are doing God’s will. Then be relentless (not forgetting humility) in seeing the matter through until the end. Without envy you must also empower others to help fulfill certain roles that will bring about the desired AFFECT. When you are after the CAUSE of Christ, you are beginning to soak in the big picture of God’s purpose.
       My desire through this message is that CAUSE will be inspired in you. Walk away with the courage & the confirmation you need to AFFECT some situation that has always grieved your heart. Any pastor whose CAUSE is in alignment with the will of God knows that church services are far more than filling seats and doing “church” to say we did it. When we say, “bring your family and friends” we aren’t just trying to boost our numbers. When we take offering we’re not just trying to get into your pockets. Our desire is to cultivate a God CAUSE, a true heart to AFFECT the world around us through the fellowship that the Lord has placed under our care and attention. Our desire is to sow the seed, nourish the soil and bear the fruit with you.