Allen Jackson - Nominated for Assignment - Part 2
I would submit to you that serving the Lord is an expression of gratitude and a display on our part of an awareness of his glory. Now, I wanna go back to the Moses narrative because God provides Moses with all the tools that he’s going to need for his assignment. And he really gives him an introduction to those tools at the point of his recruitment. See, I would submit to you that when you experience the new birth, you are given exposure to all the tools you will need for your assignment. It requires the creative power of an Almighty God to transfer you from a kingdom of darkness doomed to destruction to the kingdom of the Son of Almighty God, where you are given all the rights and privileges that come with that kingdom.
I smile, a bit derisively, but I smile when I hear Christians say, «You know, I don’t believe in miracles. I’m a cessationist». I’m like, then how do you think you were born again? Pixie dust? Did you click your heels together? Exactly what do you think that is? It’s the greatest miracle that will ever touch your person, body, soul, and spirit. Walk with me for just a minute. We’re not gonna look at all of Moses’s recruitment, but I wanna touch a component or two. Back to Exodus 3 and verse 13. Moses says to the Lord after he’s been given this announcement, Moses says to God, «Well, suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you, ' and they ask me, 'Well, what’s his name? Then what am I gonna tell them»?
I’m thinking that’s a very germane question. I’m gonna roll up into Egypt smelling a lot like sheep. They’ve been slaves now for hundreds of years, over 400 years, and I’m gonna roll up in there and say, «Pack your bags, we’re leaving». I think Moses is pretty aware as a leader. He said, «Well, just suppose, let’s just imagine, imagine with me for a minute, God. I roll up with this announcement and they go, 'Who sent you? ' What am I gonna say then? A burning bush»? Some of you know the answer. God said, «Tell them I Am sent you». But it’s the question I wanna focus your attention on. What Moses is saying is, «Exactly by whose authority am I accepting this commission»?
And the question that’s gonna be put to me is: who are you to make such statements? And that’s the question that lives large amongst us. When you say, «I believe there is a God and I believe there’s such a thing as right and wrong and good and evil. That marriage and the definition of marriage really is not a political conversation, it’s a biblical conversation. That sexual morality and immorality is not a political conversation at all, it’s a biblical conversation,» well, this question immediately is put forward. «Well, just exactly who are you? By whose authority would you say such things»? And we understand that question exists, so we choose silence, or maybe, even worse, we capitulate and we choose the cultural answer. I want to answer it a little more broadly for you. In Matthew chapter 21, Jesus is ministering.
Now, this is Jesus near the end of his ministry. Matthew 21, there’s 28 chapters, so we’re, he’s beginning his march towards the cross now. It’s his last trip to Jerusalem before Crucifixion. Before he’s done with these messages he’ll be arrested and tortured to death. Just for the…the timeline is important. «Jesus entered the temple courts,» he’s raised the dead, he’s walked on water, he’s made wine at a wedding. How many of you think that would get you invited to more Christmas parties? Tell you the truth, if you take Jesus to the Christmas parties, it may impact your invitations. There’ll be some new ones, and some of the familiar ones maybe not as much.
«Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priest and the elders of the people came to him. 'By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority? '» It’s the exact same question Moses had. It’s relevant because it’s the same question you and I face. «Well, who are you»? Well, actually, I’m not that significant, but I serve a King and I have chosen to yield myself to his authority and I would wish the same for you because I believe, ultimately, you’ll give account to the King, and I believe it’s a higher authority than governments or economics. That one day your earth suit will wear out and you’ll step into eternity and you’ll be asked to give an account for what you made with your journey through time.
That’s more than did you sit in church? That’s more than were you polite, or were you kind? It’s going to be a kingdom evaluation. To which kingdom do you belong? It’s not about did you try? Trying doesn’t matter. This is not a trying evaluation. Some of us are better triers than others. It’s about submitting to an authority of the King. They ask Jesus the same question. In John 16, Jesus addressed it with his closest friends. He’s preparing them for his exit. He said, «Until now you’ve not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you’ll receive, and your joy will be complete». «I give you my name. You can use the authority of my name».
