Perry’s Scope: Christian sermons, lessons, and resources for teachers

In the next few weeks we will be in the process of selecting additional Elders – we know the importance of the task; and the seriousness

Exodus 18.12-23

Jethro – “What are you doing?” “This is not good.”

I.       The Burden on Leadership

[Number of People at SY – Members + Children + Regular Visitors = 885

A.     Primary Role to Equip Members for Ministry – Ephesians 4.11-13

Training/Caring For/Leading/Mentoring

[Barna Survey – 10% of church members are active in any kind of personal ministry (does not have to be official church ministries); 50% of all church members have NO interest in serving in ANY form of Ministry –

Reason we are uninvolved – Don’t see a need – saved by grace; waiting to die

B.     Danger – Burnout – Numbers 11.11

1.       Massive Numbers – 3 Million for Moses
2.       6 Elders for All of SY
3.       Can’t be done

C.     A Solution – More Leaders (18.21-23)

1.       Levels of Leaders (efficient at 1:10; early church 30 members)
2.       Qualified Leaders – CAPABLE – Ability; FEAR God – Spiritual; TRUSTWORTHY – Honest/Integrity; HATE A Bribe – No Dishonest Gain (Ezekiel 34)

Qualifications Continue: Deacons – Acts 6; Elders – 1 Timothy 3; Titus 1

II.    The Delegation of Leadership (Matthew 10.1 – power given by another; not inherent)

A.     Acknowledge Limitations

1.       Community/Body (1 Corinthians 12.1) is significant
2.       No one can do everything; all can do something

[T-Shirt – “I know 2 things – There IS a God; and You are NOT Him!”

B.     Determine Priorities Eastern Flight 401

1.       Moses was called to Lead/Represent God to the People; People to God
2.       NOT to be a Counselor (Even Jesus understood this – Luke 12.13-15 ¹³ Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”)
3.       #1 Goal – get people to the Promised Land
4.       Examples

Apostles – Ministry of Word & Prayer

Elders – Ephesians 4.11-12 (People, not programs)

C.     Train Leaders

D.     Restrain Ego

1.       What do I give up to delegate?
2.       Is this about ME or Jesus?

E.     Accept Ultimate Responsibility

[Jethro did not tell Moses to take a vacation

1.       Be available
2.       Jimmy Carter – detail-oriented; scheduled use of White House tennis courts

III. Our Selection of Leadership – No Coin Toss

Methods:

A.     Casting Lots to Replace Judas (Acts 1) – Qualifications/Choices

B.     Deacons – Qualifications – select from the people (Acts 6)

C.     Elders – Qualifications – Timothy and Titus

D.     Hybrid Model – Qualifications – Preacher – PEOPLE

Remember, we are looking for Shepherds, not Administrators

1.       The process begins today
2.       Prayerfully consider anyone meeting the qualifications (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1) who are shepherding and could be shepherds within our congregation
3.       Remember, it is about ability; availability; and Spirituality
4.       It’s about SERVICE

1.      ILLUSTRATION: ON DESTINY

2.      There is something within us that says we are important; that we want to rise higher than our current position

3.      God agrees – EACH one of us is important to God – Galatians 2.20 (the life I now live)

a.       We each have shortcomings

b.      We each have things to overcome

4.      Jeremiah 29.10-14

a.       Captivity of Judah

b.      Based on sinfulness of the people (see Jeremiah – no converts)

I.       God’s Good Intentions

A.     God Attracts Us by His Goodness

1.      Physical Necessities – (Matthew )

2.      Spiritual Necessities – “Son’s Reign”

B.     God Wants the BEST, not the Worst

1. Sometimes God DOES get angry – Moses’ Call
2.  He is seeking our good

Too often good intentions stay INTENTIONS – not with God. . .

II.    God’s Good Intentions Lead to God’s Good Actions

A.     God’s Purpose is to Act for Our Good

God Does NOT Forget His Purpose!

1.       We Do Not Always See what God is Doing – Genesis 50.20
2.       Not all is “good” – Romans 8.28
3.       Not our timeline – Moses 80 years; Joseph 30 years; Jesus 30 years
4.       But God makes great things happen – Ephesians 3.20

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Corrie Ten Boom.

B.     God Delivered His People:

1.       From Egypt – he said he would
2.       From Babylon – He said he would
3.       From Sin and its consequences – he said he would

a.       Ultimate Sin Offering

b.      Ultimate Relationship (Note the New Covenant) – Jeremiah 31.31-34

III. God’s Good Actions Lead to Our Choices

A.     “Seek and Find” – Not “Hide and Seek”

1.       He Has Been Seeking Us and Wants Us to Find Him
2.       Turn Around – “Repent”
3.       No Procrastination – Proverbs 27.1 (James 4.13-14)

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

B.     It IS Whole-Hearted Effort – Deuteronomy 6.4

1.       God is not our hobby/our convenience
2.       God is our life
3.       Jealous God – not second place

C.     To Be With His Whole People

1.       Gathering from Babylon
2.       Gathering in the world to come

Conclusion

1.       What does it take to find God? 1 Corinthians 13.13

a.       Faith – Hebrews 11.1; 11.6

b.      Hope – Assurance

c.       Love

2.      Things are not always as they seem –

a.       Judah was captive in Babylon (greatest country in the world) – coming home in 70 years;

b.      Joseph in Egypt – saved the nation; sent home via Moses

c.       Mordecai – Daniel – 3 Hebrew boys – Christ on the cross (stumbling block; foolishness)

d.      Effects of our sins

3.      Stop Running and start looking!

“Moses spent his first forty years thinking he was somebody. He spend his second forty years learning he was a nobody. He spent his third forty years discovering what God can do with a nobody.” Dwight L. Moody

