When I come home from work and see my family for the first time during after a long day of work, my kids come running to give me a big hug and welcome me home. I love those times.
Not long ago, I remember coming home from work one day and Josiah came running up to me to give me a big hug as he yelled, “DADDY!” Of course I did what every daddy would do. I got on one knee and welcomed that big hug. Pride began to well up in my chest. I thought to myself. “I am the best dad. My kid loves me sooo much. He can’t stand to be far from me.”
Then came the reason for the embrace. “Daddy, can I play with your Nintendo DS?” He wasn’t coming to embrace me because he wanted to be close to me at all!!! He came to give me a hug because he wanted something from me! Stinking kid!
As I sat thought about this for a second it was like God spoke to my heart and said, “You’ve come to me like that many times before!”
Ouch! Unfortunately that is very true. I remember so many times that I prayed like crazy, raising my hands in worship, and made promises to Him. Truth be told, I was not there because I was in awe of Him or because I wanted to be near to Him, but rather because I wanted something from Him and assumed that if I did the right things, said the right prayers, and made the right promises, He would give in and fulfill my selfish desires.
God knows my heart, my mind, and my motives. Because He does, He will not be tricked by empty, ME-centered worship.
I must be careful to pursue a healthy relationship with my Savior more than I pursue what He can give me. It is easy to fall into the trap of wanting the blessings of God, the hand of God in my life, and the miracles of God, but seem to forget that the true treasure I ought to seek more than a change in my circumstance and is, is His presence. It is easy to come to church and be a believer. It is harder to be the church and live as a disciple.
After all, Jesus never gave His life on the cross so I would have a better day. He came to lay down His life to forgive my sin, so that I can enter a relationship with Him and to live a victorious life. He never came just to give me more stuff and more money. He came to draw me closer to Himself in a loving relationship and then have me share that with others.
A lot of times, we make the mistake of thinking that being a Christian is only about accepting Jesus as Savior, so we go to Heaven when we die. That is a part of it, but did you know that in the bible, that was never the message that Jesus, John the Baptist preached? They preached to Israel that the Kingdom of God was coming. What that meant was that the power, influence, and hand of God was available to change their lives NOW – at that very moment, in the very circumstances they were in.
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Recently I heard that in Scottland, a voluntary survey was given to law enforcement officers of their religious affiliations. That may not sound very interesting, but what caught my attention was that 8 of the officers claimed their religious affiliation to be “Jedi”. I laughed at the thought because I was sure it was a prank, but I then discovered that having “Jedi” as one’s religious affiliation is not a joke after all.
It was reported that there are an increased number of people who participate in light-saber trainings (ouch, if I remember right, one hit will take your arm right off) and meditation sessions to increase their Jedi skills. I’m not sure what I think of law enforcement having “Jedi” as their religious affiliation as we have all seen what happens when a Jedi turns to the dark side!
Anyways, I am a fan of Star Wars. I watch the movies. I watch the cartoons (sometimes). I enjoy playing light-saber fights with my son. If you ask me about Star Wars, I will praise the movies, the storyline, and the special effects. I will tell you that I think all of the movies were far ahead of their time in terms of technology, storyline, and computer generated effects.
Matthew reminds me today that if I want to grow in my intimacy with my Savior, there is a great difference between an admiring fan, and a devoted follower. Jesus searches for and calls His followers to be devoted followers, not admiring fans.
While I am an admiring fan of Star Wars, I am surely not a devoted follower. While Star Wars entertains me, I do not change the way I live or the way I think based on the movie. I do not seek to learn more about the force outside of the movies. I don’t train in or engage in light-saber battles (except with my 6 year old son). I don’t spend time with people discussing the dynamics of Star Wars. I don’t practice using my Jedi skills to control other people’s thoughts (although that does sound rather fun). While I do enjoy the sights, sounds, and action that the movies provide, there is nothing significant that changes in my life because of those movies.
It may be unfortunate, but there are many people in the church who are admiring fans of Jesus. There are many who applaud the carpenter from Nazareth and the cross from 2 thousand years ago. There are many who enjoy hearing about the miracles Jesus performed, the inspiring stories from the scriptures, and hearing the jokes that Pastor will share during weekend services, however, nothing changes in their day to day lives. There are too many people who speak well of Jesus and the church, but neither He or His church affects what they do outside the church walls. Jesus entertains them and they enjoy the sights and sounds that the church provides, but there are no significant changes to the way they live or how they think. They are admiring fans of Jesus!
