How to receive New Wine in 09 – Step 4 - Teamwork
Opening Scripture Text:
Genesis 6:9-14:
9This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. 11Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14So make yourself an ark…”
Opening Video Illustration: from Blue Fish TV - Noah step 1 (Accepting the task – the call to do a major task for the Lord).
Thesis: When God calls on us to do a certain task for Him He requires that we all work together as a team. Usually the task is something huge which requires a team to complete it. This is God’s way of saying to us that we need each other so in the midst of the task we usually discover trouble. It takes teamwork to overcome the trouble to complete the God given task.
1 Corinthians 3:1-15:
1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?
5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
Ephesians 4:1-3:
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Introduction:
This week we finished remodeling our house and started moving into our new house. But last Monday I threw my back out while working on the house. I was frustrated and hurting. But the pain was not as bad as the feeling of not being able to finish my tasks which what I wanted to finish on the house. I was also frustrated because I had to move this week and my back was shouting to me – along with my wife – “You can’t lift anything!”
For those who know me I like to do things myself – I was taught by my dad to rely on no one and to get the job done yourself. So occasionally I battle my ego of “Self-reliance.” So I must admit I am stubborn so I kept trying to work and all I did was just kept hurting my back worse – and worse.
On Saturday I had to finish this sermon in the morning due to some unexpected things which happened last week. So I came in Saturday morning early, by a certain time I knew that people were already moving my house – it bothered me – no it was more like a little macho man hitting me over the head in my office with a hammer shouting at me – “You wimp – forget the sermon go move your house - be the man – show those people you can do anything- even in pain.”
In the midst of the battle with the little macho man ego - I heard a calm, gentle voice in my heart say, “Mike what is your sermon about this week?” By the way I have come to recognize that voice as the Lord’s – “I re- read my title and my thesis – Teamwork!” The still small voice of wisdom and reason said, “You at this point in your life cannot physically move yourself – your back is injured – but I have sent you a God Squad – a team to help you move. I sat back in my chair and the light bulb clicked on!
That small inner voice then reminded me that as the Sr. Pastor of this church I too would be unable to complete the divine task God has for this church alone. I am only one person – one part of piece of the puzzle, and the Lord was reminding me that He did call me to the task of leading this church into becoming a church that facilitates healing. But in my own abilities I was and am limited – in other words – I would come to points of ministry here at Christian Hills where I would be unable to accomplish the divine task on my own. The reason being limitations – these would be troubling moments for me. Why, because I like to do everything myself. So once again the Lord gently reminded me that He has sent me a team to support me, to help me, and to do the things I cannot do to bring this church into alignment with His plan and His will.
The task given to us by the Lord for this church is a huge task. Remember it’s to become a spiritual healing hospital for the broken and the lost of South West Chicago. To complete this divine call requires a church that is working as a unified team. It will require us helping one another out. It will require stepping in to assist another in lifting a heavy spiritual couch over a wall and down the steps. It will require of us the willingness to help use my gifts to accomplish my part of the assignment from God.
T.S. – We have a divine task to do and it will only be accomplished as the team unites to fulfill God’s plan for Christian Hills.
I. The Task – A healing church
a. Every God given task or call seems huge, too big at the beginning, and overwhelming. But I have learned that the only way to do it, to accomplish the task is through teamwork.
i. Teamwork first starts with aligning ourself with God.
ii. The second step of Teamwork is partnering with those who God sends to help us with the mammoth task.
iii. God desires us as the church to work as a team not as lone rangers. This is what Paul kept driving home to the Corinthian church.
1. He is essence said to them: “You have a divine job now align with God and with each other to get the job done. Quit acting like 2 years olds and fighting with each other”
b. Have you ever thought what is the focus of the Bible?
i. Is it the individuals in the Bible?
1. Their big dreams for God?
2. Their great spiritual accomplishments?
3. Their miracles?
ii. Is it the nations spoken of in the Bible?
1. Their mission for God?
2. Their battles and wars?
iii. Is it the world?
