Am I My Brother’s Keeper

Scripture Reading: Psalm 146

Introduction
Often we have stated our need for revival. As Pentecostal, charismatic, Christians, we believe in the
reality of the Holy Spirit. We understand our own weakness; we understand that our only hope is for
God to initiate a sovereign move of His Holy Spirit. We know that without the dynamic of the Holy
Spirit, we can achieve nothing at all.
Now, I will not knock any desire for revival; it is a good and noble desire. However, I do believe that
in emphasising the spiritual, we often ignore the practical. In desiring a sovereign move of God that
comes from heaven, we often ignore God’s own desire for a sovereign work within us.

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I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through
his Spirit in your inner being,
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so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power,
together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the
love of Christ,
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and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the
measure of all the fullness of God.
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Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Just look at Chapter 4:1 4:1 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the
calling you have received.”

Look at Chapter 5: 1-2 “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of
love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
I have taken the title for this message from the account of Cain and Abel. It is, of course, the question
that Cain asks of God. We know that Cain had actually killed his brother, and that God was asking
about his whereabouts.
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Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he
replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
I believe that Cain’s response is typical of our own frequent protestations. We seek revival; but
actually we have fallen short of God’ requirement that we live a life of love. It seems to me that what
Paul is asking of us is not to lead a super spiritual life, but it is actually to life a simple, very practical
life; a life of love. He asks us to be imitators of God.
And so this morning, I want to look at a Psalm (Psalm 146) which describes God. And I want to ask
whether we can really claim to imitate this God. From this Psalm, it strikes me that there are three
areas in which we need to imitate God:
 His character;
 His concern.

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God’s Character
If we are to be imitators of God, then our character needs to reflect God’s own character. God’s
character is described in the Psalm we read. God is trustworthy. The Psalm says:
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Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
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the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-- the LORD, who
remains faithful forever.

God’s character, therefore, is that he is actually very practical. God is not a spectator. He is someone
who is gets involved with people’s lives. He helps people; he brings hope, and he remains faithful
forever.
God’s character and is seen in some of the words in this Psalm; He:
 upholds the cause of the oppressed;
 gives food to the hungry;
 sets prisoners free
 gives sight to the blind
 lifts up those who are bowed down
 loves the righteous
 watches over the alien
 sustains the fatherless and the widow
 frustrates the ways of the wicked.

Now we may re-phrase these things by saying that He is:

 Our champion
 Our provider
 Our liberator
 Our healer
 Our inspiration
 Our lover
 Our protection
 Our strength

When I went to Swaziland earlier this year I met with Kevin and Helen Ward who head up Teen
Challenge. They work with drug addicts and AIDS affected orphans. I spent 3 days with them,
observing what they do. They are doing a tremendous work there in a land which is being torn apart by
HIV/AIDS.
The situation is desperate. 38% of the population is HIV positive; amongst adults the infection rate is
57% and amongst pregnant women infections rates are around 85%.
Life expectancy is 37 years. There are many, many orphaned children. Many live on the streets. Many
children live in “child led” families, where the parents have both died, and the eldest child is now
leading the family. The average age of the head of household in child led families is 13 years of age;

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some children as young as 9 are head of their household, with responsibility for caring for the younger
children, and earning enough money to feed and clothe them.
I was very impressed by Kevin and Helen, and their children Asher and Joshua. I could see real Christ-
like character in these people. Kevin has opted out of the family hotel business in order to run Teen
Challenge. He has a real concern for the people of Swaziland, and so has made major personal
sacrifices in order to help those in need and to bring hope to the hopeless.
Many of the children that he works with children he works with are HIV infected and have full blown
AIDS. They probably will not make adult years. In normal human terms these children have no hope.
And yet he has instilled in them a hope that is steadfast and certain.
There have been churches that have criticised what he is doing, saying that he is wasting precious
resources on the dying. But Kevin has proved that actually he is making a real difference to the living.
He has rescued many kids from physical and sexual abuse; he has provided them with food, clothing,
an education and a loving family. Above all else, he has introduced them to Jesus. These children have
a fantastic relationship with Christ, which gives them a hope that is steadfast and certain.
We sing a song which celebrates the blessing we have in God. It talks about God being:
 My Shield
 My Strength
 My Portion
 My Deliverer
 My Strong Tower
 My very present help in times of need
As I watched Kevin, I could see that he was all of these things to the people that he serves. He is a true
imitator of God. If people spent time watching you, would they really see God’s character in you?

God’s Concern
God’s character influences God’s concern.
 upholds the cause of the oppressed;
 gives food to the hungry;
 sets prisoners free
 gives sight to the blind
 lifts up those who are bowed down
 loves the righteous
 watches over the alien
 sustains the fatherless and the widow
 frustrates the ways of the wicked.

We could re-phrase these words, and say that God is concerned with:
 the downtrodden;
 the needy;
 the enslaved;
 the sick or the weak;

