Live For An Audience Of One, Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. How do you see that in our culture? You know it. Roll your eyes. Whatever.

Right? It's always got a disdain to it. Whatever. Paul doesn't mean that at all. He means whatever. Whatever you do. What's included in that? Everything.

Everything imaginable is included in that verse. Whatever you do, he said. It's whatever you and I do.

It affects every single aspect of my life. You see, it's not about coming together on Sunday and singing a couple songs and saying, why I'm worshipping. Whatever I do is to the glory of God. Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt.

Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's Word meets our world. Johann Sebastian Bach was the classical music what William Shakespeare was to English literature or Sir Isaac Newton to physics. Four centuries after its writing, Jesus' joy of man's desiring is heard in innumerable weddings all over the world. His music was much more, though, than a combination of notes and melodies and harmonies. For Bach, they were prayers before they were music. He would write J.J. on the top of every composition. J.J. is Jesus juva.

Jesus, help me. And at the end of every composition, he would write S.D.G. Soli Dio Gloria.

Soli Dio Gloria. To the glory of God alone. That was the rallying cry, by the way, of the Reformation. Bach lived his life with one single motivation. He had one single core value. He lived his life for an audience of one. You see, he really didn't care what the public thought about his music. He only cared about what the Lord thought about his music.

What an interesting perspective that he had. You see, your life is an original score. And the question I have for you this morning. Is that how you live your life? Is your life lived by Soli Dio Gloria? Or did God be the glory? You see, no one can glorify God like you.

And more importantly, no one can glorify God for you. This is our responsibility. Just imagine if we all did this. Just imagine that a student writes an essay and at the bottom of the essay, they write SDG.

Soli Dio Gloria. What if a mechanic put a new muffler in your car and stamp on your muffler SDG? You see, what would happen if a doctor wrote a prescription at the bottom of the prescription wrote SDG? What if we actually lived our life for an audience of one? That we did it just like Bach. You see, for Christians, it's not so much what we do, it's why we do it. It's all about our motivation. That's what the kingdom of God is all about.

Soli Dio Gloria is living for an audience of one. You see, Bach wrote that he rejected the idea that there's a difference between the sacred and the secular. He said there is no difference. And he's right.

There's no difference at all. To him, all things were created by God and all things were created for God. Every note of music, every color of a painting, everything we do is to the glory of God. Arnold Sommerfeld, the German physicist and pianist, observed that a single hydrogen atom emits 100 different frequencies. A piano only 88, but a single hydrogen atom 100. Every single atom is a unique expression of God's creative genius. Did you know that the electron shell of a carbon atom produces the same harmonic scale as a Gregorian chant does?

Exactly the same. Did you know that well songs can be heard for thousands of miles by wells underwater? Did you know that a meadowlark has a range of 300 notes? Well, you see, we can only hear so much, but in the field of bio acoustics, they've now revealed that we are surrounded by millions and millions of ultrasonic songs. Super sensitive sound instruments have discovered that even earthworms give off a faint staccato sounds as they live their life. Lewis Thomas put it this way. If we had better hearing and could discern the desk and so the singing of seabirds, the rhythm, the rhythmic timpani or drumming of a school of mollusks, or even the distant harmonics of midges or flies hanging over the meadows in the sun. He said the combined sound would probably lift us off our feet. In other words, everything in creation is glorifying God.

Most of it musically that we can't possibly hear. Everything has been created by God and for God. That's the chief end of man. The Westminster Shorter Catechism says that the chief end of man is to glorify God. And enjoy him forever.

Does that define you, though? Let's take a look at first into our future just for a moment. I want you to go to Revelation Chapter five with me. Revelation Chapter five. John gives us a little picture into the future in this book of Revelation.

But I want you to get a scope of this because it's your future as well as mine. I don't know if you think about that very much. Starting in verse eight. It says when he had taken the book, the four living creatures in the twenty four elders fell down before the lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

And they sang a new song saying, worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals. For you were slain and purchased for God with your blood. Men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priest to our God, and they will reign upon the earth. And then I looked and I heard a voice of many angels around the throne and living creatures and the elders. And a number of them was myriads and myriads, thousands and thousands saying with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might honor and glory and blessing. And every created thing which is in heaven or on the earth or under the earth and on the sea and all things in them. I heard saying to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb, the blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever, ever. And the four living creatures kept saying, amen.

And the elders fell down and worshiped. That's our future. Notice what's worshiping God. Everything.

Everything in the heavens, everything on the earth, everything under the earth, spiritual beings, physical beings, everything is worshiping God. That's our future. To God be the glory. How does that play out in my own life?

