SERMON: GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT – MERCY

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Luke 10:25-37

 

Luke 10:25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

 

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

 

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

 

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

 

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

 

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

 

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

 

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

 

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

            -- Phillip Yancey opened one of his books by quoting a friend as he shared a story of sadness that he experienced – I want to share that with you now, quoting from Yancey’s friend:

 

            -- “A prostitute came to me in wretched straits, homeless, sick, unable to buy food for her two-year old daughter.  Through sobs and tears, she told me she had been renting out her daughter -- two years old! -- to men interested in kinky sex.  She made more renting out her daughter for an hour than she could earn on her own in a night. 

-- “She had to do it, she said, to support her own drug habit.  I could hardly bear hearing her sordid story.  I had no idea what to say to this woman

            -- “At last, I asked if she had ever thought of going to a church for help.  I will never forget the look of pure, naive shock that crossed her face.  "Church!" she cried.  "Why would I ever go there?  I was already feeling terrible about myself.  They'd just make me feel worse."”

 

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our series on the spiritual disciplines and spiritual gifts – I hope that this has been an enlightening series for you and that you are putting into practice what we have discussed – for it is through the practice of the spiritual disciplines, such as prayer and Bible study and worship – and through the exercise of our spiritual gifts for the common good – whatever those gifts may be for you individually – that we begin to truly grow and experience Christ and fulfill the good works that He allotted for each of us before the beginning of the world, as Ephesians 2:10 states

 

II. Mercy and Empathy

-- today, we are looking at the spiritual gift of mercy – and of all the spiritual gifts that have been given to us, this gift is one that is sorely lacking in application – mercy seems to be in short supply in our world and our country today – and while there are some in our churches who have been specially gifted in this area, we are all called to be agents of God’s grace and mercy in the world today

-- and, as I have tried to stress in our messages and in Bible study, we need to take care to always define our terms before we try to engage with the subject at hand – because, as we know, people may use the same term but mean something entirely different

– as we see with many of the cults in our very own area, these groups use and proclaim the name of Jesus, but the Jesus they talk about is not the same as that described in the Bible – The Bible tells us that Jesus is the second person of the Trinity – God incarnate – the Word -- who was present in the beginning and who was with God and who was God

– these cults use the name Jesus, but the Jesus they talk about is not the same as ours – for most of them, He is not divine but either a created being or the result of a physical union between a father god and a mother god

– so, anytime we have a discussion with anyone, especially in regards to spiritual matters, we need to make sure we’re talking about the same thing so that we don’t get led astray from the truth

-- with that said, what is mercy? – what is the biblical definition and understanding of this word?

 

-- in our Bible studies, we have defined grace and mercy in this way – grace is God giving us what we do not deserve – and mercy is God not giving us what we deserve

-- and while that definition is true, it is not as comprehensive as it could be – nor is mercy singular and separated from the other aspects of God, especially His grace – mercy and grace are always together, for each is a component of the other – so, it’s hard to separate it out and say, “This is mercy” and “This is grace” – for they work together as an avenue of God’s love

-- one of the best definitions of mercy I have seen comes from Compassion International, the ministry that seeks to take care of impoverished children across the world – they define mercy as “compassionate action towards those in need, particularly withholding punishment or vengeance from those who deserve it. It is God's loving compassion and forgiveness, often paired with grace, which provides unmerited favor. Mercy is a divine attribute shown through salvation, kindness, and pity.”

-- so, mercy is an act – it is something we do – it is something that we share with others as we seek to meet their needs, whether we are talking about salvation, the forgiveness of sin, the forgiveness of transgressions, or providing resources they need to survive or improve their lot in life

-- mercy is showing the love of God to others in a real and tangible way

 

-- and believe it or not, acts of mercy have been denounced in our society in recent years – the reason is because mercy is very closely associated with empathy – empathy is when we share in another person’s emotional journey while sympathy is a sincere concern for someone experiencing a difficult situation

-- the key difference is that empathy involves action – it means that you put yourself in the place of another person and you seek to meet their needs – to help them through their situation – whatever the need is – sympathy is hands-off – it is looking at another person in pain or trouble and feeling sorry for them, but not engaging them to the level where you are led to do something for them

-- easy way to understand this is the way we react when someone we know loses a loved one – sympathy leads us to see their pain and grief – we might give them kind words – we might give them a sympathy card – if you’re from the south, you’ll probably bring them something to eat – but that’s it – that’s the extent of our involvement

-- empathy is a deeper response – empathy has no time limit – and you try to invest yourself in the life of the other person, helping them to learn to live this life without their loved one – helping them in the times of overwhelming grief and sorrow by being there and listening or holding them – taking action where you can

-- sympathy says, “I’m sorry” – empathy says, “I’m here with you” – and empathy moves us to merciful actions as we share God’s love with others

 

-- however, some in our society today have invented a term called, “toxic empathy” – meaning that we can go too far in engaging with others and trying to walk a mile in their shoes – that we can go too far in trying to help others through their time of trials and tribulations – to the point where merciful actions become illegal or unwarranted

-- this came up a lot during the issues about immigration over the last couple of years – and without diving into any political position, just to help you understand the issue – some people felt that some individuals and groups were being too empathetic towards illegal immigrants and doing too much to support them or stand up for them – they felt that sympathy would be a better response, where you could feel sorry for the immigrant’s plight, but you would not take direct action to alleviate that situation

-- in response, several of the empathetic individuals and groups defended their actions as religious responses to a crisis and felt this was what their faith demanded – that God’s word commanded empathy and mercy towards all, regardless of legal status in the country

            -- the question of illegal immigration and what to do about it is a very divisive subject in our country – and there are a lot of complexities and legal questions that we are struggling with as a society in this regard – but I wanted you to be aware that the question of empathy and mercy was part of the overall discussion – which brings us to our topic for today

            -- Romans 12:8 affirms that mercy is a spiritual gift – and that there are some people in the church of Christ – in fact, in this congregation, who have been given the gift of mercy

            -- which means that these individuals have been given the supernatural ability to empathize with others and to be merciful to them in a way that most of us don’t have the ability to do – as Christians, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, all of us have a tendency towards empathy and mercy – but not at the same level as those who are gifted in this area by the Holy Spirit

            -- Mr. Rogers famously advised children that when disasters and troubles come, to look for the helpers – the helpers are those with the gift of mercy – they can’t help but be there and they can’t help but inspire others to action, also

            -- the most famous person associated with empathy and mercy has to be the good Samaritan

 