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  the demoralised;
 the righteous;
 the outsider;
 the vulnerable.
If we want to be imitators of God then we need to share God’s concern. We often imagine that God’s
only concern is for the lost. But God’s concern is for everyone – the righteous do feature in this list.
God loves the righteous. The word “righteous” does mean does not mean perfect, it does not mean
super spiritual, it simply means someone whose sins have been forgiven ; a justified person; a saved
person; a redeemed person.
If we want to be imitators of God, therefore, we must love each other. Love is not a passive thing – it
is an active thing. It is not a feeling, it is an action. It is best illustrated by the one another commands
in the New Testament: there are 27 of them:
1. Love one another. (John 13:34 NIV)
2. Be devoted to one another (Rom 12:10 NIV)
3. Live in harmony with one another. (Rom 12:16 NIV)
4. stop passing judgment on one another. (Rom 14:13 NIV)
5. Accept one another (Rom 15:7 NIV)
6. instruct one another (Rom 15:14 NIV)
7. Greet one another (Rom 16:16 NIV)
8. agree with one another (1 Cor 1:10 NIV)
9. serve one another (Gal 5:13 NIV)
10. bear with one another (Eph 4:2 NIV)
11. Be kind to one another (Eph 4:32 NIV)
12. Be compassionate to one another (Eph 4:32 NIV)
13. forgive one another (Eph 4:32 NIV)
14. Speak to one another (Eph 5:19 NIV)
15. Submit to one another (Eph 5:21 NIV)
16. teach one another (Col 3:16 NIV)
17. admonish one another (Col 3:16 NIV)
18. encourage one another (1 Th 5:11 NIV)
19. spur one another on (Heb 10:24 NIV)
20. do not slander one another (James 4:11 NIV)
21. love one another deeply, from the heart (1 Pet 1:22 NIV)
22. live in harmony with one another (1 Pet 3:8 NIV)
23. be sympathetic with one another (1 Pet 3:8 NIV)
24. be compassionate with one another (1 Pet 3:8 NIV)
25. be humble with one another (1 Pet 3:8 NIV)
26. Offer hospitality to one another (1 Pet 4:9 NIV)
27. have fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7 NIV)
What did Jesus say?

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 34
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must
love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love
one another."
John 13:34-35
We need to be concerned with each other and about each other.
Not only could we all classify ourselves as righteous, but we could also identify with several other
groups of people listed in Psalm 146 from time to time. Occasionally we all feel oppressed,
downtrodden, needy, weak, demoralised, vulnerable. We need to be concerned for each other.
We are all equal in God’s sight. The thing that differentiates us from the animals is not the size of our
brain, it is not the fact that we are more intelligent, more sophisticated than them – it is that we alone
are made in the image of God.
G K Chesterton said:
“people are equal in the same way that pennies are equal. Some are bright, others are
dull; some are worn smooth; others are sharp and fresh. But all are equal in value for
each penny bear the image of the King of Kings”
Are we living a life of love? Love is not love unless it is expressed. If we really, truly love each other
then surely it will manifest in some very practical way: a phone call; a visit; spending time together;
practical help; support. Be imaginative. Why not think up 5 different ways in which you can bless 5
different people this week!

God’s Compassion
God does, however, have a special heart for the poor, the oppressed, the disadvantaged and the
vulnerable. The list in Psalm 146 includes 8 different types of people for whom God is concerned; one
is the righteous; the others are the underprivileged, the weak and the vulnerable.
Somebody once took a Bible and cut out the word “poor” everywhere it occurred. They then held the
Bible up by the spine, and the whole thing just fell apart. You see, if you remove the poor from God’s
Word, our belief just hangs in shreds.
It is not that God is biased in any way – but God is just. God is concerned about everyone, but he
always opposes injustice and supports the victims of oppression.
God does not limit his activity to the spiritual realm – he gets involved with the daily, practical lives of
individual people.
What does Isaiah 61:1 say:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to
preach good news to the lost – no, poor.

In Proverbs we are commanded to:

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"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are
destitute.
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Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Prov 31:8-9

In Amos 5, God reprimands Israel for trampling on the poor, oppressing the righteous and depriving
the poor of justice. He says:
Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light. (18)
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"I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.

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Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
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But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
In Isaiah 1:10-17, God says that he will not listen to the cries of his people whilst they ignore the
needs of the poor and vulnerable.

God is concerned with people, and God has a compassion for the underprivileged. If we want to be
imitators of God, we need to be concerned with these people as well.
There are needy people in this church, and we ought to help them. But we also need to be concerned
with people outside this church – in fact outside all churches. The list we read included the alien.
In Old Testament imagery, Israel is the considered to be the people of God. All others, all foreigners
are, therefore, not the people of God. Translate this to New Testament times, we (the church) are the
people of God. The alien is not a visitor from outer space; it is a person who has not yet accepted Jesus
as Saviour.
As a church we seek to be obedient to God in this aspect of expressing His concern through the
homeless drop-in ministry. We see a need, and are currently able to meet that need.
The true tragedy of poverty is not actually the fact that some people have very little – it is that they
lack the power and the resources to escape from their poverty.
And so I am very happy that we are now supporting Debbie Howard in Congo, who is working with
unsaved street kids. These children are orphaned or separated from their families. Debbie teaches them
basic language and maths skills, feeds them, clothes them and introduces them to Jesus. Some go on to
complete apprenticeships in craft skills, allowing them to set up their own business.
We have decided to donate the missions box money this time round to the Elim appeal for Sudan,
where people need practical help in the provision of food and clothing.
All of these things in and of themselves is small, and we would like to do so much more. Some people
feel that the impact we can have is so small that it is in fact insignificant, and not worth the effort
because in the grand scheme of things it will make very little difference.
Star fish story.

Conclusion
What difference have you made in life of those around you?
You know the phrase “there’s no love in this church” is an oft repeated phrase. Not just here, but in
almost every church. I don’t want to hear it in this church.
You’re in this church; if you tell me that there is no love in this church you are telling me that there is
no love in you! And you need to fix that right now.
I believe that if we want to see more of God in our lives, doing immeasurably more than we could ask
or even imagine, through his power at work in us. This happens when we have grasped, understood,
experienced and imitated God’s love.
We need to imitate God, living a life reflecting his character, his concern and his compassion.
Am I my brother’s keeper? – I think I am!

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