The Gaffer

Message Transcription

Well, if you saw the cover of our bulletin, some of you may have known exactly what this image is. Others of you may be lost. In 2020, a new app came on the social media platforms. It's called Be Real, and it was launched by some folks who had gotten tired of the the scrolling that happens often in Instagram, these curated images of how life is perfect and the kinds of craziness that that has imparted into our world. And instead, they they had a new idea. They said, What if we just sent out one notification a day, just one? And in that moment you just stopped and you took a picture. It took a front facing and a back facing selfie of what was happening in your life at that moment. So you could be real with people. There's no filters, there's no editing. You just take the picture. You have 2 minutes to get it done. When that notification comes up, you have 2 minutes to take that picture and post it. Now, you don't have to do it within that 2 minutes, but if you do it after that 2 minutes, be real tells all of your friends who follow you how long you waited. They give you one redo. So if you take a picture and it's kind of messed up or somebody sideways, you can take one more, but that's it. After that it posts what you have. The goal behind it is they want to show what real life is like.

Now, just to give you an idea, the last couple of years it has been downloaded this app more than 73 million times. They have an average daily use rate of 10 million people. So a lot of people are trying to be real. What was interesting, I read some statistics this week about the app that they went back and surveyed some of those 10 million and said, how many of you think this this social media platform is actually helping us to be more real, authentic with each other? About a third of them said, Yeah, it's working, which I just find really interesting. Only a third of people who are trying to be real are actually being real, which may actually be real for most of us, right about a third of the time we find ourselves able to be real with others, be real in our life and our setting. So I want us to spend the next three Sundays thinking together about what does it mean to be real, to not be fake. To look at who we are and where we are and when we are, and in the way that God is working in our lives and try to live into who He's calling us to be. That's the point of this series. And I want us to stop and to reflect on Scripture and especially on the words of Jesus as he talks so much about us being real. He may use a little bit different vocabulary, but the point behind it all is how do we learn to live authentic lives so that others might see our good deeds and glorify the father? What does it look like for us as Christians to be real? One of the things that I love most about Jesus is he loved to hang out with all kinds of people.

In fact, what you find if you follow him all through the Gospels is that people who were not like Jesus liked Jesus, they liked spending time with him. They liked listening to what he had to say. Sometimes they were offended, sometimes they were challenged, but they were always drawn in. And he loved to have them around them. And Jesus didn't just like them, He loved them. And he didn't just love them. He liked them. He enjoyed spending time with them. In fact, that was one of the things that got him into so much trouble with the religious leaders of the days. He just spent so much time with people who weren't like him. In fact, one of the names that he was known by was Friend of Sinners. Now think about that for a minute. What do you have to do to be known as a friend of sinners? Well, Jesus did those kinds of things. He spent time with all kinds of people. You didn't have a lot of requirements for being with him, spending that time with them. Except for one. He had to be real.

You had to be authentic because Jesus could see right through any hypocrisy. If you were weary and burdened, he didn't say, Suck it up, buttercup. It'll be better tomorrow, he said. Come find some rest with me. If you were overwhelmed by fear or insecurity that was happening in your life. He didn't say toughen up. He said, You can trust me. I'm safe. I'll listen and I'll care. If you are sad and lonely. He didn't say, Quit feeling sorry for yourself. He said he knows what it's like to be alone. You can find a friend in me. People who are wrestling with all kinds of problems and challenges and circumstances knew that they could go to Jesus, to talk, to listen. They understood he had something to offer. In fact, most of the time in the gospels, when you find Jesus engaging in an argument or or having a hard time with people, it was typically it was typically religious people, folks who should have known better and who didn't or at least weren't living like it. See, the religious folks of Jesus Day often saw things very different from him. So that when he showed up, it felt like he was bringing something brand new they'd never heard about. They didn't quite understand. They weren't sure how it fit. Here's what I mean from the beginning of Scripture, God's promise to Abraham is that he would make him into a great nation, and that in doing so, he would not be a blessing just to Abraham, but to all peoples, not only to his family, but then his family would be a blessing to the whole world.

