Introduction
A. Somewhat skeptical of his son's new found determination to become Charles Atlas, the father nevertheless followed the teenager over to the weight-lifting department, admiring a set of weights. "Please, Dad," pleaded the boy, "I promise I'll use 'em every day." "I don't know, Michael. It's really a commitment on your part," the father pointed out. "Please, Dad?" the boy continued. "They're not cheap either," the father came back. "I'll use 'em Dad, I promise. You'll see." Finally won over, the father paid for the equipment and headed for the door. From the corner of the store he heard his son yelp, "What! You mean I have to carry them to the car?"
1. Lets turn to Matthew 8:1 - 4
II. Body
A. Jesus and the leper
Matthew 8:1-4 NKJV
When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. {2} And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." {3} Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. {4} And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
1. Can you imagine what the scene was like?
a. Every one was following Jesus when suddenly a leper had the audacity to approach Jesus
(1) The crowd must had thinned out quite rapidly
(2) Even the disciples must have shied away
b. The man had approached Jesus, which was against the Mosaic law
(1) But, he had leprosy
(2) What more could anyone do to him
(3) But, listen to his statement of faith, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."
c. Then Jesus did something that was horrible and amazing, Jesus touched the man
(1) Aside from the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, He was a man and He touched the leper
(a) Every human being needs to be touched
(b) There is power in the human touch
(c) There is magic in the human touch
(2) And Jesus reached out and touched the man
(3) Jesus was not afraid to expose Himself to whatever to give love to someone who probably not felt love in a long time
(4) Jesus could have healed the man from a hundred yards away, but He didn’t
(5) Jesus touched the man, the leper
(6) Turn to 2 Corinthians 11:23-27
2. Secondly, Followers of Christ with an End Zone mind set have
a. A Willingness to take a Risk
(1) If the Bible were to be written today, it just might say, “you gotta be a turtle,”
(a) In out words, you gotta stick your neck out in order to get anywhere
(b) In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 Paul tells us what happens when we stick our necks out
2 Corinthians 11:23-27 NKJV
Are they ministers of Christ?; I speak as a fool; I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. {24} From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. {25} Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; {26} in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; {27} in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness;
(c) In Philippians 3:14 we see that Paul was an End Zoner
Philippians 3:14 NKJV
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
3. Jesus was an End Zoner, Paul was an End Zoner, and we ought to be End Zoners
a. Does this mean that we have to be chasing around doing good deeds constantly
(1) Expending a lot of energy?
(2) No
(3) But it does mean that we must be ready to stick our necks out when the Lord calls us to do so
b. We might just have to work with AWANA kids
c. We might just have to reach out to another who needs us
d. Or we might just be called on to be a prayer warrior
B. There are some wonderful scenes in Scripture.
1. This one here in Matthew 8:1-4 reveals the utter self less ness of Jesus
a. Imagine this was a man who had leprosy
(1) Authorities are not sure what this disease was, they don’t believe that it was the leprosy we know today
(2) It may have been a fungus, or bacteria, or some other kind of terrible skin infection
(3) One thing we know from Scripture it seemed to be highly infectious
(a) Every one avoided lepers
(b) According to the Mosaic law, a person with this disease had to warn people, “Unclean! Unclean!
(c) These unfortunate people had to live away from the population
(4) But, while everyone else steered clear of this poor man with leprosy, our Lord Jesus was first in line to give him a hand
(a) Quite literally, a healing hand.
i) From this illustration of the early days of His ministry, we can see the fact that Jesus’ ambition was to give His life away
ii) He thought nothing of Himself but solely for the needs of others
a) Turn to Matthew 20:28
2. In his book about what it was like to portray Jesus, Bruce Marchiano, wrote, “How could Jesus pray what He did – “Not My will but Your will be done, ” knowing that imminent death awaited Him, and not just any death, the most horrific, agonizing death any human being would ever endure! He was able to do it because that’s what His entire life was about, giving His life away for others, dying to self, consumed with doing the will of His Father, putting His own desires not just on the back burner but off the stove entirely! He came not to be served but to serve.
a. These are the words of Jesus Himself
Matthew 20:28 NKJV
"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
(1) Turn to 1 Corinthians 4
3. This unselfish Savior is our example
a. He’s the One we’re called to pattern our lives and ministries after
b. Another preacher said, “I’d like to take a few moments this morning and motivate us to follow in His footsteps, to get out of our Comfort Zones and move down the field of life with an End Zone mind set, consumed with reaching the goal-line of being conformed into the image of God’s Son, having the ambition of being just like Jesus.
