I'm just excited to be able to be up here today and be able to share with you the Word of God.
I'm not excited to be up here because I get to be on stage and up front center because that's
still really kind of scary. But I'm just thankful to have this opportunity and I appreciate you guys
allowing me to come up and share the Word of God with me this morning.
And some of you guys I know and some of you I don't know. Some of you I know your situation
and some I don't. I feel like there's a chunk of people who have come into the church faster
than I've been able to connect to. But I've prayed for you.
And I've been praying for you. And I've been praying for this message this morning because
I think it's good. I think it's helpful. And so I pray that we will see God more glorious
today through this passage and our lives will be changed by it. And not just this week because
I'm preaching, but I pray that's how we come to church. Seeking and hoping to see God in a new,
in a real, in a bigger way than we saw Him before through His Word and for our lives to be changed by it.
So our passage this morning is Luke 6, 1 through 16. And we have the kingdom of God that is beginning.
Through this book of Luke that we have in this Word of God, we have divinely inspired stories that Luke
has given to us to allow us to be front row and center to this building of the kingdom of God.
And we get to see some things that Jesus is doing in that kingdom. How do we know that this kingdom
has taken place? Earlier in Luke, Jesus said to the crowd, I must preach the good news of the
kingdom of God to other towns as well, for I was sent for this purpose. Towards the end of Luke,
it says, being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He, Jesus, answered them,
the kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed. Nor will they say, look, here it is,
or there. For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst. The arrival of the kingdom of God
through the person of Jesus Christ, which is happening, Jesus is here on earth, and to the reign of God
that's manifested through His people who are believing in God and wanting to follow after Him.
So although not fully consummated, the kingdom of God is at work and is at hand. So we see it
starting here in Luke, and we're still part of that building of the kingdom of God here and now in
our lives, waiting for God to come back for His final time to take us home and to set up His kingdom
here on earth. So in our passage this morning, we're going to be looking at two areas of the kingdom of God
that Jesus is establishing here on earth. And within those two areas, we're going to look even closer
at a few aspects that Jesus is laying out for us.
I'm going to look at the finalists of the workforce this morning. So I'm just going to give you the outline
from the beginning so you can see where we're going.
So we have, in this passage, there's three short stories. The first two are about the Sabbath,
so we're going to take a look at those. We're going to see how Jesus is redefining for us what the
Sabbath was meant to do. And then the third and last story is Jesus choosing His apostles,
and in that we're going to take a look at prayer and perseverance, what that means to us by being
able to read and observe this story. So what we're going to do is start out with the first one,
and let's open up to Luke chapter 6. We're going to read the first story here, Luke 6, the first five verses.
On the Sabbath, while He was going through the grain fields, His disciples plucked and ate some heads of
grain, rubbing them in their hands. Some of the Pharisees said, Why are you doing what is not lawful
to do on the Sabbath? And Jesus answered them, Have you not read what David did when he was hungry?
He and those who were with him, how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the bread of the
presence, which was not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him.
And he said to them, Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.
So one thing that we noticed right from the beginning, which seems to be typical for Pharisees,
is they're trying to find fault in Jesus. They're trying to accuse him of something,
try to find sin in his life. The flaw in their plan is that they spend so much of their time
looking for faults in Jesus that they really fail to observe who he really is.
they don't actually get he is the divine son of God. So they spend time looking for that sin
from someone who is never going to sin. If you remember back in chapter 4, when Jesus comes into
the synagogue and there's a man who's possessed with a demon, the demon cries out and calls him
the Holy One of God. So here, the Pharisees are looking for sin from the Holy One of God. Sin is never
going to come from. And in the process, they miss the healings. They miss the miraculous power over
nature, the supernatural, the knowing of people's thoughts and intents of their heart. They miss
all of that because they're too busy trying to find the fault instead of seeing the perfect God that he is.
So in this section, we're going to observe how the Pharisees are trying to catch Jesus doing
something unlawful. Verse 1 says,
On a Sabbath, as he was going through the grain fields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of
grain, rubbing them together. So they're plucking off heads of grain and they're rubbing them with
their hands. That is to get the outside shaft area off. And then they're eating it.
Personally, my difficulty with that would have been, why is somebody walking through my grain fields,
my wheat fields, and they're plucking my wheat and they're eating it, especially if they didn't ask?