In my walk with Jesus, Matthew reminds me that I must be sure that I am not just an admiring fan but a devoted follower. Jesus says in Matthew to “make disciples of all nations.” He doesn’t want a large crowd of fans speaking well of Him. He doesn’t want fans of the cross and people whose faith simply entails the wearing of a cross around their neck and a bumper sticker on their car.
Jesus wants followers, or disciples, whose hearts are thrown across the line, who make it their passion everyday to please Him, and who are willing to follow Him with a reckless abandon for His cause. I must move from being one who admires what He has done, can do, and is doing, to one who is devoted to following Jesus regardless of the cost and consequences.
If I recall reading about the early church correctly, I recall that they were believers who met to worship together and to work through the challenges of following Jesus when following Jesus was against the culture. They never attended church. They were the church. It is time that believers today do likewise.
I work as a Probation Officer at work. I’ve done this for about 7-8 years now and there is something I have learned over the years. Since I am a probation officer, I tend to build a bond with other probation officers. We share stories of past cases, we have common complaints about the court systems, we can tell each other funny stories about catching people lying to us. We build a certain bond that all co-workers have. There is a relationship that I will have with my co-workers, that I will probably never have with my clients.
In the New Testament, this is what the church looked like. The church wasn't about people going to a service on Sundays singing songs, listening to a message, and going home. It was about co-workers for Christ getting together. People were co-workers for Christ, not clients of the church!!!
You may be wondering, “Well that sounds good Ty. I certainly get that I don’t want to be a fake in my faith and I get that God doesn’t want me to just be a fan, but what does that mean to me? What am I supposed to do? How does this all apply to me? I am comfortable with how things are in my life.”
I want to walk with you today through how we are to restore a passion for the Christ.
What does it mean to be called as a disciple of Jesus?
I am glad that you asked.
I’d like you to turn to a passage of scripture that I always found rather odd. MATTHEW 4:18-22 NIV
This chapter begins right after Jesus’ baptism when He is led by the Holy Spirit to the desert where He fasts for forty days and forty nights, and then is tempted by the devil. Jesus comes back to Galilee and begins to preach. It is just after this that we pick up our reading this morning. Verse eighteen:
“18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.” Matthew 4:18-22 NIV
If you turn over a few more pages to chapter nine, verse nine, says:
“9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.” Matthew 9:9 NIV
I have a hard time getting it. After all, Jesus is not that well known at the time. I mean, we know Him now as the Son of God. We know Him now as Messiah, but they didn’t. They didn’t know that He was going to rise from the grave. They didn’t know that Jesus was in the midst of starting what would become a world-wide movement. They didn’t know the influence that Jesus would have. Given all of the “unknowns”, why would they be so quick to get up, drop everything, and follow Him?
Have you ever wondered when you read this, what was it about Jesus that made these fishermen and this tax collector just drop everything and follow him? Why would they get up and go immediately, without even stopping to weigh their options? How could they choose to leave their families and their homes and their livelihood and follow this man named Jesus?
You see, to understand the meaning of this passage, you have to dig a little deeper into the background of the Jewish culture of the day.
The words Jesus used were not used at random. They were strategically chosen and these men immediately understood their significance.
Jesus used some profound words when he called these men. In fact, he used two words that had a deep and rich meaning to first century Jews. In fact, these words were probably ones they had longed to hear since they were children. They knew recognized Jesus’ call as the call of a disciple. Now, to us, this can be a foreign concept. Most of us don’t understand what it meant for the men that Jesus called, or more than that, we don’t understand what this meant to the people of Jesus’ time. Because of that, it makes this passage hard to understand for our day as well.
So, this morning, let’s learn how to follow the example of the disciples of Jesus. First we need to go back to understand just what it meant to be a disciple.
