Necessities
Jerry Watts
Matthew 9:9-13
• In this story of “Matthew’s call” from Jesus to become a follower and disciple, I believe we can lift out many truths. We can lift out things like “The reality of Jesus’ call” or “Responding to the Call of Christ” or even “The Reason Jesus came”, plus many more truth which we need to know. Yet, many more truths are discernable from this passage.
• As I was driving that moving van for my son this past week, I was meditating on this passage & of all things, the word ‘necessities’ came to my mind. We know what ‘necessities’ are. These are the bare essentials. Thinking about this I thought: In the late 19th century the necessities of life were food, clothing, and shelter, at the end of the 20th century those necessities seemed to be food, clothing, shelter, and a CAR, and today in the 21st century those necessities (as lived out by our culture) are food, clothing, shelter, a car, and A CELL PHONE (& not necessarily in that order). How often have people walked in to our office seeking a hand out – only to get a call on their cell phone. You and I know that this mindset is a snapshot of a culture out of sorts with reality. No one has ever died from not having a cell phone or a car. Necessities are essentials.
• As I drove & thought about the call of Matthew (& others), the darkness of our culture, and the need of mankind, God begin to fashion in my mind this message. I submit to you 3 necessities:
1. The Necessity of the Cross – Have you ever really given any deep thought to the fact that Jesus’ death on the cross was not optional, but was essential? (Romans 3:10, 23, 1 John 1:8-10) I heard Jonathon preach his last message at his former church (last week). Hearing him preach is something I love to do, but not for the reasons many would think. Admittedly, I am greatly sentimental about him on many levels, but not preaching. This is too vitally important.
• Almost every time I hear him speak, he says SOMETHING that his dad needs to hear. Either I need to be reminded OR it’s something I’ve never heard before. Last week was a reminder. Before the formation of the world, Creator God looked down the time line of history & said, “If I don’t do something, that 60 (16, 26, 30, 72) year old is NOT GOING TO MAKE IT. The cross was not His last resort, it was His first and only option. ON THE CROSS hung the hope of every person. If Jesus doesn’t die, we are of all men – most miserable because we have no help today & no hope for tomorrow. Why? Because every person who has ever lived has a sin problem. This sin problem separates us from God. In the Garden of Eden, sin crept in to the lives of the first man & woman so God expelled them from His Paradise – and SIN will never be allow in His paradise.
• Hebrews 9:22 says, “Without the shedding of blood there is not forgiveness of sins.” This means that without the cross, you and I (family, friends, acquaintances, etc) have no promise of heaven, we have security for tomorrow, & we have no HOPE! NO HOPE!
• Do you know what this means? No one can buy their way to heaven, no one can work their way to heaven, no one can live their way or be good enough to into heaven, & no one talk their way into heaven. There is only one way to eternal life – and it goes by the way of the cross because the way of the cross still leads home. It is essential.
• Here is what we need to get our minds, hands, and hearts around: Every person you know, including yourself, who does NOT come to the cross on Calvary’s hill and follow Jesus completely will never see the shores of Heaven. Jesus doesn’t just take whatever someone might give Him, this is an ‘all or nothing’ offer. Just didn’t just ‘sort’ of die, it was all or nothing! This is what he meant in Matthew 16:24-25. The cross is the only hope for the world & and for you!
2. The Necessity of the Church – We know that that Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Over the year, I have spoken on this many times.
• We have talked about the ‘offensive nature’ & ‘defensive nature’ of the church. The church is God’s weapon of warfare in this culture against the darkness of evil. Jesus said that the ‘gates, forces, or powers’ of hell will not stand, prevail, overpower, or overcome it.” Every time I read this passage, the picture I see in my mind in one from WW2. Admittedly, my images from WW2 is from what was depicted on the ‘screen.’ (Audie Murphy’s “To Hell and Back”) The US was ‘drawn’ into the war with the attack on Pearl Harbor. When attacked the young men in this country, by the 1000’s) immediately volunteered to fight and die for the freedom & protection of this country.
• The only way to eradicate a threat was to take the fight to the enemy, and that we did. As Murphy tells his story (on screen), the Allied forces were moving to capture or kill the leaders of the Axis power and met with stiff resistance (Machine Gun MG42) in what was termed “Machine Gun Nest”. Those ‘nests’ were generally manned by a 6 man team with one task – kill allied soldiers. These were power bases, places of fortification, & places from which the enemy could attack.
• If you can make the spiritual parallel, you can see in this land that Satan has set up places like a ‘machine gun’ nest from which he operates. Like the Germans, he is determined to keep his stronghold & defeat his enemies. In large measure or so it would seem, he has won some battles because his enemy, the church, has stop taking the battle to him. Can you imagine the outcome of the 2nd World War if the Allied Forces had been content to only ‘camp’ in Germany? Or just identify the enemy? Or try to make excuses for them? Well, I can. Today, the native language in this land might not be English, the government of this land might not be a democratic republic, and the freedoms we enjoy could be only a past memory. The only way we won the war is because brave people confronted the enemy, strategized about how to overcome the enemy, & then deployed into battle defeating the enemy. Make no mistake, “THE CHURCH” is the army of God. The church that Jesus spoke of is the church to goes into battle under the banner of God.