This was something that was acceptable at the time. This wasn't something that would have offended
anybody. We take a look at Deuteronomy chapter 23, verses 24 and 25. It says,
If you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fillet grapes as many as you wish,
but you shall not put any in your bag. If you go into your neighbor's standing grain,
you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor's standing
grain. So they lived in a time where doing this sort of thing was acceptable. It's sharing what you
have with other people. And that person who was accepting of that, then not taking advantage. So
not taking grapes and more than you can eat and not cutting down more in their wheat fields.
But that wasn't the struggle. Verse two says,
Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?
So they weren't concerned about what they were doing. Their concern was about when they were doing it.
They were doing it on the Sabbath day.
Exodus 20,
verses 8 through 10 says,
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
Six days you shall honor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath to the Lord your God,
and on it you shall do no work.
So a little bit of history about the Pharisees and their law.
They had two sources really of law that they're pulling from.
One was the written Torah, which is known as the Pentateuch.
We knew that, the five verses of the Old Testament.
They were given by God to Moses.
They also had a second source of Jewish law
that was an extended version of that written Torah.
It was extended through tradition, interpretation,
and that oral version was written down and called the Mishnah.
So the Mishnah contains a whole unit
that's dedicated to all the things that are not allowed to happen on the Sabbath.
And so according to this list,
the disciples were reaping and threshing and winnowing and preparing food
all by their walking through the field and plucking grain
and rubbing it together and eating it.
That's what the Pharisees saw.
They saw them basically doing four different sins all on the Sabbath.
So what does Jesus do with that?
Luke says that the disciples were doing that,
but he doesn't tell us that Jesus was doing that.
But the Pharisees see that Jesus is their leader,
and so he goes to them to make this accusation.
And Jesus answers them with a question, which is often done.
Verse 3,
Have you not read what David did when he was hungry,
he and those who were with him?
How he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of presents,
which is not lawful for any, but the priest to eat,
and also gave it to those with him.
He's referring to 1 Samuel chapter 21, verses 3 through 6.
Now then, this is King David.
Actually, before he's king, King Saul is on the throne,
and King Saul is trying to kill David.
So David is on the run.
He's with a group of men,
and he comes up to a priest.
They're in need of food.
David asked the priest for food,
and that's what we're looking at here.
Now then, what do you have at hand?
Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.
And the priest answered David,
I have no common bread at hand,
but there is holy bread,
if the young men have kept themselves from women.
And David answered the priest,
Truly women have been kept from us as always
when I go on an expedition.
The vessels of the young men are holy,
even if it is an ordinary journey.
How much more today will their vessels be holy?
So the priest gave him the holy bread,
but there was no bread there,
but the bread of the presence.
So Jesus is saying to the Pharisees,
don't forget about David.
You know, I have a problem with David,
and what he did.
He was providing for his men.
So if you condemn my disciples,
you're going to need to condemn David
and his men as well.
And the point Jesus is trying to make
is really bigger than what the law is talking about.
The point is that Jesus is trying to make
is that the ceremonial restrictions of the law
need to give way to human need.
If there's a human,
if there's a person in need,
then that needs to come higher
than the ceremonial law set on the Sabbath.
And Jesus adds this in verse 5.
He said,
The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
If there was anybody here that wasn't here last week,
Sean, in his message,
talked about this phrase,
Son of Man.
In Aramaic,
it could mean
some human being.
However,
Jesus doesn't use it that way.
He uses it
in a different sense.
Later in Luke,
he says,
You will see the Son of Man coming
in a cloud
with power
and great glory.
Obviously,
he's not talking about a human man.
But he's making references
back to Daniel chapter 7,
where the prophet Daniel
sees a vision
of one like the Son of Man
coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he says this,
And to him was given
dominion and glory
and a kingdom.
So all peoples,
nations,
and languages
shall serve him.
His dominion
is an everlasting dominion
which shall not pass away
and his kingdom
one that shall not be destroyed.
So Jesus is claiming
by this phrase,
the Son of Man,
to be the one
who possesses
that eternal authority
and power of God.
So when he makes this statement
about the Sabbath,
and that it should give way
to human need,
he's doing it
with the authority
and power of God.
The other thing
to notice also
in both of these stories
is that we are presented
with a representative
standing in for the people.
King David was standing in
for his men
and Jesus is standing in
for his disciples.
So in this case,
Jesus has that authority
as the Son of Man
to interpret that law
and to change it
where it's needed
and to give it a blessing
for us to do that same thing
by what is taking place here.
It should not be a burden.
The Sabbath should be
something that's a help
and a service to us.
just as a practical aspect
of that
as we're thinking
about the Sabbath.
For us,
it's traditionally Sunday.
That's the day of rest
that we've traditionally observed.
We also aren't told
to hide behind
this Sunday
as a day of rest.