Back in the first century, the authorities of Scripture were called Rabbis. These were men who would knew and understood Scripture. The rabbis would make interpretations based on their understandings and teach others based on that. This was called their yoke. For example, today is Sunday, so let’s talk about the Sabbath. The 10 Commandments commanded that no work be done on the Sabbath, but what did that mean? It was the Rabbis that would make this determination. And the thing was, different rabbis has different yokes, different understandings of Scripture. So for one Rabbi, something like washing dishes was considered work, but for another rabbi, it was not. The Rabbis were considered among the most honored and respected men of their day because of their authoritative approach to Scripture. Because of this, the entire Jewish education system was based around one central desire: to become a disciple of a Rabbi.
In its simplest form, a disciple meant a student. And the teacher was the Rabbi. But a disciple was more than just a student. It meant a follower. A disciple left everything, his family, his friends, his life to follow their rabbi and to learn from him. This was what every Jewish family desired for their boys.
Jesus is a Jewish Rabbi in the first century leading in the first century world.
For Jewish boys, their education began at around the age of six at the Synagogue. It was then that they began what was called “Bet Sefer” (Bait Safair). Bet Sefer means “house of the book” and the goal of Bet Sefer was for these boys to memorize, get that, MEMORIZE the first five books of the Bible, Torah. Now imagine. You are six years old and for the next four years of your life, the major focus of your life is to memorize Genesis… Exodus… Leviticus… Numbers… Deuteronomy. By age ten, every single young man in Israel knew these books… word… for… word.
At age ten, the top students of Bet Sefer were selected to move on to what was called Bet Talmud (Bait Talmood). These were the best of the best students. The rest of the kids would return home and begin to learn the family trades. For these students, from the ages of 10-14, they spent the next years of their lives memorizing the rest of the Jewish Scriptures. All 39 books of the Old Testament. Memorized. Genesis through Malachi! Every single word memorized!
By their fourteenth birthday, most of these young men retired from their education to be an apprentice in the trade of their fathers. Most would go home and learn to be fishermen, farmers, or do whatever their daddy’s did.
But there were those, those who were the best of the best of the students of Bet Talmud, these students would approach a certain rabbi and say to him, “Rabbi, I want to become your disciple. Please let me into your Bet Midrash (Bait Midrash), your house of study”. The rabbi would then drill the boy about the Torah, the prophets, and the oral traditions determining if he had what it took to be his disciple. The Rabbi is trying to find out if this young man would be appropriate to follow him. If the boy was not the best of the best of the best, the Rabbi would probably say, “You don’t have what it takes to be one of my disciples. Go and continue learning your family business, make babies, and pray that they will become Rabbis.” If the rabbi would say to him, “Come, follow me”, the boy would then realize that he had been selected as the best of the best of the best, and he would have to leave his family his friends, his church, and everything and to go and follow the Rabbi. He would go with the Rabbi and would listen to him, imitating him, and do all he did.
Most Rabbis began their teaching ministry at the age of 30. Jesus stated his teaching at age 30. Since Jesus called fishermen and tax collectors, you’ll note that this means that they were NOT following another Rabbi.
That means the disciples that the men Jesus called weren’t the best of the best of the best. They weren’t the smartest or the sharpest. They weren’t the most sought after people. They were probably young boys at one time who were asking to follow another Rabbi, but were found to be “NOT GOOD ENOUGH.”
This shows us that Jesus did not seek out the best or the brightest student. He did not look for the most successful or the highest regarded men, but he looked for men who were most willing.
1. JESUS SPECIALIZES AT USING THE UNLIKELY TO DO THE AMAZING.
What were the words that Jesus used in this passage? Three little words that would have shocked the life right out of these men. “Come, follow me”.
Here was Jesus, a Rabbi, a respected man who spoke on the Scriptures with authority. He approached these men and called to them, “Come, follow me”. In other words, Jesus was saying to them, “You, you are good enough. You could be a rabbi. You could teach the Scriptures with My authority. Come, be my disciple. Leave your life behind. Leave your family. Leave your friends. Leave your home. Leave your parents. Leave your church and you come follow me”.
Remember, only the best of the best of the best could be disciples of a Rabbi. When a Rabbi came walking down and called you to follow, there was no question. You get up and follow!