1. NO! The focus of the Bible is GOD!
a. When you look at the historical stories in the Bible the focus of these stories was not what the individual wanted to do for God but what God wanted to do through the individual.
i. So the purpose of the story is God and what He can do not what others do!
b. Blackaby words it this way: ‘You never find God asking persons to dream up what they want to do for Him…Without doubt, the most important factor in each (Biblical) situation was not what the individual wanted to do for God. The most important factor was what God was about to do” (Experiencing God, page 66).
i. He adds, “God reveals His purposes (His tasks) so you will know what He plans to do… Noah. When God came to Noah He did not ask, ‘What do you want to do for me?’ He came to reveal what He was about to do. It was far more important to know what God was about to do. It really did not matter what Noah had planned to do for God. God was about to destroy the world. He wanted to work through Noah to accomplish His purposes of saving a remnant of people and animals to repopulate the earth (page 99).
iv. The Scriptural pattern that I see in God’s Word is that it’s not what we want to do for God but, what does God want to do? – It’s His task – His Mission – His plan!
1. In my understanding of God - He tells me what to do then I follow His lead and His plan and I do it!
2. Blackaby states, “God wants us to adjust our lives to Him so he can do through us what he wants to do. God is not our servant to make adjustments to our plans” (page 67).
a. He also adds this thought, “Understanding what God is about to do where you are is more important than telling God what you want to do for Him” (page 68).
3. The truth is I need to know what God’s plan is for my church, my ministry, my community, my family and get on board God’s plan.
4. Blackaby challenges us today with this thought about discovering God’s will:
a. You must be careful to identify God’s initiative and distinguish it from your selfish desires. A self-centered life will have a tendency to confuse its selfish desire with God’s will. Circumstances, for instance, cannot always be a clear direction for God’s leadership. “Open” and “Closed doors” are not always indications of God’s directions. In seeking God’s direction, check to see that prayer, the Scripture, and circumstances agree in the direction you sense God leading you” (page 70).
c. God’s task will come to you by revelation and by His invitation - then it is your choice to join Him in the mission.
i. If we do not have a divine revelation of His task then we need to do the following:
1. Pray that God will open our eyes to see what He is doing!
2. Then start working where God is at work.
3. Be committed to be involved in what He is already doing.
a. John 8:47: “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
b. The Bible makes it clear that God speaks to His people!
i. We just need to learn to listen!
T.S. - God’s task will always bring us to a crisis of belief or what I call, the trouble.
II. The Trouble – accomplishing a divine healing of this community with our limitations, struggles and because of the force of the opposition we will face.
a. 2 Corinthians 4:1, 6-9: “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart…For God, who said, ‘let light shine out of the darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
b. 2nd Video Illustration: Clip from Evan Almighty “Construction Project”
i. Outline: The task, the trouble and the team.
ii. Main idea of clip: When God Calls Us To A Task It Might Not Be Easy
iii. Scene setup: After Evan worked through the shock that God wants him to build an ark in his backyard, now comes the day when he and his family will start.
c. When God reveals a task to us it requires a step of faith on our part because trouble will come with all God given tasks.
i. Why? Because the task will seem impossible to complete even overwhelming – even scary!
1. People will mock you and challenge you as you work for God.
2. The enemy will attack you and try to get you to quit the task!
ii. God reveals Himself and His tasks to us to increase our faith so that it leads us to a step of action on our part for Him.
1. Blackaby notes this about that crisis of belief moment:
a. You will have to believe God is who He says He is.
b. You will have to believe God can do what He says He will do.
c. You will have to adjust your thinking in light of this belief.
d. Trusting that God will demonstrate Himself to be who he says He is, you then obey him (and stay on the task even through the trouble!)
e. (If you do) then you will know God by experience.
f. You will know He is who He says He is (pages 97, 98).
iii. There is always within our call or God given task a crisis of belief.
1. Blackaby tells us that the word crisis comes from a word which means “decision.”
a. When God calls us to do a task we have to get to the point to decide to follow God through the challenge and trouble and not to quit!
b. The truth is this time of trouble will be the determining factor in whether you go God’s way or your way.
i. By the way, this will not be a onetime experience it really will happen to you daily as you push through the trouble, the trials and the tribulations of fulfilling the task God has called you to do.
ii. Hebrews 11:6: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
2. This point of trouble is the time where many decide that it is not worth it to follow through with God’s plan and task and in turn miss a divine experience with God.
a. If you determine to press through the trouble then you will see and be involved in a God-sized miracle that only He can do.
b. Blackaby words it this way:
i. The crisis of belief
1. An encounter with God requires faith.
2. Encounters with God are God-sized.
3. What you do in response to God’s revelation (invitation to the task) reveals what you believe about God.
4. True faith requires action (page 135).
T.S. – In fulfilling the task God asks us to accomplish we will always face some time of trouble but in this crisis time it becomes important that we ban together with God and with each other.
