VBS 2006 3/5

#1 · August 30, 2006, 10:54 am

Quote from Forum Archives on August 30, 2006, 10:54 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
VBS 2006 3/5
JOB APPLICANT
July 30, 2006

TEXT: Matthew 4:18-22

With both of our children in college, especially as Joe nears the end of his college days, I hear a bit more than normal talk about job fairs and applications and resumes. As parents of college age children can attest, there is all sorts of information about preparing for job seeking handed out during the college application process. Among all that material is information about the qualities that employers typically seek. To be successful, a job applicant should demonstrate some key attributes. Employers tend to look for honesty, integrity, punctuality, responsibility, and other such qualities.

Early in Jesus ministry, he chose some employees. Even though they were not knowingly seeking new jobs, those who became known as the disciples were job applicants on the day that Jesus came by. What kind of men did Jesus select? What kind of job applicants were they? Some answers begin to emerge from Matthew 4:18-22, one of the accounts about Jesus selecting his disciples. [read text]

We might ask why the Son of God needed disciples anyway. Was there anything that he could not do without them? The obvious answer is that Jesus did not need any disciple to accomplish anything he did. In fact, as time went on, we discover that the disciples would have sometimes impeded Jesus ministry had he let them. They squabbled over who should be his favorite. They tried to turn away children brought to Jesus for his blessing. They tried to turn away Gentiles and disabled men and women who sought Jesus. They tried to persuade Jesus not to make that trip to Jerusalem. What did Jesus need with disciples like these anyway?

In order to answer such a question, we need to recognize the purpose of belief and faith. Neither the Father nor the Son needed belief and faith. God knows who He is! He doesnt have to believe in Himself; God is already God. Belief and faith are for Gods human creation. Obviously, that had to be taught to men and women. Certainly that teaching would come first from Jesus, who would be the sacrifice for our sin, but beyond that, God gave that responsibility to His human creation. Jesus needed disciples to learn, to witness, and to testify to his teaching and his deeds. Jesus called his disciples for that purpose.

We have in Matthew 4 the well-known fishers of men passage. We quickly learn that these first four were fishermen. The response of these men called was sudden and abrupt: At once they left their nets and followed him Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. There are those who think that these men were already familiar with Jesus presence and some teachings and were ready to go with him. The account of the calling of disciples in John 1 indicates that Andrew and Simon Peter had already met Jesus and now willingly followed him when he called them from their nets.

From what we know about these men, they were not impoverished; they were busily employed; they were not particularly exceptional. Later on, Jesus called Matthew, a tax collector. In that day, there could hardly have been a more despicable profession to work. Despicable to the Jews, that is. Yet Jesus chose him to be among those who learned directly from the Messiah! Why would he do such a thing?

During the course of their lives together, Jesus job applicants quarreled among themselves. They displayed their petty ambitions from time to time. They were not particularly courageous, even though they could boast about their courage at times. As I said earlier, they even did things that would have impeded Jesus mission had he let them. What kind of help is that? Why didnt Jesus select men who were already educated and familiar with the Scriptures? Why didnt he select some men who occupied positions in government and other offices? Would it not have made sense to have some entry into these areas of peoples lives? Think of the influence and respect that would have been given to him. Why not pick disciples from those walks of life?

I think that it is because churches have so few of those people. Im not categorizing folks and saying that because they have certain jobs, positions, or titles they are excluded from the Kingdom of God. Christianity is a confessional faith where anyone who confesses his or her sins and confesses his or her belief in Jesus is saved. It has nothing to do with job or position or education. What I am doing is observing that most churches are made up primarily of the same type of folk Jesus called to be his disciples. They were plain, ordinary, hard working, average people. Rather descriptive of the make up of most churches I know.

Certainly, these men whom Jesus called to be fishers of men can be cast in other than negative terms, too. Sure, they were human and acted like humans. But they also had some of those characteristics that even job applicants today need to display.

