The Shepherd’s Voice

Readings for Sunday, July 5^th
Eze 2:1-5
Ps 123
2Cor 12:2-10
Mk 6:1-13

The Shepherd’s Voice – Sermon Audio

For many of us celebrating the 4^th of July is all about recognizing freedom. Freedom to worship as we believe, freedom to speak our minds without being put in prison, and freedom to assemble without fear of reprisal, and best of all the freedom to pay taxes.

A nursery school teacher was teaching her class about patriotism and freedom. She said, “We live in a great country, one of the greatest things we should be happy about is that, in this country, we are all free.” After listening to her declaration one little boy came walking up to her from the back of the room. He stood with his hands on his hips and said. . . . “I’m not free. I’m four.”

We see in our gospel lesson today that Jesus was free, not four. He was free to move about in the countryside. Last week Jesus raised the twelve year old daughter from the dead, he healed the hemorrhaging woman who touched the hem of his garment and he said “Your faith has made you well; go in peace.” Now we see that Jesus has left that place and come to his own hometown.

Our text today is fairly complicated. We see, people who are astounded at what Jesus is teaching, we have people who remember Jesus as a local carpenter, we have Jesus the one among many in a family, the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon, and we have Jesus who could do no deed of power there. That was the world’s perspective.

From Jesus vantage point he was amazed at their unbelief. It says he could heal a few people, but for the most part Jesus humanity was glaring, it was obvious. To some this proved the historical Jesus was a failure. He was not credible.

Did this limitation of His power make Jesus a failure in your eyes? This morning we will explore some ideas about failure and success, ideas about weakness and strength, and what does it take for people to be attracted to God’s message of faith, forgiveness, and freedom.

The first truth I want to highlight from the text today is that – Being attracted to God, the message of faith and forgiveness is NOT an attractiveness that the world appreciates.

Isaiah the Prophet talks about the coming Messiah, or as some call him the suffering servant. Is 52:14 – Many people were shocked when they saw him; he was so disfigured that he hardly looked human. Many will be appalled (this could also be “awestruck or astonished”) at the Servant.

Jesus must not have had a worldly quality about him that made him attractive to a wide range of people. Look at his situation. He had just done some miraculous things, healed many people, and yet people were saying, “Where did this man come from or get these things?” They were astounded, but this term can also mean shocked when they saw him. If he were truly attractive based on worldly values they would have celebrated his return. They would have had a parade for him. Think about what attracts you to Good Shepherd. It’s the people, not the pastor. It’s God’s message, not the minister….
By human standards Jesus was not attractive when He was on the earth (Is 53:3). But when people see Him at His second coming those who did not consider Him important will be absolutely astounded. They will see Him from a whole new perspective. People of the Good Shepherd – certainly you are attracted by God’s grace and Christ’s love, as it should be.

So being attractive to this world is not a good indicator of having a contagious spirit.

For those who don’t know, D L Moody was the Billy Graham of his day. At the height of D L Moody’s effectiveness (in the years 1874 and 1875), Dr. R. W. Dale, one of the most prominent clergymen in England at the time, attended a four-day revival led by Moody. Dale wanted to discover the secret to Moody’s amazing power. What technique did Moody use? What skill or gift did he possess? After watching Moody for four days, Dale could find no organizational or ministerial secrets. After the revival ended, Dale spoke with Moody about his work. Dale told Moody that the power of the revivals most certainly lay in the work of the Holy Spirit, since he could see absolutely no relationship between Moody’s personal gifts and what was being accomplished in Moody’s revivals.

A smaller person might have been offended by this comment, but Moody simply laughed and replied that he would be very sorry if it were otherwise. Moody wasn’t interested in people being impressed by him so much as he desired that men and women would be touched by the Holy Spirit and moved to follow God. Surely, you come here today and every Sunday to be touched by the Holy Spirit, God’s active voice, God’s power in the present, God’s Spirit is what calls, gathers, and sanctifies us in the truth.

It was in and through the weaknesses of D.L. Moody that God did great work. In fact, it may well have been because of these weaknesses that God was able to draw people unto him rather than into a state of admiring D.L. Moody.

Our second truth Christ’s grace is sufficient for us because God’s power is perfected in our weakness. It was true for D L Moody and it was true for Paul in our second lesson. He said, “on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth.”

Paul said “A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated.” It was to keep Paul from being too full of himself, he had to realize it was not about him, but it was about God. Famous people get put on a pedestal and the only movement from that position is to fall off or be taken off that pedestal.

People on pedestals may be attractive to the world, but they are not attractive to God. Powerful people usually don’t need God. It’s only those who are weak, those who are not perfect who need help, it’s only the sick who need a doctor.

In our Gospel it says, “And he could do no deed of power there.” But did this stop Jesus? NO! Did he consider this a failure? NO! Did he run to a cave to hang out and say poor me? NO! God shows me I need him most when I fail, when I’m frustrated, when I’m fragile.

We see in the next paragraph, the end of v6 Jesus went about among the villages teaching.

So we see that the final truth about people being attracted to God’s message of faith, forgiveness and freedom is, it’s not about us, but it’s about the message. Don’t let the thorn in the flesh that God has given you get in the way of God’s message of love and forgiveness. Don’t allow your personality, your tongue, your looks, your attitude, your greed, your money, lack of self-confidence get in the way of proclaiming God’s truth.

In a way you could say that our forefathers had this in mind when they came to this country. The Colonists grew in their resilience and confidence in God, even though there were many failures and hardships. They believed God had brought them to this new land, a land of freedom, a land of faith, a land of possible fortune. In the 1760s & 70s they still had what they thought was a very tyrannical king. After many of their initial physical hardships were being overcome, one Crown-appointed Governor wrote of the condition, to the Board of Trade back in England: “If you ask an American who is his master? He will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ.”

The Committees of Correspondence soon began sounding the cry across the Colonies: “No King but King Jesus!” This story obviously relates back to King George III of Great Britain, but the message cry No King but King Jesus should resonate with us, even today. Our battle cry at GSLC needs to be No King but King Jesus!

If we/you want to become a contagious Christian today remember these simple truths:

1. Attractiveness is not a worldly matter, it’s a Godly matter.
2. When we are weak – then God’s power is perfected
3. Being contagious is not about us, it’s about giving glory to God.

Jesus wasn’t attractive to his hometown crowd, but he didn’t stop proclaiming God’s message because of the failure he experienced. Jesus knew, even as the Son of God, it wasn’t about his humanity, it wasn’t about the miracles, it wasn’t about signs and wonders, it was about God.

Jesus went among the villages teaching. Jesus encouraged, no he sent his disciples out into the community to preach and teach and heal. People of Good Shepherd being a contagious Christian is not about your good looks, it’s not about the building we worship in, it’s not about the campus – it’s about God’s message of faith, forgiveness, and freedom to love God and one another.

Do you believe in God’s message of faith, forgiveness, and freedom? If so, I encourage you to tell your friends, tell your family, tell people you work with about God’s love.

Preach everywhere you go, and if you must use words. “No King but King Jesus!”

Amen

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