"Living for An Audience of One"
3-Week Blog Series
Hebrews 12:1-7a
Sunday, November 6, 2011

Introduction: If you were to stop and think about it, you would realize that much of your life is spent trying to please others. As we grow up we try to please our parents, teachers, and coaches. As we get older we continue with this pattern by trying to please our friends, our boss, our spouse, our children. It is difficult to go through life and not try to please others; and not allow ourselves to be influenced by others.

This morning I want to propose to you that there is a better way to live. The truth is, there is only One whom we should try and please, and One whose influence should impact our lives. GOD. The best way to live our lives is to try and please God. If we are doing this, then overall we should be able to live in a way that others should approve of as well. So let’s take some time to think about how we can avoid living our lives with the goal of pleasing others, but rather trying to please the Lord.

I. Great Cloud of Witnesses- (Hebrews 12:1-7a)

a. Surrounded by witnesses- EX. When I was in college I was a music

education major. My main instrument was the tenor saxophone. As a music major, I had to perform a senior recital. This was part of my requirement for graduating. My saxophone teacher and I chose the three pieces of music I was to perform, and then I began practicing. I worked hours each day on this music. Each week I would come to my lesson and play what I had learned for my teacher. He would listen, make comments, and help me to know what I needed to work on for the next time. All semester long this went on, until I was ready to perform my recital!

The day came for me to perform. I was concerned that I would get nervous and not be able to perform the way I had played it for my teacher. So I took about an hour where I just sat quietly in the presence of God, and let God lay upon me His Spirit of peace. I prayed that I would be able to perform it to the best of my ability. And I am happy to say that I played that music the best I had ever played. It was even recorded, so I have it on tape as a forever reminder.

You see, I was so concerned with the audience and what they would think of my playing. The truth is, my teacher knew what I could do, and I knew what I could do. I shouldn’t worry about what others think. This reminds us that we often live our lives in this way, being concerned with what others think of us. As Hebrews 12:1 starts out: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.”

There are always going to be people all around us. Some of these people are friends and family; some are acquaintances; some are strangers; some might even be enemies. If we allow ourselves to be concerned with what others think, then we are going to live trying to please them. But this is not how God wants us to live.

Hebrews 12:1b-3, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” We are told to not concern ourselves with others and what they might think, but to set our eyes on Jesus. Others challenged Jesus when He told them that He was to be crucified. Jesus had to throw off that which hindered Him so that He could be faithful to His call. So we too need to not be concerned with what others think so that we will stay strong and continue to live the way God wants us to live.

b. Being disciplined- The truth is though, that we will not always live

in the way that God desires for us. Think with me for a moment what you do as a parent when children behave wrongly. The right course of action is to discipline them. Now discipline takes on many forms, anywhere from a time out, to talking with them, to taking something away from the child, to giving them work to perform, and even grounding them from going out. The design of discipline is to help them see where they are making wrong choices, so that they will make the right choice in the future.

Anytime that we do wrong, whether it is by our own doing, or we allow ourselves to be swayed by the opinion of others, then the Lord disciplines us. As Hebrews 12:5b-7 tells us: “…‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, ⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.’ ⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?”

This passage reminds me that there are too many people (witnesses) who surround me and influence me. Often times this influence is not helpful. I need to be thankful that God brings discipline into my life. Both the discipline of correction, as well as helping me to be disciplined so that I will stay the course. While I didn’t enjoy being disciplined as a child, I know that the discipline was helpful for me to become the responsible, caring person I am today. In the same way, the discipline of the Lord, and even the threat of discipline, helps me to make better choices; including whom I choose to influence me!

Instead of being focused on what others think and say, I need to stay focused on Jesus. When I am focused on Jesus I can know what God has for me, and I can feel good about the life I live. When I stay focused on Jesus, then I AM LIVING MY LIFE FOR AN AUDIENCE OF ONE. This is really the profound truth that we need to learn. We must live our lives for an audience of ONE.
So, think about this: are you living your life for an audience of one? Do you let God’s voice be the one voice you follow? OR, are you allowing others to lead you astray? You have a choice: you can live following God’s voice, or the voice of others. You can’t do both. Are you only concerned with what God will think of your life, or are you concerned with the opinions of others? And if you listen to others, are these voices leading you to become the person God created you to be?