(1) Before we look at the End Zone mentality lets read 1 Corinthians 4 to take a brief look at Paul’s words to the Corinthians in here
(a) We’re not going to do a verse by verse of this passage but, we’re going to look at the overall theme Paul is stressing in this section of his letter.
1 Corinthians 4 NKJV
Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. {2} Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. {3} But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. {4} For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. {5} Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God. {6} Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. {7} For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? {8} You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us; and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! {9} For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. {10} We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! {11} To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. {12} And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; {13} being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. {14} I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. {15} For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. {16} Therefore I urge you, imitate me. {17} For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. {18} Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. {19} But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. {20} For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. {21} What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
4. We all know the church at Corinth was not the most mature group of Christians
a. Paul diagnoses them as being rather self-centered
(1) To put this another way, they were a bunch of “Comfort Zoners”
(a) They were centered upon self
(b) Just the opposite of Jesus!
b. We have to remember that leaders in the church are to be servants
(1) People who roll up their sleeves and have no concern with titles/positions
(2) They are consumed with meeting needs
(3) Thinking less and less of themselves and more about how they can imitate Christ and be Christ’s hands reaching out to a hurting world.
c. If there were any individual who could claim a title or position in the church it would be Paul or Peter and yet they never did
(1) Paul, in Romans 1:1, called himself a slave of Christ
Romans 1:1 NKJV
Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
(2) And Peter, in 2 Peter 1:1, called himself the same thing
2 Peter 1:1 NKJV
Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
(a) The word bondservant is the word which means slave
(3) Even though both Peter and Paul claimed their title as apostles, their attitude was one of a slave, a willing, devoted slave
5. There is a legend about Saint Francis of Assisi. Among all the awful miseries of this world Francis had a natural horror of lepers, and one day as he was riding his horse near Assisi he met a leper on the road. He felt terrified and revolted, but not wanting to transgress God’s command and break the sacrament of His word, he dismounted from his horse and ran to kiss him. As the leper stretched out his hand, expecting something, he received both money and a kiss. Francis immediately mounted his horse and although the field was wide open, without any obstructions, when he looked around he could not see the leper anywhere.
C. I want to challenge us this morning to make a choice, a daily choice, to either live with a “Comfort Zone” mentality or with an “End Zone” mentality
1. Let me quickly define both of these terms
a. Turn to Philippians 3:12
b. Definition of a “Comfort Zone” mentality: Being self-satisfied, like the Corinthians, they couldn’t echo the words of Paul in Philippians 3:12
Philippians 3:12 NKJV
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
c. The Corinthians could not say this because, in their own minds, they had obtained it
(1) They already considered themselves royalty
(2) So verse 8 in 1 Corinthians 4 just might be a little sarcasm
1 Corinthians 4:8 NKJV
You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us; and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you!
(3) So that individuals with a “Comfort Zone” mentality are willing to remain in mediocrity, settle for the status quo, be utterly complacent
(a) The head coach of the NBA’s Miami Heat defines complacency this way, “Complacency is the last hurdle any winner, any team must overcome before attaining potential greatness. Complacency is the Success Disease: it takes root when you’re feeling good about who you are and what you’ve achieved.
2. Now let me quickly define the End Zone mentality
a. It should be obvious that the “End Zone” is the goal
b. People of the End Zone mentality are those who are never content to stay where they are in the growth process
c. End Zoners never think they’ve arrived
d. They’re always on the grow, never thinking they’re exempt from any requirement, no matter how long they’ve been a Christian or what stature they’ve attained in the church
e. No exemptions!
3. Let me share two qualities of an End Zoner
a. Someone who is resolutely leaving the comfort zone behind and pressing on unselfishly in the risk-taking life of giving yourself away.
b. Followers of Christ with an End Zone mind set have
(1) An Attitude of Absolute Unselfishness as defined in Luke 9:23
(2) These are Jesus’ words
Luke 9:23 NKJV
Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
(a) You will find these words in several places in the New Testament
(3) You know that we live in the ME generation
(a) Have you ever intentionally stopped and listened to the number of times people use the word “I,” “Me,” “My,” or “Mine” in a short period of time?
(b) How much time do some people spend in front of the mirror each morning or carefully selecting the “perfect” outfit to wear?
i) Turn to Romans 12:3
(4) These are Paul’s words by the Holy Spirit
Romans 12:3 NKJV
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
c. Mother Teresa said, “That is what I am. God’s pencil. A tiny bit of pencil with which He writes what He likes.”
(1) Bill Hybels puts it this way: “I would never want to reach out someday with a soft, uncallused hand, a hand never dirtied by serving, and shake the nail-pierced hand of Jesus.”
d. End Zoners give their lives away in unselfish service.
