Understanding The Bible |
"The Touch of the Master's Hand"
By Dr. Glen Clifton
1.
“The Touch of the
Master’s Hand”
by Dr. Glen Clifton please turn to: Luke 24: 36-39
I’m glad to be back
with you today. I trust that we will profit from another study of God’s
infallible word! Turn with me to Luke 24, and as you are turning there, let me
say…
I know I’m a bit long winded, and I told you that. One man came to me a couple
of weeks ago and said, “You sure tell the truth.” I asked him what he meant. He
said, “You certainly are l-l-o-o-n-n-g-g winded.” Listen: I only have about
thirty minutes a week to teach the word, you have 168 hours each week, and I
have only that short amount of time, so listen fast!
You did hear about the preacher who would put a breath mint in his mouth as he
started preaching. When it dissolved, he would stop preaching. One Sunday he
preached, and preached, and preached, when an hour passed, the reached in his
mouth for the mint. He had mistakenly put in a button.
Today I want to share with you some truths about the hand of God. The psalmist
said, speaking of the Lord, “your right hand has held me up.” (18:35) and,
Isaiah wrote, “behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save.”
(59:1)
Years ago, the great golfer, Arnold palmer, played some golf matches in Saudi
Arabia. His play greatly impressed the king of S.A. Before Palmer left the
country, the king told Palmer he wanted to present him with a gift. “What can I
offer you?” He asked.
Palmer was grateful, but said a gift is not necessary. After insistence he
agreed saying, “the king could give him a golf club.” A few weeks later he
received the deed of a 300 acre golf & country club.
The moral to this story is: “in the presence of the king, don’t ask for small
gifts, because his arm is not shortened!”
Here's God’s infallible word: Luke 24:36-39
After the crucifixion, the bible says, “they were terrified and frightened, and
supposed that seen a spirit,” and Jesus said to them, “Behold my hands and my
feet, that it is I myself…” Luke 24:37, 39. Jesus is saying, “These hands are
sufficient evidence that I have conquered death, and that I am alive
forevermore!” His hands ministered to the suffering and dying, and blessed the
multitudes. His hands will ever be an example for us. The apostle peter wrote:
“Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow in
his steps.” (1 pet. 2:21). Matthew said, “And Jesus put forth his hand, and
touched him, saying, I want you to be clean, and immediately the leprosy was
cleansed.” (Matthew 8:3). Mark tells us, “and they brought young children to
him, that he should touch them…” (Mark 10:13). Matthew wrote, “Then he touched
their eyes, saying, according to your faith be it unto you.” (Matthew 9:29). And
there are many more. Let us look today at the master’s hands.
The hands of
Jesus were: blameless hands!
The author of Hebrews tells us, “He was tempted in all points as we are, yet
without sin.” (4:15)
Sinless and holy were His hands… No sin ever touched His hands. Our hands must
be clean, if we are to exemplify him. Paul points out that, “men pray
everywhere, lifting up holy hands.” (1 Tim. 2:8) and, Remember: our hands are
not holy because of our goodness, but Because of his righteousness. The bible
teaches us that: only those who are clean in heart have clean hands. (James
4:8)
Two little girls were playing with their dolls and singing, “Safe in the hands
of Jesus.” “How do you know you are safe?” Asked one of the girls. “Because I
am holding on to Jesus with both my hands, real tight.”
“That’s not safe,” said her sister. “suppose Satan came and cut your hands
off?”
The little girl paused, then said with joy, “Oh, I forgot! Jesus is holding
me, and Satan cannot cut his hands off, so I am safe.”
The hands of Jesus
were: blessing hands!
Jesus blessed everything he touched. He took little children in his arms and
blessed them. Mark 10:13-16 tells us He made the lame to walk, the deaf to
hear, the blind to see, the sick to be well, and the dead to live. And best of
all, he made the vilest sinner to rejoice in his forgiveness and salvation,
all, by the touch of his hand.
A basketball in my hands is worth about $20., but a basketball in the hands of
Michael Jordan’s hands is worth about $30 million dollars.
A baseball is my hands is worth about $12., but a baseball in the hands of
Dontrell Willis is worth about $25 million dollars.
A tennis racket is useless in my hands, but in the hands of Pete Sampras it is
worth a Wimbledon championship. It depends on whose hands it’s in.