II. Word or Deed- (Colossians 3:17; James 3:1-2; Philippians 4:9, 12; James 1:17; )

a. Word or deed- If you were to break down your life, it really comes

down to two components: your words (what you say), and your deeds (what you do). That is what your life consists of: words and deeds. Both are important, and both need to be guided by the Lord. We are told by Paul in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

I know that I am challenged all the time with living for God in what I say. My job demands that I talk, and teach, and guide others with my words. James 3:1-2 reminds me of the responsibility I have with my words, as it says: “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If any one does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.” James reminds us that it is not easy to live for the Lord with our words.

Our children aggravate us, and we get angry with them. Maybe a little too angry, and maybe we say something that we shouldn’t. Our spouse frustrates us and we get into an argument. Again, in our frustration we say something that we shouldn’t say. You tell your friend to invest in a stock, but in the end the stock crashes and they lose money. Time and time again we speak words that are not honoring of God. What are we to do?

Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus..." Do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. The more we remember this the better we live it out.

But our deeds pose a similar challenge. Again, we are not perfect people, so we struggle to do the right thing throughout the day. The apostle Paul, in Philippians 4:9 said: “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Can you echo these words of Paul? Do you want others to put into practice what they have seen you do? Most of us would probably answer, ‘sometimes yes, sometimes no.’

Illus. There is a story of a boy, whose father leaves the home every night to go to the bar. The boy is curious to know what his father does and so one night he follows his father. He is surprised to see his father getting drunk. The boy continues to follow his father each night. One day the father comes home after work, showers, and gets ready to go out, but before he leaves he goes to his son’s room, only to discover his son drinking out of a bottle of whiskey. The father gets angry at his son, yelling at him about how bad it is to drink alcohol. And then he shouts out the question ‘Where did you learn to do this?’ To which the boy shouts back: “From watching you at the bar every night!”

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus..." If we live according to this verse, then our focus will be on living for God. I believe by doing this, we will be much better able to discover our purpose and be fulfilled in the life we live.

b. Giving thanks to the Lord- Colossians 3:17 continues by telling us

to give thanks to God the Father. We need to live our lives constantly giving thanks to God. In fact, this is one of the most profound aspects of living; living with a thankful heart. What will this do for our lives? Our mindset? Our motivation?

First, it will help us to focus on what we have, not on what we don’t have. It is so easy to lose our focus, because we are constantly reminded of what we don’t have. I live in a condo, not a house. I drive a Toyota, not a Lexus. I don’t have a big screen TV, or a blackberry phone, or a boat. I don’t get to go to a cabin on the weekends, or travel to Hawaii on my vacation….. A thankful heart helps me to understand that I have a wonderful wife, with two great children. I have a job that I love, and friends and family who are there for me. I am thankful for this, and more!

Second, it will allow us to understand that all that we have has been given to us by God. As James 1:17 says, “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” We work so hard trying to get everything that we think we want to provide for ourselves. Or we try and provide for our children and grandchildren things that we ourselves didn’t get. Instead, acknowledge that what you have is a gift from God, perfect for you.

Third, what this will do is help us to be content in life. Paul had a great philosophy when he said in Philippians 4:12, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” If you can’t be content with what you have now, then no matter what you add to your life, you still will not be content. Contentment doesn’t come from things, but from being thankful for who you are and what you do have!

Fourth, it will remind us that we are to seek to please God only. It will help us to live for an audience of one.

Conclusion: I believe that the importance of talking about this subject is the fact that we don’t even realize we are living for others. We don’t realize that we are seeking to please others around us. We don’t believe that we allow others to influence our decisions. We have to stop this cycle of caring what others think about us. We have to ONLY be concerned with what God thinks of us.

Galatians 1:10 says, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” As followers of Jesus Christ, we should be concerned with pleasing God. As God’s children, we should live in a way that pleases God. In this way, we will live a life that is more pleasing to others as well. So let us LIVE FOR AN AUDIENCE OF ONE, this day and every day. Amen.