Jesus called and chose to work through the unqualified. IF YOU'VE EVER FELT UNQUALIFIED OR UNEDUCATED ENOUGH, GOD CAN STILL USE YOU...
Let me share with you something I learned awhile ago while I was doing my devotions…
GOD USES THE UNLIKELY TO BRING FORTH HIS SON…
I’ve often thought it strange that Matthew and Luke would begin their books with a genealogy of Jesus. It is not the most exciting of words to read, but let’s pause for a minute. What if the point of writing this lineage was not simply to entertain us, but was instead to make a point?
We know that God had promised he would give a Messiah through the bloodline of Abraham (Gen. 12:3), and He did.
What if the point in Matthew and Luke’s accounts of Jesus’ lineage is to reveal something to us about whom God can use to bring His Messiah into the world? What if the point is that God used people who are flawed and messed up just like we are (and He still does)?
Believe me, you and I would have kept some of these stories in the closet. Jesus’ lineage is anything but a roll call at seminary. It reads more like the morning occupancy at the HCCC.
It begins with Abraham, the father of the nation, who more than once lied just to save his neck (Gen. 12:10–20).
We just read a part of Jacob’s life. Jacob had to confess because he cheated his brother, lied to his father, got swindled by his father in law, and then swindled him back (Genesis 27, 29).
Jacob’s son Judah was so blinded by testosterone that he engaged the services of a prostitute, not knowing she was his daughter-in-law! When he learned her identity, he didn’t repent. He threatened to have her burned to death for solicitation (Genesis 38).
There is mention of Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba (who bathed in questionable places), and Solomon’s father, David, who watched women bathing in questionable places (2 Sam. 11:2–3).
Rahab was a harlot (Josh. 2:1). Ruth was a foreigner (Ruth 1:4).
Manasseh made the list, even though he sacrificed his children to walk through fire (2 Kings 21:6). Amon is on the list, even though he rejected God (2 Kings 21:22).
Why did God use these people? He sure didn’t have to. He could have just laid the Savior on a doorstep. Send the stork. Couldn’t there have been a simpler way? But hold on. What if there is a point to this lineage of Jesus? What if there is a purpose that God tell us their stories? Why does God give us an entire testament of blunders and stumbles of His people?
I wonder if it is because He knew that normal people like you and I, like the people of so long ago, need to have some kind of hope that we can change too. I wonder if He knew that in order for us to be able to find strength for our struggles, we would have to learn from others whom God could use despite their flaws.
JESUS STILL SEARCHS FOR THOSE WHO ARE MOST WILLING AND SECONDLY, WE NEED TO SEE FROM THIS PASSAGE THAT...
2. A FOLLOWER (OR DISCIPLE) IS CALLED TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE TO FOLLOW THE MASTER.
When Jesus called to these men, without hesitation, they left everything they had to go and follow Jesus.
What does this mean for us today? It’s easy to get caught up in the race to be the best, but Jesus has showed us time and time again that he is not looking for the most equipped, but he is looking for those who are willing.
Moses was not the most equipped. David was not the most equipped. Peter was not the most equipped. I am not the most equipped. It’s easy to feel unworthy of God’s calling on our lives. I am sorry to say that it is easy to feel that way BECAUSE WE ARE NOT!!! It is only grace. It was because of grace that Jesus called these men. It is by grace that we can be called disciples of Jesus.
HERE IS WHAT DISCIPLES NEEDED TO DO...
They needed to learn the words of the Rabbi.
A disciple in Jesus' day needed to know their rabbi’s words and understand his rabbi’s teachings. You see, in first century Israel, rabbis did not teach from books, they did not write scrolls. There were no textbooks or how-to guides. The rabbis simply spoke their lessons and the disciples memorized the words of their rabbi. They learned what their rabbi said and thought about every specific situation. They never had to refer to their notes. They didn’t have to go to the tabernacle and read the Scripture about it, they just knew. They were so devoted to their rabbi’s teachings that they soaked up every little thing the rabbi said.
Not only did disciples learn what the rabbi said, but the disciples would observe and learn how their teacher kept the commands of God and how he interpreted the Scriptures. They needed to learn how he kept the Sabbath, how he fasted, how he prayed, how he gave to others, how he blessed his food. On top of that, they learned how he interpreted Scripture; the meaning he drew from them, the parables and stories and lessons he gained from different passages. Even the way he would explain a verse was important to a disciple.
