SERMON: THE GOSPEL GOES (ACTS 8:1-40)

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 8:1b-8

 

Acts 8:1b On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

 

4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

 

            -- in 1968, after two decades of oppressive Communist rule under the heavy hand of the Soviet regime, the people of Czechoslovakia longed for freedom – it seemed like opportunity was at hand when Alexander Dubcek was elected as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia – immediately, Dubcek initiated democratic reforms and a period of liberalization, known as the Prague Spring, began

– citizen civil rights and liberties were expanded – partial allowances for political democratization occurred – and the country began to decentralize the economy, making real changes in the ability of citizens to have economic freedom and progress

– restrictions on freedom of the press – on travel – and on free-speech were also loosened -- it appeared that Czechoslovakia was taking the first steps in changing from Communism to a liberal democracy

-- but the Soviet Union could not stand by and watch all of this happening to a country within the Iron Curtain – after negotiations with Dubcek failed to reverse the freedoms that were being instituted, the Soviets invaded to restore Soviet rule and Communist order to the state

-- on August 21, 1968, forces from five of the countries grouped in the Warsaw Pact invaded, and tanks flooded Prague’s streets – the people resisted where they could, but with the streets filled with Soviet soldiers, there was little they could do – and the roads leading west out of Czechoslovakia were filled with hundreds of cars fleeing the invasion

-- but on the road west of Czechoslovakia, there was a little blue Volkswagen Bug heading – not out of Czechoslovakia – but towards it – inside was a little-known Dutch evangelist – Brother Andrew – who had loaded down his car with Bibles and was making his way towards Prague

-- people stopped him and warned him not to go – “Don’t you know what’s going on in our country?” they asked – “Yes,” he said. “And that’s why I’m going” – he made it to the border, and the guards just ushered him in, not believing that anyone was willingly driving into a combat zone

-- Andrew made his way to Prague and located some church members there he knew from previous visits – they looked at him in amazement when they saw him – “Why are you here?” they asked. – “Because of the opportunity.” – “What opportunity? Our streets are filled with Russian soldiers” – “That is your opportunity”

-- “You don’t realize what is happening – because you refused to carry the gospel to your neighbors and those in the country next to you, God has sent them here for you to evangelize”

-- Andrew went out and began passing out Bibles to the Russian soldiers sitting in their tanks, telling them of the good news of Christ – over the course of the next few months, many of the Russians came to become believers – and the Russian army had to keep swapping soldiers out because of this

-- this true story demonstrates a great biblical truth that we are going to examine today – God allows persecution into our lives as a way to mature us in our faith and to spread the gospel message

-- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series through the Book of Acts – last week, we finished the first part of this series – “A New Hope: The Beginning of the Church of Christ on Earth” – as we looked at the coming of the Holy Spirit and the empowerment of believers with a bold message, bold prayers, and bold hearts

-- today, we are starting the next section in our series – Unexpected Gospel Growth – which covers Acts 8 to Acts 12 – so, let’s look now at the start of Acts 8 and see what we can learn from this passage

 

II.  The Beginning of Persecution (Acts 8:1b-8)

            -- Acts 8:1b-3

 

Acts 8:1b On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

 

            -- last week, we ended our study in Acts with the death of Stephen, who is known as the first martyr in the Christian church

            -- Stephen had been arrested and brought to stand before the high priest and the Sanhedrin because he was accused of speaking blasphemy against the Temple and the religious traditions and practices of the Jews

            -- I didn’t point this out last week, but I found it highly interesting that these were the charges against Stephen – he wasn’t accused of blaspheming God – he wasn’t accused of being a heretic or introducing teachings that went against God’s word – the charges against him were that he spoke out about the Temple building and criticized the traditions and rituals that occurred there

            -- this concern by the High Priest and the Sanhedrin demonstrates that they had made an idol of the Temple and of their own rules and commands and practices – that it was more important to them to protect the Temple and their religious practices rather than standing up for God – for Whom the Temple was built in the first place

            -- and after Stephen pointed out in his long summary of God’s interactions with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the people of Israel that the whole point of God’s covenant with Israel – the whole point of the Temple and the religious practices – were to lead people to the Messiah

– he told them that the priests and the Jewish leaders had rejected the prophets and the message of God over and over again – and now, this current High Priest and this very Sanhedrin had rejected the promised Messiah – submitting Jesus to crucifixion at the hands of the Romans – and rejecting the very Word of God in the flesh

-- when they heard this, the members of the Sanhedrin closed their ears and rushed at Stephen and grabbed him up and took him outside the walls of the city, at which point they began to stone him to death

 

-- immediately following the death of Stephen, we read that a great persecution broke out against the church