"Next Steps"
Luke 19:1-10
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Series on Bill Hybels' book: Just Walk Across the Room

Introduction: I have been preaching these last couple of weeks about being open to the opportunities that God has for us to talk about Jesus to others. Just this last week I had a couple of interesting opportunities. Both of these opportunities came from my sending out my newest blog called “A parable re-told.” The first opportunity came through my blog post online. A man named John came across my blog, told me he liked it, and asked if I would go to his website to look over what he was trying to do for the Lord and give him my opinion; my guidance. The second was a high school girl who must have come across my blog via Facebook. She sent me a nice e-mail, let me read it for you: “I am seventeen about to turn eighteen. I stumbled upon your blog while on the internet, and I was wondering if you could help me. I want to be closer to God especially before I go off to college, but I feel like I don't know how to be closer to him. It's like I'm afraid or something. I know I do not know you, but I don't know who to go to at this point. Thank You for your time.”

The exciting thing about being available to God is that you don’t know how or where God is going to use you. It is about being ready to go out and tell others about Jesus and fulfilling the great commandment in Matthew 28 to ‘go and make disciples.’

I. Discern appropriate next steps-

a. The first steps- Highlighting what we’ve talked about the last

couple of weeks is how we need to take the first steps. We have to walk across the room, introduce ourselves, and start to get to know the person. Or we have to be open to conversing with someone we don’t know if they start a conversation. The first step is the hardest, because you have to break the ice and get things going.

The truth is, if you have a willing heart, and trust the Lord, then it will get started, and you will be able to build a relationship. Remember, your initial goal is just to get to know the person, and take the conversation as far as they are willing to go with it. Be sensitive to their needs and comfort zone, and let them tell their story.

b. Initial interactions- Let’s say you are in your child’s classroom

and you hear the teacher tell another parent that she isn’t going to get to go see her family for Christmas. That could be an opportunity for you to have an initial interaction, and maybe invite her to the Christmas Eve service. OR, you’re in a restaurant and you overhear a man talk about the loss of his father. Will you take a risk and create an initial reaction by telling the man you will be praying for him in his loss?

In our day-to-day life, there are countless opportunities where forks in the road like these show up. Situations where we have to declare to ourselves and to God that we will take the next step and seek to impact the life of another. It isn’t about having all the knowledge and charisma, it is simply about being willing to be used by God in everyday ways.

It is not uncommon for you to meet someone, and introduce yourself to them, and then have them share something about their life. For example, a new neighbor moves in, you go and introduce yourself to them, and then they start to share how everything is busy, they are struggling to get connected with the right things (hair stylist, grocery store, dentist, doctor, etc…). You could easily wish them well and be on your way, OR, you could realize that this is an open door for at least a dozen ways that you could become a sphere of influence for them.

It isn’t that hard to suggest a dentist, a doctor, to tell them about the various grocery stores and what you know about them. And in the process you might even mention the church that you go to. It’s not about having a bag of tricks that you can pull out and evangelize them. It is about realizing that God puts opportunities in your life all the time to be there for other people; being a friend, being an encourager, being a listener.

c. Being a resource provider- As I said before, the key is to have a

willing spirit, an open heart, and a mind-set that says, ‘If there is any resource I can provide that will ease their burden and solidify their trust in God, then I will be open to providing it for them.’ If you perceive yourself as a resource provider, then you tend to relax in the fact that it isn’t up to you to do all the work. You realize that the person is walking on a journey, and you have an opportunity to give them some things that help them in this journey.

What kinds of resources might you pass on to them? A Christian music CD that has positive lyrics. A good book that you read that helped you in your faith journey. If you don’t know of any books, you can ask me. I regularly preach on books that I think will benefit you in your faith journey, just like how we are now doing a series on Bill Hybels book “Just Walk Across the Room.” You might tell them about my Daily Bible Reading, which might be a simple way to get God’s word into their lives on a daily basis.

And if your offer goes unaccepted, don’t take offense at it. What it does for you it helps them to see that you are willing to help them in their journey. There may come a time when they do need something, and they think of you because they know you are willing to help them. Or they come to you for some advice because they feel like you care and are a trustworthy friend.

