Turning the World Upside Down ~ Luke 6:12-19 June 23, 2013 ~ New City Church Calgary ~ Pastor

John Ferguson Dead Poets Society: They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you; their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary. Question: What are you living for? (How do you make sense of your life? Do you ever ask yourself, What is the purpose of getting up, doing what I do all day, and going back to bed?) Leslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society, The way we understand human life depends on what conception we have of the human story. What is the real story of which my life story is a part?

Today, we are going to look at a passage in which Jesus recruits 12 men to live their lives in light of his-story, to become his disciples. Ordinary men with ordinary lives, who, b/c they got connected to the story of Jesus, found not only meaning, but the very reason for their existence. And these men turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6) not because they lived extraordinary lives, but because of their testimony about the extraordinary life of Jesus Christ. This is important because their ordinary lives and their testimony about Jesus are an important clue for us about how to invest our lives so that we dont waste the few precious days that weve been gifted to live. Turning the World Upside Down ~ Luke 6:12-19 12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 1. Jesus had a very important decision to make about selecting the men to whom he would invest and entrust his mission. So he spent the whole night praying: talking to God about this momentous decision. 2. If Jesus sensed the need to pray about his decisions, how much more should we! Prayerlessness is our declaration of independence.

3. Ryken 253, As surprising as it may be to see Jesus pray, it is even more surprising to see how his prayers were answered. The twelve men that Jesus called were not the men that most people would have chosen.

13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: 1. From the multitude of disciples, Jesus chose 12 to especially invest in & commission. A disciple is who learns the teaching of his master and does what his master does. An apostle is someone who is sent to convey a message (~ ambassador).

14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew [Nathanael], 15 and Matthew [Levi], and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas [Thaddeus] the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. 1. What was Jesus thinking? All except Matthew the Tax Collector were poor. And a tax collector? None held socially respectable positions, none were well connected. Acts 4:13, unschooled, ordinary men.

2. 1 Corinthians 1:26, For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the worldso that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all. Objection: This is basically why I DONT believe in Christianity. I like Jesus & think he taught some pretty cool stuff. But I dont believe in all this talk about miracles and such. Ive never seen one and I dont know anyone who has seen one. You cant seriously expect 21st century modern people living in Calgary to buy this stuff do you? 1. The reason we know anything about Jesus is because these same disciples who walked and talked with Jesus for three years as disciples, abandoned him when he was arrested and led away to be crucified. And then, these same cowards in a matter of days went around boldly claiming not, Hey Jesus said we should all love one another, or We should all be more forgiving, BUT RATHER, Jesus rose from the dead.

2. The same disciples who recorded the teachings of Jesus also recorded the events of Jesushis miraclessaying,

2 Peter 1:16, For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 1 John 1:1ff, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands concerning the word of lifethat which we have seen and heard we proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us. Acts 26, Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things escaped his notice, for this has not happened in a corner.

Their testimony: Listen, we saw these things. You may not believe in miracles because youve never seen one, but we didnt either until we witnessed them at the hands of Jesus. And his greatest miracle of all, coming back from the dead, we all witnessed these things. So, why did Luke record these stories in his historical biography of Jesus? Main Idea: Following Jesus means accepting the invitation to live our ordinary lives in light of the extraordinary life of Jesus. Application: 1. Answer the question: What am I living for? Life is a vapour. o James 4:14, What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Newbigin, I amwagering my life on the faith that Jesus is the ultimate authority. The Christian commitment is distinguished in that it is a commitment to a belief about the meaning of the whole of human existence in its entiretynamely, the belief that this meaning is to be found in the person of Jesus Christ, incarnate, crucified, risen, and destined to reign over all things. o If this is true, that means the meaning of the whole of human existence is not found in being popular, its not found in accumulating more things, its not found in investing your life in such a way that you hope people will not forget about you. o If this is true, then we are invited to see our lives in light of the story of Jesus, b/c the Bible tells us that is the only way we will not be forgotten. 3

How so? Because God redeems our lives in Christ.

2. See yourself as a disciple of Jesus. Did you know that the first followers of Jesus didnt go by the label Christian? For three years, people who followed Jesus were known as disciples = those who learned the teachings of Jesus and went about doing good, just like their Master did. o Acts 11:26, And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. Christian simply means one who belongs to Christ. o Maybe there is wisdom in learning to call ourselves disciples. A disciples mentality: I live my life in light of what Jesus taught & what Jesus did. 3. Dream BIG. How could God use my ordinary life to spotlight the extraordinary life of Jesus?

Conclusion: Dead Poets Society: Professor Keating is seeking to ignite a passion for life in his students, and in one scene, he reads a poem by Walt Whitman called, O Me! O Life! The powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.

Jesus invites us into his storythe true story of the world, and invites you to play a part. Jesus says, Come, follow me. I will write you into my story. I have a part for you to play.