It isn't a reason
that we want to get behind
to get out of
serving God
in ways where
he's called us to serve.
It could be
serving in the church.
It could mean
taking food to the poor.
It could mean
helping someone in need.
It could be visiting
at a nursing home.
It could be
helping somebody move.
The list could go
one and one
but the point is
that we don't
not help someone in need
or not do something
that we're called to do
because it's on a Sunday
and we're
you know
this is my day.
I rest.
I also don't go
to the other side
where we don't take time
to rest
and rejuvenate
and refuel ourselves
because we need
to take care of ourselves
and that's what
this is also here for
as well.
But the other side
of that is
we can swing
all the way
to the other side
and forget about
the need of others
and always take care
of ourselves.
And if we're honest
our schedules
are quite busy
so we spend
six days a week
doing stuff
we have to do
work
in school
whatever it is
and then on Sunday
we lock that away
and say
that's just for
for me
to rest
for God
so you
go through
seven days
and you never
have an opportunity
to reach out
you never have
an opportunity
to connect
with your neighbor
to show love
or concern
for someone else
and that's
not the picture
that a Christian
life should look like
so spend time
for yourself
relax
spend time
with the Lord
dig into his word
spend some time
sleeping
if it's needed
but
don't forsake
the need of others
the second story
in our passage
this morning
is also about
the Sabbath
most likely
these did not
happen
Sabbath
six days later
and then another
Sabbath
it was most likely
a little bit
spread out
Luke doesn't
say that
but just the wording
it probably
was a little bit
more spread out
so why is Luke
adding two stories
together that are
about the Sabbath
other than the obvious
that they are
about the Sabbath
because we see
later in Luke
that he's also
talking about
things that happened
on the Sabbath
day
one thing is
Luke wants us
to understand
how steep
the Pharisees
are
in their
tradition
again
tradition
isn't bad
but if we
care more
about the
tradition
and we
miss the
picture
and we
miss out
on our
love and
concern for
others
then we've
missed the
point of
the Sabbath
we've missed
the point
of loving
the other
reason for
this is
we get to
see
Jesus
refining
and clarifying
the Sabbath
so that's why
another reason
why he's put
these two
stories together
so let's
read the
second story
and this
starts in
verse 6
of Luke
so Luke
6
we'll read
down through
verse 11
on another
Sabbath
he entered
the synagogue
and was
teaching
and the
man was
there
whose right
hand
was withered
and the
scribes
and the
Pharisees
watched him
to see
whether he
would heal
on the
Sabbath
so that they
might find
a reason
to accuse
him
but he
knew their
thoughts
and he
said to the
man with
the withered
hand
come and
stand here
and he
rose
and he
stood
there
and Jesus
said to
them
I ask you
is it lawful
on the
Sabbath
to do
good
or to
do
harm
to save
life
or to
destroy
it
and after
looking around
at them
all
he said
to him
stretch
out your
hand
and he
did so
and his
hand
was restored
and they
were filled
with fury
and disgust
with one
another
that they
might do
to Jesus
so we
see the
helpfulness
of having
two stories
together
really getting
a glimpse
of how
deep the
Pharisees
were with
their tradition
this was
another
Sabbath
and Jesus
is in the
synagogue
and he's
teaching
and there's
a man
there
whose hand
is withered
paralyzed
atrophied
Luke doesn't
say the
condition
could be
from
paralysis
it could
be a
disease
like polio
could be
something he
was born
with
it doesn't
say that
but Luke
does point
out that
it's his
right hand
so no
offense to
anyone who
is left
handed
out there
but 90%
of the
world
is right
handed
so chances
are this
right hand
that was
withered
was his
dominant
hand
and if it
happened
after he
was born
then it
was his
main
working
hand
it was
his hand
of skill
and strength
so when
it became
unusable
his life
was severely
altered
we can see
how that
would be
the case
we also
know from
this story
that the
healing
wasn't
requested
the man
didn't
come to
Jesus
and say
can you
heal me
he was
in the
synagogue
and at
some point
Jesus
calls him
over to
stand next
to him
not requested
