October 14th, Morning
Morning everybody. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. How are you? Thank you. If you're new to church or this church, this is the point at which we spent a considerable portion of our short time together looking at a section officer. Super precarious. Wow. Okay, I'll go too many things on there be worth it though, but we believe that this is how God has communicated to us for he is like and how we should live until we take a look time each week to read about the Bible say think about it to discuss to ask questions. I mean, hopefully to put it into practice in our lives. That's the point of the section 120 quite a long thing to do this the Bible if you were here the last time last week part was talking to us in the Bible where Jesus healed a man's hand. And you killed it on the Sabbath. This is the holy day of the week for the Jewish people died during a Saturday. But then the whole thing became a kind of test for the Jewish leaders who would have been opposed to Jesus is not time. We're seeing you know, what God won't allow you to heal on the Sabbath because these rules that we have about keeping the Sabbath precious and special a really important to go to wouldn't even let you feel that's what Jesus said actually do what I can heal on the Sabbath and I'm bigger than the Sun but I'm more important than these rules on pot was telling us, of course. She's a ditch on the Sabbath and Jesus was saying I am the lord of the Sabbath I'm bigger than these rules. I'm more important than the rules and that you're falling not that said the most imposing. I'm more important of these things and it said after that that Jesus and the Pharisees the people watching on the rulers who were watching Jesus do that's worth Furious. As he did this and they were Furious because well they were Furious but the word there is a kind of irrational pathological reach and they start to plant want to kill Jesus. This is what I'm starting to plan to kill Jesus and it says in that last message was Jesus knows they're thinking that's what Jesus knew that this is what they were thinking. I mean you that this opposition from him, which up to this point it be in Jessup General annoyance irritation had moved to this poor thing on this reach on this murderous rage. And so there's a shift there that we were seeing last week for the Pharisees or no planning to kill Jesus and it said this point that we hit the next section of the week at today. So this isn't Luke chapter 6 verse 12 know that is in your boils on page 10334 go on those little blue Bibles do if your Looking Through the Bible Luke is the name of the boot. That's the section of the Bible that we're looking at. It's an account of the life of Jesus. The chapters are the big numbers in bold black and with members are the verses. So when I say Luke chapter 6 verse 12, I mean the Book of Luke, I mean the big chapter 6 and I mean the little number 12 see if you can find on page 1033 and I'm going to ask Bruce to come up and read that for us tourists if you would so Luke chapter 6 verse 12
the 12 apostles One of those days Jesus went out of town might incite to pray and spend the night praying to called when morning came he called his disciples to him and she was 12 of them who he also does designated Apostles Simon him. He needs Peter his brother Andrew James John Philip Bartholomew Matthew Thomas James, son of alphaeus Simon who was called the Zealot Judas son of James and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor? Open in front of you were going to be referring to as we go on and but that's the section of a going to be looking at today know Jesus can see so when it says one of those days is talking about one of those days when the Pharisees were importing and raging and worried about him and planning to kill him. It was on one of those days that Jesus ate site to do this. Jesus can see that there is coming a climactic aims to his wife. He knows this is coming if you stick with us in the Book of Luke as we work through it or if you know the story of the Bible, you'll know that the life of Jesus and in his brutal death and bubbling opposition, which is no starting to take on a new murderous level is going to lead to his dad. But Jesus knows this is coming on as Christians. We know that that death is the end of the beginning. It's not the end of the story. It's the start of the story because again if you stick with us as we keep going through the Gospel of Luke, there's a kind of Jesus life. You'll see that he rises to life. Is not an accident. It's not the tragic end of his story. But the very reason that he came and his entire life is leading up to that point where you will die and then rise back to life and return to Heaven is so this is all in view for Jesus and it's on one of those days that the events that we read about take place on Jesus is preparing to leave. He knows that the end is coming and he needs to prepare those to carry on his mission after him and so he is ready to start treating them. They're going to go into this. Of intensive training you will call these people around him and bring him into this intensive training course is like the ultimate X you go to the multiplied chords that we don't know just like a day a week with p through math, but 24/7 with Jesus himself, the ultimate X. These guys are going to walk to where I need to go to bring them clothes. He could have teach them and prepare them to carry on his mission after he's gone and it's coming and he can see it coming because we all position that we see So Jesus goes off to pray if you look you by owner says he goes up the Mountainside to pray and Jesus praying is