Monday, February 19, 2007 - Cristian Ministry Seminar - Joel Hernandez
[These are notes taken during the session, not the message itself.]
Session 2: Effectiveness Defined
Main Text:
Mat 9:27-31 (ESV)
"And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, "See that no one knows about it." But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.
We are inadequate judges of our own effectiveness.
Others are inadequate judges of our effectiveness.
Results are inadequate criterion of ministry effectiveness.
Christ is the only judge of ministry effectiveness.
In the previous session we observed four characteristics of an effective servant. Tonight we will focus on this one: An Effective Servant Believes God. You need faith in God to be an effective worker for God. So you might say “but Joel, I have faith in God, after all I'm saved!” We need to grow and develop the faith that we have.
Why is it important to have faith in God?
Psalms 34:8 (ESV)
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Matthew 23:23 (ESV)
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
The pharisees camped on the smaller details instead of focusing on what God really had in mind for them.
Proverbs 34:6 (ESV)
"This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles."
Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)
"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (ESV)
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."
Matthew 17:20 (ESV)
"He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."
There is a direct correlation between your effectiveness in service and your faith.
Luke 8:23-25 (ESV)
"And as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?"
Hebrews 10:38 (ESV)
"But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him."
I always thought that this verse was talking about how the unrighteous were justified, but its actually about how those who have been declared righteous should live!
Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)
"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."
As I look at the lives of these men, I see this principles at work:
Faith is useless until it is exercised.
In the Matthew 9 passage, the blind men could have sat around and waited for the Lord to do as he might, but instead they ran to meet Christ calling "Have mercy on us, Son of David."
Faith runs contrary to rational explanation and science.
There was no rational reason for the blind men to believe that Christ could heal their blindness.
Romans 4:19-21 (ESV)
He (Abraham) did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Abraham clung to the promise that God gave him even though he and his wife were both much too old to create a child. Even though science and reason told him that it was not possible, he had faith and believed. If you want to become an effective servant you need to trust in the Lord even when it defies logic and reason.
Faith does not need to rely on experience.
There was not a long list of people that could attest to and be looked to for examples of people that Jesus had healed. Nevertheless, these men did not ask the Lord how many blind people he had healed before them. They simply had faith that he could.
Faith edges one to dispense with social protocol.
Sometimes faith demands that you do something that does not seem normal or socially acceptable. The blind men had to follow after Christ had to call after him, and even after that Jesus still went right on into the house and they had to follow him in. Calling Jesus the “Son of David” was definitely against social protocols. The Jewish leadership had declared that anyone proclaiming Jesus to be the messiah would be cast out of the synagogue.
Faith recognizes the power of God and the need for mercy.
The blind men definitely realized that they needed God's mercy on them in order for their eyes to be healed.
Faith springs from an unwavering grasp of God's Word.
How did these men know that Jesus was the “Son of David”? The religious leaders certainly weren't prepared to call him that. This is the first narrative use of this title in the gospel of Matthew. It is his messianic title. The Canaanite woman recognized him as this, the blind men did also, and so did the crowd at the triumphal entry. On the other hand, the leaders were certain that Christ's power was given to him by Satan. How did some see this but the leaders not? By knowing the Word of God. Without it they would have no reason to know or believe it. They clung to the Word of God and acted in faith.
Faith is persistent even when denied (or “Faith won't take no for an answer”)
When we pray we should approach the Judge and ask for justice. We should approach our Lord and ask for his mercy, instead of wavering prayers that say “Lord, maybe, if it be your will...”
So how can you make this practical. How can I apply this to my life? You are only 18, 19, 20 years old. You might have not seen God prove himself to you, so how will you be able to have faith?
You have to come to the end of yourself. As long as you are the authority for your life, you will not be able to trust in the Lord. You will need to let go of your expectations. Let go of the expectation that God is going to bless you with a wonderful life, a large house, a new car, great children, and a hugely successful ministry. Take away all of these false indicators.
You will need to take God at his word in childlike acceptance. Even when it is the most illogical, unreasonable, nonsensical answer that you think you can get. Oh for grace to trust you more!
You will need to cling to God as if he were your only hope of survival. Because he is.
You will come to the end of all that you can do and the end of all that can be done, and Christ will still be standing next to you.
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