Acts 7.17-22

Moses was raised to deliver the nation – as was predicted in Genesis 15.13-14

¹³ Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. ¹⁴ But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

I.       Moses Jumped the Gun

A.     Moses Was Esteemed

1.      He was Esteemed by God – 7.20

2.      He was Esteemed by his Parents (Exodus 2.2)

3.      He was Esteemed by Pharaoh’s Daughter

4.      He was Esteemed by Pharaoh (Acts 7.22)

• Mighty in Words and Deeds
• Groomed to be a leader in Egypt

5.      He Esteemed Himself

B.     Moses Expected a Following (7.23-25)

1.      Apparently Understood his destiny – a type of king to deliver Hebrews from affliction (7.18 cf. Exodus 1.7-8)

2.      Tried to right a wrong by doing wrong

• Did not see God at work and did not wait on him – Psalm 27.14
• [Do we ever deal with church issues in Moses’ manner?
• No one is trying to fix it – so I will; no one is looking and I assassinate a person’s character with a whisper campaign
• See Galatians 5.14-15
• What SHOULD we do?

3.      Rejected and Fled to Midian

4.      Good News – even when we make rash decisions God can still use us – in time; Moses needed more training – with the sheep

II.    Moses Tried to Dodge God’s Bullet

“Send Me a Sign” – Flaming Arrow, etc.

A.     An Enlightening Encounter – a Burning Bush

1.      Pattern for the Hebrews’ Menorah in Tabernacle/Temple

2.      God’s Lamp for Man’s Light

B.     Elaborate Excuses

It was Benjamin Franklin who said: “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”

1.      Excuse #1 – Who Am I? – Exodus 3.10-11

a.       Already tried and failed

b.      “I am with you” – Exodus 3.13

2.      Excuse #2 – I Don’t Know Enough – Exodus 3.13

a.       Who knows it all? The more I study, the less I know

b.      God’s Assurance – Exodus 3.14-22

1)      YHWH

2)      The People will listen

3)      Pharaoh will even listen – eventually

3.      Excuse #3 – They Won’t Listen – Exodus 4.1-9

1)   Signs of Power

2)   Staff to snake to staff/hand leprous and back

4.      Excuse #4 – I Don’t Have the Gift – Exodus 4.10

a.       “Mighty in his words and deeds” (Acts 7.22) = talent

b.      Sheep?

c.       God’s Presence – Exodus 4.11-12

d.      God is not looking for ability, he is looking for availability

Availability, not Ability

Moses was old and shepherd of sheep on the backside of the desert. He failed at age 40 with his talent, rank and money to deliver his people. He tried to do it in his own strength. God moved into his life at age 80; not in the palace but in a pasture.

God does not need out talents, rank and money, He need us. When God gets us He gets everything else.

5.      Excuse #5 – I Don’t Want to get Involved – Exodus 4.13

III. Moses Was “On Target” with God (Acts 7.35-36)

A.     Solutions from an Angry God – Exodus 4.14-17

B.     Success from a Acquiescent Moses

Easy to criticize Moses

Aristotle wrote: “It’s easy to avoid criticism: all you have to do is say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.”

Rabbi Zusya years ago said, “In the world to come I will not be asked (by God), ’Why were you not Moses?’ I will be asked, ’Why were you not Zusya?’” B. Larsen, Luke, p. 42.

Years ago there was a TV show called The Honeymooners. Art Carney played one of the characters on the show, Ed Norton – a kind of happy go lucky, but fairly slow thinking worker in the sewer systems of the city. Ed Norton once summed up his philosophy of life with these words:

When the tides of life turn against you

And the current upsets your boat

Don’t waste those tears on what might have been

Just lie on your back and float.

• Joseph was a man who repeatedly who saw the tides of life turn against him. His boat was upset more than once. His difficulties would have crippled the faith of a lesser man. BUT, he didn’t sink and he didn’t even float. He overcame AND he rose above the waves of adversity. He overcame these difficulties because of his “philosophy of life” – a philosophy of life was nobler and wiser than that of Ed Norton.
•         There is more space devoted to Joseph in the book of Genesis than Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob
•         God does not speak against him at any point – even though he was imperfect (great encouragement in our Quest for God; we do not have to be perfect, just pursuing Him)

Acts 7.9-16

1. I.       Joseph Found Favor
   1. A.     With Jacob – Genesis 37.3

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors [or long coat].

1.       Death of Rachel; Death of Isaac (Genesis 35)
2.       Comforted himself with Joseph

  B.     With God –

1.       Ability to Interpret Dreams –

a.       Attributes ability to God (40.8; 41.16, 25, 32)

b.      Remember where we get abilities

2.      Providential Protection

C.     With Egyptians

1.       Potiphar (39.1-6)a.       Young – 17

   b.      Good Character/work ethic

2. c.       God’s Favor Brings Potiphar Benefit – Genesis 39.5

2.      Prison Warden (39.21-23)

a.       In Charge of Prisoners

b.      Trustee

3.      Pharaoh (41.38-46)

a.       At age 30 Treated as a Prince in Egypt

b.      Second in command over the land

II.    Joseph Endured Fighting

A.     Joseph Started Off with (Over) Confidence

B.     He Had Some Serious Struggles

1.       His Brothers

2.      Mr. & Mrs. Potiphar/His Own Temptation (39.6b-8a)

•          The Hebrew people represented a DIFFERENT morality
•          Until the Hebrews people tended to be Amoral

 III. Joseph was Given Foresight

A.     The Dreams

1.      Right about His Family bowing before him

2.      Right about Baker and Butler

3.      Right about 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine

B.     His Wisdom –

1.      In the Years of Plenty – stockpiling

2.      In the Famine (gathering riches for Egypt)

3.      In Dealing with his brothers

a.       Saves his family and the lineage of Yeshua (Jesus)

[Satan has always tried to destroy the people of God

 b.      Honors God – Genesis 50.20

[God’s ways are not always comfortable but they always ensure his success

4.      Wisdom Demonstrated by Joseph (and others) is from God – Proverbs 2.6

Yogi Bera, the famous catcher for the New York Yankees once said: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re likely to end up someplace else.”

