A LESSON FROM BUFFALO BILL
Matthew 10:1-15
Sermon Objective: To show the “commonness” of these men & to suggests that we too are therefore candidates for service.
Supporting Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Corinthians 1:26-29; Revelation 1:5-6; 1 Peter 2:9; Isaiah 61:6, Matthew 28:18-20
SUMMARY:
We start a new series today from Matthew chapter 10. It is called, “Lessons from the Wild West.” We will take a look at the days when the range was untamed and see if there are any similarities between that and our Christian heritage as well as our current spiritual journey.
• Today will focus on “A Look at Buffalo Bill Cody” (10:1-15)
• Week #2 is titled “Remember the Alamo!” (10:16-33)
• Week #3 is “The Gunfight at OK Corral” (10:24-25)
• Our final sermon is “Lessons from Sheriff Pat Garret” (10:34-42)
We won’t be glamorizing of deifying these men and events. Most were profane, some more than others. But we will be taking a look at history and finding transfer and illustration which we can identify with.
INTRODUCTION
Many people have heard the name Buffalo Bill Cody. Some have even been around long enough to have actually visited one of His traveling shows. These were his means of survival in this latter days but the reputation was made years earlier.
William Frederick Cody was one of many of the trade. A Scout. Born in Iowa and raised in Kansas he found the open plains and ranges to his liking and held many jobs which prepared him for his most notable career. He first carried messages between wagon trains and then rode for the Pony Express; logging a record 300 miles by horseback in one day.
He became a scout not long afterward for General Custer and then for the Kansas-Pacific Railroad. It was during these days that he secured his most noted claim to fame. He killed a record 69 buffalo in one day. Beating the old record by 23. From then on the name “Buffalo Bill Cody” stuck -- regardless of his employment.
For the most part William Frederick Cody was an average man who had his 15 minutes of fame. He vacillated between wealth and poverty and, if not for a few lucky breaks, would never have been heard of since he really did not do anything heroic or infamous -- except maybe take the scalp of a leading Indian marauder from Custer’s last stand.
He joins the list of others of his profession as scout. With the exception of Kit Carson you’ve probably heard of few others.
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Have you noticed the men which Jesus adopted? They too were simple, common men. Much like Cody who was raised in an impoverished home by a father who ran a sawmill; so these men came from common stock with very common jobs. Fishermen, government employees, and the like.
But that is good news for you and me -- if men like William Frederick Cody and Simon the Zealot can find a place in this world we know we can too. Hopefully our place will be next to the immortal list in Matthew 10. They were not known for their exploits in the Wild West but for their experiences with the Savior.
Let’s read about them from Matthew 10:1-15.
THE TEXT:
1 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
7 As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
9 Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts;
10 take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.
11 “Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave.
12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting.
13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.
14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.
15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
TRAITS OF THE TRAIL-BLAZERS.
There seem to be some interesting traits which the trail-blazers in Matthew and the trail-blazers of the western frontier have in common. These traits simultaneously set them apart and made them unlikely candidates.
1. INDIVIDUALISTIC - AND YET COLLECTIVE.
The western frontier scouts negotiated with the Rocky Mountains; finding a way to spare many lives that traveled over her ridges on the way to the west coast. Some of you have been to Colorado and you’ve seen the ominous force which the Rockies play. Even from the air you can tell they are formidable, yet these men were trail blazers making a way where there was no way.
Sound familiar? Yes. That is what the band of disciples did as well -- yet for an even more noble reason. There was no church before these 12 men and God used them in a manner which is still instituted today. The “tradition of the apostles” is still followed as we embrace Jesus the Messiah, walk in the Spirit, break bread, and worship together. And these men, like the western frontier scouts, weren’t all that different than you and me.
GOD’S FIRST TRAIL-BLAZERS WERE INDIVIDUALISTIC - AND YET COLLECTIVE. They were a group and they were often identified as a group. Yet each had specific gifts, personalities and job descriptions. Whether they were scouting a new path for spiritual settlers or taking new territory for the Kingdom of God, they knew that they had a mission which made them part of a selective and collective society.
It is not by accident that Matthew names each of God’s trail-blazing scouts in a couplet. They are identified in pairs because, even though they were individuals, they were also part of a larger unit.
THIS BEAUTIFULLY DESCRIBES TODAY’S CHURCH TOO; ESPECIALLY WITH THE PAULINE IMAGERY OF A BODY. ALONE WE ARE LIMITED. BUT BY REMEMBERING THAT WE SERVE AS A PART OF A LARGER UNIT WE GAIN STRENGTH, IDENTITY AND CONFIDENCE WHEN THE TASK SEEMS OVERWHELMING.
Do you sometimes feel you are serving God and His church all be yourself? I hope not. I hope we make you feel like you are part of a team; but I know on occasion it feels lonely. In such moments you can take a cue from former trailblazers, like the apostles, and begin to look at your larger identity.
1. INDIVIDUALISTIC - AND YET COLLECTIVE.
2. CHOSEN MEN BUT NOT CHOICE MEN.
A study of Buffalo Bill Cody shows another similarity which he had with the trail-blazing disciples and with us. His weaknesses and humanness is well documented.
THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS WERE CHOSEN MEN -- BUT NOT NECESSARILY “CHOICE” MEN.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 says: 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. 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. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.
They, too, had glaring weaknesses … just like us. And that is okay because Jesus isn’t looking for extraordinary people but for ordinary people which will serve Him with extraordinary loyalty.
JESUS SEES IN US NOT ONLY WHAT WE ARE BUT WHAT HE CAN MAKE OF US. Never think that you have nothing to offer to Jesus because He can take your ordinariness and use it for greatness. Ability takes second place to availability in God’s economy.