Because you are ready for this, you can now spring into action. You can reap the fruit of being a faithful, patient, and caring friend. At this point you get to serve as a conduit to point them to what will benefit them the most. Again, don’t think that you have to have counselor training and theological background. Because they now trust you, you can help lead them to the right person, book, or organization that can help them in their time of need.

d. Just show up- Think about Jesus for a moment, even though He

was God in the flesh, and possessed all power and knowledge, what made His ministry with the disciples so powerful was the fact that He was ‘with’ them. Jesus invited the disciples into His world, but He also got into theirs. I believe that as powerful as seeing Jesus do miracles, it was just as powerful to just ‘be’ with Jesus and have Him be with them in the mundane of life.

We can easily mirror this concept. It is not difficult for us to ‘be’ with people in the mundane of life. This is really how God wants His believers to interact with each other; to do life together. You have to be with people if you want to be a resource provider for them, because they won’t think to come to you otherwise. Once they know that you’re in it with them for the long haul, then they will allow themselves to listen to your suggestions of resources that could benefit them.

Now you might be thinking to yourself: ‘I just don’t seem to have opportunities in my life like you’ve been describing.’ If you think this is true, let me challenge you for a moment. Over the next week, focus on the group of people whom you already have a relationship with; your friends, and family, and neighbors that are already a part of your life. I bet that if you think hard enough, you can come up with several people in your world that would like a deeper life of community.

There are so many people who want more community in their life, but don’t know how to get it or where to go to get it. As you walk with these people, and open yourself up to listening to what they are saying, you will find that you will have opportunity to bring community life to them.

STORY: There is a story of a man named Dave who wanted to see community experiences happen in his circle of friends. He got a creative idea, and challenged one of his neighbors with this challenge: “I bet I can put together a better kickball team than you.” His neighbor took him up on this challenge. Not long after this challenge they had a picnic and then a kickball game. Dave says that over the next year they met every other Sunday night to play kickball. They made up their own rules to keep it fun. From there some of them started to get together for New Year’s Eve, the Super Bowl, and even took spring break trips together. In time, Dave invited them to church, and many of them went!!

Dave did a great job of being creative in thinking of how he could ‘just show up’ for the people around him.

II. Your own before and after- (John 9:1-41; Luke 19:1-10)

a. The power of a good story- If I were to say the phrase, ‘Once upon

a time,’ you would immediately think of a fairy tale story, because that’s how it often starts out. Once upon a time there was a princess who was locked in a tower by her wicked step-mother…The story goes along, and a prince comes to find the princess in the tower. He frees her, they fall in love, and they get married. And then the story ends…and they lived HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

Why is it that we like fairy tales? Because we are dreamers, and we like to dream of better days. Because we know our own lives are so far from being a fairy tale story. Because we want to believe that better days are to be had. This world does not bring to us a fairy tale story.

We all have a story to tell. And the great news is that our story fits into God’s greater story—which is the greatest story ever told. When people grasp the magnificence of this truth, the truth of the gospel, and the implications it has for the meaning of their story, hope is found!

We begin to think that I can be found like the lost son…I can be cared for by a Good Shepherd…My deepest needs, like the widows, can be met…I can receive abundant life just by exhibiting the smallest amount of faith.

MY STORY: Once upon a time, a boy named Chris was born. This was a wonderful birth, because only months before his mother had miscarried. If not for the miscarriage, Chris would never have been born. Chris was born to two parents who loved him greatly. They were very attentive to him and very supportive of what he did. His father coached his baseball teams, and his mom was the scorekeeper. They provided for his needs, and helped him with his schoolwork. They taught him how to be responsible and how to work hard. They took him to church for a while, but then the whole family stopped going.

One day Chris came across some Bible passages and read them with great interest. Then he came across a question: Do you want to give your life to Jesus? Yes, he said to himself. He knelt down on the floor right in his room and asked Jesus to be his Savior and Lord!

So far it sounds good. Good family. Good parents. Good home life. Attentive and helpful parents. An establishing of a Christian faith. A fairy tale story, right?

b. Good stories gone bad- The story continues…Satan was not happy

that Chris had accepted Christ, and so he brought some bad influences into Chris’ life. Chris followed these bad influences that led him away from following Christ, and going to church. Chris began to make bad choices that got him into trouble and kept him from doing the good and right things God would have for him. One day Chris got fired from his job, which was causing him to have to work on Thursdays and Sundays (church days). Soon after Chris got a call from a friend inviting him to church. Chris said ‘yes’ and at church the Lord convicted Chris of his wrongdoing and his sin, and he renewed his commitment to the Lord…

I have heard the stories of many people. As a minister I have many opportunities to talk to people about their story; about their faith journey. All too often the truth is that people will have a good story to start with, but then it turns bad. How often people have told me about their making bad choices and getting involved in drugs, or alcohol, or theft, or gambling. Their life, which was relatively good, takes a turn for the worst.

