“The Dirty Dozen”
(Luke 6:12-16)
Dr. Richard S. Koole
Chapel Pointe
January 24, 2010
I. Introduction
A. The dreaded “quiz”
1. Take out a sheet of paper
a. List the 12 Apostles
b. Answers a little later
2. Most preachers only get half of them
B. Who were the “Twelve Apostles?”
1. Stained glass windows and halos
2. We know quite a bit about Peter and Judas Iscariot
a. But very little in the Bible about the rest of them
3. How did they live…and how did they die?
4. Take Andrew for example
a. Why is Andrew the patron saint of Scotland & Russia?
b. And why is there a golf course named after him?
c. And what is the “St. Andrew’s Cross?”
5. Early histories fill in some of the answers
a. The “Anti-Nicene Fathers” (Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.)
1. Papias (A.D. 60-135)
a. A disciple of John
2. Clement of Rome (A.D. 30-97)
a. A disciple of Peter and Paul
3. Irenaeus (A.D. 120-202)
4. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 153-217)
5. Tertullian (A.D. 145-221)
6. Origen (A.D. 185-254)
7. Eusebius (died A.D. 339) (yu se’ be us)
b. Caution….not inspired like the Bible
1. But some are reliable
6. Record what the twelve did after the resurrection
a. Acts 17:6 says; “They turned their world upside down”
b. But how?
B. Why we should get to know “The Twelve”
1. They were personally trained by Jesus
a. They were personally discipled by Jesus (Eph. 3:4-5 )
(4) In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, (5) which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets
b. They became the very foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20)
We are “built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”
c. Jesus showed them how to prepare others to grow (Eph. 4:11-12)
(11) It was Jesus who gave some to be apostles….(12) to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
d. They taught what Jesus taught them (Acts 2:42)
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer.
2. They were empowered with special gifts
a. II Cor. 12:12
(12) The things that mark an apostle—signs, wonders and miracles—were done among you with great perseverance.
b. The same works as Christ
1. To authenticate that they spoke for Him
3. They were promised special honors
a. To the Apostles at the Last Supper
1. Luke 22:28-30
(28) You are those who have stood by me in my trials. (29) And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, (3) so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
2. Will sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel
b. The walls of the New Jerusalem
1. Rev. 21:14
The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb
2. Names immortalized in the foundation of gold
4. They were so much like us
a. Hardly the elite
1. Their problems and short-comings
2. You’ll see yourself in one of them
3. A bunch of working stiffs
b. How God changed them
c. “God doesn’t call the equipped…He equips the called”
d. If they could do it…so can we
1. Last week “inside out”
2. Today… “How to turn your world upside down”
II. Text…Luke 6
A. Preparing to call the twelve…..v.12
(12) One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
1. Or, “In those days”
a. After one year of public ministry
1. Two years prior to his crucifixion
b. Increasing opposition and hostility
1. Shortly after the preceding confrontation
2. Mark says “The Pharisees and Herodians were looking for a way to kill him”
2. A night of prayer
(12) One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
a. Direction
b. Importance of the decision
If you want to turn your world upside down
#1 Learn the secret to making wise decisions
1. Our lives are a reflection of the decisions we make
a. Mark McGwire and steroids
b. Decisions have consequences
1. The Hall of Fame
c. Dumb decisions I’ve made
d. Wise decisions
1. Like marrying Carolyn
a. Her surgery
b. Impact on my life
2. Impact on the rest of my life
a. Those who choose poorly
b. Counseling
2. When facing important decision
a. James 1:5
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
3. And don’t be afraid to plead with God for wisdom
a. Jesus “spent the night” praying to God
1. “dianuktereuo” (dee-an-ook-ter-yoo’-o)
2. Only used once in the Bible
a. Literally, “to endure through the entire night”
b. “He endured through the night while awake in prayer”
b. “praying through”
1. Not quick and easy
2. “The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much”
3. Jesus set the pattern for “fervent prayer”
c. Cases requiring fervent prayer
1. Praying for your children
2. Life after high school
3. Jobs
4. Boy friend….husband