With this understanding, it makes perfect sense when his disciples look to Jesus and ask in Luke 11, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples”. It was clear that these men hung not only on Jesus’ every word, but on his every action. They wanted to be just like him in every way. This is the desire of a disciple. A disciple wants to be intimately familiar with their rabbi’s words and his interpretations.
Things have changed a lot over the last two thousand years. We live in an information, internet, and television generation, where we can hardly listen to a teacher for an hour, much less a preacher for thirty minutes. Still, the charge of a disciple rings true for us. It is important for us, now more than ever, to become intimately familiar with the words and teaching of our Rabbi. The Word of God, the words preserved so well for us, was never meant to be left in a book.
I want to share with you an odd thing that we as Christians have done over the years. As Christians today, we've somehow incorporated into our faith something that would be foreign to the people in the bible. We are content to follow God in our hearts. We are ok if someone chooses to receive Jesus in their hearts, be a Christian in their heart, and serve Him in our hearts.
IT IS LIKE THE GAME I USED TO PLAY AS A KID – SIMON SAYS
We as Christians have done something quite unusual with this game. We think that all Jesus wants from us is to know Him, serve Him, and follow Him in our hearts. I’ll tell you today, that that is not true at all!
What would happen if we played Simon Says and “Simon says, jump up and down,” and I say, “I don’t really need to jump up and down, because I am jumping up and down in my heart.” Am I in our out?
“Simon says, touch your nose.”
“I don’t need to touch my nose because I am touching my nose in my heart.” Am I in our out? When Simon says to do something, you don’t question. You do it.
Even my kids get this. When I tell my 5 year old daughter to clean her room, do I want her to do it in her heart? NO! I want her to clean her room! Do I want her to memorize what I said? NO! When I tell my son to take a bath, do I want him to take a bath in his heart? NO! I want Him to do what I told him to do.
When Jesus says something you need to do, He doesn’t want you to do it in your heart. He wants you to get up and get to work.
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I have been in church long enough to hear a common complaint from regular church attendees (including myself). “I think the teaching needs to be deeper.” The intent of that statement is that if only I could grow in my bible knowledge, I’d be more effective as a follower of Jesus. If only the preaching at my church would be more in depth, then I’d be more engaged in what is happening with the church. The truth be told, there are so many bible teachings out there, that American believers (myself included of course), tend to have grown spiritually obese! We want to feed on the Word of God, but we don’t take the time to obey the Word of God. We want to hear inspiring and applicable messages that entertain and interest us, but we don’t allow the basic message of the Gospel (about loving God and loving others) transform how we live our lives.
James, in his straight-forward letter, gets right to the heart of the matter for his readers.
“22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22 NIV.
James doesn’t give a call for “deeper messages.” He doesn’t call believers to be more creative in our Gospel presentations (while I do not have a problem using creative methods to share Jesus). He does not offer a 6 week church campaign for church growth. James gives a quick, down and dirty solution for spiritual obesity. “22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
James screams through his letter, “Don’t just accept Jesus in your heart! Obey Him! Let your actions be radically transformed by what He says! Don’t just have a bible study to study what He says. Get up and do it! Don’t settle for more information or deeper information. Strive for transformation in Christ!”
James reminds me that I am not called to evade (or run from) my culture. I am called to invade (or radically influence) it!
Disciples needed to imitate their Rabbi.
Not only are disciples to know and understand their rabbi’s teachings, they are to imitate their rabbi’s actions. You see, the rabbi’s of Jesus day knew that it wasn’t enough just to know what the Scriptures say. It wasn’t enough to just know what your teacher says. It was only when you put these things into action that they began to hold any real value in life.
For disciples of Jesus time, it was their highest calling to be a reflection of his teacher. What a goal for which to strive towards!
It is the calling of each one of us as Children of God to not only know what He knows, but to live the way He lived. That was the calling of a disciple in Jesus’ day. That is our calling as Christians today, yet often people put in and invest too little to follow Jesus.
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While sitting in bible-college recently, I’ve heard it said in class that God as the creator, can create something from nothing – the term used was Ex-nihilo.