III. The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

            -- there are several stories in the Bible that everyone is familiar with – and that’s true whether they are a Christian or not – the story of the good Samaritan is one of those

            -- we all know it – and we all put ourselves in the place of the good Samaritan when we hear it – no one hears this story and says, “I am the priest” or “I am the Levite” – we always take the place of the hero – even though very few of us actually put into practice what Jesus teaches here

 

           

            -- I read about a study conducted in a seminary one time -- students were learning about the parables -- each week, they had to write a report and present an oral presentation of their thoughts on that particular parable and then answer questions from the professor

-- each student was scheduled to come at a certain time -- if they missed their time, they would receive a zero – on the day they were being tested on their knowledge of the story of the good Samaritan, each student headed for their professor’s office at their scheduled time – and, as each one got close to the professor’s building, they heard the cries of a man in need

-- he was laying on the sidewalk – his clothes were disheveled – his hair was out of place – he looked to have been hurt – there was no indication of what might have happened to him – whether he had gotten robbed or hit by a car or something else – he was just there – a person in need

-- and every student in that seminary class had to have noticed that man – they had to pass right by him – but not a single one of them stopped to help, because they knew if they were late to their appointment with the professor or if they missed it, they would be given a zero – so, they looked at the man with sympathy, but rushed on by

-- what they didn’t know was that this was their real test -- after an in-depth study of the parable of the good Samaritan, the professor wanted to see if the students would apply what they had learned -- none did and all failed the test – because all failed to show mercy to another

 

            -- In this passage, Jesus is being tested, too – we read here that on one occasion, as He was teaching, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus – he asked Jesus how someone inherits eternal life -- and Jesus affirmed that they way to eternal life is by loving the Lord your God all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and to `Love your neighbor as yourself – in verse 28, Jesus tells the expert in the law to do this, and he would live

 

            -- don’t miss what Jesus said to the expert in the law – He affirms that the expert knows exactly what to do – the real question is “have you been doing it?”  -- Jesus called into question whether the expert in the law had actually put into practice that which he had preached

 

            -- look at verse 29

 

Luke 10:29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

 

 

            -- so now the accuser becomes the defendant -- the expert in the law had started this conversation by trying to test Jesus and put Him on the spot, but now he finds himself defending his own righteousness -- so, seeking to justify himself, he responds back to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

            -- more than likely, the expert in the law expects Jesus to respond with the traditional Jewish understanding of the term neighbor -- not only your near kin who lives next door, but the stranger, the poor, the orphaned, and the widows who live among you -- this is who the law said you were to take care of

            -- and when Jesus agreed with him, then the expert in the law could probably say, “Good – I have been doing that”

            -- as Thomas Long points out, the lawyer “had found a place to stand -- [he] depended upon the concepts “love God” and “love neighbor” to remain fixed and stable -- a system of religious justification and tradition – the expert had found an answer in his religion that allowed him to be satisfied with himself and his life

            -- or, to put it another way, the lawyer justified himself because he went to church, read the scriptures, made the required sacrifices, and loved his family and his friends and neighbors -- sound familiar? -- sound like us?

 

            -- but Jesus doesn’t respond the way the expert in the law expected -- instead of affirming what the expert in the law believes to be true, Jesus throws into question the definition of a neighbor by telling him the story of the good Samaritan

 

            -- verse 30

 

Luke 10:30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

 

 

            -- Jesus begins the story by saying, “a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho” -- other translations have this as “a certain man was going down” -- and the inference here is that this man Jesus is talking about in the story is the expert in the Law himself

            -- Jesus is making this personal -- He is saying to the expert in the law, “pretend that one day, you were going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when you fall into the hands of robbers -- they beat you -- they strip you of your clothes -- they leave you for dead and throw you in the ditch -- you need help -- who do you look to for assistance? -- who will be your neighbor when you need help?”

 

            -- and then we read the familiar story – Jesus says that a priest comes by and sees the man, but crosses the road and passes by on the other side -- he is followed by a Levite, who also comes to the same place and sees the man needing help, but does nothing -- finally, a Samaritan comes by and takes pity on the man

-- seeing his need, he has compassion for the man – he shows empathy and mercy – he takes action and gets involved – sterilizing the wounded man’s injuries with oil and wine and putting a bandage on him -- he takes him to an inn, where he sits by him and takes care of him through the night -- the next day, he leaves money behind to ensure the wounded man is taken care of, and promises he will return to check in on his progress and take care of any more needs

 

            -- now it’s important that you know the Jews and Samaritans absolutely hated each other -- “The two groups disagreed about everything that mattered: how to honor God, how to interpret the Scriptures, and where to worship.  They practiced their faith in separate temples, read different versions of the Torah, and avoided social contact with each other whenever possible.” -- Jews would not even cross into the region of Samaria, even if doing so would shorten a trip -- they would have nothing to do with them at all

            -- so, when Jesus introduces the Samaritan as the hero in the story, this would have been shocking to the ears of His Jewish listeners -- they would never consider helping a Samaritan -- and they would never consider having to rely on a Samaritan for help

            -- but Jesus has now painted the picture of the expert in the Law, rejected by the priest and the Levite, now being ministered to by someone he absolutely hated -- think about your worst enemy -- think about that person you just can’t stand -- or that group of people you just can’t be around -- or that person who’s a different color than you -- or a different religion -- or who votes for the wrong political party

            -- now consider yourself in need -- and while the people you thought were your friends and neighbors pass you by -- the only person who comes to your aid is the very person you hated -- that’s the message Jesus is trying to get across

 

            -- verse 36

 

Luke 10:36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

 

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

 

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

            -- once again, Jesus turns the question of the expert in the law back on him -- the lawyer had asked, “And who is my neighbor?” -- now, after telling the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus asks the question back to the lawyer, “Who do you think was a neighbor to this man?”

            -- “The one who had mercy on him”

 

            -- Jesus has stretched the understanding of the expert in the law -- “When you're lying bloody in a ditch, what matters is not whose help you'd prefer -- whose way of practicing Christianity you like best -- whose politics you agree with – whose legal status as a citizen you affirm -- what matters is whether or not anyone will stop to show you mercy before you die.”

