The Gunfight at the OK Corral
Matthew 10:24-25
Sermon Objective: We are Christ-followers. That means our identity, values, and mission is intimately linked to Jesus.
Supporting Scripture: John 15:1-17; Philippians 1:29; Philippians 3:10; 2 Timothy 2:12
SUMMARY
We are in a series called “Lessons from the Wild West.” Two weeks ago we looked at: “Buffalo Bill Cody” (10:1-15) and discovered that he, just like the disciples of Jesus, was a common ordinary man who seized the opportunities given him and did remarkable things. We learned that God wants to use us ordinary people is extraordinary ways too. Last week we looked at “Remember the Alamo!” from Matthew 10:16-33 and discovered that following Christ was based on loyalty and sacrifice rather than ease and comfort. We live for a cause which is bigger than ourselves.
Next week we will look at: “Lessons from Sheriff Pat Garret” (10:34-42)
This week we will look “The Gunfight at the OK Corral” and at Matthew 10:24-25.
“A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!
INTRODUCTION
They were an unlikely pair; Wyatt Earp and his trusty sidekick John Henry (Doc) Holliday. They came from different cultures and lived with different purposes but fate and appreciation for each other kept them together for much of their adult life.
Wyatt Earp was one of three brothers. These siblings stayed together most of the time; moving their families and being classified, by all rightful accounts, as a clan. Wyatt seemed to be the natural leader and is best known by his occupation as “The Law” in places like Wichita and Dodge City.
But always in his shadow was the good friend Doc Holliday.
Doc was born and raised in Atlanta Georgia. His dad was a lawyer and politician. He was ushered off to Baltimore, Maryland and trained as a dentist and soon afterwards moved west. Dentistry brought him poverty while living in Dallas so he took a new job -- “gun fighter.” He, like Wyatt Earp, was accurate and very fast. He was known as the “the answer to the mortician’s prayer.”
In 1880 the Earp clan and Doc made their way to Tombstone, AZ -- a town rightly named. Wyatt’s brother, Virgil, became the Marshall and immediately deputized all his brothers and Doc. Then things got tense. Tombstone had an over-abundance of lawlessness and many people there were already familiar with the Earp’s brand of law and order. On Wednesday, October 26, 1881, seven men decided it was time to put an end to the Earp’s reign and refused to relinquish their guns as they entered the city; a law put in place by the Earps which, in effect, meant they were the only ones allowed in the city limits with fire arms.
What ensued at 2 p.m. at the OK Corral would go down in history as a tribute to Western lawmen. Seven men stood outside the building brazenly showing their guns and defiantly daring the Earps to approach. It was apparent to all that once the law arrived this was going to be ugly.
On cue Marshall Virgil along with brothers Wyatt and Morgan and, of course, Doc, approached and once again ordered the men to relinquish their weapons. The outlaws made it clear that they intended to use the weapons rather than surrender them and within a matter a moments bullets were flying everywhere. In less than 30 seconds three men laid dead, three others severely injured and only two men were left without a bullet hole in them somewhere. One was Wyatt Earp and the other was one of the rebels who, after reconsidering his position on the matter, ran away before the shooting ever began.
+++++++
So, you ask, “What does this have to do with Matthew 10:24 & 25?”
That’s a good question.
On the outset it would not appear as if there was not much in common between this historic event and the words of Jesus but there are, actually, similarities. Both are stories of the right side of the law winning while the group making up the composite of victory seems less than harmonic. Doc and Wyatt were an unlikely pair but together they were a formidable group. Jesus and me seem an unlikely pair but together we too are quite formidable. The same goes for you and Jesus.
This invincibility we experience with Christ is not of our own doing -- it is because of our association with the Master. As we choose to identify with Him and become like Him God will use us in unimaginable ways.
1. WE HAVE THE SAME DESTINY
Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp entered into the most intimate relationship two grown men can have with each other. They trusted each other with their lives. They voluntarily placed their destinies side by side.
While Wyatt was Marshall in Dodge City, Kansas he got himself pinned in by a bunch of rowdies who wanted vengeance and the rule of the town. Things looked bleak for Wyatt but all changed when ol’ friend Doc came out of nowhere through the saloon doors with two 45’s drawn, and quickly put a period to the end of the saga. Any rowdies left standing made their way out of town never to cause the Marshall trouble again.
