SUNDAY SERMONS

 

Who Me?

Many of us who are actively involved in the life and ministry of the church and who have learned what the scriptures teach, understand five basic truths pertaining to the subject of serving God:

1. Serving God is a key to living a fulfilling life here on earth, and  experiencing ultimate joy in the life to come.

2. Serving God must be rooted in a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ and in a genuine commitment to his teachings and the ministry of his church.

3. Serving God is the responsibility of anyone who has made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ.

4. Serving God is the scriptures’ command to all who believe.

5. Serving God is a calling which God himself initiates.

John 15:14-16 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 "I do not call you servants anymore. Servants do not know their master's business. Instead, I have called you friends. I have told you everything I learned from my Father. 16 "You did not choose me. Instead, I chose you. I appointed you to go and bear fruit. It is fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name.

The subject of how and why God has chosen us to serve him is worth every minute of our attention this morning and later in your private time with the Lord.

I.                 GOD CHOOSES US AND NOT WE HIM.

a.  Every follower of Jesus is his follower by divine choice.

b.  This is remarkably astonishing. To know that we are part of Christ’s ministry, not by choice of our own but by God’s own choice and free will.

c.   It began with Jesus walking on the shores of Galilee, calling people to follow him, people to whom he said later, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit.”

d.  All who follow Jesus are part of the “priesthood of all believers”.

e.  Almost every biblical record of ministry brings to our attention that when it was time to give birth to his church, God chose average men and women.

f.    Peter, the chief of the disciples understood that concept and proclaimed in his letter to the church of his time and ours:

g.  “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood”, 1 Peter 2:9.

 

II.              GOD CHOOSES US NOT TO MOLD US IN ONE MECHANICAL DIRECTION OF MINISTRY (causing us to serve as robots), but to use our diversity so we can take his ministry on waves in different and new directions.

a.  It is obvious that when the scriptures speak of unity, they don’t mean unity of style, but unity of purpose and mission.

b.  The apostle Paul, on several occasions, brings this concept to life as he speaks of the unity within the human body.

c.   Each member in the body has a different gift, and therefore a different method—but you find all the members united in serving the whole body—with the head in charge. Jesus Christ is the head.

d.  We must not then fear diversity. Diversity is not a bad word.

e.  Conflict is.

f.    Diversity speaks of a variety of gifts.

g.  Conflict speaks of opposition.

 

“Once upon a time, the animals decided they should do something meaningful to meet the problems of modern day life. They organized a school. They adopted an activity curriculum of running, climbing, swimming, and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the same courses. The squirrel was excellent in climbing, but he encountered frustration in flying classes because his teacher made him start from the ground up, instead of from the tree top down. He developed knee problems due to over exertion, and so he got only a ‘C’ in climbing and a ‘D’ in running. The duck was excellent in swimming, in fact, better than her instructor. But she made only passing grades in running, and she was very poor in climbing. She had to drop swimming and stay after school to practice running and climbing. This caused her webbed feet to be badly worn, so that she became only average in swimming. But average was quite acceptable, so nobody worried about that except the duck. The rabbit was initially at the top of his class in running but developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscles because of so much make-up work in swimming. The eagle was a problem-child and was severely disciplined for not following the rules. In climbing classes, he beat all the others to the top of the tree but insisted on using his own way to get there. The obvious moral of that story is a simple one. Each living being has his or her own set of capabilities in which they will naturally excel. A duck is a duck. It is built to swim, not to run or climb. A squirrel is a squirrel and only that. To move it out of its forte of climbing and then expect it to swim or fly will drive a squirrel “nuts”. Eagles are beautiful creatures in the air but not running on the ground. The rabbit will win the foot race every time, unless of course, the eagle gets hungry.

h.  “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same spirit”.

i.     The word of God tells us “there are different kinds of service but the same Lord.

j.     Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given.

k.  To one, there is given the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge, to another faith, to another gifts of healing, to another miraculous powers, to another preaching, etc.

l.     All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one just as he determines.”

GOD NEVER CALLS HIS PEOPLE TO DO SOMETHING THAT GOES AGAINST HIS PREVIOUSLY STATED WORD IN THE BIBLE!

 

III.          GOD CHOOSES US NOT IN LIGHT OF WHO AND WHAT WE ARE, BUT IN LIGHT OF WHAT SHALL BECOME OF US AS HE CONTINUES TO USE US.

a.  What can God possibly see in any of us that can be useful for him?

b.  And yet, much of the kingdom of God depends on us.

c.   Never underestimate what you, one person can do.

d.  Never assume that you have no talents to bring and no special skills to make the difference.