            -- Jesus’ whole point is that your neighbor is not defined by relation -- your neighbor is not defined by geographic proximity -- your neighbor is not defined by religion or politics or personal beliefs or citizenship or the color of their skin -- everyone is your neighbor because everyone is in need

            -- “the real answer to the lawyer’s question “who is my neighbor?” is that you have no idea who your neighbor is until you, yourself, know how needy you are, and in that need receive the unexpected grace and mercy of being neighbored by God”

            -- Jesus did not come to be a neighbor only to the righteous -- nor did He come to be a neighbor only to the Jews -- He came to be the neighbor to everyone, and to save everyone who was in that ditch -- He came for all of us – and He tells us to “Go and do likewise”

 

IV.  Closing

            -- like I said, we like the story of the good Samaritan, because we always put ourselves in that role – we like to think that if we were there, we would take care of the injured man just like the Samaritan did – but history and experience say otherwise

            -- all too often, we know the answer that Jesus wants – but we stop short of putting that answer into practice

            -- we define who we will be merciful to and who we won’t – we choose who we will love and who we will not -- we can get so wrapped up in our own holiness and in playing church, we forget the mercy that we have been given and we forget to be merciful to others

            -- and when that happens, our churches become known as places, not of refuge in time of need, but of places where people don't receive what they desperately need – grace and mercy and empathy

            -- when that happens, our country becomes a place where people do not find mercy or empathy, but hatred

            -- this is not the way it should be

 

            -- so, what can we do about it? – what can those who are gifted with mercy do to lead us and inspire us to be better?

-- first, we have to remember – that could be us on the side of the road – that WAS us on the side of the road

-- we must be careful to never forget where we were and who we were when the mercy and grace of Christ touched us and healed us of our sin – we must remember that old saying, “There, but for the grace of God, I go” – and we must let that move us to action – regardless of whether it is politically correct or not

            -- because we have been given so much and forgiven so great a debt, grace and mercy should be part of who we are – it should flow from us to others -- regardless of who they are or what they have done

 

            -- second, we have to admit our failures and our sins -- right or wrong, as the story of the prostitute shows, our churches have become known as places where hypocrites gather -- as places where self-righteous people seek to justify themselves and judge others who come -- as places where following church law is more important than helping hurt people

            -- our churches today are no longer recognized as places to come to receive grace and mercy and empathy

 

            -- when Jesus was here on earth, He constantly drew to Himself those who were hurt, those who were sick, those who had sinned -- they came to Him for a refuge -- for a place where they would not be judged but healed

            -- God's church on earth is called to do no less today -- and, with the grace of God, it can once again serve as a refuge for those who truly need help -- a hospital administering God’s grace in an ungraceful world – God’s mercy in a merciless world

            -- the change must start with you and it must start with me – we must “Go and do likewise”

 

            -- in closing, I would like to read you a quote from Charles Sheldon's book, "In His Steps", which started the "What would Jesus do?" movement

            -- in this book a tramp, a man without a home and without a job has been going from church to church looking for help, and in the last church in town he asks for permission to speak to the congregation.  This is what he says right before he collapses on the altar and must be taken to the hospital:

            "I'm not an ordinary tramp, though I don't know of any teaching of Jesus that makes one kind of tramp less worth saving than another.  Do you?  I was wondering as I sat here tonight, if what you call following Jesus is the same thing as what He taught.  What did you Christians mean by following the steps of Jesus? 

            "I've tramped through this city for three days trying to find a job and in all that time I've not had a word of sympathy or comfort.  What is meant by following Jesus?  What do you mean when you sing "I'll go with Him, with Him, all the way?  Do you mean that you are suffering and denying yourselves and trying to save lost, suffering humanity just as I understand Jesus did?  What do you mean by it?

            "It seems to me there's an awful lot of trouble in the world that somehow wouldn't exist if all the people who sing such songs went and lived them out.  I suppose I don't understand.  But what would Jesus do?"

 

            -- this morning as we consider the words of Jesus in the parable of the good Samaritan -- as we consider the grace and the mercy that we see displayed in this story -- let us consider whether we are truly being examples of His grace and mercy to others or if we are justifying ourselves like the teacher of the law, the priest, and the Levite

            -- are we truly loving the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength and with all our mind' -- and are we truly loving our neighbor as ourselves? 

            -- this is what mercy looks like – and this is what the gift of mercy demands

            -- Let us pray.

SERMON: REMOVING THE VEIL – EASTER MESSAGE

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 27:32-54

 

Matthew 27:32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

 

38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

 

The Death of Jesus

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

 

47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

 

48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

 

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

 

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

 

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

 

            -- on September 30^th, 1999, Japan suffered its most serious nuclear accident up to that date, at the Tokaimura Nuclear Facility – while the tsunami-caused Fukushima accident in 2011 has now surpassed the extent of the damage from the Tokaimura accident, at the time it was Japan’s greatest and most significant nuclear event

            -- the incident spanned approximately 20 hours, and resulted in the death of two workers at the nuclear plant, with the surrounding area exposed to hazardous nuclear radiation from the event

            -- the incident began when three workers at the plant took shortcuts while refueling a nuclear reactor – despite the danger of radiation and the potential for an uncontrollable fission reaction, the three workers entered the room with the radioactive material and began filling the tank faster than authorized and in a manner that negated the safety protocols

            -- instead of slowly precipitating the fuel into the tank, they mixed it in stainless steel buckets and began pouring the fuel into the tank – and even though two of the three technicians reported seeing blue-white flashes of light from within the tank, they kept on with their efforts – only evacuating after the gamma ray alarm went off

            -- but by that time, it was too late – the fuel in the tank reached critical mass, and uncontrolled nuclear fission began occurring, releasing hazardous radiation into the room and through the vents into the surrounding countryside

-- the two workers in the room who were pouring the fuel from the buckets into the tank received serious radiation exposure – they began experiencing pain, nausea, and difficulty breathing – and emergency response crews were called in – all three men were evacuated to a local hospital for treatment, but the two technicians who were in the room with the tank died within a couple of months of the accident

-- the radiation release was contained in the local area, and quickly dissipated, without causing additional contamination

-- the results of the investigation into the cause of the incident confirmed that it resulted from the direct actions of these three men, who ignored safety protocols and entered the presence of hazardous nuclear fuel without recognizing the danger

 

-- there is an old saying that “fools rush in where angels fear to tread” – and while that is certainly true in regards to the nuclear incident in Japan, it is also true for most people when it comes to spiritual matters

-- in our modern age, it seems that we have lost our awe and our reverence for God and the things of God – we no longer have the “fear of the Lord” that the Bible speaks of, but instead have exchanged a healthy respect for God and His power for casual familiarity – a place where we no longer hold sacred the institutions and attributes of our Creator