but a miracle
that Jesus
chooses
to show
his power
and his
authority
it was also
to help
teach a
lesson
and we're
going to
see that
in just
a second
so Jesus
is in
the synagogue
teaching
there's a
man
with a
deformed
right hand
who else
is there
we see
the scribes
and the
Pharisees
would like
to say
that they're
harmlessly
listening to
Jesus'
teaching
and they're
learning
but they're
not
verse 7
says
and the
scribes
and the
Pharisees
watched
him
that is
Jesus
to see
if he
would heal
on the
Sabbath
so they
might find
a reason
to accuse
him
you ever
tried to
spy
on someone
while you
were doing
something
else
maybe you're
in a
business
meeting
and you're
trying to
hear what
someone else
is saying
maybe you
are talking
to someone
maybe you're
at a family
function
you're talking
to one
family member
but you
really are
more concerned
about what
somebody else
is doing
or saying
what happens
is you're
really unable
to listen
to the person
in front of
you because
you're too
distracted
with that
side story
that you
need to
know what's
going on
and that's
exactly what
we have
here
happening
with the
Pharisees
they're unable
to listen
to Jesus
and his
teaching
because they're
so focused
on finding
something to
accuse him
of
there's another
practical
life point
for us
here
to grab
a hold
of
and that
is I
hope that
none of
you are
coming in
with distractions
that are
keeping you
from God's
blessing
what do you
mean
I pray
that you're
not
distracted
by something
else
and you're
missing an
opportunity
to be in
the presence
of God
of being
with his
people
saved by
Jesus Christ
moved by
the spirit
and being
able to
worship
and lift
up the
name of
God
this morning
now don't
get me wrong
we come in
and we're
tired
we come in
and we're
distracted
we come
in
depressed
life's
complicated
life's
hard
we come
in that
way
but we
ought not
stay that
way
we don't
want to
allow the
distractions
of life
to block
out our
view
of the
savior
and what
he's
done
for us
to give
us that
freedom
from the
struggles
that we
work with
and we
fight with
and we
deal with
on a
day to
day basis
so I
don't want
you to
come in
sick and
distracted
by life
and miss
the chance
to be
healed
by the
healer
the one
who cares
about you
and your
struggles
that's our
point there
come in
with the
struggles
don't leave
with the
struggles
leave
knowing
that God
loves you
and he
knows where
your struggles
are and he's
there to help
you you have
to depend
on him
stop
depending
so much
on yourself
so let's
look back
at verse
seven
it says
that they
watched him
and the
words used
here
kind of have
a sinister
plot to
them
they are
they're spying
they're secretly
watching
to see if
Jesus is
going to
heal
on the
Sabbath
what are
they going
to accuse
him of
what would
be the
problem
in healing
a man
on the
Sabbath
well to
the Pharisees
the tradition
that they
held to
was that
healing
or medical
work
that was
not an
emergency
wasn't to
be done
on the
Sabbath
so examples
of what
would be
acceptable
would be
a life
in danger
a baby
being born
or if
a circumcision
was needed
so after
a baby
is born
there's
a certain
number of
days before
the baby
needs to
be circumcised
and so
these were
three things
that were
accepted
and we
see a couple
of these
in Luke
chapter 4
we saw
the demon
being in
the synagogue
and he
was crying
out
Jesus
needed to
deal with
him
then
and not
let it
keep going
so there
was a
miracle
there
in verse
38 we
saw Simon's
mother-in-law
which had
a very high
fever
and this
was a
serious
situation
that needed
healing
to fix
but in
our story
here
the situation
is not
urgent
and so
since the
Pharisees
knew that
then
they saw
his healing
if he did
it
to be
something
that was
in violation
of the
Sabbath
but it
says in
verse 8
that he
knew their
thoughts
this is
also another
little cool
miracle
a little
supernatural
God power
you could
say
where
he's
not
picking up
from
Twitter
that the
Pharisees
are trying
to trick
him
he didn't
intercept
some
communication
that told
him that
but he
connects
to their
minds
right
he reads
their
thoughts
and all
of them
and he
knows
them
it was
like
bam
I know
what each
one of
you right
now
are thinking
that's
just
supernatural
so
he knows
what they're
thinking
he knows
that they're
trying to
catch him
so
why doesn't