– the High Priest and the Sanhedrin were so mad – so incensed – at what Stephen said – at his proclamation that Jesus was the Messiah and that the Jewish leaders had rejected Him just as their forefathers had rejected the prophets – that they began hunting down the members of the church of Christ in Jerusalem – which had been growing in number and influence since the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

-- men like Saul -- who we read about in verses 3 and 4—began to go from house to house seeking Christians – dragging them out and putting them in prison because of their belief in Jesus as the Messiah

-- the persecution was so intense, that the church scattered – and we read here in verse 1 that all of them – except for the apostles – fled Jerusalem and were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria

-- this brings up a couple of questions about the apostles – why didn’t the High Priest and the Sanhedrin seek them out and persecute them like they were doing everyone else in the church?

– I think they were left alone by the High Priest and the Sanhedrin because they were scared of them – they had brought Peter and John before them several times and commanded them not to preach or teach in the name of Jesus – and each time, Peter and John boldly stood up in front of them and said, “No – we are going to do what God tells us and not what man tells us” – and I think this defiance to their bullying kept the High Priest and the Sanhedrin from pursuing them further

-- but when the persecution broke out against the church, why didn’t the apostles leave on their own? – I think they knew they were where God wanted them to be – they didn’t have any great fear of the Sanhedrin – and Jerusalem was the center of Jewish worship – if they were to be the leaders of this new movement in Judaism and lead the people to faith in Jesus as the Messiah, then they needed to be in the place where people were coming to worship God

-- also, remember that Jesus had told the apostles that He was going to come back to Jerusalem at the last days to establish His kingdom forever – and the apostles, as the leaders of the church, were going to wait faithfully there in Jerusalem for His return, regardless of the cost

 

-- verse 4

 

Acts 8:4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

 

-- why does God allow persecution against His church? – we see the answer right here – the people who were scattered because of persecution preached the word wherever they went

 

-- do you remember what Jesus said in our foundational verses for this study?

– in Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”

-- and in Matthew 28:18-20, we read, “18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

            -- just like the people in Czechoslovakia, the Christians had not been moving and sharing the gospel as God intended – rather than going forth into all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth, they had been content to just stay in Jerusalem and form a counter-cultural community of faith there

            -- but that wasn’t the mission – that wasn’t the command – that wasn’t the calling from Christ – He told them to stay in Jerusalem until the power of the Holy Spirit came on them, and then they would go forth to carry His word to other regions as His witnesses – making disciples and baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything He had commanded

            -- when we won’t move from our comfort zone – when we won’t get up off the pews and start doing what God has called us to do – God will sometimes make things very uncomfortable for us so that we’ll get up and go and do what He wants us to do

            -- sometimes, this takes the form of persecution – for the Bible and history demonstrate that persecution always leads to growth in the church – both in maturing the saints and in spreading the gospel

            -- notice where the persecuted believers from Jerusalem went as Saul and the others hunted them from house to house – they went to Judea and Samaria – just like Jesus had told them to do

            -- when they wouldn’t go on their own, He made them go by using persecution as a catalyst for their missionary journeys

            -- and, as they went, they were faithful witnesses, and preached the word wherever they were

            -- what about you? – do you preach the word wherever you go? – do you share God’s word with others as you work and go from place to place in your daily lives?

 

            -- verse 5-8

 

Acts 8:5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

 

            -- one of the people who fled out of Jerusalem in response to the persecution was Philip – this was not Philip the Apostle, but Philip the evangelist – this Philip was one of the seven men whom the apostles appointed to help distribute food equally among the widows and the people in need – we read about that in Acts 6:1-7

            -- Philip was originally from Caesarea, a town along the Mediterranean coast of Israel in the region of Judea – now, if you look at a map and draw a straight line between Jerusalem and Caesarea, you’ll see the region of Samaria

            -- the Jews had a love-hate relationship with Samaria – as you probably remember from our study of the parable of the good Samaritan, the Samaritans were a mixed race – part Jew and part Gentile – and the people who lived there were the descendants of those that the Assyrians had brought back into the land after the northern ten tribes of Israel were exiled

            -- the Jews hated them because they were not pure Jews and because their religion was as mixed up as their genealogy and genetics – good Jews did not go into Samaria, and would go around Samaria just to keep from polluting themselves – we see that come into play in the parable of the good Samaritan and in Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4

            -- we read here in these verses that Philip went down to a city in Samaria as he fled Jerusalem, preaching the coming of the Messiah to the people there – and Philip was not alone, for many of the Christians also fled into Samaria – which makes sense in the face of the persecution – because the Jews who were hunting them would avoid going into Samaria to chase them down – and so, Samaria became a safe place for them to stay