The good news is that because Christ is still a part of their life, although He has been pushed aside, He is still there to work a miracle. By the power of God’s Spirit the person is convicted of their sin, and they find their way back to the Lord and to church.

The problem is, that many times when people try and tell their stories to others, they get caught up in the non-essentials. When telling their stories, people often focus on themselves more than they focus on Christ. People tend to talk all too much about what they did, and forget to talk about what Christ has done for them. We should use our stories ONLY as a stepping-stone to be able to talk about what Christ has done to save us, and how what Christ has done is available to all!

When telling your story avoid some these things: #1, being long winded. Don’t talk too long about your story. Make it no longer than 3 minutes. #2, avoid fuzziness. Make sure you stick to the high points of where you went astray, how Christ found you, and how you gave yourself over to Christ. #3, religionese. What I mean by this is to use too many churchy words like ‘salvation,’ ‘born again,’ or ‘accepting Jesus.’ #4, superiority. Do not act like you are superior to them because you are a Christ-follower, and they are not.

c. A familiar pattern- So let me finish with a couple biblical stories

that show us this before-and-after pattern. The promise of the gospel’s transforming power is that when you come to Christ, your old self is evicted and a new self arrives. When you tell your story the critical point is how you made this transition because of Christ.

In the gospel of John, chapter 9, Jesus is seen traveling along. Jesus is approached by a man who is said to have been born blind. Wanting to display God’s power, Jesus decides to heal the man. So he bends over, spits on the dirt to make some mud, puts the mud on the blind man’s eyes and says: “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam.” Miraculously, the man went and washed, and he came home seeing.

Imagine how amazed this man’s friends and family members were. Even his neighbors would be amazed that he could now see. The man they knew to be blind was blind no more. When they asked him how it happened, he said: “I was blind, and now I can see, and it was Jesus who did it.”

Consider also the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19. The Bible tells us that Zacchaeus was a wealthy tax collector living for money. But Zacchaeus meets Jesus one day, has a meal with him, and his life is forever changed! In fact, Zacchaeus tells Jesus that he is going to pay back every dollar he stole. If you were to ask Zacchaeus to tell you what happened, he might say something like this: “I’ll tell you what happened—it was unbelievable! I fell into a pattern where my whole life was wrapped up in money. The grip of greed was so strong that I couldn’t break free of it. It distorted my every relationship. And you know what? Jesus set me free from the tyranny of greed. He taught me how to really care, especially for the poor. Jesus got me pointed in the right direction”

Conclusion: Think about your own journey. What is the single key concept reflected in your life that others could connect to? As you think about your before-and-after story, try and script a concise description of how you were before Christ, what Christ did for you to change you, and how you are now that Christ has become your Savior and Lord.

For example, a few years ago I did a sermon series on the book Halftime, by Bob Buford. In a nutshell, when telling his story, Buford will say: “I was nothing more than a bored rich guy. And then I met Christ. He has moved me from mere success to significance. In my relationship with Christ, I am finally discovering a purpose for my life.”

Don’t underestimate the power of your story. Your story is powerful because it is real, and it is true. Your story is powerful because it is about who Christ is and what Christ has done for you. If you focus on that, then you will affect people’s lives with your story.

SO, as we conclude our three-week series on “Just Walk Across the Room,” let us remember that God wants us to be open to building relationships with people, and He wants us to be resources to people, and He wants us to be able to share our story with people. In this way, God will use our lives to make a difference in the lives of others for the glory of God. Amen.

"Friendships and Stories"
Mark 1:14-20
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Series on Bill Hybels' book: Just Walk Across the Room

Introduction: A few weeks ago we had our first church retreat since I have been here. Now I have been on many retreats myself, and have been blessed by them, and so I wanted us as a church to have a retreat experience to receive the kind of blessings God brings to churches when they take time to be together in Him. I was so pleased by this retreat, because it was an opportunity to reflect on who we are as a church, and where God wants to lead us. It has been said that ‘you shouldn’t try to do a lot of things, but rather a few things well.’ This retreat was an opportunity to reflect on what God wants us to do well.