Joseph was a man who knew where he was going.

He may not have known HOW he would get there, but he knew WHERE he was headed. At the age of 17, God had given him a vision. He had a vision that he would be man of great importance.

“Man’s Quest for God” depends on faith, not knowledge.

1.  Examination

At 3:00 a.m. one cold morning a missionary candidate walked into an office for a scheduled interview with the examiner of a mission board. He waited until 8 a.m. when the examiner arrived. The examiner said, “Let us begin. First, please spell baker.” “B-a-k-e-r,” the young man spelled. “Very good. Now, let’s see what you know about figures. How much is twice two?” “Four,” replied the applicant. “Very good,” the examiner said. “I’ll recommend to the board tomorrow that you be appointed. You have passed the test.”

At the board meeting the examiner spoke highly of the applicant and said. “He has all the qualifications of a missionary. Let me explain. First, I tested him on self-denial. I told him to be at my house at three in the morning. He left a warm bed and came out in the cold without a word of complaint. Second, I tried him out on punctuality. He appeared on time. Third, I examined him on patience. I made him wait five hours to see me, after telling him to come at three. Fourth, I tested him on temper. He failed to show any sign of it; he didn’t even question my delay. Fifth, I tried his humility. I asked him questions that a small child could answer and he showed no offense. He meets the requirements and will make the missionary we need.” (7,700 Illustrations # 3461)

2.      In our Quest for God:

  a.       We are tested – To help us improve

  b.      To check our progress

3.      Abraham was called by God (Quest for Man) and Responded (Quest for God)

I.       God’s Persistent Attention to Abraham

  A.     God Called – Abram Responded – A Little

    1.      Mesopotamia and Haran – Acts 7.2; Genesis 11.31-12.1

    2.      God did not give up on his imperfect man

      a.       A work in progress

      b.      Lying about Sarah

      c.       Laughing about Isaac (17.17; S in 18.12)

      d.      Ishmael

Years ago, when John D. Rockefeller was running a gigantic empire known as the “Standard Oil Company,” one of the employees made a disastrous decision that cost the company more than $2 million. Fear swept through the company as everyone expected Rockefeller not only to fire the man responsible – but take out his wrath on them as well.

Edward T. Bedford, a partner in the company, was scheduled to see Rockefeller that day and as he entered he saw the this powerful man bent over his desk/ busily writing (with a pencil) on a pad of paper. Bedford stood silently, not wishing to interrupt. After a few minutes, Rockefeller looked up.

“Oh, it’s you, Bedford,” he said calmly. “I suppose you’ve heard about our loss?”

Bedford said that he had.

“I’ve been thinking it over,” Rockefeller said, “and before I ask the man in to discuss the matter, I’ve been making some notes.”

Bedford later told the story this way:

“Across the top of the page was written, ’Point in favor of Mr. ______.’ And there, underneath that title, was a long list of the man’s virtues, including a brief description of how he had helped the company make the right decision on 3 separate occasions. Decisions that had earned the company many times the cost of his recent error.

The man kept his job, and Bedford left the meeting forever changed in how he viewed other employees of the company.

Now, why did I tell you that story?

I told you that story so you’d understand how God viewed Abraham… and how He views us:

Yes, Abraham made mistakes

Yes, Abraham failed God on a number of occasions

Yes, Abraham had a past filled with miserable disappointments…

BUT God didn’t look at Abraham to see his past, God looked at Abraham, to see his potential. He looked him to see his possibilities.

  B.     His Perseverance Resulted in his title, “Friend of God” (James 2.23; 2 Chronicles 20.7; Isaiah 41.8)

    1.      Faithfulness

    2.      NOT perfection

II.    God’s Penetrating Assessment of Abraham (Genesis 22.1-19)

  A.     Clarification of His Progress

    1.      God saw Abraham’s progress

    2.      God Showed Abraham his progress

  B.     Consecration of His Possessions

    1.      God asked for his most valued possession – his one and only son (Genesis 22.2)

First use of “love”

Unique son – supernatural element

    2.      All Abraham’s possessions had come from God – including Isaac

    3.      How could Abraham withhold from God the only thing He was asking from him after God had protected him from Pharaoh (Genesis 12:17) to Abimelech (Genesis 20:3), from famine (Genesis 12:10) to warfare (Genesis 14:15), from Chaldee to Canaan?

    4.      What is your most valuable possession? Can you give it to God? If not, that is an idol in your life; RYR (Matthew 19.16-22)

  C.     Culmination of His Priorities

    1.      Preparation

Wood ON Isaac – foreshadows the cross on Yeshua

Fire – foreshadows the torment of Yeshua

Knife – foreshadows the blood of the lamb

    2.      Location – Mt. Moriah (22.2) – temple

    3.      Replacement – God to provide the lamb (22.8)

      a.       Passover Lamb – Exodus; crucifixion

      b.      Ram’s Horn (22.13)

Shofar/Trumpet – call to worship/war

Crown of thorns

    4.      Reward for Abraham

      a.       Life of Isaac (able to resurrect – Hebrews 11.19 – figuratively received him from dead – foreshadow of Yeshua)

      b.      Multiplication of descendants

      c.       Land of promise to descendants

      d.      Blessing for nations (in Yeshua)

      e.       BECAUSE he HEARD/OBEYED the voice of God (Genesis 22.18; 26.4-5)

In Our Quest for God we remember to put our faith into practice!

