What Jesus Sees In You
Mark 3:18
I want to talk to you today about a man that you probably know nothing about. In fact, I don’t know much about him myself. He is a part of a group more famous than the Beatles. But you may have never even heard his name. He did great things, but there is no in depth record of them. He helped change many lives but I can’t tell you exactly how. His name is Thaddeus and He was one of our Lord’s 12 Disciples.
We have all heard of churches such as Shadow Mountain, Bellevue, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, First Baptist Atlanta, St. Andrews, Grace Community, and others. We know the names of pastors such as Rogers, Stanley, Jeremiah, Evans, Macarthur, and Sproul. But what about Bro. Smith at 2nd Baptist Littletown who has been faithfully shepherding the same 40 people for the last 20 years? What about Bro. Johnson that went through Seminary and has been struggling to pay his student loans for years while pastoring a congregation of 55 and working a full-time job? Are brothers Smith & Johnson unsuccessful because they do not pastor what many would describe as a “large thriving church”. I submit to you that if they are where God has placed them, doing what God has called them to do then they are successful in God’s eyes.
Paul tells us in - Colossians 3:23 "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men"
Understand this, you may be the owner of a multi-million dollar corporation and be unsuccessful in God’s eyes or you may be the janitor of that same company and be right where God wants you to be.
Many churches measure success by how big their building is, how many people attend, how large the budget may be, and how many new members and baptisms they had the previous physical year. Our society is consumed with superficial measures of success; but if you look to the Word of God you will find that God does not measure success the way that man does. The people of this world may look at you as a failure, as being worthless or as a nobody. It may be that you have heard it so much that you believe it. The enemy has whispered such negative comments in your ears for years and you have made the mistake of listening to him. If so, let me remind you that you are a child of God and you are special; You are greatly blessed and highly favored.
I want to take some time and look at Thaddeus’ life and see that Jesus sees you as somebody even when the world looks at you as a nobody! So, join me as we consider the thought “What Jesus Sees In You”.
- The first thing I would like to see is that:
I. PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW YOUR NAME, BUT JESUS DOES
The man we are talking about today was referred to in several different ways in scripture. He is called "Lebbaeus" in Matthew 10:3, he is called “Judas brother of James” in Luke 6:16, he is called “Judas, Not Iscariot” in John 14:22. and he is called “Thaddeus” here in Mark 3:18.
It is human nature to desire a measure of recognition. People go to great lengths to stand out from the crowd and to be unique and/or different.
In England, Prince William is the heir apparent to the throne. For years his younger brother Prince Harry was referred to by some in the media as "the spare heir". Now, that William has children of his own Harry is essentially out of the equation all together. Can you imagine what it must have been like being told your whole life that you are merely a "spare" in case something tragic happens to the “chosen one”?
Obviously, no one would want to be confused with Judas Iscariot, but we still wouldn’t want to simply be referred to as “the other one”. That is basically the case for this man Thaddeus, when he is called "Judas, not Iscariot.
Throughout your Bible you will not hear Thaddeus preach a powerful sermon. You will not see him (specifically) healing some one who was sick. You will not read that he ever cast out a demon. But it is very possible, dare I say even probable that he did all of these things. Why do I say that? Because of what is recorded in - Mark 6:7 {Jesus} called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them And he power over unclean spirits; ………………12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
Thaddeus may not have been like Peter, James, John or even an Andrew. He may not have penned a gospel or written an epistle. But the fact is that Jesus did not want him to be Peter, James, John or Andrew. Jesus wanted him to be just who he was, Thaddeus!
You may look at other preachers, teachers, singers, etc. and desire to be like them, you may long for the opportunities they have encountered, and you may desire the talents that they have been given, you may envy the success that they have experienced, but you are not them. God has another path for you and it is a better path for you, simply because it is God's path for you.
The world may not know your name. You may never see your name in lights or go down in the history books. But Jesus knows your name and that is worth more than the notoriety of man. You are special in God’s eyes. He knows your name!
- As we move farther we will see that:
II. PEOPLE MAY NOT REALIZE YOUR WORTH, BUT JESUS DOES
Mark 3:13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. 14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
For whatever reason, we do not have an in-depth record of Thaddeus’ service as a disciple of Christ. But just the fact that he is named among the twelve should show us something. At this point in Jesus’ ministry there were multitudes following Jesus everywhere He went. Out of this great number of followers Jesus only selected 12 and Thaddeus was privileged to be called to be in that number.
What ever your service, whatever the task that Jesus has chosen for you, it is an honor to be chosen to serve. Do not let the world tell you that your place of service is insignificant. You have been chosen by the Creator of the universe to accomplish something special for Him. Out of over 7 Billion people in this world, He has called your name, what a tremendous honor this is!
Each of us has a God given calling. Will you treasure that calling or will you take it for granted? Will you be so prideful as to look at your place of service and compare it to someone else and then become bitter because yours is not as prominent as position as someone else? If so, then chances are you are doing what you are doing for all of the wrong reasons.
To give you a little added encouragement, even before Jesus chose Thaddeus to be his disciple, Thaddeus was precious to Jesus. Likewise, before the foundation of the world, you were precious to God. Ephesians 1:4 says that we were "chosen in Him before the foundation of the world". What a great honor!