a common feature in the Book of Luke as we read through it and you can read that the first six or five or six chapters of Luke in about 10 or 15 minutes. It won't take you long go home and read that and you'll see there's an ongoing through Luke for Jesus Goes To Praise. Jesus is praying Jesus. Jesus went and prayed and he was the phrase so no surprise. It's always my worst. Sorry. We don't know which one he spends the night praying and this is the only recorded all night prayer event in the Bible. So this is quite an unusual amount of prayer and I couldn't unusual night of prayer. And this is active hard work. The word used for him in prayer is one of the wrestling in prayer. No just quiet mindfulness. Not just spending a quiet night alone with his thoughts but wrestling actively in prayer all night long. And so this is a momentous decision. He's had to go off and it's only had to spend a whole night thinking and praying about this and this is a decision that can only be taken after extensive communication with God the father and he spends all night wrestling in prayer New England's opposition is coming. He's a bite to choose these $12 and he wrestles and prayer for a whole night's a big decision. I'm going to be hold an event comes down in the mine to be semi comes down the mountain to pick there to do this next bit. I'm Dynamite and calls his disciples to him that the word disciples are so General word by then for meaning lehrner follower student. Nothing special not some special group of people just people who would gather during Jesus cuz they liked what you were saying and in those days, of course, there's no other way to get to know your favorite celebrity preacher or somebody who is interested in you have to Simply follow the Mirena be there and listen to what they said and see what they did and so people would do that dude full of them right to become a follower and so is a big group. We don't know how many there are but he gathers them together as he often does. I'm from amongst a larger number. He then chooses 12 Know the number 12 for us numbers don't have a lot of great significance to the fact. That number is very important. The number 12 is an important number for the Jewish people because the Jewish the Jewish people were splitting 212 historic families are tribes and Jesus the Same by choosing 12s, no accident. He is saying it is time for new leadership. The leadership of the Jewish people has gone off the boil. I'm choosing new leaders and I'm appointing 12 people at to be my representatives and his his act of choosing 12 here is a judgment on the coloring leadership of the Jewish people these current leaders the Pharisees and other groups that we see like the Sadducees that were in charge of the the Jewish people have seen him do good. I've seen him this play power that can mean he can only be sent from God and have yet rejected him. I'm not even are planning to kill him totally rejecting it and time and time again in the Book of Luke. We're seeing the people who you would expect to know who Jesus says he's about completely missed the point on the people. You don't expect to get it and the people that you think there's no way we could be interested in those types of people there the people that get it there's a people that the message goes out. And so this is the example for anyone in that day or the day before Jesus 12 special people. Well you would you would say, wow, I would be there. Well, probably some of the guys who work at the temple there pretty special guys some of those Pharisees that we see her in the Marketplace Miami Capri really? Well, they thought they knew their they know the scriptures Inside Out other schools when it's cold and scriptures. Where is the pic you going to be starting this new organization? You send us a time for new leadership. Where are you going to take the people to know God you didn't think the people that know him. Well the new the Bible where the scripture as well, but these. Missed his miracles. Misunderstood his teaching and rejected him and hate him enough never to seek his murder. And so Jesus is saying it's time for new leadership. every night they drove you may or may not know I am station and if you I run a small business 14 * fairly sizable and there comes a point in running a business where you you get slightly too big to just do stuff yourself or you have to apply some structure to it. So, you know when it's just you and maybe one or two others you just going to get by and make things happen and he's like that but it comes a point when you get big enough you have to start getting structure and so you can start reading about business practices. Are you going on here? I just looked up one example here organizational leadership. This is what Jesus is doing leadership for his organization over 3,000 results in Boots alone for organizational leadership in and imma be read business books. I don't want you with its a unless you it is a weird. John is a really weird Jonah and and if you read them, you'll know it's a weird genre, but they are all very similar but it is a really weird thing. So you've got these some titles like this kind of thing. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People hands up if you read that course not yeah, if you have if you read that to Win Friends and Influence People Yas a classic classic my personal favorite title Think and Grow Rich and it says for men and women who resents mm The Art of War by Sun Tzu at good to great and this is actually my favorite the Black Swan Black Swan as in business contact, then you can ask that you need to register to come and speak to me after the weird weird weird diagrams.