Don’t Hold Back

Bertoldo de Giovanni is a name even the most enthusiastic lover of art is unlikely to recognize. He was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time. Michelangelo was only 14 years old when he came to Bertoldo, but it was already obvious that he was enormously gifted. Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than grow, and therefore he kept trying to pressure his young prodigy to work seriously at his art. One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities. Bertoldo grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, shouting this unforgettable message, “Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly!” (Gary Inrig, A Call to Excellence)

Too often Christians are just like Michelangelo in that we simply coast through worship service by simply going through the motions. Going through the motions of singing songs and taking notes is cheap; dedication to true worship is costly.

Football players have a saying — “leave it all on the field.” It means that during the game they don’t hold anything back.

Lesson for us as we walk with God – Don’t hold back!

   Luke 15.8-10

1.        Background – Yeshua’s (Jesus’) critics are offended with the company he keeps
2.       He uses “Lost & Found” stories to help them understand his purpose – to seek and save the lost (Luke 19.10; Ezekiel 34)
3.        The first story – a sheep is lost from its shepherd and the shepherd goes into the wilderness after it
4.       This story – a woman loses a coin and searches until she finds it

I.      The Object of the Quest

A.     The Pursuit of People (Luke 19.10; Ezekiel 34)

1.    Created by in the image of God – image on coin?
2.    Value expressed – lost sheep; lost coin

              a.       May have represented 1 of 10 coins on a woman’s wedding attire – never to be taken from her; similar to wedding rings and diamond sets; sentimental value?  Jeremiah 2.32

             b.      May have represented a day’s wages – survival (daily bread)/10 days’ savings; this is evidence of stewardship if the woman, entrusted with this money as the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31;

B.     The Prominence of the Words of God (Proverbs 2.1-5

1. We seek earthly things – silver & gold; Of how much more value is the eternal – God’s word?
2. These critics needed to do some Torah-searching for themselves – they were forgetting such things as “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19.18)    a.       In dealing with sinners there is the temptation to avoid them so as not to fall into temptation

       b.      In dealing with sinners there is the duty to restore them

                c.       Then again, who isn’t a sinner? – Luke 15.7 (humor of Yeshua)

II.                The Effort of the Quest

A.     There was a Cost – lit lamp; used oil and wicks – significant to the poor

B.     There was Exertion – sweeping straw/dirt/stone floor – basalt in Capernaum

• Lay bare the floor
• Open selves to God

C.     There was Diligence – Not an Easy Task

1. Dark Houses (stone/small or no windows – required lamps)
2. Small Houses – 1 car garage
3. Tireless love of God

       4.  Woman stopped all of her chores to search – what is God doing today?

III.             The Initiator of the Quest

A.     A Responsibility – “I lost the coin”

1. A Critique of the Leaders of the Nation – Losing the people
2. did not seem to care

B.     A Representation

1. God has a feminine side – YHWH – ½ is masculine/1/2 is feminine
2. Cares for us as a mother to her children – Isaiah 49.13-16

IV.              The Conclusion of the Quest — Celebration

A.     The Thrill of the Find

B.     The Relief of Restoration

With God the JOY is REAL!

Conclusion

1. This and the other stories in this chapter give us insight into the heart of God.
2. EVERY person matters to God, EVERY ONE of us!
3. Have you ever interrupted someone? How do you feel? How were you made to feel?
4. You are not an interruption to God – you are the most important thing in the world to him!

God seeks and finds but we still have the choice as to how we will respond to him.

1. Survivor Eva Hart remembers the night, April 15, 1912, on which the Titanic plunged 12,000 feet to the Atlantic floor, some two hours and forty minutes after an iceberg tore a 300-foot gash in the starboard side: “I saw all the horror of its sinking, and I heard, even more dreadful, the cries of drowning people.” Although twenty life-boats and rafts were launched-too few and only partly filled-most of the passengers ended up struggling in the icy seas while those in the boats waited a safe distance away.
   Lifeboat No. 14 did row back to the scene after the unsinkable ship slipped from sight at 2:20 A.M. Alone, it chased cries in the darkness, seeking and saving a precious few. Incredibly, no other boat joined it. Some were already overloaded, but in virtually every other boat, those already saved rowed their half-filled boats aimlessly in the night, listening to the cries of the lost. Each feared a crush of unknown. Swimmers would cling to their craft, eventually swamping it.
2.  One of the Impressive things about our God is how much he cares about us. HE initiates our relationship with him

•            Adam – “Where are you?”
•            Abram

       3.      Luke 15.1-7

I.                   The Defiant Disapproval

A.     Scribes and Pharisees

1.      Knew the Torah (specially trained scribes copied; Pharisees studied it and oral law)

2.      5 Bad Pharisees and 2 Good; Yeshua (Jesus) close to Pharisees in Theology

3.      Zealots were a branch of the Pharisees – impatient with God – “DIY”

4.      “Separated Ones”

a.       Separate from Sadducees/Priest – sold out to Rome/Hellenism (no EL)

b.      Separate from sin and sinful people – holiness issues/uncleanness

B.     Misunderstanding God  Isaiah 65.1

Samuel Colgate, the founder of the Colgate business empire, was a devout Christian. During an evangelistic service that he’d attended, an invitation was given at the close of the sermon for all those who wished to turn their lives over to Christ and be forgiven.