What does that like for me? I want you to go with me now to First Corinthians, Chapter 10. First Corinthians, Chapter 10 in one verse, verse 31. It's extremely important verse just sort of tucked away in the middle of this epistle. Verse 31 of First Corinthians 10, whether then you eat or drink or whatever you do. Do all to the glory of God. There's a word right in the middle there that I don't like because of our culture, but I love it in the scriptures.

You see it right in the middle of the verse. Whatever. How do you see that in our culture? You know it. Roll your eyes, whatever.

It's always got a disdain to it. Whatever. Paul doesn't mean that at all. He means whatever. Whatever you do. What's included in that? Everything.

Everything imaginable is included in that verse. Whatever you do, he said. It's whatever you and I do.

It affects every single aspect of my life. You see, it's not about coming together on Sunday and singing a couple of songs and say, boy, I'm worshipping. Whatever I do is to the glory of God.

You see, that's an amazing thing. It doesn't matter what I'm doing. When I go to work, I go to the glory of God. When I live in my neighborhood, I live there for the glory of God. The family I'm born in is for the glory of God. My marriage is for the glory of God. My children are for the glory of God. Every single thing that I do is for the glory of God. You see, I have to live my life with a single audience in mind.

That's what Bach did. You live your life that way. Whatever you do, do it all, he says, to the glory of God. Go a few pages with me to 1 Corinthians 15, right at the end of the book, and verse 58. 1 Corinthians 15, 58.

I want you to see something that's very important here from God's perspective. He says, therefore, my beloved, therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, is abounding in the work of the Lord. And then this phrase, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. It's not in vain.

Wow. Not in vain. What does he mean by that?

He means it will always be remembered by the Lord, no matter what it is you do. You see, you and I, whether we realize it or not, we live with a false dichotomy. And you'll probably believe that, although you wouldn't admit it now. You see, we live in a false dichotomy. When you think of you, and then you think of, say, Billy Graham, are you on the same plane as him? No one wants to shake their head one way or the other. Yes.

Absolutely. God doesn't have major leagues and minor leagues. There's no such thing as that with God.

You see, that's not the case at all. He tries to tell us that over and over. He uses the analogy of the body. Some people are the mouth. Some people are the internal organs.

The internal organs may be more important than the mouth. He tries every way he can to let us know this. But he said it won't be in vain. You see, whatever you do not for the Lord's glory, 100 years from now won't matter, and it will never matter. For 1,000 years, a million years, a billion years, it won't matter at all, whatever you do. But whatever you do for the glory of God, it will matter. In 100 years, it will matter. In 1,000 years, it will matter.

In a million years, it will matter. You see, that's the point. That's what he said solely, Dio gloria, to God be the glory. I'm going to live with an audience of one.

Wow. You see, how do I do that? It all starts with one single choice. Go with me to Matthew chapter 4. Matthew chapter 4. We'll pick it up in verse 18. Jesus was taken and led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness. He was tempted by Satan there for three different temptations.

He quoted the Word of God each and every time, and he's now back, and he's going to begin his ministry. And in verse 18 through verse 22, I'm just going to read the verses. He said, now as Jesus is walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen, professional, full-time fishermen. And he said to them, follow me, and I'll make you fishers and men. And immediately they left their nets, and they followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother. In the boat was Zebedee, their father, mending their nets, and he called to them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and they followed him.

It all starts with a choice. I don't know if you saw it when I read it. Notice again verse 20, and immediately they left their nets and followed him. Verse 22, immediately they left the boat and their father, and they followed him. They dropped their nets. They left the boat. They left their father, and they followed him. Notice there's no discussion.

No discussion at all. See, what would you have done? Wait a minute. Where do you want me to go? How long is this going to take?

How long am I going to be away? You see, what's this going to be like? They didn't even ask. Jesus called them, and they just dropped their nets and got out of the boat.

They left their father, and they followed him. That's a choice. What's that choice? Jesus is first. He says that over and over again in the Gospels. I'm first. He said, in fact, he said, if I'm not first, you can't be my disciple. You just can't.

You have to make that choice. You have to, in a sense, live for God. That's exactly what Johann Sebastian Bach did. Gifted as he was, he lived for God. He lived for an audience of one. I think so often for us, we don't see the Lord that way. I think for some of us, we see the Lord as like a hobby. For some of you, he may be your favorite hobby, but he's just a hobby. You have your life, then you have a hobby. And your hobby means that most Sundays, if you can, you get here and give him a few tunes for him to sing and be nice to people and then go on your way.

He's like a hobby, but that won't do. For some of you, it's even worse. You view Jesus as sort of a passport to heaven. You live your life totally the way you want to live it, then you say, but the good part is, when I die, I'm going to go to heaven.

