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, July 10, 2017

The Naked Disciple - June 25, 2017 sermon

By Pastor Greg ...


Everyone seems to make such a fuss about their calling.  I remember the stress I faced in high school when asked what I was going to do with the rest of my life.  I remember taking these aptitude tests; exams designed to help you choose a career path.  After one test the school guidance counselor called me to her office to discuss my results.  She said I needed to practice saying "do you want fries with that"?
Anyway, we kind of do the same thing in the church.  We start asking one another about God's will.  We ask senior high students about whether they know God's will for their life.  We have people take Spiritual Gift tests so they can learn how the Spirit has gifted them.  And while these exams mean well, they have a tendency to leave a person saying, "Okay, now what?  So I have the gift of hospitality.  How should I use this?"  And even more importantly, where should I use this?  And I really think that's the bigger question here.  I mean, it doesn't take someone very long to learn that they are pretty good at something or really enjoy doing something.  And a Spiritual Gift inventory will help someone understand that God has also equipped them to serve the Kingdom in a unique way.  But none of this answers the question of where.  Where should I serve?  Where should I be using my gifts, talents, and passions?  "Lord, where would you have me go"?  This, of course, would be our calling; God calling us to do something of significance for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Wouldn't it be nice if God would clearly say "Go here and do this"?  It would be like God saying "Your mission Jim, if you choose to accept it", and then we would be given clear instructions (of course, the tape would self-destruct in 5 seconds).  I mean, He did it for people in the Bible.  Why can't He do it for you and me?  He did it for Jonah.  "Go to Nineveh and preach" (Jonah 1:2).  From all of His followers Jesus calls out twelve for special leadership (Luke 6:13).  And what about Barnabas and Paul.  God called them out of Antioch as missionaries (Acts 13:2). 
So maybe you’ve been wondering if God would call you.  And if He would, where would He send you?  What great and glorious thing might God call you to do for the Kingdom of Heaven? 
But what if He doesn't call?  What if our calling is to ask people if they want fries with that?  What if God does not call us somewhere, but instead sends us home … just like the He did with the naked disciple?
In Luke chapter 8 we meet a man who was demon possessed and lived among the tombs in the land of Gerasene.  This was a Gentile territory on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.  In the story the Lord drives out many demons from this man and cast them into a herd of pigs.  The pigs, now demon possessed, run down a steep bank, jump in the lake, and drown.  This, of course, caught the attention of the townsfolk, who rush out to the area to see what is going on (read Luke 8:35-39).  When the herdsmen saw it, they fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them. So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.
The first thing that catches my attention in this story is how Jesus tells this man that no, he can't come with them.  Really?  Why can't he come with Jesus like all the other disciples?  And why send this man away yet allow Mary Magdalene to tag along?  I mean, put yourself in this man's shoes.  How would you feel if Jesus told you to go on home?  I'd have thoughts like, "Maybe I'm not good enough to be traveling with the in crowd.  Maybe Jesus sent me home because I didn't grow up in church.  Maybe Jesus sent me away because of my past."  If I were this man I'd probably be reminding myself that I should simply be grateful that He freed me from bondage and stop having these lofty ideas about being His servant.  I mean, I'm not someone significant or important.  I didn't walk on the water.  I was simply healed.
Now, I know this is what would go through my mind.  Because I was not able to serve in the way I wanted, I would take this as the Lord rejecting me for some reason.  Yet this man did not.  Luke says he did as he was told.  He went back home and did as Jesus had commanded.
The lesson we need to learn here is that when it comes to being the Lord's servant, a person needs to be prepared for how the Lord calls them to serve.  We might have ideas and visions of our own.  We might imagine glorious things.  We determine in our own minds what a successful calling looks like and then measure our life based upon those standards.  And when these things don't materialize, we draw the conclusion that apparently we just don't measure up; that the fault is ours.  But in reality it is simply that Jesus had something else in mind.
The point is this: each of us, as a believer, has a purpose and a calling in the Kingdom of Heaven.  The problem is whether this calling lives up to our expectations.  We expect one thing, but the Lord gives us something different.  It's not because we are less valuable or not good enough, but because it is all part of the Lord's plan.  He has a purpose in mind when He sends us and to where He sends us.  And, as in the case of this former demon possessed man, He may even send us back home.  Not out in the mission filed.  Not to pastor a church.  Not even to teach a Sunday school class or lead a Bible study.  He sends us home and calls us to tell our family and our neighbors what great things God has done for us.  It's not a glorious calling.  It won't make us famous.  But it does fit within God's plan.
Before I end, I want you to notice something in this story.  Did you notice how the people reacted to Jesus?  After witnessing the miracle of this healed man, the people asked Jesus to leave.  They were afraid.  They wanted Jesus gone.  And it was to these very people that Jesus sent the healed man.  “Go back to those people who are afraid of Me, those people who ran Me out of town, and talk to them about Me”, the Lord says.  Now we might think this man would accomplish nothing; that his calling would be pointless and meaningless.  Yet if we jump ahead a few months we see Jesus returning to this region (Matthew 15:29-31).  Only this time a great multitude came to Him bringing people who were crippled, blind, mute, and sick in many different ways.  And when Jesus healed these people the crowd glorified the God of Israel - this, from the same people who had earlier chased Him away.  What changed?  I believe it was this former demon possessed man who, out of obedience, went back home and did as Christ had commanded.
My friend, don't ever think that where the Lord sends you or how He calls you is insignificant.  If your calling does not measure up to your expectations you are still contributing to the work of the Kingdom, just contributing according to the Lord’s plans.  In order to accomplish His will, the Lord will ask us to serve Him today in ways that do not make sense.  And there are times He will send us to places where we think it will not make a difference.  Instead of calling us out of town, He will send us back to our school or job or career asking us to faithfully serve right where we are.  In order to accomplish His will tomorrow, the Lord asks us to stay where we are today.  In light of this I think we need to straighten up the notion that doing the Lord's will requires climbing in a boat and traveling to some distant place just to tell others about Jesus.  No, most of the time we are simply called to become like the naked disciple - people who remain right where they are and tell the whole town about Jesus.
Therefore, remain steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; knowing that your labor in His name is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).

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