“What Are You Good For?”
Part 1 - The Misfits
So this morning I am beginning a new series that I have entitled “What Are YOU Good For?” This will speak to the very heart of becoming equipped. Over the next few weeks we are going to get very practical on how to find your place and to prepare yourself for service. This morning I want to set the stage or backdrop for this series by talking to you about Misfits!
I. Question
How many of you have ever been asked, “What Are You Good For?” It is that degrading question that is asked by a miffed parent or that hurtful person you encountered as a young person that simply wanted to draw glaring attention to your inability to do some task or activity. For some of you it rings just as fresh in your ears as if it was just asked this morning. You can still feel the sting, the shame, the pain of those words. It was usually followed up by some degrading remark about being good for nothing or never amounting to anything. It cuts to the very core of how we view ourselves.
Maybe you have asked yourself that question. Out of place, struggling to discover your niche or position in life you often ask yourself this question. It is a question that goes to the heart of who you are and what you were placed here to accomplish. It is usually asked with a tinge of frustration, aggravation, and with a healthy dose of self loathing.
In either case, there are more mornings than you would like to remember when you wake up thinking I am a reject, I am good for nothing, I have no use, and no purpose in life. There are more nights than you dare share that you went to sleep feeling like a square peg being forced into a round hole. Wandering through life, holding down a job, taking care of business, but feeling lost and unfulfilled. Years of searching. Years of questioning. Years of frustration.
The term that best describes most of us is “Misfit”. We just don’t fit anywhere. The two definitions of “Misfit” are:
1. Something of the wrong size or shape for its purpose.
2. One who is unable to adjust to one’s environment or circumstances or is considered to be disturbingly different from others.
We just can’t seem to fit in. We try and fail. We try to adapt and we can’t. We just can’t seem to come to grips with what we are good for. We are misfit. Overlooked.
I have felt like a misfit before. I will never forget when as a senior in college the president of the university called me into his office and made this statement to me, “You will never amount to anything in the kingdom of God and I will make sure of it.” The question began to flood my mind and my spirit, “What am I good for?”
II. Misfits in History and in the Bible
The good news this morning is that if you are a misfit, feel like a misfit, or have ever been called a misfit you are in good company.
Winston Churchill seemed so dull as a youth that his father thought he might be incapable of earning a living in England.
Charles Darwin did so poorly in school that his father once told him, "You will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family.
G.K. Chesterton, the English writer, could not read until he was eight. One of his teachers told him, "If we could open your head we should not find any brain, but only a lump of white fat."
Thomas Edison’s first teacher described him as "addled," and his father almost convinced him he was a "dunce."
Albert Einstein’s parents feared their child was dull, and he performed so badly in all high school courses except mathematics that a teacher asked him to drop out.
Misfits, every one of them.
The landscape of Scripture is riddled with misfits. If you don’t believe that watch this:
VIDEO – The March of the Unqualified (Available at SermonSpice.com)
Enough Misfits to fill the pages of a book.
III. David’s Men
But perhaps the most interesting group of Misfits were those that were drawn to David.
Our text this morning gives a very clear picture of the men who David led. Listen carefully to the Word as it describes this group of ragtag, peculiar, questionable, unqualified men. By the way, like it or not it sounds a lot like most of us.
1 Samuel 22:2
(ASV) “And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.”
(Message) “Not only that, but all who were down on their luck came around—losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts. David became their leader. There were about four hundred in all.”
One writer describes these men this way, “they knew not well what to do with themselves.”
They were described as distressed, in debt, and discontent. Not the
description you long for. Not the type of information you want in your resume or biography. Not the caption your want under your picture in the year book. Nobodies, doing nothing.
Distressed means, “Anxiety or mental suffering.” Or severe strain resulting from exhaustion or an accident. Or acute physical discomfort. Another definition for the word is out-of-date or used.
Debt doesn’t need to be defined. Most of us are all too familiar with what this means.
Discontent means, “A restless desire or craving for something one does not have, or a malcontent, dissatisfied, displeased.” In Hebrew, the word literally means, “bitterness” or to “have been wronged or mistreated”.
The reality is that most of us, if not all of us, fall into one of those three categories this morning. Under the sound of my voice, there are people who are distressed. Filled with stress, anxiety, mental suffering. You feel out-of-date and used up. There are those here who are in debt. Financial bondage, can’t pay the bills, collectors chasing you down. Spiritual debt, bankrupt spiritually, feel like there is no way out, no way out of the hole you have dug.
And there are those here who are discontent. Restless, wanting more, malcontent, dissatisfied, displeased. Running from one church to the other looking for more. You may be bitter. You may have been done wrong or mistreated.
However, the question this morning is not how you wound up that way. The issue is how do you take a group of people who are broke, busted, and disgusted and turn them into a mighty fighting force? How do you get these kinds of folks to find and fulfill their destiny?
How did these men who were misfits become so mighty? How did they find their purpose and their destiny? How did they find out what they were good for?
I mentioned last week that destiny is not fulfilled in isolation. In order for you to find your individual destiny we must first find our destiny corporately. So let’s look at the steps that will position us for destiny. And then next week we will begin to deal with finding personal purpose.