I sort of agree with that statement, but I think it should be worded differently. I know God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing, but I don’t remember seeing that happen anywhere in the scriptures again. God can create something out of nothing, but He rarely does. Instead, I think it would be more accurate to say that God specializes at creating something from very little. When he wanted to make fish, he turned to the sea to do it. When He wanted to make man, He took the dust of the ground and made man. When He wanted to make a woman, He took a rib from Adam’s side. Except for one chapter in Genesis (actually a few verses really), God always took what He had and made something miraculous out of it.
I don’t like math. I barely passed math in high school and failed it in college. I remember in high school using the answers in the back of the text book to answer my math problems. My teacher would always say, “You got the right answer, but I want to see how you got it!” I had the answer, but I didn’t have an explanation!
Anyways, there is not much I remember about math, but there is one rule I remember. One rule that I learned that I think may apply to the church and to your life. Anything times 0 equals 0. Let’s try to see how well you know math.
2 X 0 = 0
3.75 X 0 = 0
2,000,000 X 0 = 0
1 million, billion, trillion, “uku” plenty, X 0 = what? 0.
I wonder if God’s mathematics works like that too. I wonder if what is true in math is true in the spiritual realm too. If anything times zero equals zero, could it be that God times zero equals zero too? Could it be that the biblical formula for the miraculous is me first putting in my part (however small that may be)?
Now I know in the bible, in Genesis, God creates everything out of nothing, but I don’t ever recall seeing that elsewhere in the scriptures. God created something out of nothing in the beginning, but there is no indication that He still does that.
Throughout the bible, God does not appear to be the divine wish-granter that creates something out of nothing, but He appears more as the One who takes what His people gives, and uses what their gifts, in order to do great things.
Think about the following:
Noah had to give all of his 800 year old energy to build a giant ark and deliver mankind.
Moses had to submit his staff for God to use to deliver a nation of 2 million people.
All David had was a sling, 5 stones, and a great faith to kill a giant.
The widow needed to give over her oil (that seemed so insignificant, that she didn’t even realize that she had) to bring life to her and her sons.
God used one lone prophet with a bad attitude and a bad body odor (smelling of fish stomach) in Jonah, to reach a Ninevite population.
Jesus took a young boy’s box bento of bread and fish to feed 5,000 people.
It sure seems that God doesn’t make something out of nothing, but rather He makes something great out of what we give Him; whether it is a shepherds’ staff, a sling and 5 stones, or a sack lunch from a young boy.
Simply put, a little in God’s hands, always produces more than enough for what we need. God’s word shows time and time again that there is enormous potential in small beginnings. In every one of these bible stories there are huge, ridiculous, un-reachable goals and a small, limited, and short supply to reach that goal with. God specializes in taking small beginnings to realize un-believable, un-attainable, un-reachable goals.
The lesson today is that little becomes much when it is in the hands of God.
Rather than believing that God will create something from nothing in my life, it would be more practical and biblically accurate to begin to give God my calendar, to give Him my plans, my energy, my heart, and everything I do, no matter how insignificant it may seem. I believe God wants me to know and to trust that everything I’ve got times God, equals everything I need and then some left over.
Maybe God’s math says:
God X 0 = 0 - Some of us live our lives and give 0 to God...
God X giving Him my best = more than enough for me. My prayer is that you will be someone who gives your best to follow your Rabbi.
Find any miracle in the bible and you will find a faithful saint, giving to God his or her best. It could be a shepherd’s staff, a donkey, a sling and five stones, or an unwavering faith. Irregardless, God can make something from nothing, but He rarely does. Most often, He uses our faithfulness to steward well His resources, and brings about great changes.
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Let's go back for a moment to the time when Israel first left Egypt with Moses. Remember that? Moments after Israel had crossed the Red Sea. Do you know where Moses was leading the peopel of Israel? Do you know where he was taking them?
The Promised Land? NOPE!
Moses was not leading Israel to the Promised Land first. HERE IS SOMETHING THAT WHEN I READ THIS, HIT ME LIKE A TON OF BRICKS!!! Moses was NOT leading Israel to the Promised Land, he was leading them to Horeb or Sinai; the place where he met God at the burning bush, because he knew that Israel didn’t need God’s promises first. They needed God first!