Out of that retreat we came up with 4 goals, which I have mentioned a number of times since the retreat, but let me voice them again: 1) The importance of getting people involved in the life of the church (serving as a greeter, or a worship assistant, or helping with Binky’s, or being a Deacon or Elder…). 2) Developing deeper relationships with people. People want to have deeper relationships in their life, and the church is a great place for this to happen. 3) Intergenerational ministry. The church is one of the only places where kids, youth, and adults interact with each other. 4) Deepening our spiritual growth.

As we continue to talk about reaching out to people for the Lord, we need to understand that ALL people desire these 4 things in their life. We can reach out to people and help them experience this in Christ!

I. Developing Friendships- (Acts 1:8; Luke 8:4-15)

a. Being able to see it– The truth is, that we all know people who

either haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, or who aren’t walking with God in their lives. The other truth is, most people are not taking the time to talk to these people about Jesus: either because they don’t feel like they have the adequate knowledge to do it, or they don’t think that the people want to have a discussion on this subject. It’s not that people disagree with the need for people to be pointed toward God. They just struggle with how to get it done.

Over the years there have been so many ‘evangelism’ fads and programs that have emerged. We ourselves have done many of them: the Alpha program and 40 Days of Purpose, are a couple that we have done. A program really is only beneficial when you live out your faith, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. And really, if you have those two things, you don’t need any program.

Effective evangelism, or to say it in laymen’s terms, effective reaching out for the Lord will only really be sustained and beneficial if a church and its people are in tune to the promptings of the Holy Spirit! Jesus Himself made this promise in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…” When the Holy Spirit comes on us, He gives us a mission, and that mission is to be witnesses. Talking to people about Jesus isn’t about knowledge, or having a practiced delivery, or being able to answer all their questions. It is about living your life in the power of Christ, and then letting God do the saving work.

Being aware of the promptings of the Holy Spirit means that we are ever aware of what is going on around us. As I said last week, you will be at work, or at a party, or on an airplane, and the Holy Spirit will say to you, ‘Go and talk with that person.’ OR You will be in the midst of a conversation, and the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to the struggles or pain that person is going through. And then God will give you wisdom to converse with them about their pain, and help them see that they don’t have to be alone in their struggle, but God can be there with them!

What we have to understand is that when we talk to people, all we need to do is to explain who Jesus is (He is God in the flesh and the savior of the world), and explain that Jesus wants us to be in a relationship with Him. Jesus wants us to follow the path God created for them. Jesus wants to give them forgiveness from their sins, freedom from future sin, and an understanding of what life is about.

You are not required to force a decision on their part. But I think God does want us to be motivated in talking to people about Christ. God does want us to care enough to share the good news with others. God does want us to be witnesses and share what we do know and what we have experienced.

b. Sowing seeds- Do you remember the parable of the seeds that

Jesus told? The story was told with the intention of explaining the ways the good news of the Kingdom will be received. Let me highlight it for you: one day a farmer goes out to scatter seed along the ground. Some of the seed fell on the road, and the birds ate it. Some of the seed fell on the gravel; it sprouted quickly but couldn’t put down deep roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. And some fell onto wild grass, but as it came up, it was smothered by the weeds that grew with it.

But the story didn’t end there. Jesus tells us that some of the seed fell on good ground and produced a harvest beyond the farmer’s wildest dreams. We have to understand that some of the seed that we sow will fall on deaf ears and hard hearts. But some of the seed will find its way to hearts and minds that are ready to hear!!

Have you ever wondered why Jesus told this story? I believe it was meant to give His followers encouragement. I believe that Jesus wanted us to understand that not everyone we talk to about Jesus will receive our words with enthusiasm. In fact, many will reject what we tell them. There will be a few, however, that will receive Jesus. But we won’t know who will receive these words and who won’t until after we share. And if even one person receives Jesus, then our efforts will be worth it!

Even Jesus Himself was rejected. We read in Mark 1 about how Jesus went out and called to people: ‘Follow Me.’ There were some who followed, and continued following. There were some who followed for a time, but then walked away. And there were some who didn’t follow at all. In fact, they were part of the group who shouted ‘crucify Him, crucify Him’ at his trial.