III. The Team – God’s Team – The God Squad of Christian Hills
a. Highlight some of the team members who helped you accomplish the task of the redoing the house and making the move - again.
i. To my wife Kathy for working endless hours!
ii. To Peter for his dedication and sacrifice to the project.
1. To Meghan for allowing him to commit with his whole heart.
2. To Peter’s friends John and Steve
iii. To Josh and Tiffany for assistance with the purchasing material and installation of Kitchen floor. Josh saved us 1,000 of dollars.
iv. To Dan and Rae Walsh, and John W. for the many hours of carpentry work, construction project stuff and all the paper work assistance with the project.
v. To Bob Seymour who showed up the day of the closing at the house before us to put our new furnace in! Also for installation of the Ac unit in frigid weather.
vi. To Dale Pole for his many hours of labor and great painting skills.
vii. To Richie and Tania Zambrano for beautiful handcrafted ceilings and a wonderful front door.
viii. To John and Gloria Pospisil for the garage remodel, the construction laborers, and the counter top and new sink.
ix. To Jack, Donna J., Christa J. and Joann Tidwell for their painting, cleaning skills and the coming kitchen cabinet doors.
x. To John and Nancy S. for the many hours of staining and the gift of a beautiful hand rail.
xi. To Kathy and Russ R. for the great food, the cleaning, the wallpapering, painting, snow plowing and the future land work.
xii. To Bill and Kim Lang for helping us out with work on the windows and giving us a place to stay for free while we worked on the house.
xiii. To Tom and Peggy Kane for the food, the snow plowing, the cleaning and the support.
xiv. To Moises for carpentry labor and tile.
xv. To George J., Larry B., Lori H., Laura O., Lori V., Brent H., Guy and Staci Dekerf, Tim and Michele D., Traci M. for all their work on the house.
xvi. To the Christian Hills God Squad who helped me move in, move out and move in again!
1. There was so many of you! Thank You!
b. 3rd Video Illustration from the Film Title: Evan Almighty
i. Clip Name: The Animals Arrive
ii. Main Idea: When God Calls Us To A Task He Shows Up To Help and He will always bring others to help.
iii. Scene Setup: This is the end of Act 2 when Evan, having continued in obedience to God’s instruction to build an ark, has been reunited with his family. The government is furious with his construction project, he has lost his credibility as a US Senator, and he has grown into someone who no longer is “too concerned with how he looks.” The ark is only partially finished and the date God gave Evan looms.
iv. Application: When we remember that God is telling us these stories to help us walk with Him in the kind of faith that produces wholeness, we can see themes or patterns for our lives. One clear pattern that we see from Moses, David, Joseph, Elijah, and all the way to the calling of the 12 disciples, is when God wants to intervene into human affairs, he calls a human partner to join him. The second pattern we see is when God calls us to become a partner; God calls us to something far too big for our skill set. We say to Him we are not up to the task. The irony is we usually don’t grasp how completely inadequate we truly are to do what He has asked. But God knows and He calls us anyway.
1. Salzer notes, “Think of Moses, smelling of sheep, now 80 years old, called to lead a group of a million plus Hebrew slaves out of the most powerful nation on earth. How would you like the task of getting a group of people the size of Honolulu or Indianapolis, every single person, to pack up everything and move out of their current digs, all while risking the wrath of their pharaoh who controls a mighty army and kills them routinely. Moses completely misunderstands the scope of the task and observes, “I can’t speak very well... I stutter.” And then later, “How will they know you sent me?” The real question should have been so much bigger. Because when God calls us to something that monumental, in the end, He is glorified and we have grown in faith.”
2. He adds, “And the next pattern we see in these stories is after God reveals the task that He clearly knows is too big for us, He waits on the sidelines of the story to let us begin. And once we have taken that step of faith and done what little we can actually do, then He begins to do a work that allows for the fulfillment of the task. Sometimes God uses what we already have in our midst, like Moses’ staff, changing what we already have into something much more. Sometimes God brings things to us from the outside, like Elijah and the raven’s daily food drop or David’s “mighty men.” For those of you who haven’t read the story of Noah and the ark (from which Evan Almighty is derived) the animals didn’t show up with hammers in their mouths, that was Hollywood. But the filmmakers know enough about God to know that this is how He might have worked. Evan’s wife was right, there was no way they could complete the task...without God.”
v. Once you see God’s ways you will begin to see Him do the same thing in your life. He will call you to be a partner and the task will be too big for you. But if you come and offer your little lunch, He will bless it, break it and feed 5000.
c. David’s A Team:
i. Out of all the teams I read about in the Bible this team fascinates me the most.