he back
away
why doesn't
he just
heal him
another day
at another
time
but for
Jesus
this wasn't
a trap
this was
an opportunity
to again
show his
power
but also
teach a
lesson
so going
back to
verse 8
he said
to the
man
that had
the withered
hand
come and
stand here
so the
man
rose
and stood
there
and Jesus
said to
him
I ask
you
is it
lawful
on the
Sabbath
to do
good
or to
do
harm
to save
life
or destroy
it
now by
saying
to save
a life
Jesus
is referring
to a
general
deliverance
that is
to restore
someone's
health
it isn't
a word
of salvation
but it
is to
give
physical
restoration
salvation
since it
was
permitted
to save
life
on the
Sabbath
then doing
good for
someone else
or doing
good for
someone would
be acceptable
also
and wouldn't
this be a
natural expression
of showing
our love
for someone
else
or concern
for them
if we were
able to
heal them
if we were
able to
help them
loving one
another
is one of
the two
commandments
that Jesus
gives
in the
New Testament
the first one
being love
love the
Lord your
God
with all
your heart
soul
and mind
the second
one is
like it
is love
your neighbor
as yourself
so how
can we
love our
neighbor
if we
can ignore
their pain
and their
suffering
and a need
that they
have
and this
is the
point of
what Jesus
is trying
to get
at here
so here
in this
verse
Jesus
is describing
their actions
of secretly
waiting to
catch him
right
they're trying
to catch
him
and do
harm
to him
to destroy
his ministry
right
so there's
the destroying
that's
taking place
they aren't
looking for
good
instead
they're
looking
for harm
so he
calls them
out on that
and asks
them
which one
is better
I'm trying
to help
him
you're trying
to destroy
me
which one
is better
which one
is allowed
on the
Sabbath
you're wanting
to see
me
destroyed
or me
helping
a man
that's
in need
in verse
10
after looking
around at
them all
he said
to him
stretch out
your hand
and he
did so
and his
hand
was restored
but they
were filled
with fury
and disgust
with one
another
what they
should do
to Jesus
the Pharisees
are furious
why
they're upset
because
God doesn't
hear sinners
or Sabbath
violators
like Jesus
and yet
right here
in front
of them
they're
witnessing
a healing
that takes
power
from God
so they're
mad
this destroys
their thinking
how can
this take
place
on top
of that
they wanted
to say
that Jesus
did some
level
of work
what did
Jesus do
all Jesus
did was
speak
stretch out
your hand
there's not
a lot of
work involved
with that
surely
they've done
more work
in that
and walking
to the
synagogue
and the
man is
healed
his right
hand is
physically
restored
right in
front of
them
whatever
has happened
in the
past
that caused
this deformity
it's cleared
away
and all
the man
had to do
is believe
and act
he didn't
have to do
anything
Jesus called
him to
stretch out
his hand
and his
obedience
was his
trusting
just to
stretch his
arm out
all you have
to do
is believe
and move
your hand
which he
couldn't do
before
and it
changes his
life forever
now this
morning
if there's
anyone here
who is
not a
believer
you don't
trust in
who Jesus
is
if you're
curious
Jesus seems
like a
pretty
pretty good
guy
I think
there's a
guy
I'm not
sure where
you are
in your
belief
but you're
not there
where you
don't
believe in
who Jesus
is
you don't
believe that
you have
sin
you don't
believe he
died on
the cross
for it
this healing
that we're
witnessing
reading Luke
in this
section
is a picture
of healing
for us
that withered
hand
is our
sin
not just
the sin
of an
unbeliever
but the
sin of
all of
us
because we're
all sinners
all
aspects
of our
life
are
affected
by
our
withered
hand
our
sin
in our
life
and we
had no
power
just like
this man
had no
power
we had
no
power
to fix
our
sin
but Jesus
does
that's the
hope
that's the
gospel
the good
news
is that
Jesus
has the
power
to heal
us
physically
and he
has the
power
to take
away
our
sin
so don't
be okay
with your
sickness
come to
the one
who can
heal you
don't be
okay with
your
sickness
and hope
that one
day you
can fix
it
you can't
there's only
one person
that can
heal your
sin
and that's
Jesus
Christ
he's done
it
he's just
waiting for
you to
have the
faith to
stretch
your hand
out
and be
healed
so those
are our
two stories
this morning
about the
Sabbath
but we
don't miss
