Sermon Synopsis 7/20 - Cat & Dog Theology *

Here is a useful fact that you need to know: In North America, the standard railroad gauge, which is the distance between the rails, is four feet, eight and a half inches. Isn’t that a wonderful number? Do you know how that number came to be? It is that way because that is the way they built railroads in England, and English expatriates built most of the North American railroads. Why did the English railroad builders use four feet, eight and a half inches? Because the people who built the pre-railroad tramways used that gauge. Why? Because that was the distance used in the wheel spacing of the wagons that preceded the tramways. And why did the wagons have this unusual spacing? Because that was the spacing of the ruts in the long distance north south roads in England.

And who put the ruts in the roads? The Romans, of course, who built the roads. It was the Roman war chariots who made the initial ruts, and everybody who used the roads conformed to this width or they would have broken their wheels trying to make new ruts. And why did the Romans focus on this odd spacing of their wheels? Because the Roman war chariots were just wide enough to accommodate the back ends of two warhorses. Finally the answer: the North American standard railroad gauge of four feet, eight and a half inches was derived from the width of the rear ends of the two horses which empowered an imperial Roman chariot.

Wait, there is more. We were in Florida last year, and while there took a tour of the Kennedy Space Centre. It was very impressive and worth seeing. When you see the space shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These booster rockets are made in a factory in Utah. The engineers who designed the booster rockets wanted to make them fatter and shorter, but couldn’t because the rockets are shipped by train from Utah to Florida. Therefore, the rockets must be of a size that fits through a tunnel in the rocky mountains. That tunnel is only slightly wider than the railroad track, and the track, of course, is about as wide as two horses’ behinds. So, the major design feature of what is arguably the world’s most advanced transportation system was determined by the width of two horses’ rear ends. Think about that!

Why am I telling you this? I want you to see how important it is to go back to the basics before starting on a big project. In laying a proper foundation for your Christian journey, it is critical to look back and examine carefully what God created you to do with the life He has given you. What was God’s purpose in bringing you into His kingdom? That is the proper beginning of your Christian journey, and without a proper beginning, everything else will lead you in the wrong direction or to make poor choices. And that is certainly the case in theology.

I recently read a book called, “Cat and Dog Theology”. Before I start, how many of you are cat lovers? How many of you are dog lovers? Please don’t take offense by any comments I make about either cats or dogs. I grew up with both, so maybe you will be able to relate to what I say. I want to compare how cats and dogs seem to view life and then apply my observations to people who view their Christianity from the same perspective as either a cat or a dog. How many people here today want to live passionately for the glory of God? That is what I want you to leave here today thinking about. I want you to rethink your relationship with our Lord. Here is where I am leading.

Cats and dogs are both household pets, but they are different. It is said that dogs have masters whereas cats have staff. Do you know what I am talking about? A dog says, “You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, you must be God." A cat says, “You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, I must be God.” Both start with the same set of facts and the same circumstances, but the conclusion is radically different and leads to radically different lifestyles And my conclusion is that we have both cats and dogs sitting in the chairs of our churches today. How you view your devotional life, how you view worship, how you view missions, how you view prayer, how you view service in the church, how you view local evangelism will all be impacted by how you view your relationship with God.

Cats, and people who follow cat theology, don’t really say they are God. They know that isn’t true, but what they do say is, “it’s all about me.” Both cats and dogs say, “Lord, You love me, You bless me, You gave your life for me.” But the cat goes further by adding, “God did this for me so I can live a life of blessing. Life is all about me.” The dog, on the other hand, wants to be with his master and please him. Life is all about the master. Obedience is important to both dogs and cats. Dogs learn obedience to please their masters. Cats want their masters to obey them.

Theologically, cats have difficulty with the concept of Lordship, and so do people who come to Christ through a man centered theology. Today we are reaping the harvest of man-centred conversions, where we are more concerned for men than for God. We are more interested in God serving man than man serving God. Friends, the name by which you are saved is “Lord”. Every knee will bow to our Lord. Obedience is a fruit of true salvation. The reality is that it is not about me, it is all about God. Martin Luther said, “The essence of sin is that man seeks his own welfare in everything, even in God.”

Cats pray, “Lord, bless me and my family. Lord, protect me. Lord, meet my needs. Lord, take care of me.” You see, cats are in it for themselves. Dogs say, “No, life is all about God’s glory” and they learn from Paul in Romans 15:8 – 9, which talks about Christ’s death. It says, “For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of god’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that …” Let’s stop there for a second. Paul is proclaiming why Christ came to earth: to live a perfect life and to die a painful death. That is a key point. And what is the reason? Paul says, “so that the Gentiles (which most of his readers were) might not go to hell.” Is that what it says? No! But that is what the cat hears. The text actually says, “so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy."