            -- so, it seems like Philip is there partially because of safety – it’s a way to hide from the Jews who are hunting down the church – but Philip is mostly there because it’s where God wanted him to be

            -- Jesus said that good news was going to be preached – not only in Judea – but also in Samaria – and I bet that none of the Jewish Christians wanted to go there – so, God moved them out of their comfort zone by allowing the persecution to come against them – and He led them right into the place where He wanted them to be – Samaria

            -- Philip was a godly man – and Philip was a faithful witness – and we see Philip preaching to the people of Samaria about Jesus – the Spirit was with him – and as Philip testified about Jesus and preached the good news of salvation and the forgiveness of sins through Christ – the Holy Spirit moved in him and through him with great signs and wonders

            -- demons fled at the word of God – impure spirits came out of many – and lots of people in that place were healed under the power of the Spirit made manifest through Philip

            -- so there was great joy in the city because salvation had come to them because of the persecution that the church faced in Jerusalem

            -- God sometimes allows persecution and hardships and trials into our lives to grow us as Christians – to mature us in our faith – and to lead us to the place where He wants us to be

            -- so, as the people were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, the word of God went with them – and people’s lives were changed forever

 

III.  The Gospel Goes Further (Acts 8:26-40)

            -- skip down to verse 26-29

 

Acts 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

            -- after allowing persecution to come against the church, leading the Christians to scatter and spread the gospel as they went, God continued to lead the church to spread His word to others outside the city of Jerusalem

            -- Philip had enjoyed great evangelistic success in a town in Samaria, but God did not want Philip to settle down there and stay – His word needed to be shared with others, so He spoke to Philip through an angel and told him to go south to the desert road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza

            -- Philip has been moving and operating based on faith since he fled the persecution in Jerusalem – and when God’s word came to him to go to this desert road – with no more instruction than that – Philip went

            -- what do we do when God tells us to move or to do something? – this entire year, we have been focused on hearing and doing the work of God through His Holy Spirit – on being attuned to His voice and moving when He speaks

            -- if we hear Him tell us to do something – if we hear the word, “Go” – our response should be like that of Philip – to just get up and go – not to wait for more instructions – not to wait for more information – but simply to get up in faith and go, trusting that what God is wanting will be made clear in the future

 

            -- when Philip started down the desert road with no direction or guidance about what he was to do, he happened to meet an Ethiopian eunuch who served in the court of the queen of the Ethiopians – the Spirit spoke to him and told him to go to that chariot and stay near it – and Philip did what the Lord said to do

            -- as we seek to do what God calls us to do – as we seek to discern His will and His direction in our lives and in this church – we must pay attention to those who we meet along the way – for it could be those people have been put in our path or brought into our lives for a specific purpose – it could be God put these people before us so that we might share the good news of Christ with them and lead them into a saving relationship with Him

            -- that is exactly what Philip does here

 

            -- verse 30-35

 

Acts 8:30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

 

31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

 

32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

 

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

    and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,

    so he did not open his mouth.

33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.

    Who can speak of his descendants?

    For his life was taken from the earth.”

 

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

 

            -- even though we live in an age where there is more access to the Bible and biblical material than ever before, that doesn’t mean that people have a greater understanding of Scripture

            -- 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

            -- Romans 10:14-16 says, “14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”

 

            -- the natural man – those who do not know the Lord – cannot understand spiritual things – the Bible tells us that their eyes have been blinded by Satan – and even though they may hear the word – even though they may read the word – the meaning is kept from them until it is revealed by the Spirit

            -- that is why the passage from Romans says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” – for it is through us – the church – that the Spirit speaks to those who are seeking

            -- it is through us that the world comes to hear and understand the truth of the gospel, as the Spirit moves their hearts and opens their ears to hear and understand

 

            -- that is what we are seeing here with Philip and the Ethiopian – the Ethiopian had a passing knowledge of the religion of the Jews – he had gone up to Jerusalem to worship in the temple – but he did not meet God in that place

            -- rather, he met God as the Spirit led Philip down a desert road and moved Philip to share the good news of Jesus with him – and the Spirit opened the ears of the eunuch and he was able to hear and understand the truth of God’s word and how the passage from Isaiah spoke of Jesus and His atoning death for all mankind

 

            -- when God leads us to someone in a divine appointment such as this, He will give us the spiritual insights and the words to speak to the other person – all we have to do is be faithful to what God is calling us to do – to trust in Him and the Spirit to speak through us, even if we aren’t sure of our ability to speak – and then to share our testimony and give witness to the truth of Jesus and His saving grace in our lives