1. 1 Chronicles 11:10-47 speaks about the Mighty Men of David.
a. David had received a task from the Lord and that task was he would become King of Israel but along with the call – the divine task - came trouble. The current king became jealous and threatened by David. Saul out of jealousy of David’s success declared him an enemy of the state and set out to kill Him.
b. During these troubled years as a fugitive of the state of Israel - David became greater and greater or more powerful -the Bible tells us this in verse 9. Have you ever wondered why?
i. The Bible tells us why he became more powerful - God sent him Mighty men of valor to stand by him and to fight the battles with him.
ii. Even while David was in the midst of trouble God sent him a team of men to stand beside him. David was sleeping in the wilderness, on the move and on the run. He slept in caves and ate off the land but his team grew larger and stronger.
1. You could say that God sent David a band of brothers who fought for him and served the call God gave to David.
iii. Swindoll says this about this group of warriors: At the beginning, David attracted a group of about 400 hundred men, and among them was an original “band of brothers” whom the Bible calls “the thirty.” This was the elite group of extraordinary fighters, many of whom David commissioned to command the rest of his growing army. Above them all were three remarkable generals…” (Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives, pages 5-8.
iv. The Bible records these facts about those other-wise forgotten heroes: 8These are the names of David’s mighty men: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. 9Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated, 10but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.11Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. 12But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory.
1. See 1 Samuel 23:8-12
c. Swindoll tells us that people of significance make a difference in the Kingdom of God. When God puts together a TEAM and that Team unites together they will accomplish the things most people think are impossible.
i. This team was incredible and this team alongside their leader fought through the trouble to ultimate victory. It was a long and hard battle but they persevered and they stayed united together as a band of brothers!
ii. John Maxwell states: Here is what a team can do for you.
1. It makes you better than you are.
2. It multiplies your value to others.
3. It enables you to do what you do best.
4. It allows you to help others do their best.
5. It gives you more time.
6. It provides you with companionship.
7. It helps you fulfill the desires of your heart.
8. It makes everyone on the team a winner.
a. Teams are incredible things. No task is to great (with God’s Team), no accomplishment too grand, no dream too far-fetched for a team. It takes teamwork to make the dream work (to accomplish the task for the Lord.) Teamwork makes the Dream work, (John Maxwell page 9)
iii. A few quotes on Teamwork:
1. Andrew Carnegie stated, “It marks a big step in your development when you come to realize that other people can help you do a better job than you could do alone.”
2. Helen Keller stated, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”
3. Halford E. Luccock stated, “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it.”
4. John Maxwell, “One person seeking glory doesn’t accomplish much. Success is the result of people pulling together to meet common goals.”
Conclusion:
So we have a choice in the task God has given us as a church, we understand that we will face trouble but God wants us to unite as a team to get the job done. So if we pursue the vision God gave us we will see victory in our land.
“Remember you are His workmanship, and He is trying to form Christ in you.” – By Kean Salzer
When God calls on us to do a certain task for Him He requires that we all work together as a team. Usually the task is something huge which requires a team to complete it. This is God’s way of saying to us that we need each other so in the midst of the task we usually discover trouble. It takes teamwork to overcome the trouble and to complete the God given task.
• God’s plan for accomplishing his task here at Christian Hills is rooted in TEAM Work!
• Ecclesiastes 4:12: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
The Covenant to Jesus:
Lord we stand in your presence today to commit to unity and to teamwork! Lord we accept the call and the task that you have placed on Christian Hills to be a church that facilitates healing in this community. Lord help us to work together, to love each other, to support each other and to uplift one another so that we can together achieve this task for your glory.
Lord we know that trouble will come in the pursuit of the task but we ask that you would help us through this trial – give us all wisdom, tenacity and determination to push through for the breakthrough. Help us to stay united and committed to your task, your call and your purpose for Christian Hills.
Lord help bond us together as a Team! Help us together achieve more than we could have ever imagined as we stick with you-your plan and your mission for South West suburbs of Chicago.
All in favor of this covenant please acknowledge by saying – I agree!