5. A chronic or besetting sin
d. Don’t be shy about pleading with God
4. And wait for his direction
B. The Choice….v.13
(13) When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles
1. His “disciples”
a. The large group that followed him like a teacher
1. “Learners”
b. He picked 12 out of this large group
2. Called them “Apostles”
a. Means “sent ones”
b. Carried the authority of the one who sent them
#2 Invest your time in people and relationships
1. Mark 3:14 says that Jesus “appointed 12 that they might be with Him”
a. Absolutely critical
2. They spent the next two years with Jesus
a. He poured his life into them
3. How we learn
a. More than learning facts
b. Children learn more by observation
c. How you behave under stress
4. The twelve observed his demeanor
a. Felt his heart
5. That what it means to “disciple”
a. The Timothy Project graduation (next week)
6. Each of us has a responsibility to disciple
a It takes quality time
b. It’s more than learning things
c. “He appointed 12 that they might be with him”
C. The Individuals (v. 14-16)
(14) Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, (15) Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, (16) Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
1. The three groups of four
2. Peter was the leader
a. Next week…. “Leadership”
3. But each group had a leader also
1. The first group was the most intimate with Christ
2. The last was the least
#3 Don’t underestimate your potential
1. They were very common men
a. He didn’t choose the elite
b. At least 4…and possibly 7…were fishermen
2. They were so much like people I know
3. They lacked a lot of things, including:
a. A lack of spiritual understanding
b. A lack of humility
c. A lack of faith
d. A lack of commitment
e. A lack of power
4. Their potential….your potential
a. Everyone of you has a special gift
b. Find it and develop it
#4 Don’t question God’s power to change you
1. How the Apostles changed
a. Ministered in
1. British Isles
2. Russian
3. India
b. God chose them to be our examples
2. Never underestimate God’s power to change you
a. When God changes a heart
1. From the inside out
b. He’ll supply the opportunities for you
c. He specializes in rebuilding wrecked lives
d. He’ll give you a purpose for living
#5 Find and pursue your purpose in life
1. Their meeting after the resurrection
a. Matthew 28:16-20
(16) Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. (17) When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. (18) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
b. We’ll see how they did
c. And the price they paid
1. Peter’s life….and his wife
2. And his daughter!
*Next week
d. How they died
1. Peter’s brother Andrew
2. The untold story!
2. Finding your purpose in life
a. Something greater than yourself
1. “It’s not about you”
2. The Warrior’s Creed
*The mission comes first
b. What are you willing to pay to achieve it?
#6 Let God worry about the results
1. “But what if I fail?”
a. I’m sure the thought scared them
b. Especially when Jesus left them alone
2. But he left them with instructions and a promise
a. The instructions
1. Acts 1:4
(4) On one occasion, while Jesus was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.”
2. The importance of patience
b. The promise
1. Acts 1:8
(8) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.”
c. The fulfillment
1. Acts 2
2. The power of God
3. What it means to “have Christ living in you”
a. Star Wars and the Jedi warriors
1. “The force is with you”
b. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
c. The Force that is with…and in you
1. “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world”
#7 Don’t waste the experiences life has thrown at you
1. Next week, Peter
a. What a mess!
1. The apostle with the “foot shaped mouth”
b. Lessons in leadership
c. His life and death
2. Each of us is unique
a. Peter and his quiet brother Andrew
b. Yet each was used greatly
3. Each of us has a unique story
a. And each story has some embarrassing chapters
4. And yet God has been equipping you for your mission
a. The most valuable lessons were usually the most painful
5. Leverage your painful experiences
a. Failure is a critical foundation for success
III. Summary
A. Mountains in your past
1. Failures feel like great mountains that you can’t get past
a. So many disappointments and hurts
b. Have let so many people down
c. Don’t think you can get past these mountains
2. God is in the business of changing people
a. Savior, He can move the mountains…
b. The miracles I’ve seen in changed people
“The Dirty Dozen”
(Luke 6:12-16)