            -- every day we should witness to others – if not with words, then with our lives – for people are watching to see what you do as much as they are to hear what you say

            -- speak truth and trust in the Spirit to use you as He did Philip here

 

            -- verse 36-40

 

Acts 8:36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37 Some manuscripts include here Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

 

            -- as the Ethiopian heard and received the good news of Jesus, his heart was transformed and he desired to put his faith and trust in Jesus – in the Great Commission from Matthew 28, we are told to baptize those who we disciple – to baptize them means to bring them into the community of faith – baptism is a sign of their repentance from sins, their death to self, and their new birth in Christ into the Kingdom of Heaven

            -- hearing the good news, the Ethiopian wanted to fully immerse himself in his new faith – seeing water alongside the chariot, he ordered the chariot to stop and Philip baptized him – raising the Ethiopian eunuch from the water a new brother in faith and the newest member of the church

            -- beyond just the immediate personal salvation of the Ethiopian, this divine encounter with Philip served to further the spread of the gospel – as a member of Candice’s court in Ethiopia, the eunuch returned, rejoicing in his newly found faith in Jesus – and carried with him the word of God and the testimony of his faith

            -- we know this to be true because Irenaeus, an early church father, recorded in his writings that the eunuch was the first missionary to the Ethiopian people – and the historical record confirms that Ethiopia was one of the first areas outside the Holy Land that was reached with the gospel message – and Ethiopia has continued to be a major Christian country ever since the time of the apostles

– in fact, there are many who believe that the Ark of the Covenant was smuggled out of Israel and taken to the Ethiopian churches for safekeeping before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD

 

            -- when Philip had fulfilled his purpose with the Ethiopian eunuch, the Spirit took him away in some miraculous movement – Philip found himself in Azotus, a town along the Gaza Strip near the Mediterranean Sea – Azotus is called Ashdod in the Old Testament, and it was a major town of the Philistines during their battles with Israel back then

            -- as I said, Philip was from Caesarea, which was about 60 miles north of Azotus along the coast – so Philip left Azotus and continued on his way home – preaching and teaching in all the towns he passed through – sharing the good news with all – until he finally reached his home

 

IV.  Closing

            -- the Book of James is well known for it’s opening passage, where we read in James 1:2-4 that we should consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds because we know that the testing of our faith produces perseverance – and that perseverance is given so that we might become mature and complete, not lacking in anything

            -- this is a hard passage for a lot of people, because none of us welcome trials and troubles in our lives – none of us wake up and pray, “Let persecution and trouble come”

            -- but as James points out here, trials and troubles of many kinds do come – but that doesn’t mean we have been forgotten by God – God allows these times into our lives to help us grow in grace and become mature and complete Christians – and He allows these times of persecution to come against the church to compel us to share the good news with others

 

            -- I opened this message with the story of Brother Andrew smuggling Bibles into Czechoslovakia during the Russian invasion of 1968 – this was not the only place he carried Bibles to during the height of the Soviet Union – he was constantly carrying Bibles in and trying to find Christians in those places to share the word with – he did the same thing in communist China

            -- but we had no idea whether he was making a difference or if this was just a drop of water in a land thirsting for the word of God

            -- when the Soviet Union broke up after Gorbachav, the opportunity for western missionaries and evangelists to enter the former Soviet Union with Bibles and with the word of God through their witness and testimony was made possible

            -- many missionaries went into that land where religion had been outlawed and Christians had been persecuted for decades – and no one knew what they would find

            -- Brother Andrew had successfully found pockets of Christians here and there – but we did not know if there were Christians in any number or not or just these small groups of believers scattered across the countries

 

            -- everyone was surprised to find a thriving and unified church in the remains of the Soviet Union and in China and in all the lands where Christianity had been persecuted

            -- the persecution and the trials and troubles the Christians had faced in these regions from the very beginning of Communism and Islam had not crushed the church – it had caused the church to grow – in numbers and in maturity

            -- the first missionaries into the former Soviet bloc found a strong church standing in these places, finally able to come out from their underground locations where they had met for decades – and even though they may not have had physical copies of the Bible or other religious materials – their faith was strong and their knowledge of the word of God was impressive

            -- this proves the truth of what the Bible and history have always taught -- persecution always causes the church to grow and to go and to do what God wants it to do

 

            -- do you know where the fastest growing church in the world is right now? – the church that is growing more in numbers and seeing more people come to Christ than any other? – Iran

            -- the persecution by the Iranian government has failed to crush Christianity, and more people are becoming Christians over there every day than any other country in the world

 

            -- so, what is our take-home message from today? – what is it that we should glean from the Scriptures today?

