Nobodies Telling Everybody

Sermon July 12

Nobodies Telling Everybody

 The following is the edited text of the sermon I prerecorded for view on Sunday, July 12. I usually post the message a day early. Or, you can watch the recorded message on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tp2WjvnwpU&t=8s 

Nobodies Telling Everybody

by Richard Maffeo

 Before I get into the meat of my message, let me tell you about two people I know from my ministry at a few 55+ communities where I have held Bible studies each week for the last several years. I have changed a few of the facts to protect the privacy of the people involved.

The first is an 85 year-old-man. He is a gentle soul. Over the past few years, dementia began to settle over his mind and he often got lost in the facility trying to find our Bible study in one of the rooms provided for us.

It’s always been clear to me that he loves the Lord Jesus. It is also evident that his history of a relationship with Jesus Christ sustains him in the fog of his dementia. Unfortunately, because of his increasing confusion, his family had to recently move him to a higher level of care.

The other person lives in a different facility where I hold Bible studies. She’s in her early 80s. She’s a nice person, and I enjoyed talking with her whenever we were able to sit and talk before the COVID lockdown.

But unlike the man I just told you about, this lady didn’t have time for Christ. She made it clear to me on several occasions. She was content with her life without Jesus. And then the day came when her family had to move her to a higher level of care because of her worsening dementia. I can now only pray for her, that God will somehow illuminate Himself even in her darkening confusion.

Those two people serve as a backdrop to the theme of my message today, the title of which is, “Nobodies Telling Everybody.” My primary text comes from Isaiah chapter six:

“In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” . . . .Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

  

What do we know about Isaiah? Not much, except he was a nobody in the history of Israel until he responded to the Lord’s call with, “Here I am. Send me.”

And I assure you, a degree in theology is NOT a prerequisite to make disciples and co-labor with Christ to save people from eternal death. Let me give you a few examples of this point. You may remember the story of the demoniac in Mark chapter five. After Jesus cast out the demons, the townsfolk begged Jesus to leave their city. As the Lord got ready to go, the formerly demon-possessed man begged that he might go with Jesus. But the Lord said this to him (verse 19):

“Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” Yes, the nobodies called to tell everybody about the Somebody who can save their souls. 

Think for a moment, who were Jesus’ disciples – not just the 12, but all those who followed Jesus. They were all virtually unknown in their communities. They were day-laborers, what we’d call blue collar workers. Some were prostitutes and beggars. Some were fishermen. One was a hated tax collector. 

They were nobodies.

But let me give you only a few more Biblical illustrations of former nobodies. First there is Elijah. James tells us Elijah was a man with a frail human nature just like ours – but a frail man nonetheless committed to our supernatural God. (James 5:17). You may remember it was he whom God called to Mount Carmel with the 450 prophets of Baal. They had the full support of the godless government run by Queen Jezebel and King Ahab. (1 Kings 18)

But Elijah was not ashamed of the gospel. The former ‘nobody’ had a calling from God to proclaim the good news – the gospel of the Lord God. But after the great miracle God worked on Mt Carmel before his eyes, what did Elijah do when Jezebel threatened his life? He ran in fear for his life. Yes, Elijah was a man with a frail human nature, just like ours.

What about Peter the Fisherman?  He too was just a nobody before he obeyed God’s call to be a fisher of men. Peter clearly had his faults, one of which was the thrice denial of his best friend and Lord. Another was his hypocrisy of which the apostle Paul publicly accused him. (Galatians chapter 2).

And speaking of Paul, while he himself was certainly not a ‘nobody’ in his Jewish culture, he also had his share of human frailties that didn’t end after he met Christ. You may remember he confessed in his letter to the Christians at Rome how wretched a sinner he was – doing what he didn’t want to do, and not doing what he wanted to do. And then there was that thorn in his flesh – what it was no one knows – but it dogged him until the day of his death.

We could spend two college semesters looking into the lives of so-called ‘nobodies’ throughout church history who turned their world upside down for Jesus, like Augustine of Hippo, Francis of Assisi, John Wycliff, George Mueller, John Newton, William Wilberforce – all former ‘nobodies’ who simply said “Yes” to God’s call to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. Nobodies just like you and me – who can do great things for God according to His will.

As I prepared this message I thought of the song by the Christian group, Casting Crowns. Here are some of the lyrics of their song titled: “Nobody”:

“Why You ever chose me/Has always been a mystery.
All my life I've been told I belong at the end of the line
With all the other Not-Quotes/With all the Never-Get-It-Rights
But it turns out they're the ones You've been looking for all this time

“'Cause I'm just a nobody/Trying to tell everybody/All about Somebody who saved my soul.
Ever since You rescued me/You gave my heart a song to sing
I'm living for the world to see/Nobody but Jesus
I'm living for the world to see/Nobody but Jesus

We tend to put people like Elijah and Isaiah and Peter and Paul on pedestals. We tend to think we could never be so valuable to God’s kingdom. That is a terrible mistake if we think that.