Did you hear that? The Westminster confessions tells us that the purpose of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Friends, the purpose of salvation is not so that we can escape hell, although that is definitely a benefit. The purpose of salvation is so that we can glorify God in response to His mercy to us, and enjoy Him forever. Cats want to go to heaven to avoid hell. Dogs want to go to heaven to be with their master. For cats its about being saved from something (hell). They will tell you about their decision. For dogs, its about being saved for something (God’s glory). They will tell you about their passion. Friends, there is no joy in escaping hell. Relief, yes, but not joy. You see, joy is about having right priorities. Remember, J O Y = Jesus Others You. Cats have Y O J, not J O Y.

Friends, look at creation. Colossians 1:16 says that “All things were created by him and for him.” God shares creation with us, but it was made for Him. We are part of God’s creation, put here with purpose, and that purpose is to glorify God. It is not about us, it is about God and we are blessed as we are obedient and seek to glorify Him. And that’s enjoyable. Friends, if it were all about us, the world would have been created differently. Life is not about us, it is about God.

Many cats know they are Christians because they prayed a prayer. Cats pray with themselves as the focus. Dogs know they are Christians because they are passionate for Christ and can’t wait to see His glory shine through them at work, in their family, in every area of their lives. So, dogs pray with God at the centre. Cats focus on their needs at church and are inward focused. Programs are developed to meet their needs and wants. Dogs focus primarily on outreach because it results in glory for God. Cats and dogs worship differently too. Cats praise God for what He has done for them. Dogs worship God primarily for who He is and secondarily for what He has done for them. Cats want to be close to God, and will serve Him whenever and wherever they can, as long as they enjoy it. Lordship becomes difficult when service interferes with their lives. Dogs are all about lordship. They live to please the master and obey even when they don’t want to, and they obey wholeheartedly. God is their reward, and they only want to please Him.

Cats don’t have the full picture of God. They focus on God’s love, mercy, and grace, but never on His hatred of sin, His wrath, or judgment. Cats avoid issues that make them uncomfortable. Cats want all the perks from God’s blessings and protection, but none of the responsibilities of God’s laws. Dogs, on the other hand, are very conscious that God judges, and will not put up with disobedience in the lives of those He loves, because God is holy. To use an American example, cats want to sing “God bless America” while dogs want to sing “America bless God”. Cats want to be entertained at church, dogs want to worship God and reflect His glory. Cats love head knowledge, dogs love doing the good they know they ought to do. Cats want the big picture before they obey God, dogs are happy to obey in faith. Cats have a feel good theology, dogs have an obedience theology. Cats see a job as a means of attaining wealth, dogs see a job as a ministry opportunity. Cats think God is a means to an end, dogs think God is the end. And the list could go on and on.

Friends, listen carefully to what I am about to say: cat theology isn’t incorrect, it is just incomplete. Cats, in faith, see themselves as being saved from something and focus on what they are getting out of the new covenant in Christ’s blood. Cats are not going to hell. Cats are not going to have to pay the penalty they deserve. Cats receive God’s mercy and grace. Cats are going to be with God for eternity. Cats are having a place prepared for them in heaven. Dogs, by faith, see themselves as being saved not from something, but for something. Dogs know and agree with all of the truths the cats believe, but their focus is God-centered and their desire is to give God glory because of His character and because of who He is and then to radiate and reflect His character to a needy world.

Genesis 12:2-3 tells us that God blessed Abraham so that Abraham would be a blessing, not just to those around him, but also to all the people of the earth. And God blesses us for the same reasons. God wants us to pass our blessing on to the very ends of the earth. Cats want to gather the blessings in a bucket and keep them for themselves, whereas dogs enjoy the blessings and pass them on to others. This sharing of blessings is a life long task that results in joy. Cat theology keeps you focused only on what God does for us and not what God wants to do in and through us. As far as lessons go, cats have another half of the bible to discover.

Cats read Psalm 46:10 and focus on the “Be still and know that I am God” part but ignore the rest of the verse which says, “and I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” While it is good to look and see where God is blessing, we also need to see how God is being blessed and glorified and exalted. God wants to bless us so that we can be a blessing, for His glory. Friends, dog theology is not the absence of cat theology, rather it is the completion of it! A dog church would have many lessons on God’s love and blessings, but the lessons would be taught in the context of revealing God’s glory by blessing others in the process.

If life isn’t about us, then what or who is it about? I am saying that it’s all about God. Why should you live for God? Because of who He is and what He wants. Why did Christ die for us? Because the image of God resides inside of us. God put that image in us for His purposes, and therefore He has chosen to redeem it Christ died for us because God has a purpose and a plan for us; and that plan involves using us to reflect his glory to a lost world Christ died because God wants to have fellowship with us. Christ died because God is love and He loves His creation unconditionally, with compassion and mercy Christ died because God wants to be glorified by His creation. But cats are tempted to grab some of God’s glory for themselves.

Cats have a feel good theology cats read and listen selectively cats apply scripture selectively. Cats develop wrong priorities. Cats pray selfish prayers. Cats embrace humanism. Cats rob God of His glory during hard times. Cats live for the now, not for eternity. Cats think life is meant to be fair. Let’s talk about that last one. Is God interested in fairness? Friends, if God were fair, we would all go to hell!