            -- I think there’s several lessons for us to take to heart

 

– first, God doesn’t want us to be passive – He didn’t call us to just come to church and sit here – He called us to go and make disciples and carry His word to the ends of the earth

 

-- second, if we are not doing what God has called us to do – if we are not using our spiritual gifts for the good of others as His word says – then God will allow troubles and tribulations into our lives to compel us to get up and go and do what He has commanded – just like He did with the church in Jerusalem

 

-- third, God will put the people in our paths that He wants us to minister to and share the gospel with – this is true for both us as individual Christians and as a community of faith in this place – whenever someone new crosses our path, we need to pray and ask God if this is someone He has placed there for us to share the gospel with – and we need to speak as the Spirit leads

-- look for these divine appointments – look for the people who need a touch from God – and minister to them as God leads you

 

-- finally, when I used to do a lot of one-on-one discipleship with people, there were three questions we asked of every disciple – first, are you saved? – second, what are you saved from? – and third, what are you saved for?

-- these are questions that all of us need to answer daily – especially that last one – what are we saved for – and are we doing that? – are we being obedient to the commands of Christ – and are we witnessing to others in His name through the power of the Spirit within us?

 

-- as I close now in prayer, I want us to take a moment to consider where we are in our walk with Christ

– if we are too comfortable, let us pray that God may shake us out of our comfort zone so that He might move through us

– if we are going through trials and troubles, let us pray to God for wisdom and insight that we might know how He is moving us and growing us during this time

– whatever it is that you need to do with God’s word, do it now as we close in prayer and end this service

 

SERMON: WEEDS OR FLOWERS?

16 June 2013

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 9:35-38

Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV)

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

            -- for the past couple of weeks, you might have heard Kim making fun of me about her lawnmower -- you see, we don't have a lawnmower at home -- haven't had one in years -- so I borrowed her lawnmower from work -- now Kim will tell you the reason we don't have one in the first place is because we don't have any grass, although I have pointed out to her I need her lawnmower every year or two to just cut back the bushes and mulch up the leaves

            -- but the real reason I don't own a lawnmower is that I just don't like to mow the grass -- well, that's not totally true -- it's not that I really dislike it -- it's that I just don't like the time it takes

            -- it's like getting my haircut -- I know it's something that I need to do from time to time, but I just hate stopping what I'm doing and taking time out of my day to get it done -- I just feel like there's more important things I could be doing
            -- but everyone doesn't share my thoughts on this -- when we lived in Tennessee, those folks up there were serious about their yard work -- they were constantly out on their riding mowers, mowing the grass -- at least once a week -- usually on Saturday morning -- it seemed like everyone in town would get out and mow their grass
            -- well, I didn't follow their pattern -- for one thing, I didn't think grass needed to be mowed that often -- and, for another, I just didn't want to do it -- and so I just kept putting off mowing the grass from week to week
            -- now our house in Tennessee was built on the side of a hill -- and we had a deck that came off the back of the house that actually was about 20 feet up above the back yard -- and one day I got up early on a Saturday morning and walked out there just to take a look around and I saw the most beautiful thing in the world -- my back yard was literally covered in yellow dandelion flowers -- they were beautiful -- the dew was glistening on them and with the rising sun, the back yard just looked like it glowed -- it just radiated beauty
            -- and I stood there and I thought to myself, "See, this is why we shouldn't mow our yards -- if everyone didn't mow their yards so  much, every back yard in our town could be filled with flowers"
            -- after a little while, I went back in the house and, sure enough, it wasn't long until I heard the sound of lawnmowers cranking up outside the house -- I was watching TV or something and I got to listening and I thought, "You know, that lawnmower sure is loud this morning -- it sounds like it's real close to the house"
            -- and so I walked back out on my deck -- and you know what I saw? -- my neighbor was cutting my grass -- all of those beautiful flowers were being chopped down -- he didn't even ask -- he just went out and started cutting my grass in my backyard
            -- so I flew the stairs and stopped him and asked him what he was doing -- he said, "I'm cutting your yard since you obviously won't do it -- you can't just have weeds growing up in your backyard -- did you know that your yard was full of dandelions? -- do you know what they would do to our yards if you didn't cut them down?"
            -- I just stood there, dumbfounded -- where I saw flowers, he saw weeds -- but, since public opinion was against me, I joined with him and grabbed my mower and helped him finish my yard

            -- isn't it amazing how people can look at the same thing and see something entirely different? -- I've always been fascinated by that -- when me and Kim go out on a drive somewhere, she's calling out every dog that we see and I'm pointing out every bird -- she never sees the birds and I never see the dogs