As we identify with Jesus we will notice that we too have the same destiny. We have placed ours with Him as have said “Whither thou goest I will go.” This is called discipleship and is at the crux of being Christian.
The Scriptures teach that our destinies are inextricably linked to Jesus’ destiny. As believers they cannot be separated. That means we are reign with him:
2Tim. 2:12 says, “[I]f we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us”
It also means we will serve with him and suffer with him.
Phil. 1:29 says, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.”
Phil. 3:10 says: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
Jesus said: “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!”
2 WE HAVE THE SAME MISSION
When I was a teenager I heard a song about a gunslinger named Irving, the 142nd fastest gun in the West.
A hundred and forty-one could draw faster than he,
But Irving was looking for one forty-three.
Big, Irving.
Big dumb Irving.
Big dead Irving.
The hundred and forty-second fastest gun in the West.
Such a description would never fit Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. They were on a mission and part of that mission was to bring law and order to the towns they served in.
The Bible tells us that we are on a mission too. And our mission is identified and fixed in the person of Jesus Christ. In short, our mission is to become like Him.
How are we progressing? Do you see progress in your journey into Jesus?
o As you interact with your family are the traits and dispositions of Jesus evident to them? Are you serving them and loving them sacrificially?
o When you’re at work can people see Christ in you? Are you compassionate? Understanding? Holy? Honest?
o How about the way you spend your money and your time? Do they reflect the values of Jesus?
o Who does your speech suggest you are spending time with?
o What about your hobbies? Your habits? Your passions? Do they reveal that Jesus’ values have been instilled in you or are you still governed by lesser things?
“A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!
As a disciple of Jesus you are called to a higher standard! You are becoming like Jesus! That, my friend, is your mission in life!
Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were “joined at the hip” so to speak. They trusted each other with their lives. Listen to how Jesus describes our relationship with him:
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
John 15:1-17
RIDING FOR THE BRAND
In the “Cowboy parts” of the country there is a term called “Riding for the Brand.” Every cowboy knows full well what that means but some of the rest of us may not. Every ranch has a “brand.” That brand is placed on the livestock, especially if your in parts of the west where there is still open range and many ranchers share land.
The brand signifies ownership.
When a cowboy hires on to a ranch it means he has chosen to “ride for the brand.” He no longer works for himself or has his own identity … he is known as a “Circle 6” man or whatever the brand is. You can usually tell what brand a cowboy rides for. He has his marks. It may be a colored sash, a belt buckle, the shoe horn on his saddle, or whatever but he’s known for what he is. But this is more than just a moniker … it is a value system … a code. It means the cowboy will protect the brand’s livestock and property like it was his own. It’s about loyalty and identity and ethic. If one hires on with a brand and violates the code … well … he doesn’t last long and the end result is very unpleasant.
When you became a Christian you “hired on.” You now ride for the brand. There can be no competition or rivalry. You take Jesus’ values. Jesus’ mission becomes your mission. Jesus way of being identified (love and holiness) become your marks of identity too. And as Jesus himself said, It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.
I want to challenge you today to take your brand seriously.
He who has ears to hear
Let him hear.
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Children’s Sermon
The Vine and the Branch*
Scripture: John 15:5
Sermon Objective: to show the need to remain intimately connected to Jesus
Sermon prop: varying degrees of dead branches
Recently I was working in the yard and I found this branch underneath a tree. I guess it had been broken off by the wind. As you can see, the leaves have all started to wither and die. I also found this branch nearby. As you can see, there are no leaves at all. It is completely dead. In fact, I wouldn’t even call it a branch, I would call it a stick.
Do you think that if I took these branches out into the yard and planted them in the ground and watered them they would come back to life? No, that wouldn’t work, because the branches get the nutrients that they need to live from the tree. Branches cannot live or grow without the tree. Without the tree, there will never be leaves on the branches. If the branch comes from a fruit tree, there will never be fruit on the branch if it is separated from the tree. If I take this dead branch and plant it in the ground and water it, it won’t come back to life, it will just be an old stick in the mud.
That same thing is true about our life with Jesus. Listen to what Jesus said, "I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
If we keep our life connected to Jesus, we will grow. Our life will produce beautiful leaves and delicious fruit. But if we are separated from Jesus, our leaves will wither and die and we will never put forth any fruit.
What will your life be? Will you be a beautiful branch on the tree...or will you just be a stick in the mud?
Dear Jesus, help us to remember that apart from you, we can do nothing. Amen.
* 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
