Sermon Tone Analysis
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Jesus multiplies his mission, sending empowered but dependent disciples
Not a Spectator Sport
There’s a huge difference between watching and playing rugby.
Jesus draws his disciples into his mission, empowering and commissioning them.
He sends them out urgently to share his message and show his power.
He sends them in dependency, aware some will reject them.
Jesus is making disciples not converts - he commissions and empowers us for the same urgent mission.
Big Application
Jesus multiplies his mission, sending empowered but dependent disciples
Big Application
1.
Following Jesus not a spectator sport: he’s making disciples not converts
a. Jesus’ mission is unique - but notice just how closely the disciples’ mission mirrors his
b.
You're empowered for this mission by the Holy Spirit
If you know me at all, you know I’m not the most passionate about sports - but it’s hard to entirely ignore this thing called rugby when you live in Scotland.
Particularly if you’ve ever been anywhere near Murrayfield on a 6 nations day!
c.
But still you're dependent in it - some receive and support; others reject
you don’t have everything you need - and that’s by design
not everyone is going to receive this - and that’s not a surprise or failure
2. There's a warning for those rejecting Jesus' message - but still time to change
Outline
There’s a huge difference between watching and playing rugby
If you know me, you know I’m not the most passionate about sports - but it’s hard to entirely ignore the rugby if you’re anywhere near Murrayfield on a 6 nations day
Truth is when I put my mind to it, I can quite enjoy watching rugby - though I still don’t really understand it.
Like most people.
But conceivably I could actually become a fan.
Perhaps.
But playing it, that’s a whole ‘nother thing.
I have some memories from school days.
Bad memories, needless to say.
In my mind, school rugby is always played in the freezing winter, mostly when it’s raining.
Everyone else was always bigger than me.
Even if they had to grow before each games lesson to make that true.
And I never could get my head around choosing to throw yourself at someone else’s shoes when they are running.
Just always seemed like a bad idea.
You don’t need me to tell you there’s a huge difference between watching and actually playing.
Well Jesus’ disciples have done plenty of watching - now it’s time for them to get onto the pitch.
Jesus’ disciples have done plenty of watching - now it’s time for them to get onto the pitch
We’re continuing our journey through Luke’s gospel - Luke’s telling of Jesus’ life story - and in today’s reading things really begin to change for Jesus’ disciples.
But this isn’t just a dusty old book about things that happened far away and long ago.
What we’re going to look at today has important things to say to us here and now.
Come with me to Luke, chapter nine, and we’ll read the first nine verses.
Why not pick up one of these blue church bibles if there’s one near you?
We’re on page _______.
Luke chapter 9 - the chapters are the big numbers in here, and verses one to nine - the verses are the little numbers.
Page ______, and look for the big nine.
Nita is going to come and read for us today.
We pick up the story after a series of amazing miracles where Jesus shows his power over nature, the supernatural, health, and even life itself.
What’s next?
Context
Find the passage
Context
Reading:
The Twelve Spectators
feet up on sofa with TV picture
Jesus chose these twelve, commonly called the apostles, back in chapter 6 - though he had started gathering them earlier still.
Though he had started gathering them earlier still
Perhaps you’ll remember Peter the fisherman’s boat trip with Jesus in chapter 5? That ended with Peter and his friends leaving everything to follow Jesus.
And then later that same chapter, Jesus calls Levi away from his tax collecting - and after a massive party with Levi’s friends, it seems he’s on the road with Jesus too.
But here’s the thing: so far, Jesus’ disciples, even this inner circle of twelve, have basically been spectators.
Watching Jesus at his work - crazy big miracles by the dozen.
Listening to Jesus’ words - some feisty, some revolutionary, some head-scratching.
But basically just watching from the sofa.
Watching Jesus at his work - crazy big miracles and all
Listening to Jesus’ words - some head-scratching, some feisty, some revolutionary
But basically just watching from the sofa.
Now to be fair, they had left everything and gone a wondering with Jesus - so a sofa picture’s probably overdoing it.
But in many ways they really were still spectators.
And then Jesus turns up the heat.
It’s time for them to get some more skin in the game.
It’s time for them to move from spectators to players
time for them to get some more skin in the game.
time for them to move from spectators to players
Shifting his strategy
sports strategy diagram on whiteboard; circles, lines, x’s
time for them to get some more skin in the game.
time for them to move from spectators to players
If you’re familiar with this story, or at least the general idea of the disciples joining Jesus’ mission, we can just read this story and think “yes, of course, that’s just what happened next.”
Why does Jesus shift his strategy here?
Why does he change the way he’s going about his mission?
But before we get too far into this we really need to stop the clock and ask the question why: Why does Jesus shift his strategy here?
Why does he change the way he’s going about his mission?
Because make no mistake, this is a fundamental shift in Jesus’ strategy from him being the only teacher, the only worker.
Scalability?
Was it simply impossible for Jesus himself to reach global scale as an individual in the days before mass media?
Is it Scalability?
Was it simply impossible for Jesus himself to reach global scale as an individual in the days before mass media?
Nowadays, of course, this isn’t much of a problem.
Thanks to platforms like YouTube, a single individual can become hugely globally influential.
Even if most of us still have absolutely no idea at all who they are!
Who’s heard of James Charles? Well apparently he’s famous enough to bring Birmingham to a standstill just by visiting a cosmetics store for a 30 second appearance.
Thanks to his ten million YouTube followers!
But if Jesus had wanted to do it all himself, he could have just chosen a better timing for his incarnation.
A millenial Jesus with his own YouTube channel - easy.
Or just broadcast direct to the inside of everyone in the world’s head, of course.
Or he could have just invented vision-TV right then and there and broadcast direct to everyone in the world’s eyes.
No, he chose to do it this way.
Why?
Perhaps it’s that there’s something fundamentally Christ-like about mission?
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