-- God is no longer regarded as the Lord God Almighty, great and worthy to be praised – but is regarded as a friend who will meet all our wants and desires if we only approach Him in the right way

-- this is the way of idolatry – and we see this attitude in our churches and in our culture and in this current push for Christian nationalism – and I believe this is as real a risk to us today as it was for those three men to rush into the presence of nuclear fuel without considering the danger

-- so, on this Easter morning, I wanted us to spend a moment considering an event in the Easter story that just casually gets mentioned in our modern day – we don’t see the mystery of it – we don’t tend to understand the significance of it in the way the original author and reader of the gospels would have understood it

 

II.  Opening the Veil

            -- we began this morning by reading the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and death from the gospel of Matthew – it is the same story that we see in all the synoptic gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke – the familiar story of Jesus carrying His cross to Golgotha – the place of the skull – where He was crucified between two criminals

            -- they were being put to death for their crimes, while Jesus was being put to death for ours

            -- the crucifixion began about nine in the morning on that first Good Friday – and the gospel writers tell us that from noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over the land – this is the first reference in the gospel story to the presence of God the Father at the crucifixion

 

            -- a few years ago, the southeastern US was within the zone of totality for a solar eclipse – you might remember when this happened – we were not in the area to experience the total darkness and full occlusion of the sun here, so we traveled into South Carolina where we gathered with hundreds others to watch the total eclipse of the sun

            -- and it was an awesome event – it was just as described in the literature – little by little, the sun began to dim – a dark shield started on the right hand side of the sun and eventually covered the entire disk – you could look directly at the sun without fear of damaging your eyes

            -- the area around us gradually grew darker and darker as the eclipse progressed – the birds began to roost – crickets and other insects began to call – and then it was over – the light began to return – and in a less than thirty minutes, all was back to normal

 

            -- scientists say that the duration of a total eclipse typically lasts between 1 and 4 minutes, depending on where you are located on earth – the longest possible duration of a total eclipse is 7 minutes and 29 seconds, predicted to occur on July 16^th, 2186

            -- seven minutes – that is the longest possible duration of a total eclipse – but we read here in verse 45 that from noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over all the land

            -- this was not a natural event – this was not a normal total eclipse – this was a miracle – this was the effect of an awesome and mighty God displaying His presence and His authority over nature and all creation as His Son died on the cross in our place

            -- for three hours, darkness fell on the land – supernatural darkness covered the land – scholars believe this was the period of time when God’s wrath and judgment poured out on Jesus for our sins and the sins of the world

 

            -- look at verse 46

 

Matthew 27:46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

 

– it was at the very end of this three-hour period that Jesus cried out to the Father, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” – as the God-man – as the Son of Man who bore all our sins on the cross before God – Jesus had experienced the full wrath and power of the Lord God Almighty – taking the punishment upon Himself that we so rightly deserve

            -- but we miss that – and we gloss over that – and we read that it grew dark for three hours and think nothing more of it

            -- we need to learn to read the Scriptures in light of God’s power and majesty – and to see His presence – and to learn to fear His presence – as the early Christians did

 

            -- but this is not the main event that I wanted to call your attention to – look down at verse 50

 

Matthew 27:50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

 

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

 

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

 

            -- so, here we read that at the very moment when Jesus cried out again in a loud voice – saying, as John tells us in his gospel, “It is finished” – giving up His spirit and dying in our place – the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom

            -- we’ve all seen that – we’ve all read that – we probably all know what that means – the typical interpretation of this event is that Jesus’ death made it possible for us to enter into the Holy of Holies and the presence of God again

            -- but do we truly understand what that means? – the importance of it? – the implication of it?

            -- to truly understand this and what this means, we have to go all the way back to the Book of Genesis – look with me at Genesis 3:23-24

 

Genesis 3:23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

 

            -- once again, a familiar passage – this takes place after the fall of man – after Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – yes, they were tempted by Satan – by the serpent of old – but Satan didn’t make them do it – they couldn’t use the excuse of Flip Wilson’s Geraldine, “The devil made me do it”

            -- Adam and Eve chose to disobey God – this was their action – this was their willful event – and when they turned away from God and His commands and chose to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil when He had specifically told them not to, they sinned against God – causing sin and death to enter a perfect world

            -- and after the pronouncement of judgment on mankind and on the serpent – and after the promise of a coming Messiah who would crush the head of the serpent – God shed innocent blood to atone for the sins of Adam and Eve – providing for them even in this sinful state

            -- and then we read here in verse 23 and 24 that He banished them from the Garden of Eden and put cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the way back into the garden to the tree of life

            -- but here’s the thing that we miss in this story that affects how we read and understand the story of Jesus’ death on the cross

            - the Garden of Eden was more than just a description of God’s creation – the Garden of Eden was created to be the first temple – you see, a temple is the place the heavens and earth interact – where God and man interact – where man can come into the presence of God

            -- and that is what we saw with the Garden of Eden prior to the fall -- the garden was the place where mankind could come into the presence of a Holy and Mighty God – of the Lord God Almighty – that’s why the Bible tells us that God would visit Adam and Eve in the garden – walking with them in the cool of the day – as the first humans, they were to be His priests – the mediators of His presence with the world – taking care of His creation and bringing others safely into His presence as they multiplied and filled the earth with their descendants

            -- this was the original plan – mankind was to live in the presence of God and to commune with Him in His creation

            -- but sin ended that relationship – Habakkuk 1:13 says that God cannot look upon evil – that God cannot be in the presence of sin – His purity and holiness and righteousness cannot abide with sin

            -- and so, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden – they were banished from the temple – they were banished from the very presence of God

            -- no longer would they be allowed into His presence as they had before – no longer would they walk with Him in the same way as before – because His holiness would prevent them from entering His presence in that same way – and judgment and wrath would destroy them

            -- they could only approach God if their sins had been atoned for – if propitiation had been made for this evil behavior – and this happened through the shedding of innocent blood as an atoning sacrifice

 

            -- in verse 24, we read that God put cherubim with a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life – to prevent Adam and Eve from entering the Garden of Eden – to keep them from entering the temple again – why?