One of the first persons to walk down the aisle was a well-known prostitute. She wept openly as she expressed her desire to become a Christian and to become a member of this church. For a few moments, the silence was deafening. This was in the days when some churches “voted” on whether a person would be accepted into their congregation, and it became apparent that these people weren’t sure they wanted her in their church.

Apparently Samuel Colgate understood this. Maybe he was even thinking of these parables (in Luke) when arose and said, “I guess we blundered when we prayed that the Lord would save sinners. We forgot to specify what kind of sinners.

We’d better ask him to forgive us for this oversight. The Holy Spirit has touched this woman and made her truly repentant, but the Lord apparently doesn’t understand that she’s not the type we want him to rescue. We’d better spell out for him just which sinners we had in mind.”

Almost immediately, a motion was made and unanimously approved that the woman be accepted into membership in the congregation.

Paul wrote in I Corinthians 6:9-11

1.      By misunderstanding the nature of God, they misunderstood the mission of the Messiah (Luke 19.10)

2.      By misunderstanding the nature of God, they misunderstood their mission – instead of seeking lost sinners they kept to themselves in their religious club

II.                The Searching Shepherd (A Picture of Messiah/God)

The boss of a big company needed to call one of his employees about an urgent problem with one of the main computers. He dialed the employees home telephone number and was greeted with a child’s whispered, “Hello?”

The boss asked, “Is your Daddy home?”
“Yes,” whispered the small voice.
“May I talk with him?” the man asked.
To the boss’ surprise, the small voice whispered, “No.”
The boss persisted, “Is your Mommy there?”
“Yes,” came the answer.
“May I talk with her?”
Again, the small voice whispered, “No.”
“Well, is there someone else there I might talk to?” the boss asked the child.
“Yes,” whispered the child, “a policeman.”
“Well then, may I speak with the policeman?”
“No,” whispered the child “he is busy”
“Busy doing what?” asked the boss.
“Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman,” came the whispered answer.
Now the boss was growing concerned and just then he heard what sounded like a helicopter through the ear piece on the phone, the boss asked, “What is that noise?”
“A hello-copper,” answered the whispering voice.
Alarmed, the boss nearly shouted: “What is going on there?”
In an awed whispering voice, the child answered, “The search team just landed the hello-copper!”
“Why are they there?”
There was a muffled giggle as the child said, “They are looking for me!”

A.     Sees the Value in ONE Sheep

1.      Left 99 to find the ONE

2.      Took Risks in the Wilderness

a.       Dangerous animals; terrain; thirst; hunger

b.      Yeshua encountered the Adversary in the wilderness (Matthew 4; Luke 4)

B.     Has Compassion on ONE Sheep

³He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.  Psalm 23.3

1.      RESTORES my soul – repentance; to go from waywardness to paths of righteousness

2.      Relief when retrieved – Isaiah 40.11

He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.

C.     A Depiction of Yeshua (Jesus)

1.      Good Shepherd – John 10.11

2.      Shepherd who seeks his sheep – Luke 19.10

a.       Reference to Ezekiel 34.11ff

b.      Condemns bad shepherds and does the work himself

c.       Carries the helpless home

III.             The Community Celebration

Several years ago the city of Pittsburgh constructed a large, new post office at the cost of several million dollars. On the day of its opening, the Governor made a speech, the bands played and the people cheered. It was quite a celebration.

But when the first man entered to mail a letter, to the embarrassment of the engineers, it was discovered that in the rush to meet the deadline, they had omitted the usual letter drop. Here was a costly new post office, but no place to mail a letter! It was a slight omission, but it negated the very reason for its existence.

A.     The Return Home

1.      Sheep is Safe

2.      The Shepherd is Successful

B.     The Focus of the Party – the Found Sheep

1.      Saved from Disuse – while lost of no value

(sheep are not smart/have no sense of direction)

2.      Saved from Danger (sheep are defenseless)

3.      Saved from Death – given new life

1.      A man was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked along, he began to see another man in the distance. As he grew nearer, he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up and throwing it out into the water. Time and again, he kept hurling things out into the ocean.

As the man approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time, he was throwing them back into the water.

The man was puzzled. He approached the man and said, “Good evening, friend. I was wondering what you are doing.”

“I’m throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it’s low tide right now and all of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don’t throw them back into the sea, they’ll die up here from lack of oxygen.”

“I understand,” the man replied, “but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can’t possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many. And don’t you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast. Can’t you see that you can’t possibly make a difference?”

The local native smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied, “Made a difference to that one!”

2.      WE are like the lost sheep

All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53.6

3.      How important is each of us?

a.       Important enough for God to come after us

b.      Important enough for Yeshua to die and rise for us

4.      The Bible tells us to seek God because he is seeking us

Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near; Isaiah 55.6

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29.13

(That is what he has done for us)

5.  Sheep was lost and did not know how to get home – shepherd came to the rescue!

Who said: “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”? [Abraham Lincoln, 1863]

We do not learn well – Example of Israel; American Civil War; STILL ignoring God

Deuteronomy 8.10

Thanksgiving is Over – Are we satisfied? Are we blessing God?

Easy to remember him in times of need

More difficult in prosperity

NOTE – the command to bless God AFTER eating rather than before

In our Post-Thanksgiving Lesson, let’s look at Deuteronomy 8 and key on two important Lessons:

I.                   The Gift of Need (so we can find God) – 8.1-10

A.     A Tested People (2-6)

When airlines train their pilots they first test them in a simulator. The simulator is designed to present the pilot with a variety of potential problems so that they will be able to handle any emergency in the future. First the pilot is tested with simple challenges, which eventually build up to catastrophic situations. The pilots are given more difficult problems only when they have mastered the previous ones. The result is that when the pilots have completed their courses, they are prepared to handle any problem that comes their way.