            -- we are traveling on the same road -- looking at the same thing out our windows -- but seeing something entirely different
            -- that's what this passage in Matthew is all about -- nestled in between a series of stories about the conflicts between Jesus and the Pharisees and the sending out of the twelve disciples is this little nugget of wisdom -- just four verses, but four verses that really portray what Jesus was all about
            -- so, if you would, let's spend a few moments thinking about this passage this morning and let's see if we can learn anything new about weeds and flowers

II.  Scripture Lesson

            -- before we turn back to the scriptures again, let me flesh out the context for you a little better -- in Matthew Chapters 8 and 9, Jesus is doing a lot of miracles -- these are the chapters where we read of Jesus healing the lepers -- calming the storm -- casting the demons into the herd of pigs at Gadarenes
            -- this is where we read of Jesus healing the paralyzed man who was dropped through the roof into the meeting hall -- of Jesus healing the woman with the issue of blood -- and raising a little girl from the dead
            -- but, at the end of each of those accounts, we see conflicts start to rise between Jesus and the Pharisees -- they watch what He's doing, and they start to murmur and grumble to themselves and to Him
            -- when Jesus told the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven and to rise and take his mat and go home, the Pharisees accused Jesus of blasphemy -- when He healed the blind and the mute, they claimed Jesus was healing through the power of the prince of demons -- and they questioned Jesus and His disciples on their religious practices -- why they weren't acting and behaving like the Pharisees thought they should
            -- and then, right before Jesus sends out His disciples to minister in His name in the countryside, we find these four verses -- let's look at them again in a little more detail

            -- look back at verse 35

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

            -- now, why is that in there? -- why did Matthew choose to include that sentence in his gospel? -- isn't it really obvious? -- isn't it a little redundant? -- can't we just read Chapters 8 and 9 and see for ourselves that this is what Jesus did? -- why put that in there again?

            -- maybe it's because what Jesus was doing was something different -- something out of the ordinary -- something that made Him stand out from the other religious people in His day

            -- notice that Matthew says that Jesus went through ALL the towns and villages -- now that was something different

            -- the Jews didn't have missionaries in Jesus' day -- they didn't have people going around from town to town or from village to village evangelizing and spreading the word -- they didn't have tent revivals with guest preachers -- that's simply not the way Jewish worship worked
            -- the people knew where to go to worship -- they knew they were supposed to go to the temple to make their sacrifices and to attend synagogue every Sabbath to attend to the public reading and interpretation of God's word -- the religious people knew that they were the only game in town -- "if these people want to see God, then they're going to have to come to us" -- and so the Rabbis and the Pharisees hung out at the temple and the synagogue and waited for the people to come
            -- but not Jesus -- Matthew says that He went to ALL the towns and villages -- every single one -- He didn't miss a single town or village, but He went to every one of them and He taught in their synagogues -- He preached the good news -- and He healed EVERY disease and sickness
            -- it's almost like Jesus saw a need in every town and village that wasn't being met by the churches and the religious people who lived there

            -- verse 36

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

             -- isn't that curious? -- when Jesus looked out on the crowds, He saw something entirely different than the rest of the people with Him -- where the Pharisees saw weeds, Jesus saw flowers

            -- we saw a good example of that a few years ago -- do you remember the story of Susan Boyle from Britain's talent show, "Britain's Got Talent?" -- her story has been played on Fox News and CNN and it's gone around the world on You Tube and by e-mail millions of times
            -- Susan was a contestant on the show back in 2009 -- she shows up to sing before the crowd and she doesn't look like a singer -- honestly, the only way I can describe her is "frumpy" -- she was only 47 years old, but she looked 20 years older -- she was very matronly -- her hair was unkempt -- her dress nothing to speak of -- very unattractive -- nothing appealing about her at all
            -- when Simon Cowell asked her what her talent was and why she was there, she said that she was going to sing and wanted to be a professional singer -- the people in the audience chuckled -- Simon rolled his eyes -- everyone knew that this was going to be horrible -- there's no way that this person was going to have any value at all
            -- we've all seen these shows -- you know, just like I do, that a lot of times they put people on that are simply horrendous -- just to let them make a fool of themselves and to give us something to laugh at -- and it was obvious that Susan Boyle was going to be one of those -- honestly, in the garden of life, she was a weed -- and everyone knew it
            -- but then she started to sing -- and as the first notes of "Cry Me a River" came out, the audience quieted and then erupted in admiration -- her voice was like that of an angel -- and as the people listened to her audition, we watched as a weed became a flower on the spot
            -- now there's a couple things about Susan's performance and our reaction to it that are interesting -- first, it took her amazing voice lifted in song before we realized that this frumpy, matronly woman standing before us was actually someone of value -- before we realized that she wasn't really a weed but a glorious flower after all
            -- but, secondly, that's not why the clip of her audition has been viewed over 100 million times on You Tube -- that's not why this clip has made the rounds on the national news or is being forwarded over and over again on e-mail -- it's because we all want to be Susan Boyle
            -- in our heart of hearts, we are all searching for validation -- we all just want someone to look at us and say, "You're not a weed -- you're a flower"