Tim Hansel, in his book “The Hidden Adventure” shares:“I am beginning to believe that ‘astonishment’ is God’s middle name. For example, isn’t it mysteriously surprising that: In the opening pages of scripture, amidst the stupendous development of creation, we are told that the crown of all God’s artistic ecstasy is that he created man—in his image, no less! Out of the dust of the ground; a moral agent was formed out of mud! He chooses a barren old couple named Abraham and Sarah to give birth to a nation that would change human history for all time. Then he decides to save his unique nation from captivity through an unemployed Egyptian-Israelite prince who tends sheep and stutters. He chooses a teenager who doesn’t even have his high school diploma yet to nail a nine-foot enemy with a rock right between the eyes. The boy grows up to become “a man after God’s own heart” even though this same man pulls off one of the biggest blunders in the O.T. -This pattern continues to be seen in the N.T. as Jesus took a trusting kid’s lunch and fed enough people to fill a stadium and still had enough left over for each of the disciples to have his own ‘take-home’ basket.-He revealed who he really is to a Samaritan woman who had a number of husbands and lovers, rather than sharing the news with the proper authorities. -He chose the number one persecutor of the church to become his top evangelist. He gave the key to the kingdom to the disciple who failed him so badly that he denied him three times in one night.”

e.  Yes, God chooses us for what we shall become as he continues to use us.

f.    Everyone here is qualified to serve.

g.  Everyone here is gifted to serve provided that we follow God’s lead.

h.  Everyone here is chosen to serve.

i.     God makes no mistakes—

j.     We choose through what we see—God chooses in light of inner characteristics. “

k.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Sam. 16:7

l.     We judge by the leaves of the tree, God judges by the roots.

We see ourselves as human beings, God sees us as “human becomings”.

m.                         Don’t believe for a moment that you don’t have anything to offer.

One wise minister said: “There are many reasons why God shouldn’t have called you. But don’t worry, those reasons are not good enough to keep God from using you:

Moses stuttered. David’s armor didn’t fit. John Mark was rejected by Paul. Timothy had ulcers. Hosea’s wife was a prostitute. Amos’ only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning. Jacob was a liar. David had an affair. Solomon was too rich.  Jesus was too poor. Abraham was too old. David was too young. Peter was afraid of death. Lazarus was dead. John was self-righteous. Naomi was a widow. Paul was murderer. So was Moses. Jonah ran from God. Miriam was a gossip. Gideon and Thomas both doubted. Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal. Elijah was burned out.John the Baptist did not dress stylishly. Martha was a worry-wart. Mary was lazy. Samson had long hair. Noah got drunk.

Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse?  So did Peter, as well as Paul,… well lots of folks have that problem.

n.  God doesn’t require a job interview.

o.  He doesn’t hire and fire like most bosses, because He’s more our Dad than our Boss.

p.  He doesn’t look at financial gain or loss.

As much as we try, God’s gifts are free. We could do wonderful things for wonderful people and still not be …wonderful. Satan says “You’re not worthy.” Jesus says, “So what.” Satan looks back and sees our mistakes. God looks back and sees the cross. He doesn’t calculate what you did in ’78. It’s not even on the record.

I pray that as Christians, we will step out of our limitations into the illimitable nature of who God is. Then our passion for God and our passion to communicate Him will make mince-meat of our limitations.”

IV.         GOD CHOOSES US NOT TO DO HIS WORK, BUT TO PAVE THE WAY AND TO PREPARE THE OPPORTUNITEIS FOR HIM TO WORK THROUGH US.

From a worldly point of view, Christianity should have failed at its conception. Everyone knows that to succeed in business, in government, or in management you must begin with the best resources possible (material and human). Likewise, for any movement to succeed, you have to choose capable (skilled and trained) powerful leaders. The type that demands presence and influences situations. But that was not the case with Christianity.

a.  The proof is clear that success in Christianity does not depend on us.

b.  The secret is in the scriptures. It was Jesus who said “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not defeat it.”

So my friends, IF as a minister, I was called to come to Bethany Baptist Church to do the Lord’s work, nothing would have been more impossible and more frightening. But if the task, which is ours together is to prepare the way so God can do His work, then there is no fear in ministry.

c.   In fact, ministry becomes, in this case, an exciting and promising adventure.

d.  God did not call us to be successful, but faithful.

He did not call us to change the dull water of routine into the exciting wine of His Spirit. He simply asks us to fill the jars with water. He alone changes the water into wine.

e.  God did not choose us so we can raise people from their death in sin, He has chosen us to simply move the stone which in their way—He alone raises them from their deadly ways.

f.     God does not choose us to feed the multitudes. No he wants us to bring the little bread that we have to Him. He alone is able to feed the multitudes.

God doesn’t expect us to give sight to the blind, he simply asks us to bring those who are blind to him.

g.   Remember this: our God chooses us not inspire of our weaknesses and limitations but because of our weaknesses and limitations.

The very thing that will cause leaders not to choose us is the very qualification God wants in His disciples. “I choose the weak, because My power is made perfect in weakness.”

h.  Christ would say: I choose the weak, because they are aware of their need for God. I choose the simple, because only they can be made wise by the word of God.

i.      I choose only those who admit they are like sheep, not the macho, the lions and the tigers, the snakes and the foxes. These do not see the need for a shepherd-- but the sheep do.

j.      I choose the unpopular, because they have firsthand knowledge and experience of their once despised and rejected Savior.

k.   I choose the broken-hearted, the poor in spirit, the wounded, the scarred, because only they can help heal others.

l.      I choose the selfless and the ego-less, those who in the light of God know that they are nothing. Only they can be filled with God’s Presence.