This is similar to God’s method of working with us. God teaches us how to handle the problems of life, but never gives us more than we can handle. He teaches us through each situation, so that we can be fully prepared and mature people, ready to handle any challenge in life that might come our way.

1.      40 Years in Wilderness brought learned lessons

2.      Humble Dependence on God

Needed help out of Egypt (cried out)

Need help to survive the desert (brought us here to die)

God is the Key

Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay called The Ways to Wealth and in it he said: Do not depend too much upon your own industry, and frugality, and prudence, though excellent things, for they may all be blasted without the blessing of Heaven.

3.      Areas of Testing:

• Hunger — -Manna (Quail)
• NOTE – 8.3 cf. Matthew 4.4 – “THE” Man – veiled reference to Messiah
• Water from Rock
• Clothing
• Discipline of a loving Father

B.     A Blessed People (7-10)

• Land promise
• From Poverty to Prosperity
• Attitude of Gratitude

Cotton Mather, a preacher in New England, offered this advice to the young Benjamin Franklin as Franklin approached a low-hanging beam in Mather’s parsonage: You are young and have the world before you; stoop as you go through it, and you will miss many hard bumps.

II.                The Curse of Prosperity (We forget God) – 8.11-20

A man with notoriously poor memory left for work one day. Wife: “Don’t forget today is the day we move. Don’t come here tonight, go to the new house.” Man forgot. Wandered through vacant house for a few minutes & it finally dawns on him they’ve moved–can’t remember where. Runs outside, stops little boy on bicycle: “Little boy, can you tell me where this family moved?” Boy: “Aw Dad, Mom said you’d forget!”

A.     Forgetting Commands (even the little ones)

1.      Basis of well-being/life – words of God

2.      Impacts all areas of life

3 Great Institutions of God – Family/Government/Church

We have abdicated from the Government – now it is trying to control the other 2 – Same Sex Marriage; Silence Our Political Involvement

First Amendment – Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Why are we surprised? We have allowed our government to run contrary to the laws of God – we have chosen prosperity (The economy, stupid) over God.

B.     Forgetting the Source (11-17)

The 1965 film classic, Shenandoah, features a memorable and outlandish prayer. With his eight children seated for dinner, the father, played by James Stewart observes, “Now, your mother wanted all of you raised as good Christians. And I might not be able to do that thorny job as well as she could, but I can do a little something about your manners.” After a forgetful and now convicted son removes his cap, Stewart then leads them in a thoroughly ungrateful prayer: Lord, we cleared this land; we plowed it, sowed it, and harvested. We cooked the harvest. It wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t be eatin’ it, if we hadn’t done it all ourselves. We worked dog-bone hard for every crumb and morsel, but we thank you just the same anyway Lord for this food we are about to eat. Amen. On DVD Shenandoah Scene #2 Family Supper

Few have the gall to say it outright, but many think the same as this movie father; they see themselves as “self-made” men and women. This attitude was certainly a temptation for the Israelites, so God issued them a warning through Moses.

1.      A Relationship with God is our greatest gift
2.      Danger in taking credit for his work

The mouse and the elephant walked across the swinging bridge. Of course, the bridge shook and swayed under the elephant’s weight. When they reached the other side, they looked back at the swinging bridge and the mouse said, “Look what we did!”

Pride— (Proverbs 29:23) A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

Danger of Idolatry

Tony Campolo tells of being invited to speak at a ladies meeting. There were 300 women there. Before he spoke the president of the organization read a letter from a missionary. It was a very moving letter.

In the letter the missionary expressed a need for $4,000 to take care of an emergency that had cropped up. So the president of the organization said, “We need to pray that God will provide the resources to meet the need of this missionary. Brother Campolo will you please pray for us?”

Tony Campolo, who is very outspoken said, “No.” Startled, she said, “I beg your pardon.”

He said, “No, I won’t pray for that.” He said, “I believe that God has already provided the resources & that all we need to do is give. Tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to step up to this table & give every bit of cash I have in my pocket. And if all of you will do the same thing, I think God has already provided the resources.”

The president of the organization chuckled a little bit & said, “Well, I guess we get the point. He is trying to teach us that we all need to give sacrificially.”

He said, “No, that is not what I am trying to teach you. I’m trying to teach you that God has already provided for this missionary. All we need to do is give it. Here, I’m going to put down all of my money I have with me.”

He wrote, “I only had $15 in my pocket so I wasn’t too worried about that.” So he put down his $15 & then looked at the president of the organization. Reluctantly, she opened her purse & took out all of her money, which was about $40, & put it on the table. One by one the rest of the ladies filed by & put their money on the table, too. When the money was counted they had collected more than $4,000.”

Tony Campolo said, “Now, here’s the lesson. God always supplies for our needs, & he supplied for this missionary, too. The only problem was we were keeping it for ourselves. Now let’s pray & thank God for His provision.”

A psychiatrist once unknowingly referred to one of God’s paradoxes, remarking, “The greatest secret of mental health comes down to us in the words, ’Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will save it.’” He added, “I forget who said that, but it is a great truth.”

¹ As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
² My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?  Psalm 42.1-2

At a convention with their wives, two businessmen who had been roommates in college crossed paths. They sat in the lobby all night talking. They knew they would be in trouble with their wives. The next day they happened to see each other. “What did your wife think?”