Think for a moment about what these flawed disciples accomplished. Let’s look at a few of them:
• Simon Peter - Organized the Christian communities in Palestine and maybe Babylon. Founded the churches in Antioch, Rome, and was co-founder of Corinth. He was crucified under Nero’s terror at about the same time as Paul. At his request he was crucified upside down because he did not feel worthy to be martyred in the same manner as His Lord.
• Andrew - Founded the Christian community in Constantinople and Achaia. While in the latter he outraged the proconsul because he refused to quit preaching the Gospel. He was severely scourged, and hung on the cross until dead. It took two days which while hanging he continued to preach, persuading people to come to Jesus and remain faithful. He died on November 30 of an uncertain year.
• James the Son of Zebedee - Died very soon after the resurrection. He was killed by Herod for the Gospel. He was thrust through with a sword.
• John the Son of Zebedee - Spent the first 15 years after Jesus’ resurrection in Jerusalem overseeing the church and its missionary activities - he survived the persecution which saw his brother die and Peter driven out of town. He was one of the “pillars” of the Church which quieted the controversy between the Gentile and the Jewish believers in Acts 15. John took Jesus’ mother and went to Ephesus and was eventually exiled to the isle of Patmos to live in isolation under the Domitian persecution. He later returned and ministered in Ephesus until his death.
• Philip - Established Christian communities in Phyrgia and Syria.
• Bartholomew (a.k.a. Nathaniel) - He established Christian communities in India and Armenia. He was flayed alive for his faith and preaching.
• Matthew - Preached and planted churches in Judea while undertaking the task of recording the life of Jesus.
Yes, these men were ordinary. But their availability was transformed into ability and their ordinariness accomplished extraordinary accomplishments.
That’s good news for us. Because these spiritual scouts blazed a path we are to follow.
1. INDIVIDUALISTIC - AND YET COLLECTIVE.
2. CHOSEN MEN BUT NOT CHOICE MEN.
3. WELL-KNOWN YET VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN.
Have you ever heard of Peter Ogden, Osborne Russell, J. Lee Humfreville, John Dougherty, Jim Bridger, Mariano Medine, Stephen Hall Meek, or James Beckworth? Probably not. But they, like Buffalo Bill Cody and Kit Carson, were scouts. These men spent their lives navigating the western terrain and leading others through Indian Territory and into the settlements in the West.
Most of the twelve apostles are faceless too - not much is known about them. And that’s the final similarity I want to suggest to you – THEY ARE WELL-KNOWN BUT VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN. In fact, without the Gospel’s record you wouldn’t know of any of them. But God knew each one in advance. And they proved effective & faithful.
How about Roy Carnahan? Does that name ring a bell? He was the man who planted Potsdam Church of the Nazarene in 1951! He’s a faithful disciple with an ongoing legacy.
God’s work is often done by those who hide in obscurity -- some of these disciples are never mentioned again in the Bible except in other “disciple catalogue lists.” But they were trail-blazers who founded the Church and scouted out new frontiers for the Kingdom’s settlers.
God has new territories for you and me to scout and settle too. We may look at our obscurity and say “We’re just little people who live in a little town and aren’t very well known.” But that has never stopped God before -- He can use us to radically change the history of human lives even as he did these 12 faceless men.
CONCLUSION
The disciples were sent as “apostles” - men with a mission. They were scouts who went ahead of us and found a safe way to a new Kingdom.
They were:
1. INDIVIDUALISTIC - AND YET COLLECTIVE.
2. CHOSEN MEN BUT NOT CHOICE MEN.
3. WELL-KNOWN YET VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN.
Christ sovereignly chose His men. He is still looking through the crowd for the one who will serve unreservedly.
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service.
Ephesians 4:11-12a
It is still His plan that we serve as redemptive agents among humankind.
5 … To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and 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.
Revelation 1:5-6
Many times we set & listen to the preacher and then set some more. We are good learners & good listeners but we never graduate into “apostles” -- those sent with a mission. The lost world cannot afford for us to be apprentices forever. It is time YOU check out the wild frontier and start leading others safely to the other side.
The disciples were thrust into ministry as an expression of the faith in Christ.
YOU are privileged to follow in that tradition. If you will make yourself available God can/will use you in a phenomenal way.
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
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Children’s Sermon
Ready to Serve!*
Text: Matthew 10:5-7
Prop: A picture of guard or soldier standing on watch.
Summary: The first disciples that Jesus called were ready to serve. They dropped everything and followed him.
Look at this picture I brought today. This is a guard who is standing at his. This guard is not having to actively defend what he is protecting right now. He is on watch duty. He is ready to serve if a situation arises that demands action.
Today I want to tell you about some of the people that Jesus called to follow him as he began his earthly ministry. They were ready to serve also.
Several verses in the Bible tell us how Jesus called his disciples (followers) and who they were. The Bible says when Jesus called these men they dropped everything and followed him immediately. They left their fishing nets and family members and their jobs because they were ready to serve.
They were ready to serve because they knew they were following God’s Son, Jesus. Not long after calling them Jesus did indeed put them into service. The Bible says:
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “[Go] to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’”
What a great example we have from these first disciples, which were later called apostles. They were ready to serve. Are you?
Sooner or later you will be called to serve God. We all get called, but not everyone answers God’s call to service.
o Are you like that when your parents ask you to do a chore around the house?
o Do you act like you didn’t hear them tell you to pick up your room or take out the trash?
o When you are young and learning to obey your parents, they are helping you get ready to serve God one day.
o They are teaching you the importance of responsibility, duty, and service to others.
People that serve God do not think of it as a chore, but a wonderful privilege. I hope you will be ready to serve God one day.
* This children’s sermon idea comes from: http://www.childrensermons.com/
This Children’s Sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