Wow, that changes this equation. We’re not just observing religious rules any longer, we’ve been given authority from the King himself. «Here’s my signet ring, you use it». «Here’s my passcodes». That’s an amazing declaration. It has very sweeping, though, implications. We need to be aware of them. Matthew chapter 18, this is the same discourse, the same dialogue. Jesus said, «Whomever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me». There should be a little yellow light flashing somewhere. «Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name,» if you’re welcoming those children into ungodliness, if you’re welcoming those children into destructive things, if you’re welcoming those children into destructive habits, if you’re mistreating those children, Jesus said what the outcome would be.
He said, «You go find a big rock,» in fact, the biggest rock they were familiar with a millstone. He said, «You tie that sucker around your neck and you go find the deepest water you can find. That’s the best day you’ll ever have». I don’t understand that to be a threat. I understand that to be a promise. So I believe we have an assignment to welcome the children in the name of the King. That’s important stuff, folks. It’s why we care about the books in the library. It’s why we care about protecting, it’s why we have to care about being a voice for those who don’t have a voice. There are all sorts of implications to that.
In John 14, Jesus said something else. He said, «The Counselor, or the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, he will remind you of everything I’ve said to you». He said, «I’m gonna send you a Helper,» that’s the literal translation of the word. «He will help you. A guide, a Counselor. I’m sending him in my name. He’s coming with my authority. He’ll teach you everything you need to know».
It’s a recruitment plan; very, very similar to what God said to Moses in Exodus 3, «I’ll give you what you need». The question that was real in Exodus 3, some, I don’t know, more than 1500 years before the birth of Jesus, it’s as relevant in the 21st century. «Whose authority are you talking in? Who sent you»? I’m glad you asked. God continued Moses’s prep. Same encounter, same burning bush, Exodus 4, «Moses answered, 'What if they don’t believe me or listen to me? '» He’s not turning loose to this quickly. «'What if they say, „The Lord did not appear to you“? ' And the Lord said to him, 'What’s in your hand? ' 'What? It’s my staff.' 'Throw it on the ground.' Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it,» smart man.
«And the Lord said to him, 'Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.' So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and turned it back into a staff in his hand». In Mark 16, when Jesus said, «You’ll take up snakes,» I promise you his audience understood this reference. They were not thinking about crazy people in the hills of east Tennessee handling poisonous snakes. They knew the recruitment narrative of Moses. They understood what Jesus was saying to them. That, «Just as my Father recruited and provisioned Moses at that bush to become the greatest leader of the world has known,» he said, «now I’m sending you». God sent him to Pharaoh, but he said, «I’m sending you. I’m sending you». Moses picked that snake up. Are you kidding me? And it became a staff again.
See, we’ve had this mistaken notion that if we believe in the supernatural it means that we won’t have any problems, we won’t have any challenges, we won’t have any threats, we won’t have any difficulty. All the mountains will melt before us. We’ll just leap from victory to victory. That’s not a biblical notion. It’s a very selfish notion. Because as soon as we encounter difficulty or obstructions or resistance, we go, «Oh, I thought God called me, but it couldn’t be God». Have you read your Bible? They killed our Lord. They brought his closest friends in after the Ascension and they said, «If you don’t stop talking about him, we’re gonna kill you too». And they did.
We’ve got martyrs before we get past Acts chapter 10. Multiple times they beat Paul almost to death before they did execute him. What makes us think that living in the supernatural power of God means we’ve been removed from the arena of difficulty and challenge? What it does mean to us is we’re gonna get outcomes beyond our self. The Lord will do things that we think, wow, and it’ll take our very best. How am I doing? Oh, we’re all right.
