The Brilliance of Obscurity
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Introducing the ordinary and obscure men who will turn the world upside down.
Text: Luke 6:12-16
Date: 01/30/2022, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 49
Description:
As Luke continues to reveal Jesus as the Christ and explain the nature and scope of the Good News of the Kingdom of God, he strategically locates the list of the 12 Apostles (11) who will take it to the world just before his recounting of the Sermon on the Mount. As we make our way through the list, we will be amazed at just how little we actually know about the life, ministry and death of these very ordinary men who formed the foundation of the church we worship in today. As far as Scripture is concerned, their lives are veiled in obscurity. But just like an early morning mist that catches the first rays of the rising sun and explodes with a million tiny points of refracted light-- the empowerment of the Spirit of Christ and the pristine message of the Gospel delivered by these men will literally change the world. Ultimately we will learn the powerful lesson that the true brilliance of the church is in the obscurity of its saints and the preeminence of Christ!
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I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 6:12-16.
A. Context
1. Analyzing the "Good News", Luke 4:43.
2. Focusing on the church, Luke 5:34-35.
a. Re-establishing some images.
i. Jesus in the midst of sinners.
ii. Jesus in the midst of hypocrites.
iii. The miraculous catch.
b. The Bride of Christ.
i. The church as the Bride, John 17:6, Eph. 5:25-27, Rev. 19:7.
ii. The Apostolic foundation, Matt. 16:18, Eph. 2:19-21.
B. Establishing the foundation of the church.
1. An intense night of prayer, vs. 12.
a. The time and place of prayer.
i. The time.
ii. The place.
b. The reason for the fervency.
i. Jesus' love for prayer, Rom. 8:26.
ii. Analyzing the reasons.
• The obvious reason.
• The not-so-obvious reason.
2. Choosing the twelve, vs. 13.
a. Noticing the language.
i. A full night of prayer.
ii. A sovereign choice, John 15:16, Luke 9:23.
iii. The nature of a disciple, Luke 10:1, John 6:66.
iv. The new Israel.
• Another example of the "new wine", Luke 5:37.
• A new set of patriarchs, Deut. 7:7-8, Rom. 2:28-29, Gal. 6:16, Rev. 21:12,14, Matt. 5:17.
• The twelfth Apostle, Acts 1:26, 1Cor. 15:9.
b. The Apostolic calling.
i. The meaning of the word.
ii. The nature of an Apostle.
iii. Clarification
• What an Apostle IS, 1Cor. 9:1, Acts 1:21-22.
• What an Apostle IS NOT.
3. Twelve ordinary men, vs. 14-16.
a. Focus on "ordinary-ness".
i. They were not the "cream of the crop".
ii. They were few in number.
iii. They were anonymous.
b. Variations in the lists.
c. A brief sketch of the twelve.
i. Simon, whom he named Peter.
ii. Andrew his brother.
iii. James (the son of Zebedee), Acts 12:2.
iv. John (the son of Zebedee).
v. Philip, John 14:9.
vi. Bartholomew, John 14:7, 1:46.
vii. Matthew the tax collector.
viii. Thomas, John 20:28, 11:16.
ix. James, the son of Alphaeus, John 7:5.
x. Simon who was called the Zealot.
xi. Judas the son of James, John 14:22.
xii. Judas Iscariot.
d. Summation
i. A dull, grey mist.
ii. Obscure men made brilliant by Jesus.
III. Application
IV. Conclusion
