Open your bibles to John 20:22. Before we get started, I want to give everyone the chance to get there, because you don’t want to miss this.
And when He had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them “Receive the Holy Spirit, and bring me back my change”.
-Look out into the audience and say “does your bible not say this?”-
Well, I’m glad it doesn’t. I included that last part just to see who was paying attention! Now that I have your attention…
A. Introduce Daddy Mac
1. I spent much of my youth with my maternal grandfather, whom we called Daddy Mac.
2. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I learned a lot of life lessons from him.
3. He and my grandmother had 3 daughters and no sons. I was the first grandchild.
4. So, in a sense, I was his first son. Some say he spoiled me rotten and others say I was his favorite. I, however, will never claim either.
5. One of his favorite things in life, was to go fishing. Any of you here call yourself a fisherman? Now I use the word “fisherman” as a non-gender specific term. My mom is an incredible fisherman. So ladies, if this is you, go ahead and raise your hand. To all you fisherman, if you don’t get out on the lake just after daylight, and come in off the lake just before dark, you just might not be a fisherman! Just sayin’
6. Oftentimes during those trips, he would send me into the store, with money, to get soft drinks and snacks. Most times he wouldn’t mention anything about the leftover money, but sometimes he would say “and bring me back my change”.
B. Change
1. Our world is going through changes at light speed, and it is easy to get overwhelmed with it all.
2. I’d thought we’d just step back and remind ourselves that “change” has been part of the human experience since God created the heavens and the earth.
3. Hopefully, you will find this refreshing, uplifting, and cause you to look at change in a little different light, But it might not be exactly what you are expecting!
C. Definitions of change
1. First, very quickly, let’s look at a few definitions of the word change.
• To become different, alter or modify
• To turn or convert something from one state, form, or substance, into another
• To make radically different
• To arrive @ a fresh phase, become new
• An exchange, as in a sum of money
• Money returned to someone as the balance of the amount paid for something
2. Hold on to those definitions as we will circle back from time to time.
D. Let’s revisit John 20:22.
1) I want everyone to know that I would never add or take away words from scripture, because to do so, I believe, would grieve the Holy Spirit.
2) My purpose here is to take scripture and apply it to everyday life situations. Sort of a life application commentary.
3. Let’s look at John 20:21-22 again:
So Jesus said to them “Peace to you! As the Father
has sent me, I also send you. And when He had said
this, He breathed on them and said to them “Receive
the Holy Spirit”. So, this is shortly after the
resurrection and Jesus appears to the apostles. It
seems to me that Jesus was telling the disciples that
they were to take full responsibility to carry out the
work that He had started.
4. If you recall one definition of the word change was to make someone or something different; to alter or modify. It is as though Jesus was saying “go out and make a change in the world and bring back to me, those that are mine”!
5. Bring me back my change. I pray you can receive that.
E. Scriptural Gymnastics
1. Is it okay if we look at a little bit of scripture today?
2. That’s good, because we are going to have some scriptural gymnastics this morning!
3. I hope you find scripture as fascinating, mysterious, spiritual, and inspiring as I do.
4. This week it dawned on me that I have one regret regarding scripture, and that regret is that I didn’t dig into scripture in my youth.
5. While most teenagers may not be ready to receive the blessings of scripture, I encourage you young people, to open and begin reading the most fascinating book in all of history!
F. John 2:3
1. While I was preparing this message, the story of Jesus at the wedding in Cana, came to mind, and this one verse stood out.
2. John 2:3 “and when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “they have no wine””. “and bring me back my change”.
3. Yes, I know, your bible doesn’t say that either! But hang in there with me for just a bit.
4. Verse 4 continues: Jesus said “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come”.
5. Jesus seemed indignant here “Woman, what does this have to do with me?”
6. Imagine saying that to YOUR mother, after she told you to do something… like clean your room. “Woman, what does this have to do with me.” C’mon now, but honest with yourself! Some of us might have gotten a back hand.
7. There is so much about this story, but let’s examine another definition of “change”-to turn or convert something from one state, form, or substance to another.
8. Jesus changed water into wine y’all. While I was researching this miracle, I came across a forum and someone asked the question “was it white or red wine”?
9. Now that is EXACTLY the kind of question my wife Lisa would ask. Me, I’m all like caught up in total amazement of Jesus’s absolute power over nature, but Lisa she digs deeper “white or red?” I love you my honey.
10.Side note, did you notice I said “wife Lisa”? I
wrestled with just saying “Lisa”, then I thought
some might be wondering who Lisa is, so I
considered I’ll just say “wife”, and realized some
might be thinking “what, she doesn’t have a name?”
Therefore, you got “wife Lisa”. The struggle is real!
11.Now back to the story, of course we can infer the
“change” was turning water into wine.
G. Matthew 25:14-30
1. Turn with me now to Matthew 25. While you are finding it, I’ll tell you a quick story.
2. I can rarely open the gospel of Matthew without thinking of something that happened in church several years ago. Probably 7 or 8 years ago.