Look at Exodus 12. It’s their last night in Egypt. They’re getting ready to leave. Death’s come to Egypt, the firstborn in every household has died, imagine the fear that would bring. Imagine what it would be like in Rutherford County today if last night the firstborn in every household, human being or animal, died. Imagine the terror of sunrise. Imagine the complete panic it could get dark again. We hid in our homes from COVID. It was bad enough. The people want the Hebrews gone, desperately. Says, «The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country».
The Bible has such a gift for understatement. Before the sunset these people have to be gone. Whatever it takes, they gotta be gone. This isn’t a rational thing. This is a panic expulsion. «'For otherwise, ' they said, 'we will all die! ' So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and they carried it on their shoulders and kneading troughs wrapped in clothing». You wonder why matzah, the Jewish bread, is unleavened? It’s a reference to God’s deliverance in their lives. They didn’t have time for the yeast to work. «We had to leave, so we ate unleavened bread». «The Israelites did as Moses instructed and they asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed towards the people,» well, actually, what the Lord did was kill the firstborn in every house. He scared them so badly that there was no material possession they had that had any value to them.
«And they gave them what they asked for; so the Hebrews plundered the Egyptians». They took their wages. That’s supernatural. That’s not just a revival. That’s a total transformation. The God we serve, the assignment he’s given us, will require tremendous change. But it begins with us. Exodus 14, «The Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. And that day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power, the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant».
You know how long that trust lasted? Seventy-two hours. That’s Exodus 14. But Exodus 15? It says three days later they rolled up to a water source and they couldn’t drink the water and the people grumbled and said, «We should have stayed in Egypt». That victory dance lasted three days. They were tired of Moses. Do you think Moses said anything to the Lord? «Could I revisit that conversation at the bush about 'what if they say? '»
See, we’re not called to lead with our faith because everybody’s going to applaud, because there won’t be any consequences. There’ll be tremendous victories, great breakthroughs. You’ll see lives changed, families redirected, children find hope delivered from demonic torment. You’ll see people healed, you’ll see amazing expressions of the power of God, and you’ll attend funerals for people that you love dearly.
Folks, we’re not removed from the arena. But there’s another power given to us and we will come to understand that there’s a King, and it isn’t us. We keep coming back, going, «Wait a minute, If I were a king, I wouldn’t do it that way». That’s the…I’m not. If I were king. So I gave you a prayer. It’s a little let’s pray moment. Sometime over these next few weeks you’re gonna be with some folks and you’ll hear someone describing a scenario where the only real solution, the only acceptable outcome, is the supernatural involvement of God. You got a couple of options at that point. You can act like you didn’t notice, you can use the great southern euphemism. «Well, bless your heart».
If you’re visiting with us and you’re not from the South and people have been saying that to you, it’s not a compliment. Or you could choose to take a let’s pray moment. I wouldn’t ask for permission to pray. If you do that, you really give away all of your opportunity. You’re asking, in the majority of the cases, you’re really extending that invitation to someone who probably doesn’t understand, who doesn’t value prayer. You’re kind of declaring yourself on the side of something. So it makes it important that this isn’t a long prayer. It doesn’t draw attention to you, it isn’t about you. You’re gonna offer this prayer in a way that could be conducted in the middle of a grocery store, while you’re pumping gas. And the people that were observing you wouldn’t even know you had prayed, only the person with whom you have had the prayer.
So this is a minimalist approach. I know there are times for different approaches, but this is a wonderful introduction. It’s a way to give God an invitation into the life of someone, as opposed to being passive. Remember, the context is somebody that needs a God outcome that we can’t deliver. This isn’t, «Oh, I know somebody that can fix that». This is the recognition that we really need a power beyond ourselves. This is Moses running from a snake. This is Jesus saying, «Go into all the world. I’ll give you what you need». «Heavenly Father, nothing is impossible for you. We ask for your intervention, let your power and grace be made evident, in Jesus' name, amen».