You were so valuable to God that He sent His only Son to die for your sins. You were so valuable to Jesus that He was willing to go to the cross for you! The world may say that you are a nobody but God says that you are somebody and He sees you as being valuable!
- People May Not Know Your Name, But Jesus Does, People May Not Realize You Worth, But Jesus Does and we also see that:
III. PEOPLE MAY NOT RECOGNIZE YOUR EFFORT, BUT JESUS DOES
In my 41 years I have never heard a sermon on Thaddeus. In fact while studying for this message I found very few. You probably won’t read a book about him. There are no sermon series on his life.
Chances are pretty good that you will often not receive the pat on the back that you think you deserve. People may never see all that you do. Some may see it and just not care. Others may not know of the emotional struggles and burnout that you have endured. But God does! He knows what you are doing and more than that, He knows why you are doing it.
I am not only referring to ministry issues. There are rewards for those who are simply faithful wherever God has placed them - Colossians 3:23 and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. Whatever you do, do it with all of your heart and remember that God will reward your faithfulness.
F. B Meyer said - "Don’t waste your time waiting and longing for large opportunities which may never come. But faithfully handle the little things that are always claiming your attention."
Though we do not have the back-story of Thaddeus’ life, we can be certain that just like Peter, James, John Andrew & Levi, he left everything he had in order to follow Jesus.
Simon Peter had a conversation with Jesus on the subject of rewards in Matthew 19:27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Thaddeus left everything behind to follow Jesus and one day he will be rewarded for his faithful service to the Lord, and you will be as well.
Though the world may not recognize your effort, and though you may never be “rewarded” down here, Jesus has much more in store for you than you could ever imagine. And the reward that He has in store is an eternal one. Remember what He said in Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Be encouraged that every deed done in the name of Jesus will be blessed and rewarded in eternity. Men may not recognize your effort, but rest assured that Jesus knows and He will reward your faithfulness.
Mark 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
You may be at a place in your life or in your ministry where you feel that it is all in vain. You feel that you are wasting your time. At this very moment you may be ready to through your hands up and quit. The world says you should, the enemy wishes you would and you think that you should. Let me encourage you to keep pressing on for Jesus!
You may never have anything that the people of this world would want. You may never have power prominence, possessions, or prosperity. But you have been called and chosen by the King of kings and Lord of lords. You belong to Him and you are part of His eternal Kingdom. We cannot know all that He has in store for those who belong to Him, but we can rest assured that it is far better than anything that can be found in this temporal world.
We may not know very many details of Thaddeus’ story but I can assure you he stored up treasures in Heaven. We have that opportunity as well. I know that it gets difficult at times, but it will be worth it in the end. Furthermore, we must realize that we are having a spiritual impact that cannot be measured in this life.
The story is told of an elderly preacher was rebuked by one of his deacons one Sunday morning before the service. "Pastor," said the man, "something must be wrong with your preaching and your work. There's been only one person added to the church in a whole year, and he's just a boy." The minister listened, his eyes moistening and his thin hand trembling. "I feel it all," he replied, "but God knows I've tried to do my duty." On that day the minister's heart was heavy as he stood before his flock. As he finished the message, he felt a strong inclination to resign. After everyone else had left, that one boy came to him and asked, "Do you think if I worked hard for an education, I could become a preacher--perhaps a missionary?" Again tears welled up in the minister's eyes. "Ah, this heals the ache I feel," he said. "Robert, I see the Divine hand now. May God bless you, my boy. Yes, I think you will become a preacher." Many years later an aged missionary returned to London from Africa. His name was spoken with reverence. Nobles invited him to their homes. He had added many souls to the church of Jesus Christ, reaching even some of Africa's most savage chiefs. His name was Robert Moffat, the same Robert who years before had spoken to the pastor that Sunday morning. Lord, help us to be faithful. Then give us the grace to leave the results to you. (Source Unknown)
The world may not know your name; they may not realize your worth or recognize your effort but Jesus does and that is all that all that matters.
Fox's Book of Martyrs records that Thaddeus’ or Jude was crucified for his faith at Edessa in A.D. 72. Others believe that he was pierced with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. Regardless of the method of is death it is commonly accepted that he was martyred for his faith in Christ. He was bold, he was steadfast and he was faithful!
Have you listened to the attacks from the enemy? Maybe you are ready to walk away from your area of service because you feel that it is all in vain. Maybe you feel like no one sees what you do or that no one cares about the struggles that you face. Friend, remember that Jesus knows the number of hairs on your head. This shows us the intimate interest that He has in our lives. He knows what you are doing and why you are doing it. If you are doing it for Him then you can rest in the fact that you are right where you need to be.
Maybe some of you would admit that somewhere along the way you walked away from your service. You quit because you thought no one saw or cared what you did. If that is the case then the chances are pretty good that you were serving for the wrong reason in the first place. I encourage you to remember Who called you, remember Who sent you out and realize that you will answer to Him for your rebellion.
People may not know your name, people may not realize your worth, and people may not recognize your effort, but Jesus does and that is all that matters. Whenever you are tempted to give up, remember that you are precious to the Lord and continue to press on and serve Him until the very end.
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