            -- a few months ago I passed out copies of a book by Donald Miller, "Searching for God Knows What" -- I don't know if any of you actually read it or not, but I knew when I gave it to you that it was going to be challenging to a lot of you -- it's not your normal Christian fare -- you typically don't find Christian books with chapter titles like "Santa Takes a Leak" -- but, if you did wade into the book and make it past the first couple of chapters, Miller makes some profound points in there about life and about weeds and about flowers

            -- he talks in there about the fact that Jesus liked everybody -- Jesus didn't discriminate -- Jesus wasn't prejudiced -- He looked at the people in the Bible -- He looked out at the crowds -- and He saw them for more than what they were -- where the world saw weeds, Jesus saw flowers -- where the world saw no value at all, Jesus brought value

            -- Miller sums this up quite nicely with this quote -- listen to this -- "I kept wondering about the people who met Christ who were losers in the lifeboat -- the crippled and the blind -- the woman at the well -- Mary Magdalene and Zaccheus -- Entire communities had shunned them and told them they were no good -- but God, the King of the universe, comes walking down the street and looks them in their eyes -- holds their hands -- embraces them -- eats at their tables, in their homes, for all the town to see -- That must have been the greatest moment of their lives...to have somebody [especially Jesus] look you in the eye and say you are worth something"

            -- look back at verse 36

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

-- Jesus saw the crowds and saw something different -- He saw their bruised spirits -- He saw their wounded hearts -- He saw their needs and their longing for value -- He saw that they were harassed and helpless and hopeless -- and He took compassion on them

            -- a lot of times, we misuse that word "compassion" -- we use it interchangeably with "empathy" -- but they're not the same
            -- empathy is the capacity to share feelings -- to understand another's emotions and feelings -- to sympathize with them and to share in their hurt and their pain
            -- but compassion is a desire to act in response to a person's pain -- it is a human emotion that drives us to reach out and to do something for someone else who is hurting -- if you have true compassion for someone else, then you not only understand the pain and the hurt another person is feeling, but you actively work to remove that pain and to help that person as much as you can

            -- Jesus looked at the crowds and knew they were weeds -- He knew that was how the world saw them -- He knew that was how they saw themselves -- and He had compassion on them -- He wanted to help them -- He wanted to validate them -- let them know that they weren't weeds, after all -- He wanted to tell them that they were o.k. -- that God not only loved them, but that He liked them -- He liked who they were and He really liked who they could be once they received the love that He had for them

            -- Mark Lowery once talked about how difficult it was for him as a kid with ADHD in school -- none of the teachers wanted anything to do with him -- they shuffled him from class to class because he was a disruption -- but one teacher took time with him, and when it was obvious Mark needed a break from sitting still in his desk, this teacher would take him outside

            -- Mark said she told him something one day that changed his life -- she said, "Mark, I want you to know that Jesus and I both love you and like you for who you are" -- and Mark says that really affected him -- he knew Jesus loved him -- Jesus loved everybody -- but to hear that Jesus liked him, now that was something different -- that meant Jesus didn't mind him -- that meant Jesus wanted to be around him -- that meant Jesus thought he was someone of value

            -- that's why Jesus went to EVERY town and village to heal the sick and to teach in their synagogues -- Jesus went to preach the good news that God was here and that, not only did God love them, but God liked them

            -- where others looked out and saw a field of weeds -- where others said, "It's not worth our time -- they're not worth our time -- why go out and speak to them about God?" -- where others said, "they are nothing but sinners and tax collectors -- why bother?" -- where others said, "Someone needs to do something about all those weeds," -- Jesus said, "Look at the flowers God has created"

            -- verse 37

37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

            -- I don't know if Jesus had any regrets or not about His time here on earth, but I think He probably did -- if I had to guess -- based on the Scriptures -- I would say that Jesus probably got frustrated a lot -- you see, Jesus looked out on the crowds and saw flowers ready to be gathered -- He saw people who needed a word -- a touch -- an encouraging thought -- a healing of body, mind, and spirit -- and even though Jesus went to every town and village -- He couldn't get to everybody