You’ve given God permission. And after you pray that little prayer, don’t stand and watch. This is not about us, folks. You with me? Don’t give them that Christian stink eye thing we do, you know? You pray for somebody, you go… You creep me out. Just pray as if that is as normal as saying Jesus is the Lord. Just keep moving. I can’t emphasize this enough. If you make it about yourself, you make it almost impossible for God to be involved. You know, don’t say, you know, «In my church, we believe in anointing with oil». You know, you’re in the middle of your Christmas party. Maybe it’s your family, or Thanksgiving.
Somebody says they’re gonna, «Oh, my pastor told me about you! This is a divine moment. You know, we believe in anointing. Is there any oil in the house? I don’t want olive oil. I use 10W-40. I want the heavy stuff. In fact, this is a big problem. Let’s get grease». Stop it. It isn’t about us. I’m not a beginner anymore. I’m not finished, but I’ve been around a bit. And we tend to wanna make it about us. This is a quiet, gentle invitation, because somebody had enough courage in a public setting to acknowledge they’re desperate.
Now, don’t humiliate them. Just very quietly say, you know, «Let’s pray». And if it’s a setting where to pray with them would be completely inappropriate, if you have an ally in that space, if there’s another believer, maybe you step aside with them and say, «Let’s pray». And you take that little, put it in your phone. Like, I give you permission. When that moment comes, say, «Listen, I’ve got a prayer. I gotta get my phone. It’s in my phone. My crazy pastor gave it to me». Read that little prayer. Lead with your faith. Stop being upset because you didn’t get the recipe you wanted or somebody didn’t cook your favorite dish or you didn’t like the way you were seated or somebody wore your outfit to the same party. Stop. Lead with your faith. Let’s read that little prayer together.
Heavenly Father, nothing is impossible for you. We ask for your intervention, let your power and grace be made evident, in Jesus' name, amen.
Hallelujah. I wanna end where I began. I commission you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit to lead with your faith. Not to be church attenders, not to be moralists, not to be ethicist, not to evaluate the spiritual condition of others. To lead with your faith. Won’t you stand with me? Let’s use that little prayer. I always say it’s a Quaker prayer. I hope that’s true. That’s the way I learned it. If not, may the Quakers forgive me. But you’ll use your hands. If you’ve never raised your hands in church, you can just about half down here.
They won’t be on camera. You can deny it. We’re gonna start with our hands down, we’re gonna give to the Lord all of our reluctance. Honestly, we’re gonna tell him we’re sorry for all the years we haven’t led with our faith. We’ve imagined that we were the best fisher people or the best hunters or the best bowlers or the best cooks or the best parents, we’ve been the best vacationers. We’ve had all sorts of things where we would boast about our accomplishments. But our faith has been a private matter. It’s useless. We’re gonna tell the Lord we’re sorry. Then we’ll turn our hands up to receive the assignment. We’re gonna say with Isaiah, «Here I am. Send me». You ready?
Hallelujah, Father, we come this morning. I thank you for your Word, for its truth, and its authority. And, Lord, we begin by acknowledging those times we have denied you. Lord, if not implicitly, we’ve done it with our silence. We’ve acted like we didn’t notice. We wanted to blend in with the ungodly more than we wanted to be identified with the godly. Lord, forgive us. We’re sorry, but we’re more than sorry, Lord. We wanna repent, we wanna change how we think and we wanna change how we behave. And we ask for your help today. So we turn our hands and our hearts to you. Lord, we accept the assignment, we receive the commission. Lord, we’ve been called to be ambassadors, not for a nation state but for an eternal kingdom, and we receive that today. Lord, we understand it will require a realignment, it’ll require a change of habit, it’ll require a change of schedule, it will require some forfeiture. But, Lord, we would say with our friends, «Send us». We receive, and I thank you that you will give us all that we need. Lord, deliver us from evil, watch over us and protect us. I thank you that all the plans of the enemy will fail and that we will live in the victory that is ours in Jesus. For it’s in his name we pray, amen.