“I walked in the door and my wife got historical.”

“Don’t you mean hysterical?”

“No, historical. She told me everything I ever did wrong.”

Have you ever met those people, the ones who seem to rehash the past forever? The ones who seem to live in their memories more than in the present? The ones who can’t seem to get past some issue, some hang-up, some roadblock in their past? As if they are still chained to something years ago.

The ancient Sages of Israel said that there were 4 groups of people for whom it would have been better if they had never been born; Those who dwell on things Above (heaven – people who think so much of heaven they are of no earthly good); Below (hell/grave/afterlife, etc.); Before (only think of future); and Behind (live in past)

Matthew 18.21-35

God offers and commands forgiveness

He can because he has already paved the way

Yeshua (Jesus) is the author/pioneer of our faith

Two Questions about Forgiveness:

I.                   Is Forgiveness an Obligation or Opportunity? (YES)

A.     Obligation – If I want forgiveness, I must Forgive

1.      Law of Sowing and Reaping

2.      A man named General Oglethorpe once said to John Wesley: “I never forgive and I never forget.” To which Wesley replied: “Then, sir, I hope that you never sin.”

3.      Matthew 6.14-15

B.     Opportunity:

1.      To Be Like God –  Colossians 3.12-13; Ephesians 4.20-24

a.       Extravagant in Forgiveness

b.      Doing more than the minimum -  Rabbis – 3 times/Peter 7 times/Yeshua(Jesus) – 70 times seven or 77 times

1)      Lamech – Genesis 4.23-24

2)      Forgive beyond revenge

Mitsuo Fuchida was one of the pilots who bombed Pearl Harbor. This man took part in many of the major battles in the Pacific. He was there on the deck of the USS Missouri at the surrender ceremonies. Though defeated, he was pleased with his behavior as a pilot. After the war, though, he became disillusioned. He was surprised to learn that Japanese POWs were treated humanely—a sharp contrast to the Japanese treatment of Allied prisoners. He also learned of a woman who ministered to the Japanese prisoners. Her parents were missionaries to Japan but had been beheaded by his countrymen. She had forgiven the Japanese and met the needs of their captured soldiers. Such love led him to the Bible. He eventually became a Christian, and later an evangelist. Before his death in 1976, he led many to Christ through his preaching in Japan and the United States. Transformation started when one woman chose to forgive like Christ. (Illustration 340 in Something to Think About; edited by Raymond McHenry)

- Consider the following two words of wisdom“Whoever opts for revenge should dig two graves.” (Chinese proverb)

2.      To Appreciate Our Forgiveness

a.       We can forget

b.      Forgiving is a constant reminder

3.      To Remember that No One Has Suffered more Abuse than God

Adam & Eve; Cain & Abel; People of Noah’s day; our day (2 Peter 3.9-10)

II.                Does Forgiveness Bring Freedom or Slavery?

Old Joe was dying. For years he’d been at odds with Bill, formerly one of his best friends. Wanting to straighten things out, he sent word for Bill to come and see him.

When Bill arrived, Joe told him that he was afraid to go into eternity with such bad feelings between them. Then, very reluctantly and with great effort, Joe apologized for things he had said and done. He also assured Bill that he forgave him for his offenses.

Everything seemed fine until Bill turned to go. As he walked out of the room, Joe called out after him, “Now, just remember, if I get better, this doesn’t count.”

A.     Tendency to Hold Grudges – Hold 8 Oz. of water and see how long you are able;

1.      Unforgiving Spirit/Grudges put us into prisons/Torture (Matthew 18.34-35)

2.      May feel imprisoned by forgiving – opposite is true

3.      God offers us freedom – His way (Matthew 18.27)

B.     There is Importance in Letting Go of Grudges

1.      Not Easy – Do-able with HS

2.      Unforgiving Spirit is a subtle sin we are not always aware of

3.      Dangerous – may not cause accidents/overdoses/ but divides spouses/families/churches

4.      Letting go gives freedom

The year was 1947. It was almost two full years after the liberation of Auschwitz, as Corrie Ten Boom, a survivor of that terrible concentration camp, stepped forward in a German church to share her testimony. As she stepped forward, she prayed that God would use her words to bring about healing, forgiveness, and restoration. When she finished her message, a man stepped forward, moving his way through the crowd of people there to talk to Corrie. He looked familiar… like she’d seen him somewhere before. As she looked into his eyes, it all became crystal clear. She recognized him. She could see him in the uniform holding a whip. She remembered her sister dying a slow and painful death at his hands. The memories came flooding back to here – memories from Auschwitz and this man who had been a guard at the camp.

He spoke with his eyes looking sadly into hers. He said, “I’m a Christian now. I know that God has forgiven me, but will you forgive me?” He stretched his hand to receive hers. Corrie stood there for what must have seemed like an eternity, although it was probably only a moment or two. She knew that she needed to make a choice. Would she forgive the man at whose hand she experienced so much pain, hurt, and humiliation? Would she? Could she?

She silently prayed, “Jesus, I need your help. I can lift my hand, but you need to supply the feeling.” She slowly raised her hand, reached out to the man and took his hand in hers. As she reached out, a warm sensation filled her heart. God was indeed faithful. She said, “I forgive you, brother – with my whole heart.”

That day, former guard and former prisoner were both healed and set free from the bondage of bitterness and anger.

Conclusion

1.      Sometimes we don’t forgive because:

a.       We want to be victims – easier than standing up; gain attention; sympathy

b.      We are in control

Surrender your right to get even.