            -- never forget, Jesus was a man -- as the incarnate deity -- as God clothed in flesh, Jesus was limited in what He could do -- as a man, Jesus couldn't be everywhere at the same time -- He couldn't do everything -- touch everybody -- heal every heart -- He couldn't meet every need
            -- oh, He tried -- He about wore Himself out trying to touch hearts and change lives -- the Scriptures tell us that He would come into a town or a village and be surrounded by people needing Him -- and that He would heal them and talk with them and love them until early in the morning -- until all had been seen -- He'd reach the point where He would have to go away to the mountains or to a garden to rest and be recharged and reenergized before He could start again
            -- and I think it probably frustrated Him -- I think that's the point of this passage -- I think that's why Chapter 10 opens with the sending forth of the 12 apostles to minister -- I think that's why Jesus says here that the "harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few"
            -- Jesus looked out on the crowds and saw them for what they really were -- He saw flowers that needed gathering -- and He knew that He couldn't do it alone
            -- that's why He had the apostles -- that's why He has us -- Jesus needs workers to go into the fields and minister to flowers who think they are weeds

            -- notice verse 38 -- Jesus doesn't tell the disciples to just go on out into the field and get started -- but to pray and ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His field

            -- why is that? -- why would He direct the disciples to pray rather than to go? -- well, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense

            -- you see, when we look at the field with our human eyes, we see weeds -- when we see others -- when we meet others -- immediately, we judge them -- we place a value on them based on something that we deem of worth -- their looks -- their intelligence -- their wealth -- their fame -- their job -- their position -- their talent -- something

            -- and, if they are equal to us or better, then they have value -- they're a flower
            -- but, if they don't meet our standards -- if we don't deem them attractive enough -- or smart enough -- or wealthy enough -- if they don't have talent or fame or an important job -- if they live under a bridge -- then immediately we dismiss them -- they're nothing more than a weed
            -- and don't try to say that you don't do this -- you do -- and I do -- and so does everybody else -- everybody, that is, but Jesus

            -- and that's why He says to pray to the Lord of the harvest first -- so that we will see with God's eyes rather than our own -- so we will hear with God's ears rather than our own -- so we will love with God's heart rather than our own

            -- Jesus says to pray to God first so that we can see the flowers instead of the weeds -- and then He bids us to "Go," and to be His hands and feet and to share His message and His love with the world

III.  Closing

            -- since 1940s, the Ad Council has been the leading producer of public service announcements here in America -- they have produced thousands of ads -- but the "Don't Almost Give" campaign was probably the most powerful ads they ever produced
            -- one ad shows a man with crutches struggling to go up a flight of concrete stairs -- the narrator says, "This is a man who almost learned to walk at a rehab center that almost got built by people who almost gave money" -- after a brief pause, the announcer continues -- "Almost gave -- how good is almost giving? -- about as good as almost walking."
            -- another ad shows a homeless man curled up in a ball on a pile of rags -- one ratty bed sheet shields him from the cold -- the narrator says, "This is Jack Thomas -- today, someone almost brought Jack something to eat -- someone almost brought him to a shelter -- and someone else almost brought him a warm blanket -- after a brief pause, the narrator concluded, "And Jack Thomas? -- Well, he almost made it through the night"
            -- another ad shows an older woman sitting alone in a room, staring out a window -- the narrator  says, "This is Sarah Watkins -- a lot of people almost helped her -- one almost cooked for her -- another almost drove her to the doctor -- still another almost dropped by to say hello -- they almost helped -- they almost gave of themselves -- but almost giving is the same as not giving at all"
            -- each ad ends with this simple, direct message -- "Don't almost give -- Give"

            -- Jesus would have put it a little differently -- He would have said, "You see that person over there you think is a weed? -- that man who can't walk -- that homeless man who needs a meal -- that older woman who needs a friend

            -- they're not weeds -- they're flowers -- they are beautiful and valuable in My eyes -- now go and tell them that and give them My love"

            -- our challenge this morning is to see with new eyes -- to see with eyes of faith -- to look out on the crowds -- on the sick and the homeless and the lonely -- on the Susan Boyles of this world -- and to love them with the love of Christ -- to tell them that they're not weeds but that they're flowers, and that God not only loves them, but He likes them, too -- to tell them that they are wanted -- that they are needed -- that they are welcome in God's house with God's people -- and if they won't come to us, then we must go to them

            -- what flowers have you overlooked this week? -- what flowers have you cut down because you thought they were weeds?

            -- as we close, I want to invite you to ask God to give you His eyes this week -- to give you His heart this week -- so that you can see the shining splendor in the grass -- the flowers of God's kingdom -- and I want you to talk to them about the God who loves them just as they are

            -- let's pray