            -- was this to protect God from Adam and Eve? – no – this was to protect Adam and Eve from God – this was an act of grace whereby God created a separation between Himself and His creation who were now filled with sin and death – for if they were to enter His presence in their unclean state, they would surely die

 

            -- remember the story of Uzzah from 2 Samuel 6? – if you remember, King David was trying to bring the Ark of the Covenant – the symbol of the presence of God – from the land of the Philistines into Jerusalem

            -- but David approached the Ark with complacency – he did not recognize the ark as being the very presence of God in his midst – and he tried to carry the ark into Jerusalem in the same manner you would any chest – he put it on a cart and tried to drive it into the city

            -- and when the oxen stumbled and the Ark of the Covenant tipped in the back of the cart, Uzzah reached out and touched it and was immediately struck dead – not because the Ark had any power on its own – but because Uzzah tried to come into the presence of God and to touch God without first atoning for his unrighteousness and sin

            -- and remember what Isaiah said in Isaiah 6 when he was brought into the presence of God in a vision? – Isaiah cried out, “Woe to me! I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!”

            -- to come into the presence of God uninvited and unprepared – to come into the presence of God in our sinful, unclean states – is to invite destruction as God’s holiness interacts with our sinfulness

             -- God is too holy – too righteous – too powerful – too perfect – to come into contact with unclean sinners – we will die if we come before God in this way -- and so, cherubim with swords were placed between the original temple of God – the Garden of Eden -- and mankind -- to protect us

 

-- later, when the tabernacle and the permanent temples were built by the nation of Israel, God directed that this barrier – this protective element of Eden – was recreated – the curtain that we read of in the gospel accounts was a heavy curtain that separated the holy place from the holy of holies – the room where God’s presence dwelt over the Ark of the Covenant – the place where the heavens and God Himself interacted with our world

-- the curtain was not put up to protect the Ark – it was not put up to protect God from the people – but to protect the people from God

-- if anyone entered the Holy of Holies without first preparing themselves and completing elaborate cleansing sacrifices and rituals – if anyone tried to enter into the presence of God without propitiation – they would die

-- so, only the High Priest was authorized to enter the Holy of Holies as the mediator between mankind and God – and he could only do so one day a year – on the Day of Atonement – and only after he completed intensive sacrifice and cleansing to prepare himself to appear before the Lord

-- even then, it was a risk – and high priests were known to die in the Holy of Holies if their hearts were not right or if they entered in a flippant manner – for that reason, they would tie a rope around the foot of the priest before he entered the presence of God, so that if he died in the Holy of Holies, they could pull his body out

-- as Skye Jethani points out, “both the Eden story and the temple’s design were intended to communicate the separation between the heavens and the earth; between sinful humanity and the holy God. Any contact between the two was complicated, dangerous, and mediated with special procedures to ensure one’s safety.

-- “Think of God’s holiness like a nuclear reactor. It is powerful and incredibly dangerous. Therefore, great caution is necessary when approaching it, and only those with the correct training and protection should even attempt to break the barrier between the two realms.”

            -- the curtain that separated the holy place from the holy of holies represented the spiritual barrier that separated man from God because of our sinful nature -- this is the curtain that was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died on the cross of Calvary in our place

 

            -- and the tearing of the curtain means more than just the replacement of the Jewish religion with the Christian religion – this means more than just the setting aside of the requirement to ritually cleanse ourselves by sacrificing innocent animals on the Day of Atonement

            -- when the curtain in the temple – the symbolic barrier between the heavens and the earth – between God and us – was torn from top to bottom at the death of Jesus, this signified that the way back to the garden – blocked since Genesis 3 – was reopened – that through Jesus’ death and atoning sacrifice on the cross, it became possible for God to dwell with His people once again, as He had in Eden

            -- the curtain – in fact, the entire temple structure and system of annual sacrifices – were God’s way to dwell among His sinful people until their sins could be permanently atoned for – which happened during that three hours of darkness on the cross as Jesus suffered and died in our place for our sins

            -- the tearing of the curtain, along with Christ’s proclamation, “It is finished!” was the fulfillment of the ultimate purpose of God -- to live among us and to allow us to live with Him

 

            -- we see its final fulfillment in the Book of Revelation, as we read in Revelation 21 of the new heavens and the new earth coming at the end of the age – there will no longer be a temple – a single place where God interacts with mankind – but the earth will be the temple of God, just as Eden was the original temple

            -- and in Revelation 21:3 we read, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God'” (Revelation 21:3).

 

III.  Closing

            -- so, what does all this mean for us today – on this beautiful Easter morning here in south Georgia?

            -- it means a couple of things:

 

            -- first, this passage should remind us of the holiness and righteousness of God and of His mighty power – we need to remember who God is – and we need to be more reverent and more careful in how we approach God, even on this side of the cross

            -- the God of the Bible is still God today – and to attempt to come into His presence complacently or flippantly should give us pause – for the same God who struck down Uzzah for failing to respect His power and majesty is the same God who struck down Annanias and Saphira for their sin in the early church – and He is the same God who takes serious our relationship with Him

            -- remember who God is – and approach God with the fear of the Lord He demands – approach Him with reverence and awe – and be mindful of the way we handle the things of God and come before Him – in our worship and in our private times with Him

 

            -- second, this passage should renew in us an appreciation of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us – for it makes clear that the barrier between God and us was removed only through the sinless sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary

            -- not everyone has permission to enter into the Holy of Holies, even with a torn curtain – but only those who have been cleansed of their sin and unrighteousness by the washing of the blood of Jesus

            -- we are not the authors of our salvation – for it was Christ and Christ alone – that saved us from our sins and removed the barrier between us and God – it was by grace, through faith, not by works or by anything that we did – that restored our relationship with the Father

            -- Jesus paid the price with His body and blood – and as we read in Hebrews 10:19-22, we can draw near to God with sincere hearts and with the full assurance that faith brings, because Christ has made a way for us to enter the Most Holy Place – the Holy of Holies – the very presence of God the Father Almighty – through a new and living way – His body which was broken for us and His blood which was shed on the cross to atone for our sins

            -- and His resurrection from the dead on the third day proves His victory over sin and death, once and for all, as we stand in righteousness in His name alone

 

            -- and, finally, this passage should reinforce the hope that we have in the return of Christ and the restoration of Eden on earth again – just as we pray in the Lord’s prayer, “Thy Kingdom come – Thy Will be done – on earth as it is in heaven”

            -- as the people of God, washed in the blood of Christ, we stand in anticipation of eternal life with the Father – and look forward to the time when we will dwell with Him on earth forever as His people and with Him as our God

 

            -- this is what the tearing of the curtain at the death of Jesus signifies

 

            -- so, as we close our gathering today on this Easter morning – rejoicing and worshiping the God who paid the price for our sins so that He might live with us again forever – let us praise Him as His people – holy and sanctified in His name – washed through His blood – and saved from our sins forever

            -- to God be all the glory and honor forever and ever -- Amen

            -- let us pray

SERMON: GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT – LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Exodus 18:1-8

 

Exodus18:1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

 

2 After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her 3 and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”; 4 and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

 

5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. 6 Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

 

7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.