Why this is the nonprofit flywheel of build up and break through and you go there you can't quite see there's a triangle about this is the triangle of level five leadership thing for the level is going to stuff that is interesting to imagine what the business prices of today would make of Jesus choices on we have them managed to dig up an amazing documents from 1st Century Consulting. Let me read what they said. Thank you for submitting the resumes of the 12 men. You have picked for managerial positions in your new organizations electric Jesus, all of them have no taking our test and we've also arrange personal interviews for each of them with our psychologists in vocational aptitude Consulting his opinion or opinion, but most of your nominees are lacking in background education and Vocational aptitude for the kind of Enterprise. Your undertaking Simon Pizza is emotionally unstable given to fits of temper has absolutely no qualities of the two brothers. James and John the sons of Zebedee play special interests the book company loyalty demonstrates a questioning attitude that retains undermine morale we feel they start to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the great to Jerusalem Better Business Bureau James the son of alphaeus and Simon the Zealot definition of radical meaning leanings both registered high on the manic depressive scale. One of the candidates over she was great potential is a man of ability resourceful Mass meets people. Well as a king business minds and has high content in contacts in high places highly-motivated. We therefore recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller on right-hand-man all the other profiles are self-explanatory, wherever you wish you every success in your new business. So when you look at these people what strikes you is there ordinariness and this is not the group of people that you expect to take on such a key role. You bought a massive right as you look around see if you can drive you probably trying to work out who sue right? That's that's Peter 2nd Peter. That's Matthew. You can see the massive right? You got the right to backgrounds. You can fishermen you could Tax Collectors Hugo political revolution rings and you got kind of money-grabbing treat you good people with different views you going to leave I was working for the Romans before he came to be Jesus Apostle and then Simon the Zealot a knife so he can murder in political outrage. You won't need not know these Apostle anything goes to get to the political Spectrum who they going to get on that. You've got people to relaxing and Faith Like Thomas and you people lacking in power they did we see you later in the Book of Luke. The demons and you can't do it there. They're pretty weak pretty useless you go pretty flawed personality James and John up here and join their the police their own interests above that of the rest of the group Anika self-serving clinic in a wiener way into Beezus affection you go people watching commitment Peter himself denies Jesus 3 times at the point where he really needs that you've got variety of legacies you go on to do great things in a church as well know that you can tell you anything about Android. Don't even really other than what happens on this list. He hardly features anywhere else, but this guy was a massive big deal of the time, but he doesn't do us much of a legacy Hugo Judas believes the Legacy. None of us are really one you put different types of characters Brash Facebook and Peter quiett Soulful Andrew bunch bunch of jokers, and these are ordering food, but this trip goes on to change the world.
They are really the reason that we're here even know that the church wouldn't be here in his current form. You wouldn't be sitting here with all the work of these guys and what they've done to spread the message message of Jesus after he's gone until Jesus's use these amazingly Ordinary People at 4. Amazing things. It looks on the surface like Jesus is getting it wrong that she's in the wrong type of people for the most important job that there's ever been but of course you just go back a verse. It's Norma steak doneness deliberately ignores. The opposition is coming one of those days in the face of this murderous opposition. He spends an entire night wrestling in prayer calls his disciples to him and picks those particular 12 from among the greater number of old anyone that he could have chosen and so is North no mistake. It's done. Absolutely deliberately applied for the rule. They have been chosen. By Jesus himself and is trying to say that God can only use people with defects because that is the only kind of people that there are until we should be encouraged by that a section from the last of the pole Ali through the postal route in a letter to the church in Corinth preschool currents and Beauty School 1 Corinthians. You can record yourself later. He's looking around the church and the church. Where is the wisest person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Where's the great thinker? Where's the great teacher looking ring the church there? No there there. No, there is there's no great teacher doesn't wise people. There's no fantastic. First. He goes on to say the next band.