They were enthusiastic men. Enthusiastic enough, at least, to leave nets and other jobs to follow Jesus. Enthusiastic enough to at least declare their intent to follow through thick and thin, and enthusiastic enough to follow through after the power of the Holy Spirit was given to them.

Jesus still seeks enthusiastic followers. I have yet to witness anyone with a firm belief in a product, a team, even a business who is not enthusiastic about it. You can always tell when someone is firmly convinced in a particular product. That person usually shares its benefits with excitement. He or she wants other to enjoy its benefits. There are some products I would gladly provide an endorsement for because I believe that they would benefit others.

Dont I believe that knowing Jesus benefits me and would benefit others? I sure do, and you know it, too. So disciples today need to be as enthusiastic as those disciples with Jesus then. What do I mean by being enthusiastic? Frequently, we tend to think of it as meaning something like being a cheerleader. Rah! Rah! Rah! all the time. Well, there are times when we can express our enthusiasm by cheering. I suspect tomorrow evening will be one of those times as we kick off our VBS Fiesta. But being enthusiastic means other things, too. I remember that one of the demoniacs Jesus healed was enthusiastic enough to follow him anywhere, but Jesus told him to go back to his hometown and be a witness there. What Im trying to say is that being enthusiastic is not just a behavior; it is an attitude to adopt. Just like when he was on his earth, Jesus called and sent different followers to different places to do different things. He still does that today. No matter where or what that may be, we are to allow our belief in Jesus to shine through in our enthusiastic accomplishment of the mission.

They were men of integrity. Well, with the exception of Judas Iscariot. Again, they exhibited their human weaknesses, but they were honest men. They gave themselves to the service of learning from Jesus and following his directions. They sought to be the kind of men Jesus wanted them to be.

Jesus still seeks followers with integrity. Even though we may be marked by many differences - attitude, personality, gender, race, appearance, ability - there is one common element every born again believer shares about his or her conversion. We have made a promise to follow Jesus. We have made a promise to live as Christians. Jesus wants every one of his followers to follow through with those promises. That is integrity. Jesus wants every one of his followers to grow in obedience as he or she learns from Gods Word. In other words, live what we have been taught. That is integrity. Make our actions match our words. That is integrity. Jesus wants his disciples today to be men, women, and children of integrity.

They were reverent men. To be reverent means to show deep respect, love, and awe toward something or someone. For the disciples, the object of their reverence is a someone - Jesus Christ the Lord. To him, they offered their prayers and praise. They stood in wonder at the accomplishment of his miracles, and even performed miracles in the power of his name. They were the light of the world (Matt. 5:14) and the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13). Ordinary, reverent men who accomplished extraordinary things.

Jesus still seeks reverent followers. He wants believers who come to him humbly admitting that we have no power to accomplish the missions he gives us. Instead, we rely on him completely to fill us with his power. In 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul tells us this about Jesus: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. A Greek word used here is kenosis, which means an emptying. Jesus gave up his place in heaven as God in order to enter human history and save mankind. The disciples Jesus called gave up their places in society - fishermen, tax collectors, businessmen, perhaps farmers and shepherds - in order to follow Jesus. Disciples today are likewise called to give up to follow Jesus. At the very least, we are to give up our hold on our worldly ways and allow Jesus Spirit of power and wisdom to fill us instead. His disciples are to enter into prayerful fellowship with him and receive, in turn, his blessings of strength and encouragement. Jesus wants his followers today to be reverent disciples.