- The mother ran into the bedroom when she heard her seven-year-old son scream. She found his two-year-old sister pulling his hair. She gently released the little girl’s grip and said comfortingly to the boy, “There, there. She didn’t mean it. She doesn’t know that hurts.” He nodded his acknowledgement, and she left the room.

As she started down the hall the little girl screamed. Rushing back in, she asked, “What happened?”

The little boy replied, “She knows now.” [source: www.preachingtoday.com]

2.      We can forgive when we remember how much God has forgiven us (power of Lord’s Supper)

3.      Life-giving  Colossians 2.13-14

1.      Mark Twain once said that the only one who likes change is a baby with a wet diaper. That may be true, but change is inevitable.

2.      Examples of change

• Service Stations have become Gas stations or Convenient stores – once full-service; now, self-service
• Grocery stores – bag and carry to car – now Do It Yourself, even with self-checkout lanes; long ago I am told that some groceries would even allow you to call in your order and have it waiting for you when you arrived.
• Business are catching on to the idea of second mile service and are profiting from it – Chick -fil-A’s purpose statement reveals the heart of their company: “That we might glorify God by being a faithful steward in all that is entrusted to our care, and that we might have a positive influence on all the people that we might come in contact with.”

Church –  Is it Service or Serve Us?

In business for the sake of others

• Needs – Matthew 25
• Reconciling people to God – 2 Corinthians 5.17-19

3.      Luke 22.24-30

4.      God has set the pace for service – it involves:

I.                   Service Involves: Proper Motives (22.24)

A.     Disputing Reveals the Problem of Self

[Muhammad Ali – “I am the greatest!”; On one occasion Ali was flying to a fight and refused to buckle his seatbelt; the flight attendant insisted but Ali said, “Superman don’t need no seatbelt.” The attendant replied, “Superman don’t need no plane.” So he buckled.

Dispute about greatness may have involved the mother of James and John (and Yeshua’s aunt) in Matthew 20.20-21

James and John are out of focus – thinking of selves instead of Yeshua (Jesus) and their place in his mission

B.     This is a Continuous Battle – James 4.1-3

1.      We battle this even within the church

2.      We try pulling rank; push our agendas over God’s simple commission

II.                Service Involves: People Mattering

Too often I am consumed with ME like James and John – Yeshua (Jesus) shows something different

A.     The Priority of Others (Philippians 2.3-4)

1.      Danger of Burnout – Galatians 6.10

2.      Danger of Abuse – Doormats; Losing Personalities

B.     The Place of Servant Leadership

1.       The Kingdom of God is the opposite of the World’s Pattern
2.       Shepherding vs. Managing
3.       Serving as Youngest/Least – Shepherd – low in prestige

C.     One Category in Kingdom of God – Servants All

1.       There are special servants – Elders/Deacons
2.       Our calling – to be servants of Yeshua (Jesus)a.       To belong to Yeshua (Jesus) -- ⁶including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, Romans 1.6

b.      To serve righteousness -- Romans 6.17-18

Servant Identification

A businessman once asked his Bible study group, “How can you tell if you have a servant attitude?” “By the way you react when you are treated like one,” was the reply.

D.     Question – Which is Greater – Study or Serving?

1.       Study is “greatest form of worship”
2.       Study is given so we can DO the words we learn

III.             Service Involves: Portraying the Master

A.     There are Many Great Servants

1.       Biblical

• Abraham – Genesis 18
• Joseph – second to Pharaoh
• Daniel – Great in King’s Court/no negative criticisms
• Elisha – served Elijah  1 Kings 19.21

2.      Modern

I read of a wonderful example from the life of the great evangelist D.L. Moody. It seems that “ large group of European pastors came to one of D. L. Moody’s Northfield Bible Conferences in Massachusetts in the late 1800s. Following the European custom of the time, each guest put his shoes outside his room to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. But of course this was America and there were no hall servants.

Walking the dormitory halls that night, Moody saw the shoes and determined not to embarrass his guests. He mentioned the need to some ministerial students who were there, but met with only silence or pious excuses. Moody returned to the dorm, gathered up the shoes, and, alone in his room, the world famous evangelist began to clean and polish the shoes. Only the unexpected arrival of a friend in the midst of the work revealed the secret.

When the foreign visitors opened their doors the next morning, their shoes were shined. They never knew by whom. Moody told no one, but his friend told a few people, and during the rest of the conference, different men volunteered to shine the shoes in secret. [Gary Inrig. A Call to Excellence. (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books, 1985), p. 98]

B.     THE Servant is Yeshua (Jesus) – Luke 22.27

1.       Served all the way to the cross
2.       Served by his life – John 13.3-5; 12-17

We are called to serve –

• People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. – Love them anyway.
• If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. – Do good anyway.
• The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. – Do good anyway.
• Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.- Be honest and frank anyway.
• The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men with the smallest minds.- Think big anyway.
• People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs. – Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
• What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.- Build anyway.
• Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.- Give the world the best you have anyway.  [John R. W. Stott, The Preacher’s Portrait: Some New Testament Word Studies, (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publ. Co., 1961), pp. 100ff]

I heard about a Union Meeting where the Union Representative was explaining the new Work Contract.

He said, “I have great news, Comrades. Management has agreed to lighten our work schedule!”

The crowd shouted, “Hooray!”

“And we will have a 150% pay rise.”

“Hooray!”

“We will finish work at 4 PM, not 5 PM.”

And again the crowd yelled, “Hooray!”

“We will start work at 10 AM, not 9 AM.”

“Hooray!”

“From now on, we will work only on Wednesdays.”

There was dead silence — then a voice from the back asked…

“Which ones?” (Illustration from Sermon Central)

Aren’t you glad Yeshua did not do the minimum but was willing to pay the maximum price?