Bit further Dunn Brothers and Sisters think of what you wear when you were called not many of you were Wise by human standards. Many were influential many-worlds nobleboro. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God doesn't like this deliberately go doesn't like this. He uses the weak the broken The Fragile the ordinary the Coleman the regular or normal everyday the failures and he works through their orneriness and through the empty changes the world. Navigate to think about those words week broken fragile order me everyday failures frankly, like all of you sounds a lot. Like all of us. Where is the wise person in this church? Where is the great teacher you're observing the as good a teacher as you can get this morning is not very good. I'll tell you that teachers would a great philosophers of this age the wise people of this age, they're not here in this church, and they weren't there by then either not many of us are wise or influential role of new interview, New Birth. No, not any influential or wise no. No, but God has chosen us. The only things of this world has chosen you the only things of this world to shame the strong so that no one may boast in him. He doesn't like this deliberately. And this is why we bang on about the importance of mission of being on Mission because we've all got to be doing it because this is how you go. Does it go to sit right in the sky to tell people about Jesus in to draw people to himself. He uses Ordinary People Like Us and our failures in our Brokenness to display the message of Christ to those around us and through that to draw people and call them into his kingdom. This is how he doesn't I know this point you probably saying wow. Do you want nobody up to that? I'm not really can't do that. Just because God uses Ordinary People do extraordinary things. He uses, you know in spite of your weaknesses, but because of your weaknesses and a square a hard thing for us to get our heads around. Is it someone else in his letter to the Corinthians? If you know the Bible, you know this phrase we have this treasure. Says Jesus in Jars of Clay worthless cracked ugly order me cheap parts standard or reports. That is what contains the good news of Jesus that is you like that to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us the point of even doing that is to show that he's the one who's doing the great things. The point of amusing week Apostles like you used is to show the win amazing things happen. The glory will go to him at people. Possibly because these guys were so great. God must be in this code must be at work and he does the same thing with this church with hope City Church Great. It doesn't have to be that great because you go Jesus is as we are I'm through that we display. What Jesus is Alive because we we love and care for one another and as we reach out with the good news of the Gospel we displace others. What what Jesus is like I'm people see gold must be among you call must be at work here because you guys are amazing things are happening. Under the Apostle simply went out to the job either and they were called to a very important job. But Jesus Will Go On if we can read through it. You'll see what he does. He'll teach them your model to perform miracles to strengthen their trust in him to pray for them to give them in power and holy spirit the same things that he does for us in a different way, but it does the same things for us to empower us and put us on mission for him. I am so the challenge is over. Is she going to get on with it you go to get on missions. You have to get on Mission. Yeah, you're rubbish. I said, yeah, you're scared passenger for Jesus. But you know, that's the people that you wants to use your nobody of little influence just like me little influence little Legacy, but you serve a God who specializes in those kind of people until you are that jar of clay the poles that the Apostle Paul was talking about The Treasure of Jesus inside you you are that jar of clay figure his jar of clay and if you can use people like the 12 apostles to do the amazing work that you went on to do to build the church into the position that is no in he can use the people sitting next to you to do the work of this church and he can use you to do the work of reaching out to your friends and your family about Jesus. And so there is a place in his kingdom for you and a job for you on his mission. You can pass it on to somebody else and you can't say I know how to it. None of us are up today and none of the 12 apostles were up to either and yet they when did it because that the people that God loves to use on his mission. So I asked for his help us with our heavenly father.