III. Steps to Position Us for Destiny
1. They rallied around a common cause.
That cause was to defeat Saul and make David king. What I have discovered is that misfits can are often misfits because they are grumpy, grouchy, self-centered, angry, easily offended. They always want their way and are only concerned about their cause. (Touch your neighbor and say he’s not talking about me so he must be describing you.) What changed these men is that they laid all of those things aside and rallied around a common cause. They were willing to lay their life down to get David to the throne. In fact, they would risk their life just to get him a cup of cold water. They were willing to be inconvenienced, overlooked, and even persecuted to reach the goal. They weren’t unified because they all liked the same thing, dressed the same way, walked the same way, or listened to the same music. They were unified because they were all striving for and pursuing the same goal and purpose.
We talked about this last week. We have to be unified in our purpose and our goal. This church will not be everything you want it to be. It will be everything we want it to be. Each of us must decide that we are going to rally around a common goal and a common cause. What is our cause? To Encounter, Equip, and Engage. We have to buy into that whole heartedly. It has to be more than a catch phrase or a cute slogan. It has to become a part of each of our lives. We have to be willing to sell out to the idea that this is what our lives will be about. Everything else takes second place. Nothing else can interrupt this pursuit. Nothing else is important. This is our cause. This is our common goal. This is our rallying point. Forget the carpet, forget the music, forget the temperature, forget the petty issues, forget the pet programs, and forget our own wants and desires this is our goal.
2. They rallied around each other
This is a stretch for not only most churches, but most organizations. However, if want to take distressed, debt filled, discontented people and turn them into an incredible force we must grasp this truth. They defended each other. They fought for one another rather than fighting each other. They got rid of the dog eat dog mentality. They recognized and attacked the right enemy. They didn’t fight each other they fought one enemy. Why mention this in church? Because I have discovered that when fishermen don’t fish, they fight.
Not only did they have a common goal they had a common enemy. We have to understand that the enemy we are fighting isn’t sitting next to us on the pew. (Touch your neighbor and say I ain’t fighting you!) We are fighting a common enemy. We have to stay focused on who we are attacking.
Our attitude must change from “Watch your back,” to “I’ve got your back.”
Some of you have some stuff that is out to get you. Depression, suicide, addictions, hurt is after you and what you need to become everything God wants you to become, what you need to find your place and fulfill your purpose is for somebody to stand guard over you and watch your back. You need someone to pull a sword and fight those things that you can’t fight yourself. You need someone to look at the devil and say, “To get to them you have to get through me first.” When was the last time you had someone fight for you instead of against you?
We must rally around each other! We must circle up and fight for one another. All for one and all for one!
3. They were willing to fight.
When the odds were against them. When it looked like defeat was certain. When the going got tough. When the days got long. When all else failed and when the dust settled they were willing to get their hands dirty, draw their swords and fight for what was theirs.
If we are going to see folks who are broken, devastated, bitter, used up, and misfit become all they are destined to become then we must be willing to fight. This won’t be easy. It won’t change overnight.
I am looking for some folks that are lovers and fighters. Who are willing to join arms, join hearts and fight. Who are willing to look at impossible situations, impossible circumstances, and impossible odds and still show up ready to fight. I am looking for people who will look hell square in the eyes and refuse to back down. People who are willing to hold on when everyone else says they’re not worth it, give up. I am looking for people who have fought their way out and are now willing to help others do the same. We need a church full of people who are willing to Endure! Those endure to the end are saved. Are there any fighters in the house?
4. They trusted a leader.
For some of you that is going to be hard to do. You trusted and you were hurt. You trusted and you were betrayed and let down. You are discontent. You are bitter because you have been misused and mistreated. Men of God have done something to break your heart, spirit, and trust. Now you are guarded. Now you are careful. Now you can’t find it in yourself to trust another leader. But, I would say to you that even David didn’t do everything right. He made wrong choices. He hurt feelings. He spoke harshly. He played favorites. However, his heart was pure and so they followed him.
I make a commitment to you today. I won’t do everything right. Our team won’t do everything right. There are going to be days you are not going to like what we do or how we do them. I am not and they are not and will never be perfect this side of heaven. However, my heart is pure for you. The team’s heart is pure for you. I want and they want God to use you, heal you. Our dreams for you are right. We want you to find your destiny and purpose.
You will never discover what you are good for unless you first trust someone again. Your purpose will never be fulfilled unless you come to the place where you are willing to trust leaders again. Why? Deep calls to deep. Everything rises and falls on leadership. You have to have leaders in your life. God wants to put someone, and it may very well be the leaders of this house, in your life to call what is in you out of you. You need someone in your life that will look at you and say there is more in you than that. You need someone in your life who will challenge you to find more of God, more of yourself, and demand more of your gifts. Come up higher. Go deeper. Grow up.
I don’t know all of your stories. I know some of them. I do know, however, as I look over this room that we have a house full of people who have been hurt by a leader. Misfits. Discontent. Bitter. Misused. Mishandled. And I can also tell you this morning that the issue isn’t what you are running from as much as it is what you are running to! It is time to quit consulting your past to find your future. This is a new day. You must find it in your heart to trust again! To be everything that God wants you to be you will have to trust God given, God placed leaders again.
IV. Close
David’s men were misfits. However, because they had a common goal, because they rallied around one another, fought for one another, and trusted their leader they became a force to be reckoned with and to be feared.
I believe that we can take all the misfits in the house and those that will be drawn to this house and with God’s help, each other’s help, and a willingness to fight we can make it happen. We can find out what we are good for!
In fact, I declare, “Give me a church full of misfits.” Give me those that are broken, disillusioned, unwanted, stressed out, dissatisfied, and overlooked. With this caveat, send them to me if they are willing to get in line with the vision, if they are willing to get trained, and if they are willing to fight. Give them to us and we will love them, watch them and help them become mighty men and women of valor.
