The Apostle Paul calls us Jars of Clay (2 Corinthians 4:7). As followers of Jesus we must allow the Word of God to fill us with it's message of Truth and Grace. In this way, we become a "vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work" (2 Timothy 2:21).

Monday, October 19, 2015

Sinners Serving a Holy God - October 11, 2015 sermon






By Pastor Greg

A preacher is driving down the road.   He notices that he's low on gas so he stops at the gas station.  While he's pumping his gas, he notices that he has locked his keys in the car.  When he goes inside to pay, he asks the attendant for a coat hanger so he can attempt to open the door himself.  He goes outside and begins to jimmy the lock.  Ten minutes later, the attendant goes outside to see how the preacher is faring.  He notices the preacher outside the car moving the hanger around and around, while inside the car another preacher is saying, "A little more to the left... a little more to the left!!"
Preachers are not the “best of the best”.  Consider the fact that in my wallet there is a key that will unlock the doors to my truck (That’s all I’m going to say about that).  I hang around with a lot of preachers and sometimes we just don’t act too bright.  And yet God still called these men and women to stand before a congregation and lead.
I think one of the more unfortunate attitudes that has found its way into the church is intolerance.  And what I mean is an intolerance for mistakes.  We see this in the world around us.  One little slipup and a coach can find himself fired.  A CEO can be terminated for not turning a sizable profit for the company.  Public officials are held to an impossible standard of excellence.  The word expects nothing less than perfection from everyone, and those who don’t measure up are considered second-class citizens.   Sadly, this attitude infects us as individuals and, as I said, it has found its way into the Church.  Even in the life of a local congregation, people feel they must perform flawlessly.  And if they cannot, they conclude they are not fit for leadership and view themselves as unfit to serve.  That is, of course, a blatant lie the Devil wants us to believe.
In his letter to the Corinthian Church, Paul writes, “Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position.  But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong.  God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, so that no one can boast in his presence[1] (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).  Yes, some people are more qualified than others.  But God does not always call the qualified.  However, He does qualify the called.  This truth can be seen in the life of Peter, especially in the events shortly after the resurrection of Christ.
After Jesus appeared to the Apostles in Jerusalem, the group eventually returns to Galilee.  When they arrive, Peter makes a stunning announcement.  He says “I’m going fishing”.  So six of them head out to sea, not catch anything at all.
At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied. Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread. 10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn. 12 “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish[2] (John 21:4-13).
Peter didn’t suggest they get their rods and reels and head out for a relaxing evening on the shore.  He got out the big boat, drug out the good nets, and headed out to fish all night – something a professional fisherman would do.  It seems that Peter decided to go back to his former life and end this whole “Fishers of Men” nonsense.  I suspect Peter wanted to return to his fishing career because he was ashamed of himself and he worried what people might say.  He had denied Jesus three times.  The whole group knew this.  Yet Jesus teaches him a valuable lesson during the “Last Breakfast”.  You see, even as a fisherman, Peter still needed the Lord’s direction and guidance.  Based upon what we read in scripture, Peter’s greatest successes in his personal life came when Jesus was involved.  It would be the same throughout his ministry.  What Peter needed to learn was that a servant of the Lord is not perfect.  They simply depend on the Lord, not on themselves. 
Not everyone is an apostle.  Not everyone is a teacher or a prophet.  Yet everyone has been gifted in some way that benefits the church and strengthens other believers.  However, I am aware that many Christians never utilize these gifts within the life of a church.  I suspect it’s because we are afraid of embarrassing ourselves.  We are convinced our brothers and sisters will not tolerate a mistake.  Like Peter, we are convinced that our past disqualifies us to serve.  Like Peter, we need to learn that this concept is a lie.  If the Lord was willing to reach into Peter’s personal life and make such a huge difference (they probably sold the 153 fish at the market), think about how much more willing He was to make a difference in Peter’s ministry.
Things are no different today.  Jesus continues to call those who are less than perfect.  He calls them to lead, to serve, and to be His hands and feet.  He still reaches into a person’s life so that in whatever way they serve, their toil for the Lord will not be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Each one of us is a sinner serving a Holy God.  Each one of us needs His direction and guidance.  A real servant of the Lord understands they are not perfect, and allows Jesus to direct their work and their labors.   A real servant doesn’t have all the answers, and they know this.  That’s why they have learned to let the Lord show them where to cast their nets.



[1] Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (1 Co 1:26–29).
[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Jn 21:1–14). Carol Stream, IL

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