• Do you remember all those war song we used to sing in the church? (I.E. I’m in the Lord’s Army, And When the battle’s over, Loyalty to Christ, Onward Christian Soldiers The gates of hell cannot prevail
Against the church divine; Though sword and fire and unbelief And hate and scorn combine To trample her beneath their tread, She shall arise and shine) The church used to view herself as on the ‘battlefield’ of our Lord. This is how our Lord Christ views us. Yet perhaps the modern day church like the modern day believer has been lulled into a view of a ‘kinder & gentler’ believer and church when what this world need is a church like Christ envisioned – standing for His truth, for His righteous, for what He says is right, for the gospel, for the cross, and for the Light. There is no other entity which can replace Christ’s church on this earth. Christ calls us to be His spokesperson, His Image, & His truth in this world. How?
• Candidly, the HBC Leadership Team met to pray through & flesh out the future for HBC. One of the first things we must address, which our community needs, is to ‘know who we are.’ Another thing we need to address is our Sunday school. In fact, next Sunday we’ll be totally focused on this ministry of the church. (Schedule) Historically Sunday school (SS) has been the evangelistic arm of the church and when the SS ceases to be this, then the church begins to decline & die. One of the things we need to do is re-invigorate SS. Our emphasis will be easy; T.O.U.C.H.
• T – Train for training – To grow, As Bro. Lawrence will echo, new teachers must be trained & probably experienced teachers need to be ‘refreshed’ in teaching. The goal for teaching in SS in teaching that ‘lifts.’ We should lift the soul (salvation), the sorrow (burden), and the sights (Him).
• O – Organize for Outreach – Certainly this would mean having a person to lead, make assignments as needed, and help with follow up, but it’s more. To be ‘organized’ & on ‘purpose’ for outreach means that everything you do is pointed toward reaching those who are not members. (Random acts of Kindness, seating, welcoming, refreshment, lunch, etc)
• U – Undergird with Prayer – candidly, too much is attempted in church without the power.
Our ‘praying hands’ pins should be a simple reminder that when we pray, He listens. When we pray according to His word, He responds. (“After the spirit comes – comes the power”)
• C – Commit to Growth (Spiritually & Numerically) – One of the true signs that you are growing spiritually is that you become concerned about someone who doesn’t know Christ & isn’t a part of His church. A Commitment is more than we care to think. Let’s illustrate it this way. For years, church members have not wanted to sign ‘commitment cards’ because, in their words, they don’t believe in it. Yet, those same people sign ‘commitments’ with their banks to buy a car, house, boat, or any other thing they want. This is the kind of commitment needed for GROWTH. By the way, as born-again children of God, we do not have the right to stay the same as we are.
• H – Help Other people find Christ – There is one interesting truth which must be spoken. Before you can help someone find anything, you must know where that thing is. In spiritual terms, you must KNOW Jesus to introduce someone to Jesus. You don’t have to be a theologian, scholar, or even smart – you have two possibilities which work together. a) Tell them about your friend Jesus, and then b) tell them about your friends in SS and give an invitation.
• This is why the Church of Jesus is a necessity for this world. The church offers what no one else can offer. Many want the church to be marriage counselors, personal counselors, psychologist, self-help gurus, and more, but that is NOT why we are so necessary to the world. Yes, people may well have some of those needs met when we do what Christ has task us with: We offer people a way to know God through Christ Jesus. What other group can do this? NONE! This is our prime function! Your friends need it, your family needs it, this community needs it, & YOU need it.
3. The Necessity of Commitment – Commitment is necessary for this world, if there is to be any success in life, commitment is required. It matters not whether it is in business, marriage, walking with Christ, and yes – church membership.
• I never ceased to be amazed at how God puts things in our path, when we are diligently seeking Him. Yesterday, I sat down at my desk, whispered a pray for God’s help, and began working on this message right HERE at this POINT! In my email was a blog which dealt with commitment. I clicked the link and here’s what I read:
• Dr Adrian Rogers spoke of this very thing after returning from a trip to Russia. He said that he asked his Pastor translator what he thought of American Christians. The Pastor said, “Not very much.” Dr. Rogers was shocked and wanted to know the reason. “American Christians talk about commitment. They talk about committing their lives to Jesus Christ. We teach our people to surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. When we come to Jesus Christ, we give Him our very lives and we live for Him because He is our Master. After hearing that story from Dr Rogers, and he said something very similar, I surrendered to do what God says to do in His Word. I am certainly not perfect at it. It is a daily process of surrendering this or that to the Lord. It is daily taking up our cross and following Him.
• In Matthew 16:24-27 Jesus clearly said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?”
• Candidly, commitment is not participation, it is surrender. When you commit to paying your house note, car note, or credit card bill, you surrender that portion of your monthly income to them. To commit to Christ is to surrender all that you are, have, and do. Truthfully, anything else won’t do.
• Commitment is a necessity. Just like the cross was a necessity if you and I were to have any hope of being redeemed and securing a home with Jehovah God in heaven, just like the church is a necessity if this world is to find redemption in Jesus, so commitment is a necessity if the cross is to become your personal place of redemption.
• I want to ask, “If you desire” – but many people do not desire anything because they ‘are who they are’ and everybody needs to ‘get a life and deal with them.’ However, that attitude is foreign to a life which honors & walk with our Lord. Do you need a “Fresh Start” with Him? Do you need to, once again, “Pray First?” It can begin right now – with a surrender & commitment. This is not just ‘a good idea’, it is a requirement, an essential, and a necessity – which is not given by me – but by HIM. Will you?