He didn’t want them to favor the promises over the Promisor! He didn’t want them to value the gifts of God, more than the favor of God.
IF THEY WERE TAKEN STRAIGHT TO THE PROMISES OF GOD WITHOUT FIRST HAVING THE REVELATION OF GOD, THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO STEWARD THE BLESSINGS OF GOD. We need God first!
Too often we want to bypass encountering the presence of God and instead we only want to receive the promises of God; a strong marriage, physical healing, kids who love God (and us), a great paying job, a home.
We think that Christianity is only about knowing Jesus so that we go to Heaven when we die. The truth is that when John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostle Paul preached the Kingdom of God, they were preaching that the power and authority of God was now available to change your life right now! Today!
Crowds came to Jesus, not because he said, “Receive Me and you will go to heaven when you die (which, believe me, is critically important), but because the power of the Kingdom of God was now available for them and to empower them for their lives THAT DAY!
Men and women of God who did great things for Him, valued His favor, more than His gifts. They valued the Promisor, more than the promises. I’d like to encourage you today to that being a disciple and regaining a passion for the Christ is all about seeking and valuing the favor of God, more than the gifts of God.
Too often, we have the power of God available to us, but we don’t access it…
I heard this story about when electricity became available in remote rural areas. One woman went to great trouble and expense to have electricity installed in her home. A few months after the wiring was installed and the power was turned on; the power company noticed that the home didn’t use very much power. Fearing that there was a problem they sent a meter reader to check on the matter. The meter reader saw that the power was indeed working properly and then asked the woman, “Do you use your electricity?” The woman replied, “Of course we do. We turn it on every night to see to light our lamps and then we turn it off.”
Doesn’t that just sound ridiculous? She had all of the power that she needed and the ability to tap it all of the time but only used it just enough to “get by.” We would never do anything like this at all because it just wouldn’t make sense. However, we do this exact same thing a great deal when we apply the same reasoning to the power and presence of God.
We go out of our way to go to church and to worship but have little relationship with God through the week. We go through difficulties day after day and only when we come to the end of our strength do we ask for God’s help. We have the power of God at our disposal all of the time but yet we attempt to get by on our own strength everyday. We are a lot more like the woman who wouldn’t use her electricity than we would like to admit.
We need to experience the presence of God to experience His power. Just like electricity, when we remove the presence of God from our lives; we also remove the power of God.
Likewise, Jesus is not afraid of changing some things, even good things, because there are some other things he wanted to accomplish.
Jesus’ presence made all the difference in the world! Let me share with you Matthew 11:28-29 which is a very familiar passage...
“Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives. The teaching I ask you to accept is easy; the load I give you to carry is light” Matthew 11:28–29.
You might say, “I’ve tried that. I’ve read the Bible, I’ve sat in on church, but I’ve never received relief. I’ve never really changed all that much. Things have not been radically transformed in my life.”
If that is the case, could I ask a question? I don’t want to be insensitive, but could it be that you went to religion and didn’t go to God? Could it be that you went to a church, but never saw the Christ? COULD IT BE THAT YOU MAY HAVE PLACED A GREATER VALUE ON THE GIFTS OF GOD AND LESS VALUE ON THE FAVOR OF GOD?
“Come to me,” the verse reads.
It’s easy to go to the wrong place. I did when my family and I first went to the Water Park in Honolulu. I was in Kapolei heading east to the park when it was actually further west. One wrong turn. We ended up in Waipahu and my wife had to force me to go where NO MAN GOES! Ask for directions.
Went to a nearby gas station, and after struggling with my pride, I went up to an attendant and admitted that we were… LOST, and asked how to find the water park. The attendant was very gracious, looked at me and said, “You went the wrong way in Kapolei.”
Now, I had several options I could take. First, I could have pouted and sighed, “Well, there must not be a Water Park to go to. Looks like I’m stuck.”
You would have said to me, “You’re not stuck. You just made a wrong turn. Go down to the right road and try again.”
I could have thrown my hands in the air and cancelled the whole trip and said, “There’s no way that we can find the park now.”