 

            -- I’m sure most of us remember the ministry of Dr. Billy Graham and the evangelistic crusades that he used to hold across the country and the world – even as a kid, I remember seeing Dr. Graham come on the television and being amazed at the size of the crowds that would gather to hear him preach – and as I grew older and moved into pastoral ministry, I remain amazed at the impact of his ministry and the multitude of people he reached with the gospel

            -- looking at him, it all looked so easy – it seemed like Dr. Graham would just roll into town, announce he was having a crusade, and then thousands of people would flock into a stadium to hear him preach – but after reading his autobiography, “Just as I Am,” I learned that there was so much more to Dr. Graham’s ministry than that

            -- in his book, he humbly points out that the success of his many crusades and evangelistic outreaches had little to do with him and more to do with those who assisted him in his ministry – while Graham was gifted in teaching and sharing the word of God in a way that touched millions during his life, he never would have been successful without the work of so many others beside him – people that most of us were never aware of

            -- he wrote in his book about the preparation committee that was part of his ministry – they would come to town many months in advance of the crusade dates to start making preparations for the event – they would contact churches and pastors and seek their assistance in getting the word out and in engaging their congregations to pray and to offer resources to support Dr. Graham’s team

            -- they contacted newspapers to advertise the event and rented billboards and took out ads on radio and television to share the word – they rented out a venue and made plans for the parking and the transportation – they arranged to have food and drink available for those who would attend

            -- they ordered Bibles and other materials and had them prepositioned in the stadiums before the crusade – and trained hundreds of volunteers to accomplish a myriad of tasks, from helping park the buses to escorting people into the stadium and helping them find a seat to being trained in evangelism and prayer so they could help meet the needs and pray with those who responded to God’s call through Dr. Graham

            -- in other words, when we turned on the TV and saw Dr. Graham enter a stadium filled with people and begin preaching the word to them, this was the culmination of hours and hours of behind the scenes leadership and coordination and the efforts of many, many people to make it all come together in that moment

            -- while all we saw was Dr. Graham and the results of his message, it was all dependent on the ministry of those who made the preparations for this event over the course of several months

 

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series on the spiritual disciplines and the spiritual gifts – so far in our study of the spiritual gifts, we have discussed speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues and the gift of prophecy, which we agreed was not primarily the prophetic foretelling of the future but the proclamation of God’s word as received by the prophet

            -- today, we are looking at two spiritual gifts that work hand-in-hand to accomplish God’s will and His ministry in the church today – the spiritual gifts of leadership and administration

            -- and I hope you were able to see in the story of Dr. Billy Graham and his crusades how the leadership of Dr. Graham combined with the administrative gifts and talents of many other individuals to have the world-wide impact that we recognize from his ministry

 

            -- before we dive into our study this morning on these two spiritual gifts, I did want to share one other thing with you – as I was looking over my notes and the recent sermons, it occurred to me that I had been using a term without defining it for you – and I never want to have that happen, because I don’t want you to be confused or not understand what we are talking about

            -- as Voltaire said, “If you would converse with me, define your terms” – and I want to make sure that I do that – in our messages over the past few weeks, I have mentioned the term charismatic many times – and we have discussed the fact that we have charismatic churches in our local area

            -- so, what do we mean when we call a church charismatic? -- the word charismatic is derived from the Greek word charism or charisma, which means gift – in context, referring to the spiritual gifts that are listed for us in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12

– a charismatic church is one that places an emphasis on the spiritual gifts, especially the more visible spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy, and healing – they are very closely related to the Pentecostal churches, which emphasize the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which we have talked about before

-- the charismatic movement began as a reformation within established denominations – and you will still find charismatic Christians in many of the mainline denominations – but some charismatic believers founded their own churches, to include Calvary Chapel Church and those associated with the Vineyard movement

-- so, when I refer to a charismatic church or a charismatic movement, that is what I am talking about – a church that emphasizes the ministry of the Spirit through the visible manifestation of the spiritual gifts

-- with that, let’s move on with our discussion about the spiritual gifts of leadership and administration

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Exodus 18:1-27)

            -- look back at Exodus 18:1

 

Exodus18:1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

 

            -- as this passage opens, we find the nation of Israel liberated from their former captivity in Egypt – God had spoken to Moses through the burning bush, and commanded him to lead His people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land – and we all remember the story of how Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh to seek freedom for the Israelites and how God poured out His wrath on Egypt through several different plagues

            -- God miraculously delivered the people from the hands of Pharaoh by parting the Red Sea and allowing the people to pass through on dry land while drowning the pursuing army of Egypt

            -- by the time we get to Exodus 18, the people have been wandering through the desert enroute to the Promised Land – God has begun to pour out His grace on them by providing manna and quail to eat and showing His miraculous power by bringing water out of a rock and by leading this ragtag group of former slaves to defeat the Amalekites

           

            -- skip down to verse 5-13

 

Exodus 18:5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. 6 Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

 

7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.

 

9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.

 

13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening.

 

-- Moses had sent his wife and children home to Midian while his showdown with Pharaoh was going on, presumably to keep them safe – but now the immediate danger is over – and we read that Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of everything that had happened and how God had used Moses, and so he shows up at the Israelites’ camp with Moses’ wife and children in tow

-- because of everything God had done for him and through him – because of the way God had used him to bring the Israelites out of Egypt -- Moses is now recognized by the entire nation of Israel as their leader – and they have been following him through the wilderness as he began leading them to the Promised Land

-- as the leader – as the one whom God had called and empowered to lead the people out of Egypt – the people had naturally been turning to Moses for guidance and direction in their lives – to include having Moses serve as the judge for all the people – and trusting in his wisdom to settle conflicts and disagreements among themselves

-- and every day, Moses would take his seat as judge and leader of the people – and they would come to him with their concerns and their conflicts and expect him to solve them – this went on from morning till night and when the next morning rolled around, it started all over again

-- keep in mind that scholars believe that the nation of Israel at this time had about 600,000 men, not including women and children – all told, there may have been as many as 2 million people in the nation that followed Moses out of Egypt and through the Red Sea on their way to the Promised Land – that’s quite a number of people for Moses to lead all by himself and it was more than Moses could handle

 

-- verse 14-27

 

Exodus 18:14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

 

15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”

 

17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

 

24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.

