Sermon Tone Analysis

Series: On the Move: Overcoming the Obstacles of Growth

Title: The Obstacle of Distraction

Text:

ATTN

SHOW PICS FROM HUBBLE – Hubble 1, Hubble 2

Those amazing pictures of the Universe were not possible before 1990.

It was in 1990 that one of the greatest innovations in space exploration was placed in orbit.

It was the Hubble Telescope.

It was built over a period of years and featured a reflecting mirror that had to be made with exact precision.

Just how exact that precision had to be was discovered when the telescope was deployed.

The pictures that NASA received were better than any they’d ever gotten before, but they knew something was wrong.

Clarity was lacking.

They finally determined that when the huge reflecting mirror had been ground and polished, it’s preparation was slightly off.

When I say slightly, I mean slightly!

It was off by the 1/50th of the width of a single strand of hair!

But that little bit of difference was very important.

It was the difference between seeing this image SHOW PIC (out of focus) and this image SHOW PIC(in focus).

The fix required another space launch and the refitting of that mirror with a pair of glasses to refocus the image.

The result was amazing pictures of our universe that we had never seen before.

SHOW HUBBLE 3

SHOW HUBBLE 3

Though I hesitate to use such majestic shots to make such a mundane point, this teaches me something: The right FOCUS will reveal a Clear PICTURE.

Now, it is true that the images that we received from the hubble before the correction was made were better than before, bringing things into focus took us from “ehh” to “WOW!”

The right focus reveals a clear picture.

Now follow me: Just as a right focus reveals a clear picture, so the right strategy achieves a clear vision.

BACKGROUND

We’ve been in this series entitled: On the Move: Overcoming the Obstacles to Growth.

In the first week we talked about how internalizing the right habits as a Christian will lead to an inner power that causes you to stop waiting for the right program and take your own personal initiative.

In week two we said that we can overcome the obstacle of apathy by valuing relationships, seeking to listen to the Holy Spirit, and following His lead to maximize your opportunities.

Week three showed us how prayer neutralizes the obstacle of fear and last week we showed how being willing to confront sin with specific biblical values allows us to avoid the sabotage Satan wishes to unleash on us.

Now we’ve come to chapter 6. Satan has been defeated by God’s church.

In chapter four he tries to silence believers through persecution, but he is defeated.

In chapter five, he tries to corrupt the church through lies and hypocrisy, but he is defeated.

So, in chapter six, he tries another tactic.

He tries to distract the church through controversy.

Read with me:

1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.

2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.

3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude.

And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.

7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

The believers in Jerusalem were all Jewish, but they had different backgrounds and even different languages.

Those born in Israel would have spoken Hebrew and been a little more conservative when it came to the law and traditions.

The second group was born outside of Israel and spoke Greek.

They were a little less conservative and a little less traditional.

But those little differences created distrust.

The Greek speakers (called “Hellenists” in these verses) evidently felt as if the Hebrew speakers felt superior to them, called all the shots, and mistreated them.

They were not being treated fairly and the matter was brought to the Apostles.

Now I believe that this incident taught this church something and it can also teach us something about overcoming this obstacle of distraction.

NEED

And, yes, I do believe the church in America is, in many instances at least, distracted.

We have plenty of property and we sometimes don’t think we can even have a church if we don’t have it.

We got plenty of property, but little population.

While our holdings go up, our membership goes down.

I think we’ve been distracted.

And we’ve got plenty of opportunity but little vision.

We bemoan the fact that the world is becoming less enamored with the gospel instead of seeing that the more lost the world becomes the larger our mission field grows.

Yet, though the opportunities are huge, the world seems to be slipping beyond our ability to really impact it.

Some say that it is because our message is outdated, but I do not believe the problem is the message.

I think that the problem is distraction.

TRANS

That’s why we need to see what happens here in .

At the time when distraction seemed almost inevitable, the church rises to the occasion and overcomes this obstacle.

I believe we can too!

This passage shows us how.

It tells us that distractions can be overcome first of all when:

D1

Distractions are overcome when problems are faced.

EXP

One of the greatest reasons we get distracted from the vision God has for us is simply the problems we face.

That was true for the early church.

Their problem is described in v1: Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.

When this verse talks about a “daily distribution” it is speaking about food, clothing or even money given to those who needed it.

For widows, that need was daily since many had no one to take care of them.

It seems, however, that the way the food was being distributed caused a problem.

The Greek speaking people thought the Hebrews, who were running things, were unfair.

After a while that perception of unfairness began to cause resentment.

The church which had begun so well was in danger of slipping into the same problem that has destroyed so many congregations since then.

The people started to complain.

The word for “complaint” there is “murmuring” and speaks of a grumbling that is done under the breath.

You all know what I’m talking about here.

You’ve heard it—you’ve probably seen it.

You’ve walked into a congregation and seen people “talking.”

There speaking quietly with that sly look of disdain.

No one’s going to the leaders; they’re just talking.

By the way, the word used here for murmuring is the same word that describes what the Children of Israel did against Moses that almost cost them their lives on several occasions when they were in the Wilderness.

This complaint was dangerous.

But it wasn’t the greatest danger.

The greatest danger from this problem of unfairness was distraction.

If the Apostles had allowed it to happen, this need could have pulled them from their ministry of the Word and prayer and caused them to try to meet the needs themselves.

So here was their dilemma: They knew they could not ignore the problem and they knew that, if they fixed the problem themselves, they would be distracted.

That’s why they said in v4

Acts 6:4-Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; . . . 5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude.

And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, The bottom line is this: They solved the problem.

They didn’t allow the problem to create even more division or to distract them from the mission.

They solved it.

The bottom line is this: They solved the problem.

They didn’t allow the problem to create even more division or to distract them from the mission.

They solved it.

APP