Dr. Richard S. Koole
Chapel Pointe
January 24, 2010
I. Introduction
A. The dreaded “quiz”
1. Take out a sheet of paper
a. List the 12 Apostles
b. Answers a little later
2. Most preachers only get half of them
B. Who were the “Twelve Apostles?”
1. Stained glass windows and halos
2. We know quite a bit about Peter and Judas Iscariot
a. But very little in the Bible about the rest of them
3. How did they live…and how did they die?
4. Take Andrew for example
a. Why is Andrew the patron saint of Scotland & Russia?
b. And why is there a golf course named after him?
c. And what is the “St. Andrew’s Cross?”
5. Early histories fill in some of the answers
a. The “Anti-Nicene Fathers” (Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.)
1. Papias (A.D. 60-135)
a. A disciple of John
2. Clement of Rome (A.D. 30-97)
a. A disciple of Peter and Paul
3. Irenaeus (A.D. 120-202)
4. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 153-217)
5. Tertullian (A.D. 145-221)
6. Origen (A.D. 185-254)
7. Eusebius (died A.D. 339) (yu se’ be us)
b. Caution….not inspired like the Bible
1. But some are reliable
6. Record what the twelve did after the resurrection
a. Acts 17:6 says; “They turned their world upside down”
b. But how?
B. Why we should get to know “The Twelve”
1. They were personally trained by Jesus
a. They were personally discipled by Jesus (Eph. 3:4-5 )
(4) In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, (5) which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets
b. They became the very foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20)
We are “built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”
c. Jesus showed them how to prepare others to grow (Eph. 4:11-12)
(11) It was Jesus who gave some to be apostles….(12) to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
d. They taught what Jesus taught them (Acts 2:42)
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer.
2. They were empowered with special gifts
a. II Cor. 12:12
(12) The things that mark an apostle—signs, wonders and miracles—were done among you with great perseverance.
b. The same works as Christ
1. To authenticate that they spoke for Him
3. They were promised special honors
a. To the Apostles at the Last Supper
1. Luke 22:28-30
(28) You are those who have stood by me in my trials. (29) And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, (3) so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
2. Will sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel
b. The walls of the New Jerusalem
1. Rev. 21:14
The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb
2. Names immortalized in the foundation of gold
4. They were so much like us
a. Hardly the elite
1. Their problems and short-comings
2. You’ll see yourself in one of them
3. A bunch of working stiffs
b. How God changed them
c. “God doesn’t call the equipped…He equips the called”
d. If they could do it…so can we
1. Last week “inside out”
2. Today… “How to turn your world upside down”
II. Text…Luke 6
A. Preparing to call the twelve…..v.12
(12) One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
1. Or, “In those days”
a. After one year of public ministry
1. Two years prior to his crucifixion
b. Increasing opposition and hostility
1. Shortly after the preceding confrontation
2. Mark says “The Pharisees and Herodians were looking for a way to kill him”
2. A night of prayer
(12) One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
a. Direction
b. Importance of the decision
If you want to turn your world upside down
#1 Learn the secret to making wise decisions
1. Our lives are a reflection of the decisions we make
a. Mark McGwire and steroids
b. Decisions have consequences
1. The Hall of Fame
c. Dumb decisions I’ve made
d. Wise decisions
1. Like marrying Carolyn
a. Her surgery
b. Impact on my life
2. Impact on the rest of my life
a. Those who choose poorly
b. Counseling
2. When facing important decision
a. James 1:5
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
3. And don’t be afraid to plead with God for wisdom
a. Jesus “spent the night” praying to God
1. “dianuktereuo” (dee-an-ook-ter-yoo’-o)
2. Only used once in the Bible
a. Literally, “to endure through the entire night”
b. “He endured through the night while awake in prayer”
b. “praying through”
1. Not quick and easy
2. “The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much”
3. Jesus set the pattern for “fervent prayer”
c. Cases requiring fervent prayer
1. Praying for your children
2. Life after high school
3. Jobs
4. Boy friend….husband