the point
Jesus
is trying
to make
the intent
of the
Sabbath
was to
keep people
from working
without rest
it's meant
to be a
time of
rejuvenation
for the
people of
God
stop
working
take time
to
refuel
yourself
take
time
to
meditate
take
time
to
allow
God
to
speak
to
you
because
if you
stay
too
busy
then we
have a
tendency
of not
hearing
God
anymore
and taking
time
for him
slow down
it's meant
to serve
God's
people
it's not
meant for
us
to serve
it
we aren't
meant to
serve
Sunday
although some
of us
come to
serve on
Sunday
but it
wasn't
meant to
keep us
from doing
good
not that
hound on
it too
much
we're not
going to
get
specific
with things
you can
and can't
do
that's
something
that you
have to
work out
yourself
but take
time to
rest
but also
do the
work that
God calls
you to
do
loving
and caring
for people
that are
around you
and taking
time for
yourself
so the
third and
last story
in our
passage this
morning
starts in
verse 12
let's read
that together
chapter 6
starting in
verse 12
and these
days he
went out
to the
mountain
to pray
and all
night he
continued
in prayer
to God
and when
day came
he called
his disciples
and chose
from them
twelve
whom he
named
apostles
Simon
whom he
named
Peter
and Andrew
his brother
and James
and John
and Philip
and Bartholomew
and Matthew
and Thomas
and James
the son of
Alpheus
and Simon
who was
called the
Zealot
and Judas
the son of
James
and Judas
the spirit
who became
a traitor
so two
aspects
that we
want to
look at
this morning
from
Jesus
choosing
his
apostles
the first
one is
prayer
and the
second
one is
perseverance
what can
we learn
from this
passage
about
prayer
when we
see that
Jesus
separated
himself
he went
out to
a remote
place
and he
spent the
night
all night
in prayer
there are
over two
dozen verses
in the New
Testament
where it
talks about
Jesus
praying
Jesus
was an
example
to us
of
praying
Jesus
was the
son of
God
so by
default
you would
think he
may not
need to
pray
that much
but that
was
opposite
of what
we see
taking
place
Jesus
prayed
all the
time
and when
Jesus
prayed
it was
serious
prayer
here we
had one
of the
longest
times
in prayer
he prayed
all night
Jesus
made a
point to
pray to
the
father
because
he needed
it
he was
doing the
work he
was called
to do
he was
busy
he was
tired
but it
was vital
for him
to pray
so he
made
time
he broke
away
and took
time to
pray to
God
here it
says that
he broke
away
and went
to a
mountain
and prayed
mountains
are pretty
but we
don't need
a mountain
to pray
we just
need to
get away
we just
need to
separate
ourselves
from life
and take
time
to listen
to God
to tell
God
our struggles
and to
commune
with him
that's
what is
needed
so why
is it
important
for Jesus
to take
time
to pray
to God
in this
situation
it was
because he
was choosing
12 apostles
he's got a
group of
disciples that
follow him
for part of
his ministry
they love
him
Jesus
teaching
them
but
the plan
was
Jesus
wanted
12
people
that would
be part
of his
inner circle
kind of a
core team
that he
wanted to
work with
he was
going to
work alongside
them closer
than all
his other
disciples
he was
going to
spend more
intimate time
with them
teach them
prepare them
for the work
that he
needed them
to do
after his
going to
the cross
and being
crucified
and resurrected
and going
back into
heaven
he needed
someone
that he
could
dedicate
that special
time of
teaching
and focus
and prayer
on
getting ready
for that
but what
was he
praying
for
all
night
Luke
doesn't
say
but we
can get
an idea
about
what
he
was
praying
about
all
the
things
that
go
into
someone
who
loves
a group
of
people
and
out
of
that
group
of
people
wants
to
pick
a
smaller
group
of
people
for
a
huge
purpose
these
are
the
people
that
he
is
going
to
be
sending
out
in
churches
and
spreading
the word
of
God
you
want
the
larger
group
to
do
that
but
you
have
to
focus
on
a
smaller
group
to
really
to
get
some
of
that
core
teaching
that
he
was
looking
to
do
so
what
would
you
be
praying
about
praying
for
them
to
be
strong
and
remain
faithful
even
if
they
weren't
chosen
to
be
one
of
those
twelve
that
may
have
been
a
difficult
transition
for
some
of
them
why
don't
you
choose
me
I'm
strong
and
still
be
followers
of
Jesus
Christ
after
the
apostles
are
picked
he's
also
praying
for
the
twelve
that