 

27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.

 

-- when Jethro saw the burden that Moses had accepted as the leader of the people, he realized quite quickly that it was more than Moses could bear – he went to Moses and asked him why he was doing this – why he was wearing himself out by sitting as the judge of all Israel day in and day out

-- he told Moses that what he was doing was not good – the work was too heavy for him and he could not handle it alone – and he gave Moses some great advice that a lot of us need to consider today

-- Jethro reminded Moses of his calling – in verses 19-20, Jethro recognized that God had called Moses to be the people’s representative – to be their leader – to be the one who set the vision and the direction and made sure they made it to the Promised Land

-- and he pointed out to Moses the tasks that went with this calling – he was to teach the people the decrees of God – to share with them God’s commands and God’s instructions – how they were to live and to behave as the chosen people of God – that was Moses’ calling – that was his purpose and ministry

-- to lead the people – to proclaim the word of God to them – and to show them what the Lord God commanded

-- Moses had been doing that, but he had also tried to do everything else – and it resulted in him getting worn out and not accomplishing the main task God had called him to do

-- Jethro went on and recommended to Moses that he share the burden – that he delegate the administrative tasks of hearing and judging conflicts and disagreements – of hearing and meeting the needs of the people – to other men who were gifted in these areas and who could help bear the load

-- he recommended that Moses appoint trustworthy men who knew God and feared God and lived for God themselves, and then appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens – so that all would be able to stand the strain and the needs of the people would be met

-- in other words, Moses was to focus on his leadership duties and engage others to handle the daily administrative burdens of leadership

 

-- this is the same pattern that we saw with the evangelistic crusades of Billy Graham – Dr. Graham was the leader – he was the one who had been called by God and given the vision and the message of the gospel to share with the world – but he couldn’t do it alone

– he couldn’t handle all the administrative tasks and the behind-the-scenes tasks that were required to rent a venue and get support from local church leaders and get the people in the stadium and take care of their needs while they were there

– and so, Graham focused on leading the event and fulfilling the calling he had been given while he delegated the administrative aspects to others who were more gifted in those areas and who could help share the work

 

-- and this is the same pattern that we see with the apostles in the early church – if you would, turn over to Acts 2:42-47

 

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

 

-- so, this is the familiar passage describing the early church and the ministry of the apostles – the apostles were the leaders of the church, empowered by God to preach and to teach and to share the good of Christ with many – they led the people in this new life – building the church and teaching the people how to live out the message of Christ in their daily lives

-- but anytime you have people gather together, it is inevitable that there will be disagreements and concerns that come up – skip over to Acts 6:1-7

 

Acts 6:1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

 

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

 

7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

 

            -- so, we just read in Acts 2 that this new community of Christian believers had begun doing life together under the leadership of the apostles – and as part of this new life together, they shared everything, including meals and resources

            -- we read here in Acts 6 about the sharing of food among the community – and how a dispute broke out between the Hellenistic Jews – those Jews who spoke Greek and lived in Greek communities – and the Hebraic Jews – the Jews who spoke Hebrew and Aramaic and who lived in Jerusalem in Jewish communities – concerning the distribution of the food

            -- the Hellenistic Jews didn’t think their widows and members were getting a fair share – so, they complained to the apostles – and the first conflict appeared in the church – it was obvious that someone needed to step in and make sure everything was being done right and that the food was being shared fairly and equally among all the believers

            -- the apostles could have followed Moses’ example and tried to take care of that themselves – but they wisely realized that this was not their job – this was not their calling – this was not what they were gifted in

            -- they were called to lead the people – to share God’s word – to do His ministry by preaching and teaching – and if they were going to focus on their calling and gifting, then they couldn’t take over the distribution of the food or any of the other administrative tasks that function to keep the church and the community moving

            -- they needed someone else to step up and do this – and so they prayed to God for wisdom and asked that He would reveal seven men who were gifted in the area of administration – men who had the gifts and the talent and the wisdom to fairly distribute the food among all the believers – and that is what happened

            -- seven men were nominated and appointed to take over this part of the ministry – and the apostles focused on their part of the ministry – and look what happened

            -- in verse 7, we read that the Word of God spread and the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly

 

III.  The Gifts of Leadership and Administration

            -- so, what do we learn from this? – some have said that it takes a village to raise a child – I don’t know about that, but I do know this – it takes a community to be the church of God and to fulfill His calling and His ministry in the world today

-- as we have been discussing in this series, God has gifted us with different spiritual gifts and callings so that all the needs of the church might be met – some are called to lead – some are called to proclaim His word – and some are called to be administrators – working behind the scenes so that God’s ministry can be fulfilled

– if we are going to be the church God intends us to be, it will take all of us coming together and exercising our spiritual gifts with one mission and one goal – to further the Kingdom of God as we have been called and gifted

           

            -- this is what we see in the story of Moses and Jethro from Exodus 18 – this is what we see in the story of the apostles and the distribution of the food in Acts 6 – and that is what we saw in the story of Billy Graham’s ministry of evangelistic crusades

            -- the work of God is distributed among His people – with different people fulfilling different roles as they use their spiritual gifts for the common good

 

            -- as I said earlier, I believe the spiritual gifts of leadership and administration were designed to function hand-in-hand – you can’t have one without the other – for Billy Graham or Moses or the Apostles to be successful in their mission, they needed the help of people gifted in administration

            -- the same is true here – so, let’s take a moment to think about these two spiritual gifts and their role in the church today

 

            -- first, let’s consider leadership – who are the leaders and what do leaders do?