A golf club in my hand is worth nothing, but in the hands of tiger woods, it
is worth hundreds of millions. It depends on whose hands it’s in.
A sling shot in my hands is a toy, but a sling shot in David’s hands is a
mighty weapon. It depends on whose hands it’s in.
Two fish and five loaves in my hands is a couple of fish sandwiches, but in
god’s hands…it will feed thousands. It depends on whose hands it’s in.
Nails in my hands might produce a bird house, but nails in Jesus’ hands will
produce salvation and forgiveness for the world. It depends on whose hands
it’s in.
Jesus hands were blessing hands, and we should use our hands to bless the
world. Someone is waiting for a lift: Acts 3:7.
In about 1950, my parents took me to Corpus Christi, TX to see Fritz Kreisler,
the famous violinist. Kreisler earned a fortune with his concerts and
compositions, but gave most of it away. Once he discovered an exquisite violin
on one of his trips, but he couldn’t afford it.
After raising the money, he returned to the seller, hoping to purchase that
beautiful instrument. But, to his dismay, the violin had been sold to a
collector. He went to the collector and offered to purchase it, but the
collector would not sell it.
Disappointed, Kreisler was about to leave, when he had an idea. “Could I play
the violin before it is consigned to silence?” He asked. Permission was
granted and the great virtuoso filled the room with heart-moving music, and
the collector’s emotions were deeply stirred. And, he said, “I have no right
to keep that to myself, it‘s yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it to the world, and
let people hear it.” That violin in the hands of Kreisler blessed millions.
To sinners saved by grace, the gospel is like the rapturous harmonies of
heaven. We have no right to keep it to ourselves. Jesus tells us to take it
into our world and let people hear it.
The song says:
“I’ll tell the world how Jesus saved me,
and how He gave me a life brand new;
and I know that if you trust Him,
that all He gave me He’ll give to you.”
The hands of
Jesus were: bearing hands!
His hands bore the weight and burden of toil. Remember: he was a carpenter by
trade, following in Joseph’s trade. He rendered a very humble service to
others, and gave that vocation a dignity never known before. He worked with
his hands. We are in this world to serve others.
He also bore the heavy cross to Calvary. And, as there was a cross for Jesus.
There is a cross for every Christian.
The song says:
“Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
and all the world go free?
No, there’s a cross for everyone,
and there’s a cross for me.”
Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30) He set
the example for us, and we are to follow His example. Paul reminds us to “bear
one another’s burdens…” (Galatians 6:2) question: are we doing it?
A mother wanting to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano took him
to a Paderewski concert. When she was seated, she saw some of her friends in
the audience and she went to greet them. Seizing the opportunity to explore
the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy walked around and passed
through a door marked “no admittance.” When the house lights dimmed and the
concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered
that her son was missing. Suddenly the curtains parted and spotlights focused
on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy
sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out “twinkle, twinkle little
star.” At that moment the great piano master moved to the piano, and whispered
in the boy’s ear, “Don’t quit, keep playing.” Then leaning over, Paderewski
reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his
right arm reached around the other side of the child and he added a running
obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a
frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was
mesmerized.
That’s the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly
noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren’t exactly graceful flowing
music. With the hand of the Master, our life’s work truly can be beautiful.
So, the next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully and
you can hear the voice of the Master saying, “don’t quit, keep playing.” And,
feel his loving arms around you, and his strong hands playing the concerto of
your life.
The song says: “One day they led Jesus up Calvary’s mountain, one day they
nailed Him to die on a tree; suffering anguish, despised and rejected, bearing
our sins … my redeemer is He.
The hands of
Jesus were: bleeding hands!
Nailed, pierced, suffering and bleeding were his hands. They bled for you, and
they bled for me!
One day, one of my deacons came and asked me, “Pastor, do you know what the
only “man-made” thing in heaven is?” I said, “No.” He said, “The nail scarred
hands of Jesus.”
And, those of us who follow the master must never shirk from suffering. My
hands can never atone for one sin, but, they can embrace the sacrifices and
sufferings of life for Christ’s sake.
