Mute

Sermon for 8/8/2010

Mute

HoHum:

Last weekend Crystal and I went to my family’s reunion in Indiana. I saw relatives there I haven’t seen for years, cousins, aunts and uncles. Lee, my brother, and I played horseshoes. Lee scored all of our points and we got beat soundly. We got there on Saturday and I had a little sniffle in my throat. By Sunday it was a full fledged cold. By Sunday evening I had no voice left. One young lady asked, “Have you ever lost your voice before?” In a whisper all I could say was, “Close.” From that time on my voice was gone until Tuesday or Wednesday of last week. I couldn’t even whisper.

What if I did lose my voice? How would this change my job and ministry? What would this do to my self esteem? How would this affect my family and marriage?

WBTU:

A. I didn’t know if my voice would hold up today so why not talk about this?

B. The Bible talks about mute people. A mute person is one who cannot speak. Jesus healed several who were mute. The King James calls them “dumb”. A mute person is not necessarily deaf. There are deaf people who can talk.

C. Several reasons why a person might be mute: deformities involving the voice box (larynx), the brain is not able to take sounds and convert them into audible language.

D. Talk about 3 people:

1. Johnny, a wonderful person, who loved Sunshine Camp, a camp for the handicapped in Virginia. His body had difficulties so he could not speak. However, through modern technology, he had a keypad where he could type onto a computer, and the computer would talk for him.

2. Francis Simpson was a delightful woman at a past ministry. She took care of the meals on Wednesday nights. She had a muscular disorder that lead to her death. She was a talkative person. At first she could write but even that left her. Toward the end of her life on this earth, all she could do was grunt. Close to the end she couldn’t even do that. Come into her room and look into her eyes. Can see that she wants to say something but she is not able. Bobby, her husband, had a difficult time. Like the mute button was on and the stereo would not play.

3. Larry Easter was a man who knew that he had a short time to live. He also had a debilitating muscular disorder. His brother Ronnie shared Christ with him and Ronnie and I baptized him before he had to go to the nursing home. He was so happy to be able to go to the same nursing home as his wife. Like Francis, as his voice left him, he was able to write. After this left him, he sank into his own little world. He knew that he could not communicate. He understood people and enjoyed watching them but communication was so difficult.

E. Oh what these people would have done just to be able to open their mouths and talk.

F. Read Luke 1:5-25 and Luke 1:57-65.

Thesis: From Zechariah’s story, I have three things: 1) Ministry is a privilege and honor 2) We mute our voice through unbelief 3) We need to praise God while we can.

For instances:

1. Ministry is a privilege.

A. For Zechariah this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Vs. 9

B. A priest could offer the incense at the daily sacrifice only once in his lifetime since there were so many priests. What a privilege.

C. We have before us an opportunity, make mention of ministry teams. Last day posters will be in the back, after this taken down and start meeting together.

D. (Rev 1:5 NIV) To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,

(Rev 1:6 NIV) and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

E. All of us are to be involved. It is a great honor and responsibility to come week after week and bring God’s Word. However, everyone has at least one good sermon in them.

F. Everyone has something to bring. (1 Cor 14:26 NIV) What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.

G. Don't think we are all that much. That is good because that is when God can use us. (1 Cor 1:26 NIV) Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.(1 Cor 1:27 NIV) But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.(1 Cor 1:28 NIV) He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are,(1 Cor 1:29 NIV) so that no one may boast before him.