            -- a lot of people immediately think that the pastor must be the leader of the church, and in some churches, that is certainly the situation – quite often, the pastor is the individual in the church who has been given the spiritual gift of leadership and is called to lead the people – but this is not always the case

-- The spiritual gift of Leadership is the Spirit-empowered ability to see the big picture – people with the spiritual gift of leadership are the people who are supernaturally empowered to set the direction of a church – to cast the vision for that church’s ministry – and to help guide the church along the path God wants it to go

-- people who have this gift are able to inspire other believers to see God’s vision and to join together to accomplish the work of the Kingdom

-- sometimes that is the pastor – but often, it is someone else – God chooses who He calls to be the leader in a church and who is given this gift from the Holy Spirit, not us – and it is not based on the role or position this person has in the church

-- I know for sure that I have not been given this spiritual gift – I still function in a leadership role in many ways, but the spiritual leader’s ability to see the big picture and discern where God is leading a church into ministry is not something I have

-- and anyone who really knows me, knows that, especially Kim – I am not a big idea guy – I don’t see the big picture – I am not one God has chosen to cast vision and set direction for this community – I have a purpose here – a role to fulfill that is needed in this church – it’s just not the role of a leader

-- I’m a detail guy – I focus on the small details – the steps that need to be taken – I focus on the tasks that need to be done in order to make the vision happen – I see the trees and not the forest – and that is one reason why God has gifted me with the spiritual gifts of teaching and prophecy

-- I can point you to the truth of God’s word – I can teach you His commands and give you His word – I can take you deeper in the word and in your understanding of God and His ways -- but I am not the person who takes the details and turns it into a vision of where God is leading – that is what a leader does -- that’s someone else’s gifting in this church – and we need the leaders to step up and do that if we are to be the church God wants us to be

-- if you have been given the spiritual gift of leadership – if this is what the spiritual gifts survey indicated – then this is your role in the church – you have been gifted by God to see the big picture – to see where He is leading us – and to communicate that vision to us – and it is our job to confirm that vision and step up to put it into motion as we are gifted

-- and that’s where people like the administrators come into play

 

-- administrators are like cruise directors on a cruise ship – when God gives a vision to the church – when He calls us to a specific ministry or leads us into a specific direction – it is the administrators who step in and put things into motion

-- these are the people who are supernaturally gifted to organize a church – to steer people in the right direction – to motivate and to coordinate people to help in these ministries by doing what God has gifted them to do

-- “They understand what makes an organization function, and they have a God-given capacity to plan, structure, and execute tasks in a way that accomplishes ministry goals.” – people with this gift can take a vision from God and turn it into action

-- Those with this gift are able to break large goals into manageable steps – coordinate the people and resources for a project and get them in place on time – they can see obstacles that might come up and develop a plan to get around them – they can see what needs to be done and can chart the path forward

-- these people are the backbone of the church – and while they may not be the ones handing out Bibles or giving food to the homeless or evangelizing in senior centers – they are the ones that make sure those people are where they need to be and that they have what they need to be successful

-- we need administrators in the church to direct the ministry -- Leaders cast the vision and set the direction – Administrators turn vision into reality¹

 

-- I find it interesting that when we took our spiritual gifts survey, we had at least two people in here said they scored high on administration – why would God have the Holy Spirit pour out this particular gift on multiple people in such a small congregation?

            -- I think there’s a couple reasons for that – first, I think it has to do with the structure of our church – as a non-denominational congregation, we do not have the structure and support that congregations associated with denominations have – we do not have a ready-built organization and structure to fall back on

-- and while there are a lot of benefits to this, it can lead to chaos and disorganization if we’re not careful – and that’s where an administrator is greatly needed – somebody who can come in and direct traffic for us – someone who can make sure we stay on track – who can hear the vision from leadership – who can discern where God is leading us – and who can make sure that we are moving forward in a clear and organized manner to accomplish what God wants us to do – I suspect that one of you in here with this gift has been called to this role in the church

-- the other reason for having multiple administrators is so that we have someone who can make sure the business of the church gets done – like I told you early on in this series – I am not an administrator – I don’t do well with planning out what is needed to get things accomplished – that’s why we had a cookout at work one time where all we had was meat and nobody thought about bringing plates and utensils and napkins – we had food, but we needed more

-- in our church, we don’t really have assigned functions or roles – we don’t have committees or boards that govern and take care of particular areas – and because of this, we could easily run into problems in making sure the business of the church gets done

-- that’s where administrators step in -- administrators are those who work behind the scenes to make sure the little things that keep a church going are done – light bills are paid – insurance is paid and kept up to date – tithes and offerings are deposited and recorded – checks go out – the pastor is paid – the roofer is paid – the dumpster shows up when it’s supposed to

-- so, I see a two-fold need for administration in our structure – one for the administration of the church itself – the business of the church – and the other is to come alongside leadership to implement vision and ministerial goals

-- like I said, God has gifted and placed into this church the people that He knows we need working together to be His body in this community – and apparently, He knows we need two administrators to do the work He has called us to do

 

-- so, that’s the role of leaders and administrators in the church – and I can’t stress this enough – we need everyone to fulfill their role and their calling in the church if we are to be who God has called us to be

 

IV.  Closing

            -- I want to close by leaving you with this picture of how leaders and administrators work together to do big things

            -- several years ago, there was an outdoor music event in Washington state -- one man stood alone on a grassy hill at the festival and looked at everyone around him – they were sitting in small groups on blankets, completely separated from each other

– each couple – each group – just sat there listening to the music – some clapped – some nodded their head in rhythm with the songs – but there was no unity – no interaction – no shared community -- it was no different than if they had been in their own living rooms watching the festival on TV

-- so, Collin Wynter decided to be different – he decided to do something – he was tired of watching everyone sit still – and so, he stood up and started dancing, all by himself

-- some people glanced over and saw him dancing alone and looked away -- Some laughed – Collin’s roommate leaned in and warned him people were filming him.

            -- it didn’t matter – Collin didn’t stop

            -- and then one stranger got up and joined him and began to dance alongside him – he motioned to a friend – and then someone else joined – and then another

            -- within minutes, hundreds of people were sprinting from across the field to be part of something that, thirty seconds earlier, had only been one man dancing alone and being laughed at in a field.

            -- Someone filming from higher up the hill said quietly: "See what one man can do. One man can change the world."

            -- I like the sentiment, but I have to disagree – one man had a vision – one man stood up and began dancing – but the movement didn’t begin until someone joined him and called for others to come, too

            -- Derek Sivers, the renown entrepreneur, saw the same video and agreed with me – in a TED talk in 2009, Sivers showed this video clip and said that this is how movements actually begin – not with the first person brave enough to start, but with the first person willing to join them

– that person, I argue, is the administrator that God has called to direct the vision of the leader -- leaders catch the vision and stand up to be noticed – administrators see the vision, and move the rest of the church to join in their specific way – and when that happens, God gets the glory

 

            -- so, today, as we leave this place, I want to encourage you to look for the leader that you see dancing alone to the call of God – and I want you to hear the call of the administrator to join the leader in their vision – as we seek to come together to be the church that God wants us to be

            -- and with that, we will close in prayer – let us pray

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1 “Spiritual Gift of Administration,” The Spiritual Gifts Project, https://spiritualgiftsproject.org/what-are-the-spiritual-gifts/spiritual-gift-of-administration/