The bible says, “…without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (no
forgiveness, no cleansing, no atonement, no justification) of sin.” (Hebrews
9:22)
The song says:
The blood that Jesus shed for me, way back on Calvary,
The blood that gives me strength from day to day,
It will never lose its power…
It soothes my doubts and calms my fears,
And it dries all my tears;
The blood that gives me strength from day to day,
It will never lose its power…”
The hands of
Jesus were: beckoning hands, inviting hands!
His beckoning hands are expressive of his loving heart and his pleading voice.
On the last day of the feast at Jerusalem, Jesus stood and cried, saying, “If
any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.” (John 7:37)
The song says:
“Brightest and best of that glorious throng,
Center of all and theme of their song,
Jesus our savior, the pierced one stands,
Lovingly calling with beckoning hands.
Beautiful, beckoning hands, beautiful, beckoning hands of Jesus!”
As his hands are extended to a lost and sinful world. He wants our hands to be
extended to this same world. “You are my witnesses, says the Lord” Isa. 43:10.
Jesus told us to “Go into all the world” as His witnesses. (Matthew 28:19, 20)
Who have you invited to Jesus lately?
And, lastly,
The hands of
Jesus were: building hands!
The hands of Jesus were church building hands. (Matthew 16:18) Jesus is the
master builder. And, he would have us join our hands with His in this
wonderful building program.
The apostle peter wrote: that you, his children, “as living stones are being
built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5)
Before Jesus left, He said, “…I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that
where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2, 3) Jesus is now building in
eternity for all His children. But, He only builds for those who are building
for Him here. (1 Corinthians 3:11-13)
As Christians, we should be builders, not destroyers … we should lift up, not
tear down …. we should be unifiers not dividers!
In conclusion, let us hear once again the three little words of Jesus in verse
39: “Behold My hands.” And let us turn our eyes to the blameless, blessing,
life-giving hands of Jesus, Before they become banishing hands, where He says,
“Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and
his angels.” (Matthew 25:41) oh, friend, turn your eyes on Jesus today!
In closing, may I offer you some praise in poetry by Myra Brooks?
“The Touch of the Master’s Hand”
“It was battered and scarred,
and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while to waste much time on
the old violin, but, he held it up with a smile:
“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried.
“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”
“A dollar, a dollar;” then, “two!” “Only two? “Two dollars, and who’ll make it
three; going for three…”
But no, From the room, far back, a grey-haired man came forward and picked up
the bow;
then, wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening all the loose
strings,
played a melody pure and sweet as a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
with a voice that was quiet and low, said,
“Now, what am I bid for the old violin?”
And he held it up with the bow.
“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?
Two thousand, who’ll make it three?”
Three thousand once, three thousand,
twice, and going, and gone,” said he.
The people cheered, and some of them cried,
“We do not quite understand. What changed its worth?”
Swift came the reply: “The touch of the master’s hand.”
And, many a man with life out of tune, battered and scarred with sin,
is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin.
A “mess of pottage,” a “glass of wine;” a game … and he travels on.
He’s “going” once, and “going” twice; he’s “going” and almost “gone.”
But the master comes,
and the foolish crowd never can quite understand
the worth of a soul, and the change that’s wrought,
by the touch of the master’s hand.
Friend, are you “almost gone?”
Are you battered and scarred with sin?”
Then, this is your day, for God’s word says,
“behold; now (today) is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)
would you give you life to him today?
Would you let Jesus save you today?
Will you ask him to do that right now?
“Precious lord, take my hand,
lead me on, help me stand.
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
Thro’ the storm, thro’ the night,
lead me on to the light,
take my hand, precious lord; lead me home.”
“When my way grows drear,
precious lord, linger near,
when my life is almost gone.
Hear my cry, hear my call,
hold my hand, lest I fall.
Take my hand, precious lord; lead me home.”
Copyright 2006,
Dr. Glen Clifton
Used by permission
"The
Touch of the Master's Hand"
by Dr. Glen E. Clifton
1. Dr. Clifton had been preaching at King's Baptist church in Vero Beach, Florida where he served as Interim Preacher for about 8 months (as of September 2006). Dr. Clifton and his wife Dee, have been retired to Florida for 4 years. He has been kept busy preaching up and down the Treasure coast since he moved here. He can be contacted for speaking engagements at (772) 336-3992.
Clifton, Dr. Glen E., Brief Biography
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