That God's desire was that through Abraham, that the world might come to see. There's a different way of living. There's a different God out there who has a great and incredible love, the God who created everything, loves and longs to be in relationship with them. And yet along the way sin mars the process that messes everything up. Humanity chooses to go their own way in their own system. And they started breaking down. But God wasn't willing just to sit by and watch it all unfold that way. He was not willing to see all his love and his creation just be destroyed. Instead, he sends his son. You see, God's great desire through Abraham was that that his people would be ambassadors to the world, that they would show a new and different way. And when they couldn't do it, he didn't say, Oh, well, never mind. He sends his only son to show us the way back. And so in Jesus, God would do for us what we couldn't do for ourselves. He will teach us and show us the way that we should live. So one of the first Jesus major teachings is found in Matthew chapter five. In fact, I invite you to turn your Bibles over there. We're going to look at a couple of words that Kathy read for us in just a moment.

One of his first big teachings that he would give out to all his people. He says God is interested in working on our behalf. And one of the ways that the message got all twisted up is God's people started blending their message with the message of the day. That the way that you know you're in good with God is do you have any money? You have any power? Do you have any position or status or influence in the world? Because if so, then God must be blessing you and I'm going to do what you do. Would you tell me share your method with me and to those who were struggling, who were sick and weak, whose lives were falling apart, who were broken, they said, Well, sorry that God must be angry with you. He's punishing you. What did you do? In fact, at one point, Jesus is walking toward the temple and a couple of his disciples see a man who was born blind and they say, who sinned Jesus. This man or his parents, who's at fault here? Because we know somebody messed up and this is God's punishment, His judgment upon them. That was the way the mindset of the world, the good things happen to good people, bad things happen to bad people. That's just the way the world works. It makes sense, doesn't it? This sort of logic, you do good, you get good, you do bad, you get bad.

But Jesus said that's actually not true. God's kingdom is very different. He said this Blessed are the poor in spirit. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who are before you. Jesus here as he begins this teaching, calling his disciples and those who would follow, who would listen to him, begin to turn the religious system of the day and the system of the world on its head upside down. It wasn't simply reserved, rather the good life for the rich and the powerful and the well known and the well thought of the beautiful and the healthy. In fact, Blessed had a new definition. Jesus says you are blessed if you are in a relationship with the Heavenly Father, the Creator of the world. And this was critical.

You see, if God's people missed this, if we misunderstood this point, then we would end up spending our whole lives chasing after the very things that people who don't even know God chase after. And in fact, Jesus is going to say just as much, just a few verses down in chapter six. That the idea of having a blessed life is being in relationship with the one who blesses. That's why one of Jesus main requirements for those who would follow him is to be real. To be the real you, the struggles, the temptations, the heartbreak, the baggage. Bring all of it because he could do something with that. But see, if you weren't willing to be real, to be honest about who you were. Well, then you were trapped. Trapped in a system of your own making. And he would go on to say, for those of us who who are his followers, who are who are striving to be real, we we have to live honestly. Because to be dishonest, to fake it would would be disastrous. That's why he said these words. I believe that Kathy read just a moment ago. You're the salt of the earth. But the salt loses its saltiness. How can it be made salty again? It's no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people lie to LAMP and put it under a bowl.

Instead, they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way. Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven. Remember from before. God's way of showing the world, his life and his kingdom that there was a different way to live was by choosing his people to be his ambassadors, to help show the way, to demonstrate in real time, in real situations, in real relationships. This is how we are to live when we face what we face. Thus, if his people lived like everyone else, then the world would think the Kingdom of God is just like everything else, that God was just as petty and jealous and vindictive as the Greek and Roman gods. Or that maybe the God Yahweh was just as cruel and uncaring as the Egyptian gods. So there really wasn't a difference between Yahweh and all the other gods of the world. No, Jesus says there's a huge difference. There's a huge difference. That's why we have to learn how to shine our light to be real. You see, when he's teaching about God, he would say things like, If you want to know what the father is like, watch me. Listen to me. Follow me. And those who served in positions of leadership amongst God's people. He would hold them to that standard, to that way of life. Are they embodying the life in the heart and the caring compassion of the Heavenly Father? In other words, for that is righteousness.