5. A chronic or besetting sin
d. Don’t be shy about pleading with God
4. And wait for his direction
B. The Choice….v.13
(13) When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles
1. His “disciples”
a. The large group that followed him like a teacher
1. “Learners”
b. He picked 12 out of this large group
2. Called them “Apostles”
a. Means “sent ones”
b. Carried the authority of the one who sent them
#2 Invest your time in people and relationships
1. Mark 3:14 says that Jesus “appointed 12 that they might be with Him”
a. Absolutely critical
2. They spent the next two years with Jesus
a. He poured his life into them
3. How we learn
a. More than learning facts
b. Children learn more by observation
c. How you behave under stress
4. The twelve observed his demeanor
a. Felt his heart
5. That what it means to “disciple”
a. The Timothy Project graduation (next week)
6. Each of us has a responsibility to disciple
a It takes quality time
b. It’s more than learning things
c. “He appointed 12 that they might be with him”
C. The Individuals (v. 14-16)
(14) Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, (15) Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, (16) Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
1. The three groups of four
2. Peter was the leader
a. Next week…. “Leadership”
3. But each group had a leader also
1. The first group was the most intimate with Christ
2. The last was the least
#3 Don’t underestimate your potential
1. They were very common men
a. He didn’t choose the elite
b. At least 4…and possibly 7…were fishermen
2. They were so much like people I know
3. They lacked a lot of things, including:
a. A lack of spiritual understanding
b. A lack of humility
c. A lack of faith
d. A lack of commitment
e. A lack of power
4. Their potential….your potential
a. Everyone of you has a special gift
b. Find it and develop it
#4 Don’t question God’s power to change you
1. How the Apostles changed
a. Ministered in
1. British Isles
2. Russian
3. India
b. God chose them to be our examples
2. Never underestimate God’s power to change you
a. When God changes a heart
1. From the inside out
b. He’ll supply the opportunities for you
c. He specializes in rebuilding wrecked lives
d. He’ll give you a purpose for living
#5 Find and pursue your purpose in life
1. Their meeting after the resurrection
a. Matthew 28:16-20
(16) Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. (17) When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. (18) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
b. We’ll see how they did
c. And the price they paid
1. Peter’s life….and his wife
2. And his daughter!
*Next week
d. How they died
1. Peter’s brother Andrew
2. The untold story!
2. Finding your purpose in life
a. Something greater than yourself
1. “It’s not about you”
2. The Warrior’s Creed
*The mission comes first
b. What are you willing to pay to achieve it?
#6 Let God worry about the results
1. “But what if I fail?”
a. I’m sure the thought scared them
b. Especially when Jesus left them alone
2. But he left them with instructions and a promise
a. The instructions
1. Acts 1:4
(4) On one occasion, while Jesus was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.”
2. The importance of patience
b. The promise
1. Acts 1:8
(8) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.”
c. The fulfillment
1. Acts 2
2. The power of God
3. What it means to “have Christ living in you”
a. Star Wars and the Jedi warriors
1. “The force is with you”
b. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
c. The Force that is with…and in you
1. “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world”
#7 Don’t waste the experiences life has thrown at you
1. Next week, Peter
a. What a mess!
1. The apostle with the “foot shaped mouth”
b. Lessons in leadership
c. His life and death
2. Each of us is unique
a. Peter and his quiet brother Andrew
b. Yet each was used greatly
3. Each of us has a unique story
a. And each story has some embarrassing chapters
4. And yet God has been equipping you for your mission
a. The most valuable lessons were usually the most painful
5. Leverage your painful experiences
a. Failure is a critical foundation for success
III. Summary
A. Mountains in your past
1. Failures feel like great mountains that you can’t get past
a. So many disappointments and hurts
b. Have let so many people down
c. Don’t think you can get past these mountains
2. God is in the business of changing people
a. Savior, He can move the mountains…
b. The miracles I’ve seen in changed people