The good news about Christian faith is that we dont have to be job applicants who submit our resumes in hopes of getting an interview and, if making it to an interview, hoping to land a job. Salvation is given to everyone who believes. We all land a job. However, it is still good for Christians to have a job applicant attitude. Bring to Jesus enthusiasm, integrity, and reverence. These are all qualities that we can develop irrespective of our position in society, our education, or anything else that differentiates us. Just like that day along the shore in Galilee, Jesus simply wants willing followers. Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

VBS 2006 3/5
JOB APPLICANT
July 30, 2006

TEXT: Matthew 4:18-22

With both of our children in college, especially as Joe nears the end of his college days, I hear a bit more than normal talk about job fairs and applications and resumes. As parents of college age children can attest, there is all sorts of information about preparing for job seeking handed out during the college application process. Among all that material is information about the qualities that employers typically seek. To be successful, a job applicant should demonstrate some key attributes. Employers tend to look for honesty, integrity, punctuality, responsibility, and other such qualities.

Early in Jesus ministry, he chose some employees. Even though they were not knowingly seeking new jobs, those who became known as the disciples were job applicants on the day that Jesus came by. What kind of men did Jesus select? What kind of job applicants were they? Some answers begin to emerge from Matthew 4:18-22, one of the accounts about Jesus selecting his disciples. [read text]

We might ask why the Son of God needed disciples anyway. Was there anything that he could not do without them? The obvious answer is that Jesus did not need any disciple to accomplish anything he did. In fact, as time went on, we discover that the disciples would have sometimes impeded Jesus ministry had he let them. They squabbled over who should be his favorite. They tried to turn away children brought to Jesus for his blessing. They tried to turn away Gentiles and disabled men and women who sought Jesus. They tried to persuade Jesus not to make that trip to Jerusalem. What did Jesus need with disciples like these anyway?

In order to answer such a question, we need to recognize the purpose of belief and faith. Neither the Father nor the Son needed belief and faith. God knows who He is! He doesnt have to believe in Himself; God is already God. Belief and faith are for Gods human creation. Obviously, that had to be taught to men and women. Certainly that teaching would come first from Jesus, who would be the sacrifice for our sin, but beyond that, God gave that responsibility to His human creation. Jesus needed disciples to learn, to witness, and to testify to his teaching and his deeds. Jesus called his disciples for that purpose.

We have in Matthew 4 the well-known fishers of men passage. We quickly learn that these first four were fishermen. The response of these men called was sudden and abrupt: At once they left their nets and followed him Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. There are those who think that these men were already familiar with Jesus presence and some teachings and were ready to go with him. The account of the calling of disciples in John 1 indicates that Andrew and Simon Peter had already met Jesus and now willingly followed him when he called them from their nets.

From what we know about these men, they were not impoverished; they were busily employed; they were not particularly exceptional. Later on, Jesus called Matthew, a tax collector. In that day, there could hardly have been a more despicable profession to work. Despicable to the Jews, that is. Yet Jesus chose him to be among those who learned directly from the Messiah! Why would he do such a thing?

During the course of their lives together, Jesus job applicants quarreled among themselves. They displayed their petty ambitions from time to time. They were not particularly courageous, even though they could boast about their courage at times. As I said earlier, they even did things that would have impeded Jesus mission had he let them. What kind of help is that? Why didnt Jesus select men who were already educated and familiar with the Scriptures? Why didnt he select some men who occupied positions in government and other offices? Would it not have made sense to have some entry into these areas of peoples lives? Think of the influence and respect that would have been given to him. Why not pick disciples from those walks of life?

I think that it is because churches have so few of those people. Im not categorizing folks and saying that because they have certain jobs, positions, or titles they are excluded from the Kingdom of God. Christianity is a confessional faith where anyone who confesses his or her sins and confesses his or her belief in Jesus is saved. It has nothing to do with job or position or education. What I am doing is observing that most churches are made up primarily of the same type of folk Jesus called to be his disciples. They were plain, ordinary, hard working, average people. Rather descriptive of the make up of most churches I know.

Certainly, these men whom Jesus called to be fishers of men can be cast in other than negative terms, too. Sure, they were human and acted like humans. But they also had some of those characteristics that even job applicants today need to display.