Are they living right? And the right way. So when he's teaching them about how to live in the way of the father, you look in chapter six, Jesus would say, So when you pray, or rather when you give to the needy, do not announce it like trumpets with trumpets, rather like the hypocrites do. Or when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites or when you fast. Do not be somber. Look somber as the hypocrites do. Hypocrites were characters in a play. Jesus was the very first one to use this idea when he talked to others about being real. Being honest, Being authentic with those around them. Jesus says, Don't be fake. Don't pretend, be real. I can work with real. God does some amazing things with real people. You know, getting ready for this series. Gary and I talked a lot about this image of hypocrite and stage actors and and looking at examples of what that looks like. In fact, if you look a little closer at the picture on your bulletin, you'll see there's a picture of a guy holding some lights. It's called a gaffer on a play stage or a movie set. There's a there's a job called the Gaffer, and he's the one who controls all the lighting set up. And what he does is he works closely with the director to find out what's going on in this particular scene, in what areas of the stage need to be lit.

Because we all know when when light shines in the darkness, our eyes are drawn to the light. And so the gaffer's job is to help illuminate the area, the stage, the part of the story that the director wants the people to see. It's a critical job and an important job. Jesus says, Church, You're the gaffer. To the world. You're the one who allows God's light to shine in some pretty amazing and powerful ways. You are the one who can help light up a life. You can light up an area. God is blessing you so that you can bless others. The goal is not to keep the light to yourself. The goal is to shine the light. So that the world would see that we have an amazing God, that there is a different way to live. And it's crucial that we do this church. Otherwise, we turn into hypocrites. We turn into characters who are just play acting in. Folks can see it from a mile away. Jesus harshest criticisms were those followers and especially those religious leaders who didn't take this council seriously. Who would say one thing and do another. In fact, these were some of the words that he would say later on in Matthew's gospel. Chapter 23. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites. You shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven and people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor we let those enter who are trying.

Whoa to you teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You clean the outside of the cup and the dish. But inside. They're full of greed and self indulgence. Whoa to you teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. See, Jesus says, if we're going to be real, if we're not going to be fake, then we've got to be honest about who we are and open and willing to allow God's light to shine in our lives. Because in doing so, it has this amazing power of illuminating to the world. There is a God who heals, a God who forgives, a God who redeems and restores, a God who reconciles. And if we're going to make a difference, we have to be willing. To not be fake. And to be real. To allow the real us to meet the real Jesus. Because from there, anything is possible. God hasn't called us to make light of what happens in our life. He He doesn't call us to produce light in our lives. Rather, he says, Would you be the gaffer? Would you help direct it into the places? So that the world could see in your good deeds, in your life. That God has something going on. If so, perhaps it might start looking a little something like this. Check it out.

Beautiful music can soothe the soul, Bring a smile to your face or even a tear to your eye. Cbs Steve Hartman has the story of a young musician that will do all three in tonight's On the Road. To 11 year old Jude Kofi of Aurora, Colorado. This surprise was music to his eyes. Obviously, whoever said the best things come in small packages was never gifted a grand piano. Jude's father, Isaiah. So one day it just shows up at the house? Yes. All for free. Who does that? The answer in a moment. But first, the reason. About a year and a half ago, Jude's dad heard a noise coming from the basement. There was an old keyboard down there, but no one knew how to play it. Certainly not his autistic son, Jude. Or so he thought. Isaiah then got Jude a larger keyboard to see what more he could do. And boy, could he do. The kid never had a lesson. No one taught him any of this. How do you explain that? You're as good as you are. It's a miracle. You think it's a miracle? That's what I prefer. Bill Magnusson prefers that too. Is he special? It's beyond special. He's Mozart level. It's coming from somewhere beyond. Bill is a piano tuner. He saw a local news story about Jude. Heard him play. Learned how his parents immigrated from Ghana. How they're raising four children and sending money back to Ghana. What resources are left over to help this special little soul? Yours. Yeah. Using an inheritance from his father. Bill bought the piano, spent $15,000. He has promised to tune at once a month for the rest of his life. Very nice. And he's even paying for Jude to get professional lessons. We're family now. Somebody to just love your son like that by making sure that his future is secured. We are super thankful. Press the pedal caring for other children as your own. The defining note. Of humanity. Steve Hartman on the road. In Aurora, Colorado.