Those men certainly deserve our respect, even our emulation. But to place them on pedestals, to suggest they were super-Christians is something for which I am certain they themselves would rebuke us. Their spiritual strength rested squarely and exclusively on the Rock of Christ – just as yours and mine must always rest.

And so in our current culture where the gospel is mocked – and with increasing frequency Christians are finding themselves on the wrong end of political correctness when they proclaim God’s truths which contradict the culture’s version of truth – in this current culture, God help us to never be ashamed of the gospel, to never compromise the gospel, to never dilute the gospel, because the gospel of Christ is the ONLY power of God to salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jews and to the non-Jews. There is no other name under heaven given we are by we must be saved.

The year 2020 is not a time for Christians to bury our heads. The night is rapidly descending when no one will be able to work openly for Christ.

Let me now take us back to healed demoniac to whom Jesus said, “Return to your people and tell them what great things God has done for you.”

So, ‘Nobody,’ what has Christ done for you? And how can you share Him with others? Here are three Biblically rooted strategies to make disciples of all nations.

First, the gospel message is more than talked. It is JUST as importantly walked.  Does our walk match our talk? Are we guilty of gossip, of complaining, of unforgiveness, bitterness, and godless joking? Do we compromise our lifestyle to be accepted by family, friends, or acquaintances? Do we toy with sinful looks and fantasies? Are we silent in the face of sin – and with our silence give tacit approval of sin?  Do we VOTE for politicians who promote and support laws and policies that would cause Jesus to publicly rebuke us?

If so, if our walk contradicts our talk, then we know what we must do.

The second strategy involves talking the gospel. Do your friends and acquaintances know you attend church or Mass? Do they ever hear you talk of your faith in Jesus? Do they even know you are a Christian? Are you silent when you should speak, and do you speak when you should be silent? Do you seek the approval of friends over the approval of your Savior?

If you gave the wrong answer to those questions – and you know the right answers – they you know what you have to do.

And thirdly – and I will call this strategy the most important strategy: Do not think lightly of the power of prayer. Neither walking nor talking can accomplish much if the much is not undergirded with prayer. And it is on this most important point that I want to spend as much time as I can, considering we are now almost out of time. Here is only a small smattering of examples of the value the Lord Jesus and the apostles gave to prayer.  

Jesus spent very much time in prayer throughout His ministry. Of the dozens of examples, we have time to cite only a very few references, such as Matthew 14:23, Luke 5:16 and Luke 6:12. And He taught His disciples to pray – for example, Matthew 6. And Jesus taught them the value of patience in prayer (Luke 18). 

St. Paul was certainly a man of prayer. A cursory reading of his epistles demonstrates how often he prayed for those to whom he ministered. And he often sought the prayers of others, for example, 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers . . . .” 

Listen, my Christian brothers and sisters, NO ONE is impotent who serves our omnipotent God. Never, ever think prayer is a ‘small thing.’ Remember what God did with two fish and few loaves of bread.  

If all you can do -- ESPECIALLY because of health or circumstances – if all you think you can do is pray – oh, my!  Are you kidding? What do you think undergirds ALL the fruitful activities of any evangelist or missionary or pastor or teacher in their proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ? What power on earth can defend our family, our friends, our nation, our church from the supernatural assaults of the devil?  

Nothing supports, nothing upholds, nothing undergirds the supernatural work of God in the lives of others like the prayers of His people.  

Do you have a prayer list? If not, make one. Sit down with a pen and some paper and ask the Holy Spirit who you can pray for. In a few minutes you will need to find some more paper.  

Do you fast? Nearly everyone can fast a meal and use that time to pray. Now let me quickly say this before I continue: some of you have medical conditions, such as diabetes, where fasting a meal can be very dangerous to your health and even to your life. If you have health problems that make fasting dangerous, you should NOT fast.  

But for those for whom fasting would not be dangerous or harmful, then why not fast a meal from time to time and spend that time in prayer?  Let me give you an example of what I mean. It usually takes me 10-15 minutes to prepare and then eat breakfast in the morning. On days that I feel I want to fast and pray, I spend an extra 10-15 minutes in prayer, instead of eating.  

Most people on earth do not have a clue that we are all embroiled in a fierce and deadly supernatural war – a war for our eternal souls. And the weapons of our warfare are not of human strength but are of God’s supernatural power. Paul talks of that power in 2 Corinthians 10 and Ephesians chapter six. We cannot turn there now, but I urge you to examine those divine instructions on your own.  

Remember the two people I spoke of at the beginning of my message? It is people like them for whom Jesus died. And our God has privileged every Christian – of whatever role or age or status in life – God has given us the privilege to work with Him to save others from a life of heartache brought on by sin, and to save them from an eternal agony in the Lake of Fire.  

He has privileged us to walk and talk and pray that others will choose to follow Jesus – before death or dementia robs them of that choice.  

What has Jesus done for you? Will you tell others? Will you seek to better walk the talk?  

And most importantly, will you pray?