3. The preacher said let’s go to Matthew chapter ____. I didn’t hear the chapter, so I turned to Shaye, who was probably 14 or 15 years old at the time, and said did he say chapter 33?
4. And his reply was “I don’t know what chapter he said, but I know he didn’t say chapter 33”.
5. I said how do you know that?
6. He said because there are only 28 chapters in Matthew, dad. OUCH.
7. Remember what I said earlier about reading your bible while in your youth. He was obviously reading his bible.
8. We’ll be looking at the passage that includes verses 14-30, but we’ll zoom in on just a few, beginning with verse 15. “and to one he gave 5 talents, to another two, and to another, one” and bring me back my change!
9. By now you probably realize I’m going to throw that in there from time to time.
10. If you have never looked up the value of a talent,
I want to take a minute to share this with you.
Although I could not find a definitive value, I
found some “general agreements”.
11. A talent is somewhere between 50-100 pounds
of gold or silver. Let me repeat: a talent is
somewhere between 50-100 pounds of gold or
silver.
12. Let’s swing for the fences and use 100 pounds of
gold.
13. At the current value of about $1838 an ounce, one talent of gold would roughly be $3million in todays money.
14. 5 talents would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 million. So, the servant who brought back 10 talents, brought back around $30 million dollars! Now that’s what I call “bringing me back my change!”. As we re-look at one definition of change “to make radically different”, I think this might qualify.
Luke 12:48 tells us “to whom much is given,
much is expected”.
15. The servants were given talents according to
their own abilities, which begs the question
“How are you using your God given talents?”
“Are you using them at all?”
16. Obviously, I’ve shifted gears on you here, and
am speaking about gifts, not money.
16. If you are not sure about your gifts, and want to
dig a little deeper, check out Ephesians 4:11-16.
Also, Romans 12:5-8. These two passages should
lead you on a grand journey, maybe even open
your heart to God’s calling in your life.
H. Turn to Mark 12:17
1. “Render to Caesar, what is Caesars”…and bring me back my change.
2. We are shown several times in the Gospels where someone is trying to trick Jesus. This particular instance, He says bring me a Denarius, they bring it to Him and He asks “whose image and title is on this coin?” And they reply “Caesars”, and Jesus said:
“Render to Caesar, the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are Gods”.
3. I can just picture Jesus grinning and flipping the coin back to them as though He were saying “you’re gonna have to do better than that boys!”
4. In this scripture I believe Jesus is telling us, that coin, which has Caesars image; give to Caesar, but our lives, which bear Gods image, give to God.
5. Which brings to point another definition of change. Money returned to someone as the balance of the amount paid for something.
6. Look at it like this: Give God your life, and Caesar can have the change! You might want to chew on that a minute.
I. Luke 6:38
1. Flip over to Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you” and bring me back my change.
2. Yours ago I sent a text to the sister of a friend and told her that he had been on my heart. Here was her text reply
“give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you”.
3. I didn’t fully understand her reply at the time, but I knew her heart was full of joy at the “change” in her brother.
4. If you remember one definition of change is “to arrive at a fresh phase, to become new”.
5. Her brother had become a new man in Christ Jesus.
6. When you read verses 37-38, some powerful principles are revealed. Sowing and reaping, giving and receiving. When you sow into another person, you are giving, and then when you reap what you have sown, you receive.
J. 2 Corinthians 5:21
1. The last definition of change we will examine is “an exchange”.
2. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “for He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”.
3. 1 Timothy 2:6 “who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time”
4. An exchange was made.
Have you let Jesus become the change in you?
K. “and bring me back my change”
Life lessons in those 6 words.
-Call Ashley up-
1. So, if you haven’t prayed for me before this message or during this message, now is your chance. Because I may need those prayers to wrap this up.
2. when you leave here today, think about how you will be the change in this world.
? Will you make full use of the talents or gifts your Father in heaven has given you?
? Will you decide to give your life to God as Jesus instructed in Mark 12:17?
? Will you sown and reap, give and receive as depicted in Luke 6:37-38?
When I think about it:
• Daddy Mac was teaching me accountability by holding me accountable to bring back his change. Isn’t this what Jesus was doing with the disciplines as depicted in John 20: 21-22? He was holding them accountable to go out and finish the work He started.
• My grandfather was teaching me obedience. Jesus obeyed his mother at the wedding in Cana. I recall the only time my grandfather spanked me. He had prepared breakfast for me, and I refused to eat the eggs he had fried. I love fried eggs, but THAT day I choose to be disobedient and not eat the eggs. He pulled off his belt and spanked me! We both cried that day. He went behind the storage shed and cried like a baby. Disobedience causes so much pain! It causes pain for the one who is being disobedient, and to the one being disobeyed. We cause pain to ourselves and to God, when we disobey.
• When Daddy Mac gave me more money than was needed to make the purchase, and didn’t say… “and bring me back my change”, he was giving according to my ability to make use of the money, much like the man who gave the talents to his servants.
• Lastly, my grandfather was sowing into me, even unto his death, and I’d like to think some of those seeds produced good fruit!