They were enthusiastic men. Enthusiastic enough, at least, to leave nets and other jobs to follow Jesus. Enthusiastic enough to at least declare their intent to follow through thick and thin, and enthusiastic enough to follow through after the power of the Holy Spirit was given to them.

Jesus still seeks enthusiastic followers. I have yet to witness anyone with a firm belief in a product, a team, even a business who is not enthusiastic about it. You can always tell when someone is firmly convinced in a particular product. That person usually shares its benefits with excitement. He or she wants other to enjoy its benefits. There are some products I would gladly provide an endorsement for because I believe that they would benefit others.

Dont I believe that knowing Jesus benefits me and would benefit others? I sure do, and you know it, too. So disciples today need to be as enthusiastic as those disciples with Jesus then. What do I mean by being enthusiastic? Frequently, we tend to think of it as meaning something like being a cheerleader. Rah! Rah! Rah! all the time. Well, there are times when we can express our enthusiasm by cheering. I suspect tomorrow evening will be one of those times as we kick off our VBS Fiesta. But being enthusiastic means other things, too. I remember that one of the demoniacs Jesus healed was enthusiastic enough to follow him anywhere, but Jesus told him to go back to his hometown and be a witness there. What Im trying to say is that being enthusiastic is not just a behavior; it is an attitude to adopt. Just like when he was on his earth, Jesus called and sent different followers to different places to do different things. He still does that today. No matter where or what that may be, we are to allow our belief in Jesus to shine through in our enthusiastic accomplishment of the mission.

They were men of integrity. Well, with the exception of Judas Iscariot. Again, they exhibited their human weaknesses, but they were honest men. They gave themselves to the service of learning from Jesus and following his directions. They sought to be the kind of men Jesus wanted them to be.

Jesus still seeks followers with integrity. Even though we may be marked by many differences - attitude, personality, gender, race, appearance, ability - there is one common element every born again believer shares about his or her conversion. We have made a promise to follow Jesus. We have made a promise to live as Christians. Jesus wants every one of his followers to follow through with those promises. That is integrity. Jesus wants every one of his followers to grow in obedience as he or she learns from Gods Word. In other words, live what we have been taught. That is integrity. Make our actions match our words. That is integrity. Jesus wants his disciples today to be men, women, and children of integrity.

They were reverent men. To be reverent means to show deep respect, love, and awe toward something or someone. For the disciples, the object of their reverence is a someone - Jesus Christ the Lord. To him, they offered their prayers and praise. They stood in wonder at the accomplishment of his miracles, and even performed miracles in the power of his name. They were the light of the world (Matt. 5:14) and the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13). Ordinary, reverent men who accomplished extraordinary things.

Jesus still seeks reverent followers. He wants believers who come to him humbly admitting that we have no power to accomplish the missions he gives us. Instead, we rely on him completely to fill us with his power. In 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul tells us this about Jesus: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. A Greek word used here is kenosis, which means an emptying. Jesus gave up his place in heaven as God in order to enter human history and save mankind. The disciples Jesus called gave up their places in society - fishermen, tax collectors, businessmen, perhaps farmers and shepherds - in order to follow Jesus. Disciples today are likewise called to give up to follow Jesus. At the very least, we are to give up our hold on our worldly ways and allow Jesus Spirit of power and wisdom to fill us instead. His disciples are to enter into prayerful fellowship with him and receive, in turn, his blessings of strength and encouragement. Jesus wants his followers today to be reverent disciples.

The good news about Christian faith is that we dont have to be job applicants who submit our resumes in hopes of getting an interview and, if making it to an interview, hoping to land a job. Salvation is given to everyone who believes. We all land a job. However, it is still good for Christians to have a job applicant attitude. Bring to Jesus enthusiasm, integrity, and reverence. These are all qualities that we can develop irrespective of our position in society, our education, or anything else that differentiates us. Just like that day along the shore in Galilee, Jesus simply wants willing followers. Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org