Doing Their Own Thing
An all-creatures Bible Message

Doing Their Own Thing
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
23 October 2016
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Psalm 65:1-13
Jeremiah 14:7-22
2 Timothy 4:6-18

Doing their own thing is what most people want, even many clergy; thus they lead people away from God and His heavenly will, and contribute to the corruption of creation.
 
An example of this is a hunting or fishing pastor who tells the congregation about how good these “so-called sports” are without any regard to the hardening of the heart they cause in the humans who follow their example, and the pain and suffering that their activities cause the animals.
 
We are supposed to free creation from its present corruption and not contribute to it.
 
Let’s now think about how people “doing their own thing” relates to what we are told in Psalm 65:1-13…

1. There will be silence before Thee,
and praise in Zion, O God;
And to Thee the vow will be performed.
 
2. O Thou who dost hear prayer,
To Thee all men come.

This is the way the world should be, but unfortunately, all men don’t come; only the Godly children of God come.
 
Most people are off doing their own thing in the world, because they have rejected the heavenly will of God.
 
We are to bring God’s heavenly will to earth as it is in heaven; we are not to follow the evil ways of the devil here on earth that causes so much pain, suffering, bloodshed, and death.

3. Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions,
Thou dost forgive them.

God does forgive those who are truly repentant, but He is also righteous and demands obedience, unlike those who are doing their own thing.

4. How blessed is the one whom Thou dost choose,
and bring near to Thee,
To dwell in Thy courts.
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house,
Thy holy temple.

Unfortunately, those who are doing their own thing are not being chosen by God, and according to what we read in the scriptures, they will not be dwelling in His heavenly domain.  

5. By awesome deeds Thou dost answer us in righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
Thou who art the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea;
 
6. Who dost establish the mountains by His strength,
Being girded with might;
 
7. Who dost still the roaring of the seas,
The roaring of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.

Even after knowing about all the marvelous things that God has done, most people seem to reject the heavenly will of God in favor of the evil enticements of the devil and end up doing their own thing instead of what the Lord wants us to be doing.

8. And they who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Thy signs;
Thou dost make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

The psalmist is correct that a lot of non-Jews and non-Christians seem to recognize how things should be, which is more than most Jews and Christians do.

9. Thou dost visit the earth, and cause it to overflow;
Thou dost greatly enrich it;
The stream of God is full of water;
Thou dost prepare their grain, for thus Thou dost prepare the earth.
 
10. Thou dost water its furrows abundantly;
Thou dost settle its ridges;
Thou dost soften it with showers;
Thou dost bless its growth.
 
11. Thou hast crowned the year with Thy bounty,
And Thy paths drip with fatness.

Even with all the evidence of God’s existence, most people seem to not believe in Him, or think it doesn’t matter how they act, so they can continue doing their own thing.

12. The pastures of the wilderness drip,
And the hills gird themselves with rejoicing.
 
13. The meadows are clothed with flocks,
And the valleys are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, yes, they sing.
NASB

The people who are doing their own thing may shout for joy, but the animals are not; they live in fear.
 
This shows us that even the psalmist doesn’t recognize the fact that even keeping animals in captivity and eating them is not in God’s heavenly will, for it hardens the human heart and brings pain and suffering to the animals, all of which contributes to the corruption of creation.
 
In Jeremiah 14:7-22, we see that he knows that people doing their own thing leads them further and further away from God, which is the reason for the suffering they are experiencing.

7. "Although our iniquities testify against us, O LORD,
act for Thy name's sake!
Truly our apostasies have been many,
We have sinned against Thee.

Even though Jeremiah recognizes the truth, he still prays to God that He would forgive the people and save them.

8. "Thou Hope of Israel,
Its Savior in time of distress,
Why art Thou like a stranger in the land
Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night?

Jeremiah prays like this, but we strongly believe that he knows why God’s judgement has befallen Jerusalem and Judah.

9. "Why art Thou like a man dismayed,
Like a mighty man who cannot save?
Yet Thou art in our midst, O LORD,
And we are called by Thy name;
Do not forsake us!"

Even while Jeremiah is praying for both the repentant and the unrepentant sinners, we get the feeling that many of them are actually cursing God for their situation, as if they had done nothing wrong.

10. Thus says the LORD to this people, "Even so they have loved to wander; they have not kept their feet in check. Therefore the LORD does not accept them; now He will remember their iniquity and call their sins to account."

Most people, even to this very day, don’t want to recognize that their own unrepentant sins are the cause of their troubles.

11. So the LORD said to me, "Do not pray for the welfare of this people.

There are times when we believe that we are very close to similar situations, today.

12. "When they fast, I am not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to make an end of them by the sword, famine and pestilence."
 
13. But, "Ah, Lord GOD!" I said, "Look, the prophets are telling them, 'You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.' "

We believe that this is what most clergy are telling their congregations; they are not telling the truth; they are only tickling their ears, for that is what they and the people seem to want, so the people continue doing their own thing.

14. Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds.
 
15. "Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them —  yet they keep saying, 'There shall be no sword or famine in this land' —  by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end!
 
16. "The people also to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to bury them — neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters — for I shall pour out their own wickedness on them.

And the Lord continues telling the people that their own evil will befall them, which continues to happen to this very day.

17. "And you will say this word to them,
'Let my eyes flow down with tears night and day,
And let them not cease;
For the virgin daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow,
With a sorely infected wound.
 
18. 'If I go out to the country,
Behold, those slain with the sword!
Or if I enter the city,
Behold, diseases of famine!
For both prophet and priest
Have gone roving about in the land that they do not know.' " 

Even though Jeremiah knows that God’s judgement is upon them, he still asks the Lord why He has rejected His people, and prays for them.

19. Hast Thou completely rejected Judah?
Or hast Thou loathed Zion?
Why hast Thou stricken us so that we are beyond healing?
We waited for peace, but nothing good came;
And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!
 
20. We know our wickedness, O LORD,
The iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against Thee.
 
21. Do not despise us, for Thine own name's sake;
Do not disgrace the throne of Thy glory;
Remember and do not annul Thy covenant with us.
 
22. Are there any among the idols of the nations who give rain?
Or can the heavens grant showers?
Is it not Thou, O LORD our God?
Therefore we hope in Thee,
For Thou art the one who hast done all these things.
NASB

Jeremiah knows the truth, but continues praying for the people that God’s judgement would cease, but it didn’t, as we know from history; most of the people were taken captive to Babylon.
 
Paul, in his letter to Timothy, sees his ministry drawing to a personal conclusion and wants to make sure that there are others to carry it forward; note what we are told in 2 Timothy 4:6-18.

6. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
 
7. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;

In other words, he has avoided being tempted by those who are doing their own thing in the world.

8. in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Even though Paul knows he has fought the good fight and that he will be with the Lord soon, he still wants to see Timothy again.

9. Make every effort to come to me soon;
 
10. for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

Paul believes that Demas, who was in his own ministry, has left because he wants to be doing his own thing.

11. Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.
 
12. But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.
 
13. When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments.
 
14. Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
 
15. Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.
 
16. At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.
 
17. But the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me, in order that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the lion's mouth.

We can have the same things happen in our own ministries, as long as we do everything we can to avoid the pitfalls of those who are doing their own thing in opposition to the heavenly will of God.

18. The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
NASB

If we are faithful, the Lord will also deliver us from every evil deed, but that doesn’t mean that he will save our life here on earth, but He will bring us to heaven.
 
The people who are doing their own thing are working against God, and we need to recognize them and avoid their traps.
 
We are to be the peacemaking children of God, who help free creation from its present corruption.
 
Amen.

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