Luke 6:12-16 The Calling of the 12

1.) He didn't go to upper-class members of Jewish society.

That would have been the logical starting point because they had influence, power & money.

2. He wasted His time by going to the opposite extreme and calling the

3.) Didn't try to talk people into supporting Messiahship.

There was No sales pitch/ He only challenged the people to follow Him

Was bad enough he didn't pick any of the top echelon, but it seems He went out of His way to confront them.

5.) He refused to compromise.

So often in the business/political world its a matter of give and take in

leadership/Not Jesus

They had little education & very little spiritual perception.

They had no formal training for the ministry.

They were rude No hospitality: When faced with a hungry crowd they told Jesus: "Get 'em out of here".

When kids were brought to Jesus, they rebuked those who brought them.

REMINDED THAT JESUS’ WAY OF DOING THINGS IS NOT AT ALL LIKE OURS.

A) Today if someone is organizing a series of outreaches, they want to get a group of highly trained professionals, good communicators

2. NOT JESUS - think about His initial FRONT MAN John the B.

1. He was a raving longhaired guy who was inappropriately dressed for the ministry / He ate weird food, shouted "repent" at people

4. This might seem like an INSIGNIFICANT few verses in light of the our PERCEPTION of the ministry of Jesus.

1. We picture Jesus preaching to crowds, teaching crowds, healing

5. But Much of His ministry was the training of 12 men - that He called to be apostles

1. And here we see the separating of these 12 men from the group called the disciples beginning of the training to make them Apostles

1. A disciple is a learner - one who follows w/ the intent of learning/ growing

2. But here we see Jesus selecting 12 men from the group of disciples w/ the purpose of making them Apostles - ( One who is sent or commissioned)

1. They had a specific purpose - a specific mission

3. Now there are several things we want to note about the calling of these men to be Apostles .

1. Some have joked that He was praying for a different group - Father are you sure these are the ones

2. The Story is told of when Jesus ascended up to Heaven after the Rez. - He was speaking to the angel Gab. who said to Him

Jesus replied They don’t - Only a few - Gab said How are you going to reach them - how will they find out - what is your plan.

Jesus responded - I have given those 12 guys that I spent those 3 yrs w/ the task of spreading the goodnews of the salvation I offer & what I did - that is the plan - GAB RESPONDED - THOSE GUYS ? IS THERE A PLAN B

3. I don’t think that is what Jesus was doing in Praying all night - He wasn’t debating w/ His father about PETER

1. He knew the plan for Peter’s life when He first called Him - Simon = ( shifting sand ) but you shall be called Peter = ( ROCK)

4. But I do think it is worth noting - & a great lesson for us - that before making a major decision like this that Jesus spent a night in Prayer

1. Here He was God in the flesh - and yet He felt the need to correspond w/ His Father - over this great decision

5. convicting - How many times do I make decisions w/ out even Checking in - Just do it - go here & there.

1. Recent yrs Actually cut that down - made too many mistakes

6. But it is easy to get so busy - running - first things to go is prayer

1. Reflected His desire to live in constant communion w/ His Father as well as in continual dependence

2. Disciples realized this as being - the key ingredient - why they said to Him teach us to Pray - not preach or do miracles - raise the dead

1. prayer was a key ingredient to His Life & relationship to the Father

HE CALLED ORDIANARY GUYS TO DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS

1. That is what is so great about this list of guys - wonderful and no accident that the Lord - gives us the names

B) A Strange Mixture of Team-Members

1. Today He'd be advised to go to the best theological seminaries &

3. AND those with the most charisma to command the attention of the

crowds.

1) Then it'd be good to get a few millionaires on the team

4. And then He could always use some pro Wrestlers to use as Body Guards since the opposition from the religious leaders is so great.

1. BUT - Instead He went to Fisherman's Wharf in Galilee, & picked unknowns / world would look at as a bunch of losers

5. Ordinary guys that He would train & empower & send them on a mission to change the world!

1^st Simon...Peter: Most would've fired him within a week:

1. Impulsive...... Could NOT sit a wait for things to happen/Tried to make

them happen

2. When Jesus told His disciples He was going to suffer & die - Peter pulled Him aside & rebuked Him for saying it !

1) Cut off the ear of Malchus

C) Prideful & self dependent - Even though all these guys forsake you Not I - I will die for you. ( Then denied Jesus 3 times - )

4. When Jesus needed him most to pray & stand with Him in garden, He slept .

1. YET Jesus picked & used Peter and transformed his weaknesses into strengths & restored Peter to usefulness after he failed.