Let’s look at 3 examples of how god deals with various people in the bible. In 1 Chronicles 4:10, Jabez prays to God and says: Bless me enlarge my territory may your hand be with me keep me from harm and I want zero pain along the way. What does God do with this cat like prayer? He grants it. God wants to bless Jabez because He knows that Jabez is a dog at heart and God knows he will use the blessing for God’s glory.

In 2 Kings 5, we meet a young Jewish girl who is taken captive in war to a foreign land and enslaved. Her mistress is the wife of Naaman, the second in command of the enemy army. Namaan’s army probably raped her mother, killed her father, killed her older brothers and raped her. When Namaan, who was greatly responsible for all her woes, contracted leprosy, what did she do? Rejoice? No! She told her mistress to send him to the prophet who is in Samaria to be healed. This girl was sold out to God. She forgave Namaan and directed him to the prophet. The result? In 2 Kings 5:16, Namaan, after being healed says, “Now I know there is no God in all the world except in Israel.” Naaman, a leader of the Gentiles, acknowledged God just because a young girl knew forgiveness and had a heart for God’s glory!

You know the story of Stephen found in Acts 6 and 7. The Bible says that Stephen was full of grace and power. It tells us that he did great wonders and performed miraculous signs among the people. But the Sanhedrin had him arrested and told lies about him to the point where Stephen is dragged out of the city and stoned to death, even though he was full of God’s grace and power. Friends, you can be doing everything for God, and be full of the power of God and still be stoned to death.

So, in our three examples, one was completely blessed (Jabez), one lived through a hell on earth experience to touch a Gentile’s life (the girl), and one was full of God’s power and grace (Stephen) and yet was stoned to death. So, my question to you is which one was God fair to? The one He blessed; the one who suffered; or the one who died? Friends, life on earth wasn’t designed to be fair, it was designed to glorify God and all three were able to do that by how they lived. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

R.C. Sproul, in his book “The Invisible Hand” says, “For the Christian, every tragedy is ultimately a blessing or God is a liar.” Friends, everything, good or bad, is designed to bring us to God. God wants us to know Him, to worship Him, and to praise Him in all situations. The dog’s key verse is Habakkuk 3:17-18, which says, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, i will be joyful in God my Saviour.” Cats, on the other hand, only see blessings as being from God, and they expect blessings. When bad things happen, they blame Satan. Dogs know that Christ didn’t promise ease and comfort in this life nor that Christianity would be easy. Dogs see life as a series of opportunities to live out and radiate the glory of God.

Friends, when you go into the military, an interesting thing happens. They change you completely. They cut your hair, give you a new set of clothes, and break you down physically and emotionally; only to build you back up. Within months there’s a whole new you. I have been trying to do this for the last half hour. I have constantly put down cats. My message has been: it’s not about you, it’s not about you, it’s not about you. I did this because I wanted to focus you on God and His glory. Now that you understand this, I want to tell you something new.

Here is the new teaching: It’s all about you! Did you hear me? It’s all about you! Friends, remember, the purpose of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. When you seek to glorify God, then you will find your greatest joy. Live passionately for God’s glory and you will reap all that you seek. Living for God’s glory is the best thing that you can do for yourself, but you can only do it if you empty yourself of self. Your life should be one big worship service for the King. Think like a dog and you will find joy.

Friends, it isn’t easy, and you will be tested with trials. In fact, Larry Crabb, in his book “Shattered Dreams” basically tells us that God is in the business of shattering our dreams. Cats don’t get this because they reason that if God loves us, He will grant our dreams. Dogs know that God wants to shatter every dream we have that is not of Him. God only wants the best for us, and the best is found only in Him. His plan doesn’t include second best. Christ didn’t die for us to have second best. God does whatever is necessary to get us to give up our inferior dreams and to get us to seek Him as our only source of joy.

Friends, life is not about you if you are trying to find your life’s meaning and purpose in things other than God and his glory. Jesus came to give us an abundant and full life according to John 10:10, but this abundant life is not found in people, things or circumstances. It is found only in God Himself. By delighting in Him, you will experience the greatest happiness and joy available in life. Jesus said, in Matthew 16:25, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Matthew 19:29 says, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” Luke 9:23-24 says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." Friends, if we lose our lives for Christ’s sake, for His glory, we find life!

It is all about you and saving your life. You need to focus on making it whole, protecting it and enjoying it by living to glorify God. If you are a cat, you’re half way there to enjoying life. If you are a dog, Lord bless you. If you are a cat, examine you beginnings. Are you tracks 4 feet 8 and ½ inches apart for any good reason? Lord bless you too as you focus on the other half of the lesson. If your life is all about God, your life is the best it can be. Friends, don’t settle for second best. That is my hope for you, that you won’t settle for second best. The good is often the enemy of the best. Go all the way with God and for God. Make that your life of worship and reap the joy of a job well done for god. This media clip will show you what I want to happen to you.


May the Lord bless you fully as you live for Him.

* This sermon was preached by my step-dad Gordon Burton.