The Call Part 2 John 14:12 5-19-13

Sermon 5-19-13 the call, pt 2 John 14:12x

¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Sermon series – the call

Recap of last week:

Our “Call” is our unique way of loving God and loving others.

And scripture is full of great call stories. 

Men and women whose lives were interrupted by this great command to

love God and love others.

All are called

Called to leave nets

Come and follow Jesus

Painful discussion

Someone told me that I inflicted pain on them

I said, well tell me about that.

They described a sense that I made them uncomfortable in their faith

I was comfortable, had it in the bag.  Now they are uncomfortable. Unsettled.

 Please help me be settled again.

Sorry to inflict pain, glad if you feel unsettled sometimes.

Should we ever relax and retire?  Should we ever arrive?

No, there is a pursuit

Dust of the rabbi

We want to control Jesus’ outlook calendar……

Pursuit of Christ should cause us to be unsettled from time to time.

In calling the disciples, Jesus is saying, you can do what I do, you can follow my way, you can become like me, you can follow me.

So we heard the invitation, “Come and Follow me”

Called away from nets and Called toward Jesus

In laying down the nets the disciples were able to experience the Way Jesus represents.

What is that Way?

What is the life that we follow after

What are we called towards?

Years ago, my parents went thru a very painful time…….

Read the bible, pray, and give 10%.

All of these things are good, but it isn’t enough.

Its almost not the point. 

When Jesus says, greater things, he is saying you can do this.

You can live as I am living, and do the things that I am doing

Not that doctrine is not important, it is, but the main point of Christianity is out there

It is how we live every day

It is how we carry the message

So What did Jesus do

Jesus framed his Way by reciting Isaiah (Luke 4:14-21)

Isaiah 61

¹⁴ Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. ¹⁵ He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.¹⁶ He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,  because he has anointed me  to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoner and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,¹⁹     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”^[f]

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹ He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

What did he do?

He brought good news to the poor

He brought freedom to the prisoner

He brought sight for the blind – physically and spiritually blind

He set the oppressed free

He proclaimed the year of the Lords favor

What does he do?

We are called towards him.  Called to do what he did

Not to sit and watch from a far

Christianity is not a spectator sport

Do you wonder what you are called to…here’s a start….

He raises the dead

          We probably are not going to be able to do that

          But have you ever known someone who was dead inside?

He cried w mary and Martha – he showed empathy

          You can do this

He opposes evil and casts it out

          You can do this

He feeds people

          You can do this

He embraced lepers

          You can do this

He talked about his faith.  Nicodemus. Woman at well

          You can do this

He did not judge people, in fact He challenges empty religion

          You can do this

He welcomed children

          You can do this

He forgives

          You can do this

He offers hope

          You can do this

He meets people where they are

          You can do this

He extends grace

          You can do this

He proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor.

Did we let that phrase slip by?

To a world that had been told that they were not good enough, Jesus proclaims Gods favor is upon them

Wow is there a need for that message today

To a nation of people who have been told that they are not good enough

To Christian people who have been told that they are not good enough

Jesus proclaims the year of the lords favor.

The time of judgment is over, now it is time to love and embrace and to be loved and embraced.

And with the disciples he mentors and deploys them

Following Jesus is like being an apprentice [electrician, plumber, mason]

Model of Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship looks like:: (Applebee’s training was like this)

I do                                You watch                              We talk

I do                                You help                                 We talk

You do                          I help                                                We talk

You do                          I watch                                    We talk

The cycle starts over and you are now the mentor

You do                          Someone else watches        You talk

This is training.  This is practice.  This is more than what many of us have been exposed to.

          Read Bible.  Go to church.  Offer 10%.   Be nice.

Following Jesus is more than follow the rules.

Jesus is inviting the disciples to a new life.

“It is time that we stop thinking of Christianity primarily as a way of believing, and instead begin to think of it as believing in a way”

The best part?

And..Jesus says we can do it.  That he’s with us.  That all the stuff we see him doing, we can do and do even more.

¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  John 14:12

Greater…more.  The mission is expanding. 

One man àtwelve Disciples àhundreds à thousands à us

We are Called to leave our nets
Called to learn the Way- called to follow.

You can do it.