he
did
pick
because
he
knows
what's
coming
up
in
their
life
and
how
difficult
that's
going
to
be
there's
also
areas
if
you
any
area
of
service
that is
in
public
view
comes
with
different
struggles
right
so
humility
is
one
getting
alongside
and
loving
other
people
is
different
when
you
were
in
leadership
and
the
apostles
could
have
struggled
with
this
so
Jesus
is
praying
against
that
we
see
in
Luke
22
that
before
Jesus
is
betrayal
that
Jesus
prayed
for
Simon
he
says
to
Simon
Peter
behold
Satan
demanded
to have
you
that he
might
sift
you
like
wheat
but I
prayed
for you
that your
faith
may not
fail
so this
is
Jesus
praying
for
just
Peter
on one
occasion
why would
he not
be praying
for a group
of 12
that he's
looking to
commission
and send
out
after he
works with
them for
three years
Jesus also
prayed because
he wanted
to do
the will
of the
father
in all
of his
time on
earth
that was
his goal
was to
please the
father
to do
the father's
will
his
aim
was to
bring
glory
to
that
to
God
and
that
meant
even
in the
choosing
of the
12
apostles
bringing
glory
to
God
so
an
all-night
prayer
event
with
God
just
one
thought
as I
say
that
if
Jesus
spent
all
night
in
prayer
before
he
chose
12
apostles
how
much
time
in
prayer
should
we
be
spending
before
we
make
big
decisions
how
much
time
do
we
pray
now
I'm
not
saying
that
you
need
to
spend
hours
that's
a
long
time
of
prayer
but
maybe
you
do
probably
we
need
to
spend
more
time
than
we
are
spending
in
prayer
right
now
we
make
big
decisions
and we
take
about
a
couple
minutes
to
pray
and
take
a
lot
that
rely
more
on
God
and
less
on
us
be
wise
with
your
decisions
do
your
research
but
don't
neglect
prayer
because
above
all
the
things
that
you
research
and
all
the
knowledge
that
you
know
God
is
above
all
that
God
is
sovereign
and is
in
control
so
don't
try
to
circumvent
his
work
by
thinking
you
can
just
be
smart
enough
to
make
that
decision
so
we
have
an
all
night
prayer
event
with
God
that
is
taking
place
here
notice
that
Jesus
didn't
have
to
schedule
it
this
is
the
other
thing
that's
huge
that
I
think
we
miss
out
on
he
didn't
have
to
schedule
time
with
God
and
even
the
size
of
his
prayer
time
being
all
night
he
didn't
have
to
see
if
God
was
free
he
just
got
away
and
just
started
praying
to
God
because
God
is
always
there
he's
always
there
for
you
don't
have
to
clean
yourself
up
and
wait
for
the
right
time
you
just
need
to
humble
yourself
and
pray
to
God
if
you're
a
child
of
God
you
had
that
same
opportunity
that
Jesus
had
here
in
this
all
night
prayer
so
after
a night
of
prayer
called
his
disciples
and
chose
from
them
twelve
that
were
going
to
be
apostles
why
twelve
it's
an
even
number
I
like
even
numbers
Luke
doesn't
say
here
but
we
see
that
the
twelve
was
to
reflect
or
to
parallel
the
twelve
tribes
of
Israel
Jesus
said
in
Matthew
19
23
speaking
to
his
apostles
he
says
truly
I
say
to
you
in
the
new
world
when
the
son
of
man
will
sit
on
his
glorious
throne
you
who
have
followed
me
will
also
sit
on
twelve
thrones
judging
the
twelve
tribes
of
Israel
so
what
we
see
from
this
picking
of
twelve
is
we
see
a
connection
from
the
old
testament
to
the
new
testament
we
see
God's
people
in
the
old
testament
being
the
nation
of
Israel
twelve
tribes
of
Israel
and
then
in
the
new
testament
we
see
twelve
apostles
that
are
now
beginning
the
church
and
we
know
they're
connected
Jesus
had
the
apostles
that
are
building
his
church
the
new
Israel
in
the
new
testament
so
who
was
chosen
Luke
tells
us
Simon
who Jesus
called
Peter
his
brother
Andrew
both
fishermen
James
and John
who were
brothers
also
fishermen
they
were
also
Jesus
cousins
Jesus
mother
Mary
had a
sister
named
Salome
and
her
two
boys
were
James
and
John
so
there's
some
relatives
there
next
to
that
there's
Philip
and
Bartholomew
isn't
listed
in
one
of
the
other
in
John's
listing
of
the
disciples
and
most
likely
the
reason
for
that
is
Bartholomew
was
a
family
name
so
in
the
book
of
John
he
uses
the
name
Nathaniel
so
most
likely
they're
the
same
person
we
have
Matthew
the
Thomas
the
twin
who's
also
known
for
the
famous
Doubting
Thomas
incident
James
the
son
of
Alpheus
not
to be
confused
with
John's
brother
or
Jesus'
brother
kind of
like our
church
we've
got a
lot of
John's
and a
lot of
Daniel's
so
Daniel's
son of
Mr.