That's going to be better than the option, obviously. But the point of it is, that's not what Jesus is talking about at all in any sense of the word. The reason they responded is of who he is. He's the Lord Jesus Christ. He was your savior, but don't forget who he is.

He's the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, Jesus once said to his own disciples, why do you call me Lord and not do the things I ask? In other words, it's kind of written into my name, Lord. You see, when you're the Lord and you tell someone, they expect them to obey, and Jesus did too.

For many of us, that's not the case at all. You see, but whenever you do that, you have no idea where it's going to lead. One of the best choices I ever made in my own life was a happy-go-lucky chemist in Pennsylvania enjoying everything about my life and decided to drop the net, get out of the boat, and leave my father. If I had not done that, I would have never known the joy of pastoring such a wonderful group of people as you guys. No, I wouldn't have.

Almost anyone I would have talked to would have said, you know, it's fine. You know, you belong here. This is where your family is. You got to get out of the boat.

You got to drop the net. You see, and I don't mean everyone has to leave. I just mean everyone needs to make the choice. You see, I have to live for the audience of one. Hampton Keithley writes this. He said, that's all we need to know, isn't it? If God is force, who can be against us? God plus one equals a supermajority. His name is the solution to every problem. His name is the answer to every question. His name, he said, calms every fear. It seals every prayer.

It wins every battle. At his name, angels bow and demons quake. At his name, our sin is vindicated and our authority is validated. He said, it's not about who you are. Who you are is absolutely irrelevant. God doesn't use us because of us.

He uses us in spite of us. I can testify to that. I'm sure you can too. You see, what's stopping you? What's stopping you? Whatever you do, do it to the glory of God. Living your life for an audience of just one. That that's all that really matters. What's stopping you? We come up with all kinds of excuses.

I want to look at a few of those. Let's go to Exodus chapter 3. Exodus chapter 3.

We run into Moses. He's very famous and you know his story. He spent 40 years in Egypt. He was adopted by Pharaoh's daughter. He was raised as a prince of Egypt. And now he has spent 40 years in the land of Midian. All he does is tend sheep. 40 years of tending sheep in the wilderness. And so he's out there one day tending sheep and a bush begins to burn. And that's not too unusual in the Sinai. Spontaneous combustion with bushes can occur. What made Moses notice this one is no matter how much it burned, it wasn't consumed.

It just stayed there. So Moses meanders over and wants to get a better look at this. And it's kind of an interesting thing. He and God have this wonderful interaction. God says in verse 7, the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them up from the land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Now, it's interesting. He says in verse 9, Now behold the cry the sons of Israel have come to me.

Furthermore, I have seen the oppression but with the Egyptians are oppressing them. He says, Therefore, come now and I will send you to Pharaoh so that you may bring my people the sons of Israel out of Egypt. There's his calling. Now, I want you to understand the calling here. It's a little unusual. Okay, it's one thing to have a burning bush. It's another one to have a burning bush of talks. The burning bush of talks says he's the Lord.

This is really unusual. But notice what the Lord said. I'm going to deliver my people and I'm going to use you. Now, after he said that, what should your response be? Use me. Now, if God says he's going to use you for something, what do you think? He's going to use you for something, right? So, is it possible that Moses could fail here?

No. God said I'm going to use you. But Moses is just like us. Notice what he does. His first response, verse 11, but Moses said to God, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?

His lack of identity. He says, who am I to do this? You ever think of that?

You ever say that? Who am I? Who am I to be used in this way? I mean, I'm not a majorly Christian.

I'm a minorly Christian. You see, who am I to do that? Notice the patience of God. He said, certainly I will be with you. He says, and this will be a sign to you that it was I who have sent you. When you are brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain. By the way, that's a guarantee again.

You're going to be successful. You see, and by the way, you're going to bring him back to this mountain and you're going to worship me here. God gives him prophecy. He says, okay, you're going to come back. That doesn't stop Moses at all because he's so much like us.

I don't know about this. So he says, Moses said to God, behold, I'm going to the sons of Israel. And I say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you. Now, what they may say to me is, what is his name? What am I going to tell them?

He has a lack of a message. What am I going to say? You see, what am I going to tell them? You got to love the Lord. God said to him, I am who I am. Yahweh. He said, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, Yahweh has sent me to you. Notice the patience of God.

Lack of identity, lack of a message. You've been listening to Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the Radio Ministry of Fellowship in the Word. If you ever miss one of our broadcasts or maybe you would just like to listen to the message one more time, remember that you can go to a great website called oneplace.com. That's oneplace.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online.

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