You would have said to me, “You’re not totally lost. You just made a wrong turn. Go down to the right road and try again.”
I could have gotten angry with God asked Him how He could allow such a tragedy to occur to me.
You would have said to me, “Ty you idiot! God didn’t make you get lost. You just made a wrong turn. Go down to the right road and try again.”
It’s not that you haven’t tried—you’ve tried for years to deal with your past and your burdens to carry. Alcohol. Affairs. Workaholism. Religion. Putting up a religious appearance. Maybe somewhere along the way, “you just made a wrong turn. I am here to tell you today, go down to the right road and try again.”
God desires not only that I make the decision to follow Him, but also that I make the commitment to forsake everything else and to not look back and to be all in for Him. I'M GOING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING THAT WILL SOUND A BIT UNUSUAL TO SAY IN CHURCH, BUT I BELIEVE YOU NEED TO HEAR IT...
YOU'R PROBABLY HEARD PEOPLE SAY TO PLACE GOD FIRST IN YOUR LIFE. PLACE GOD FIRST IN ALL YOU DO, THEN COMES YOUR SPOUSE OR FAMIY, YOUR WORK, YOUR CHURCH. I'LL TELL YOU THAT I AM LEARNING THESE DAYS NOT TO PLACE GOD FIRST IN MY LIFE.
I am not to place God first in my life. He wants to be my all and my everything!
When I got married to Laura, I didn’t just make a commitment to her, but I also made a commitment to forsaking all others for her.
She would not be happy if I said, “Hey Laura, I am totally committed to you. You are my number one! But, Sally here, is my number two. I’ll give you my attention first, then I’ll give some to Sally!” Laura would shoot me! Why? She doesn’t want me to put her first, and have others be second, third, and fourth! She wants to be my all! SHE WANTS EVERYTHING AND RIGHTLY SO.
DON'T PLACE GOD FIRST. TO REGAIN A PASSION FOR HIM, MAKE HIM YOUR EVERYTHING!!!
Can you imagine if we lived our lives like that? ALL IN FOR JESUS!
Can you imagine how different the church of Jesus Christ be if rather than being filled with people who were CASUAL FANS OF THE CHRIST, the church was filled with radically sold out, FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST? How different would this church look if it was filled with people who refused to settle for anything less following their Rabbi?
Would you let me take a step closer. How different would your life be, if you refused to be someone who settled for enjoying the gifts of God, but you actually lived your life to gain the favor of God?
How would your life change if you wouldn’t settle for just seeking after the promises of God, but rather pressed in enough to allow God to expose your heart with His word and transform your heart with the power of His Holy Spirit?
Can you imagine how much more power would be available by the Holy Spirit? Can you imagine how dramatically different your life would be? Can you imagine the great things the Holy Spirit could do and wants to do through this church and through you?
YOU HAVE TO DECIDE - WILL I BE A CAUSAL FAN OR A SOLD OUT FOLLOWER?
At the end of World War I, Herbert Hoover, later to become President of the United States, led the allied relief efforts in Europe. He kept hundreds of thousands from starving, and a new word entered the Finnish language.
In Finland, to “Hoover” means to be kind, to help. If someone coined a word from your name, what would it be? Would it signify character? Helpfulness? Cheerfulness? Or would it be some mean and ugly word?
What is the one word for you? Jesus says that the one word should be love.
Don’t settle to be a fan of Jesus Christ. Don't let anything or anyone hold you back from being a sold out Christ follower?
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The last thing I'd like to share with you this morning, is a blessings that the Jews spoke over disciples of a Rabbi.
Whenever a Rabbi came to your town, he had with him his group of disciples who are doing all they can to keep up with him. When the disciples followed their Rabbi, at the end of the day, because they were trying so hard to be close to Him and follow the Rabbi, they would often be covered and caked in the dust from walking behind him.
As a result, a blessing they would speak over disciples was “May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi”. In other words, “May you follow your Rabbi so closely that the dust he kicks up would be upon you.” Everyone had seen this. They all knew what it was to be “covered with the dust of your Rabbi.” It was the desire of the disciples to follow so closely to their rabbi, that the dust that he kicked up covered his disciples.
"May you be covered in the dust of your Rabbi."
LET'S PRAY...