Buckley
anyway
so we
add names
to help
differentiate
those
we also
have
Simon
who was
called
the
Zealot
interestingly
enough
is the
Zealots
were a
group of
political
activists
who
opposed
Roman
government
so it's
interesting
that we
have
Simon
the
Zealot
and we
also
have
Matthew
the
tax
collector
because
the tax
collector
is doing
the work
for
Roman
government
so on
Jesus'
core
team
he has
someone
who's
very
forward
very
against
the
Roman
government
and God
pulls
them
together
for his
kingdom
work
next
we
have
Judas
the son
of
James
who
was
called
Thaddeus
and finally
we have
Judas Iscariot
who became
a traitor
so as we
look at
this list
of apostles
that Jesus
chose
I think
there's one
name in
particular
that stands
out
it almost
seemed
comical
at first
when you
think about
it
I mean
really
Jesus
spent
all night
in prayer
and he
picked
him
Peter
and
Andrew
good
James
and
John
good
Philip
and
Bartholomew
good
Matthew
and
Thomas
good
James
the son
of
Altheist
good
Simon
the zealot
good
Judas
son
of
James
good
really
Judas Iscariot
the traitor
you spent
all night
in prayer
for Judas
Iscariot
this
Lord
me
really
Jesus
you prayed
for him
and you
chosen
knowing
he would
never
truly
love
you
he's
going to
betray
you
God
you
spent
three
years
of
your
life
and
it's
not
going
to
count
for
anything
he's
not
going
to
follow
you
he's
not
going
to be
a
true
apostle
he's
never
going
to
step
up
to
be
part
of
the
church
that
you're
building
he knew
that
and he
chose
Judas
anyway
he
chose
Judas
because
he glorified
God
he
chose
Judas
because
part
of
his
bigger
picture
of
love
included
showing
it
to
Judas
the
traitor
Jesus'
life
had a
mission
and it
led
to
the
cross
to
die
for
our
sins
and
that
plan
included
Judas
the
traitor
so
we
talked
about
prayer
the
second
one
then
we
were
going
to
talk
about
his
perseverance
and what
does
perseverance
have to
do
with
Jesus
choosing
twelve
apostles
what does
that have
to do
with
Judas
the
traitor
how is
that helpful
for us
Jesus
knew ahead
of time
what
Judas
was
going
to
do
and he
still
chose
him
to
be
part
of
his
inner
circle
his
special
team
he
knew
the
future
struggles
he
was
going
to
have
with
Judas
he
knew
Judas
his
unloveliness
but
Jesus
deliberately
included
Judas
on his
team
and we
know
why
he
had
a
mission
he
had
a
purpose
but
what
does
that
mean
for
us
and
this
is
where
it
gets
hard
you're
going
to
have
the
Judas
in
your
life
someone
you're
going
to
show
kindness
to
someone
you're
going
to
love
one
someone
you're
going
to
care
for
you're
going
to
share
the
gospel
with
you're
going
to
come
alongside
and
help
them
do
their
struggles
and
you know
what
in the
end
it
might
feel
wasted
maybe
they
betray
you
maybe
they
just
walk
away
maybe
even
worse
they
don't
even
believe
in
Jesus
they
never
become
a
Christian
could be
someone
in the
church
could be
someone
in your
family
could be
your
neighbor
could be
a friend
of yours
could be
a best
friend
for years
could be
one of your
children
what do we
do with
that
we
persevere
because
Jesus
persevered
we
loved
because
Jesus
loved
we
let
God
do
the
heart
work
and
we
do
the
love
because
that's
what
we're
called
to
do
like
I
said
could be
your
best
friend
could be
your
kids
if
you
don't
have
kids
one
day
that
you
do
that's
going
to
be
deep
because
God
calls
you
to be
a
Christian
parent
to
your
kid
whether
you
think
that
they're
a
good
kid
or
a
bad
kid
regardless
of
what
they
do
you're
still
called
to
love
them
like
Jesus
loved
Judas
so we
see
and we
learn
what
love
truly
is
that's
what
Jesus
showed
us
what
he
showed
us
by
choosing
Judas
is
what
Jesus
showed
us
by
going
to
the
cross
that's
what
love
is
love
is
not
always
easy
it's
how we
suffer
for
Christ
it's
how we
become
more
Christ
like
and it's
how we
glorify
Jesus
who died
for us
ultimately
how we
glorify
God
with our
lives
so to
sum
all that
up
let's
use the
Sabbath
how God
intended it
to be
to strengthen
ourselves
but also
show love
and concern
for people
around us
let's
take time
to pray
because we
need it
Jesus
needed it
how much
more
do we
need it
and let
us
persevere
in our
Christian
life
at the
hardest
times
when we're
dealing
with the
Judas
because it's
all for the
glory of
God
let's take a
couple minutes
of silence
and just
think about
those
points
before we
have
proper
prayer
together
again
Moses
and
repent
of
the
children
and
it's
to
and
only
he's
the
close to
and
he's
the
he's
the
constituted
h