1. Once a disciple of John the Baptist. But we find him reluctant to trust God.

2. John 6:9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"

James & John Partners of fishing business with their dad Zebedee.

A) Sons of Zebedee/Sons of Thunder

2. Luke 9 Records the time that Jesus sent some men into a city of the Samaritans to prepare a place for Him - Yet they wouldn’t receive Him.

3. They had allot of zeal but no tact... Jesus rebuked them for their intolerance. (I can picture them wearing Black leather robes)

1) Later they started a feud asking "who'd be the greatest?"

Yet both were picked by Jesus

4. And John was later entrusted with the care of Mary Jesus’ Mother & became a leader (wrote a gospel & 3 epistles, Revelation)

1) And James went on to become 1st martyr among the Apostles.

Phillip: Timid Galillean.

1. Didn't approach Jesus like Andrew & John- He waited until Jesus invited

him to join.

2. Tradition says he was the one who asked Jesus if he might go 1st and bury his father.

1) Phillip has been called a Calculating Pessimist

3. At the feeding of the 5,000....... Jesus asked Philip "Where will we get enough food?".....

1. Phillip quickly made a count & figured how much each portion would cost. He answered: "We don't have enough $$"

D) His knowledge got in the way!

A) This is the guy who was 1st to doubt Jesus was Messiah.

JOHN 1: 45-51 Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

A)Tax Collector for the Roman Govt. That put him on the "most hated list"

in Israel Ahead of robbers, murderers.

2. He was Considered a traitor by his own people for selling out to the

Romans

SIMON THE ZELOT - A Political Religious party of fanatical nationalists

1. They hated foreign domination & fought for independence -They were the Israeli Freedom fighters

B) They swore to assassinate every traitor & every Roman they could

3. The Zealots - carried long - hooked knives under their coats - when they

found a Roman - or a traitor like - Matt.

1. They left them a point to be remembered

4. Simon was the kind of guy to stand up & yell, "Kill the Pinko Communist Romans!"

1. NOTE: Jesus placed this guy on the same team as Matthew the "Pinko Communist Tax Collector

5. That would be like having an Israeli Zionist & Yassir Arafat of PLO together!

A) The pessimist... He only saw the dark side of things: Negative

2. When Jesus said they were going to Judea, - it was Thomas who reminded Jesus - They want to Kill you down there .

1) he felt sure they'd never get out alive

3. John 11:16 Then Thomas, which is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

1) Hesitant to believe Jesus rose from the dead

Judas He was a FALSE disciple who became a traitor /He was also a thief

A) When Mary poured ointment on Jesus' feet... Judas protested - waste

B) I want to make note of several thoughts about WHY Jesus chose Judas

Jesus knew full well what He was doing when He chose Judas

1) He KNEW the hearts of all men

3. He saw from the beginning that Judas was VOID of any work of grace in his heart AND that he would one day betray Him

1. Like everything else that Jesus did, He made this choice DELIBERATELY,

4. and the fact that He did teaches us some INVALUABLE lessons concerning the ministry

1^st The choice of Judas was intended to teach ministers HUMILITY

5. IF you get to serve the Lord in any capacity, do NOT for a moment think that your POSITION or TITLE will make you spiritual

1) or that it is a mark of God's grace in your life

6. Remember that Jesus ordained a wretched hypocrite who NEVER changed

by virtue of his position

2nd The choice of Judas teaches the Church to NOT make idols out of ministers

1. We can esteem them highly for their work's sake- But we are NEVER to

look at them as infallible or put them upon a pedestal

3^rd It teaches the Church to NEVER expect perfection in the Church

A) We will always find TARES amongst the WHEAT

2. IF Judas was found among the Apostles, then count on it, we will NEVER

find perfection in a fellowship

1. Converted and unconverted will always be found mixed together in a congregation

So - this is the team that Jesus picked to change the world!

A) Its as if he went out of His way to pick the most unlikely to succeed.

B) Remember in school when it was time to pick teams at recess or P.E.

One guy always last.... That was these guys

3. I find the analysis of His crew very encouraging Because IF He can work with them, THEN He can work with me / you

2. They were not on the who’s who list for - upcoming people to being watching out for .

1. No Rhodes scholars in this group - just a bunch a ordinary men that God worked in to do extraordinary things

3. But that seems to be the way that God so often works in Scripture . In 1 Sam. 22:2 we read of the group that God brought to David.

1. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. 400 of them.

4. How would you like to Pastor that group - I mean these were the rejects

the guys who no one else wanted

1. Yet God leads them to the only man He really wanted - leading His people

5. later we read this same group - became known as mighty men of renown

1. What Happened ? God took some ordinary guys & did some extraordinary things w/ them.

1. Now this doesn’t mean that God can’t use you if you have a college degree

or if you have been to seminary or if you are highly intelligent

1. It just means that - He won’t use you if that is what you are going to be putting your trust in - & depending upon.

2. Or you will not be used to the fullest extent that God would like to use you

because you will always be getting in the way.

1. Paul - count it all as garbage - all schooling - forgetting what lies behind …….

3. Peter - in order for Him to go from being shifting sand -to ROCK - Peter had to get out of the way - Come to the end of himself

1. Which he did - when he denied Jesus - 3 times after his big boast

D) I also find it interesting that Paul was called to Gentiles & not the Jews -

why ? He was a natural w/ the Jews /

1)He knew their religious system - he knew the word /Their traditions - he

knew how they thought - yet God said I am sending you to the gentiles

E) And Who did the Lord send to the Jews ? Simple minded Peter - the

fisherman - the untrained man

1. But Peter under the inspiration & Power of the Spirit - was Better than the Learned Paul - in His flesh.

1^st Notice the Variety of God's Choice - Such different personalities

A) Yet He called them to be together Fishermen, tax collectors, a Zealot.

B)I love this about God/ He loves variety! / So different from each other.

3. Just think - If all gifts at Christmas were the same, if all the seasons were

the same, if all of the terrain was the same, life would be so dull

1. If all Christians were the same we would only see ONE small facet of God's grace and love and power

4. God is so DIVERSE in His work that even those with the same gifts

exercise them differently - Wife & I Symphony- ( Petra)

E) One gal - percussion - only heard her a few times - right moment - so pretty.

A) In the selection of these 12 we see THE PARADOX OF GOD'S WISDOM compared to the world and THE PURPOSE OFGOD'S WISDOM.

B) WHY did Jesus CHOSE these guys after a night of prayer?

1. It wasn't because they were the only ones left over and He had to

C) And It wasn't because they were wise and strong

1. An old Puritan commentator: "God doesn't see as man sees nor does

4. Why does the God who can speak the world into existence go after such to

serve Him? So He'll get the glory.

5. Had God only chosen the wise, wealthy & powerful, it would have given

way for the flesh to get glory ("he's so articulate, educated")

EXAMPLE: Imagine that a surgeon was in a jungle and that he had to perform an emergency appendectomy and the only tool he had for the surgery was a Swiss Army knife

1. Now ANY doctor in ANY American Hospital operating room could perform that operation

1. BUT - TO do that procedure with THAT tool alone would clearly

2. The skill of worker is more dramatically demonstrated when confined to inferior tools......

1. The same thing is true when you Look at the tools that are in God's

2. Note this - that before Jesus would send them out - He was calling them to a deeper commitment w/ Him - deeper walk w/ Him

1. Calling them to Just BE W/ HIM - ALWAYS THE CASE

3. before service - before being commissioned - Jesus just wants us to be w/

Him - called to fellowship - Relationship

D) More than using us - He wants to be w/ us - He desires that intimacy w/ us

1. Why He came - & died - relationship w/ man restored that had been severed because of sin. That is the reason

3. - He wasn’t looking for an army - he had the angels - but w/ us he has fellowship He can’t have w/ the Angels

1. So easy to forget this - get so busy - neglect fellowship & prayer - neglect intimacy w/ the Lord

4. Sometimes my son - so quick to show me - picture He drew for me - the new Lego He made - how he cleaned his room

1. Aaron just come here w/ me for a minute - I just want to be w/ you

5. shopping - return a watch - reluctant - later called - mom - This is the best day ever - were not ready to come home yet Nothing special

6. I believe that is what the Lord so desires w/ us - Just want you to be w/ me

1. When is the last time took some time to just go be w/ the Lord

1. Why is that? I think it is in those times that He is seeing my heart - it is in those times that He is - seeing how much I love Him

2. And it is after those times that I find His heart is much more responsive to ministry - serving the Lord.

1. Dad can I start doing some ministry w/ you - So Wed. Hospital - all Business - Awesome prayer

3. Right motive - right heart - great reward - Jesus wants us to just be w/ Him .