I love that story. I love how when the fathers first interviewed, he says, Imagine, imagine when someone loves your son so much. Who does that? You know, Bill was a piano tuner. I wonder if he ever had any idea that his life might have the possible intersect with this young boy, Jude, from Ghana? I don't know. All I know is Bill was willing to say whatever I can do. I love Bill's questions. Answer to Steve's question What resources are left when when this family is sending everything they have to put their four kids through school to send money back home to support their family? What resources are left? That's what the world asks. What's left? Will you better get yours while you can? And that's not what Bill says. Bill says, Well, there's mine. I could pay for that. I could spend my father's inheritance that was given to me to be used for me. And instead I could turn around and I could give it to someone else who. Who maybe needs it more than me. Who does that? I could turn that thing once a month for free for the rest of my life. I could do that. Who does that? You see, you never know what God can do with a life if we're just willing not to fake. Not to pretend. Just be real. Yeah. This is what I got. I don't know what you can do with it.

God does. God knows exactly what he can do with it. Church Will we commit this year, 2023, to learning how to be real? We've got some amazing ministries and opportunities for you to learn how to live that way. In fact, one launch just a couple of weeks ago, we call it Celebrate recovery. And it's learning to get real about who we are. You got any questions about that? We love to talk with you more about that. Camille would love to talk with you More about that. But to say, Well, what about my money? How can I be real with my money? Well, we want to talk to you about that. Why? Because. Because we need generous folks in our church, not just to pay for our own bills. Certainly we do. Church. Be generous. We got to pay our bills. But there's a lot of ministry that we would love to see happen in our city and across the world because we never know what might God do with that. What might he do in a life of someone who's willing to be honest and real and authentic? You see, Jesus never had a problem with those folks. Remember the story of the son or the father who's got a sick daughter? And Jesus says, have faith. He says. Help me, Lord. I believe. But. Help my unbelief. I struggle. Sometimes I doubt Jesus doesn't say, How dare you get out of my sight and said, He says, Follow me.

And on the last chapter of Matthew's Gospel on 28, Jesus has reappeared to his disciples. It's amazing. It's incredible. They're on a mountain. They're all standing there. And Jesus, the Holy one, who has died for them, has been brought back to life, is standing right before them. And Matthew tells us, and some believed in, some doubt it. I just brought it all. Jesus. I know you're standing right in front of me. And I'm still struggling to believe it. Jesus says, You go. You go and be my disciples, my witnesses to the world. See, having perfect faith is not a requirement for following Jesus. It's being real. Will we be real? Oh, God. That's my prayer for us as a church this spring. These next couple of weeks, as we dive deeper into your word, as we look at opportunities and obstacles, challenges for us to to want to become hypocrites, to to put on a show for people around us. Maybe it's at school with our friends. We're tempted to just fall in line with everybody else. Yeah. Would you help us to be real? Or maybe it's in the workplace where we're tempted to to climb the ladder, to step on whoever and whenever and however to get our way. God, would you help us to be real? Lord, Maybe it's when we gather in this place every Sunday, we're tempted to put we put our our armor on.

And not the holy armor. But that's self-protection. When people ask us how we're doing, we're fine. We're fine. We're good. God, we're not. We're falling apart. Our faith is weak. We're struggling in a relationship. We're struggling with how we deal with our money. God, would you help us to be real with each other? To know that there is grace here. So much grace. God, would you help us to be the gaffers in our lives? Help us to shine your light of love and compassion and joy and hope. Father, for some of us, that may mean we need to receive it first. So, Lord, if there's anyone here today that that needs to receive that God, would you give them courage to take a step, take their next step toward a life of discipleship following you? If they want to know more about that, God, would you give them courage to reach out? And for those of us who have been following you for a while now, Lord, would you help us to reset the lighting in our life, to take the spotlight off of us and to shine it back on to you and on to your ways that the world might see there is a different way to live. Oh, God. We don't want to be fake. We want to be real. God, Would you help us to do that? In Jesus name, Amen.