This was true of the disciples’ as well. They were following Jesus. They were sent by Jesus into a town to talk to people about Jesus. Many closed their doors on them. It wasn’t all rosy and perfect. Jesus wanted the disciples (and us) to understand that not everyone will receive the message they share. Jesus was telling them with this story to not give up, but to be ‘seed sowing fools.’ At times it might seem foolish to share Jesus with others, but that is only if we focus on those who think the things of this world are better than having a relationship with God. They actually are the foolish ones.

In reality, our sowing seeds should come out of developing relationships with people. We then sow the seeds of Jesus in the normal course of the relationship. We do it because it is part of the conversation; part of the relationship we have established with them.

In having said this, think for a moment about this question: “On a scale of 1-10, what is your desire to see others give their life to Jesus?” If it’s a 9 or a 10 then you are in the right place. If it is much lower than that then you might need to ask God to give you that compelling desire to talk about Jesus.

II. Discovering Stories-

a. All people have stories- One of the ministries that we do that I

really love is our work with the WomenShelter of Long Beach. I got connected a number of years ago when I was calling around to find opportunities in which our church could help serve. For a while there, one Monday night a month, we were going out to different places to help. We went to His Nesting Place, and the Rescue Mission. I was surprised though that a number of places I tried to contact never took me up on my request to help. But a person from the Women’s Shelter did call me back. In fact she drove out to the church to tell me about different opportunities. Since then we have hosted a number of events for them.

Just this last August we threw a beach party for some of the moms and children in the Women’s Shelter program. At the beach party I met a woman named Veronica. Veronica has 4 kids, and of course is a single mom because of her getting out of an abusive marriage. As I was going around and saying hi to the different families I came to Veronica and her family. I talked with her for a little bit and then the Holy Spirit put it on my heart to ask: “How are you doing?”

That question was all it took to get her to open up and share a little bit of what was going on in her life. I didn’t have a lot of time to focus just on her, so I listened as much as I could, and then asked her if she had an e-mail address and if she wanted to receive my Daily Bible Reading. She said “yes” to both. Since then I have had a number of e-mail exchanges with her, a couple of phone calls, and she even came in for counseling one time.

All it took was a well-timed question (prompted by the Holy Spirit), a caring heart, and a willing ear to get this conversation going. Veronica opened up the door for me to bring Jesus into the conversation. God helped me to see where I could help lead her to the Lord more fully.

There are so many people like Veronica, who need someone to listen to their story. There are so many people who need to know that God cares. There are so many people/ who need someone to point them to Jesus/ and tell them, or remind them that they are not alone in their struggle. If we allow ourselves to hear people’s stories, then we will find an abundance of opportunity to ‘walk across the room’ and make a difference in their life!

b. Proximity points- Let me tell you about a concept called ‘The

Potential of Close Proximity.’ This comes from the book Becoming a Contagious Christian, by Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg. The point of the potential of close proximity is that, even the most mature Christians will be totally ineffective in evangelism if they do not get near people who are living far from God.

If you want to share Jesus with people (and I hope that after last week’s sermon you do all the more), then you need to be near people who are living far away from God. It’s a pretty simple concept. The problem is that the longer someone is a Christian, the fewer non-Christian relationships they tend to have. You can’t save the already saved. You need to find those who aren’t saved.

Likewise, there are some who are saved, but who have either fallen away from God, or are struggling in their faith. Leah, the lady I talked about last week who I met on the plane, and Veronica, are two examples of people who were struggling in their faith. It is important for us to reach out and care for people in this category as well.

But I need to build relationships with non-believers if I hope to reach people for Jesus. This concept of proximity point is just as important for me as it is for you, because as a pastor I don’t always have the opportunity to build relationships with non-believers.

If you are in the work place, or in the PTA or groups like this, then you are around people who need Jesus. You have close proximity to people who inevitably are lost in their lives. As you talk with people, you will discover that they have many struggles, hurts, and frustrations about their life that they just don’t know what to do with.

So it is about developing relationships with the people right around you. As you build this relationship with them, take the time to learn about their story. Some people learn about others quite quickly. I can spend ten minutes with a person, and often times learn about their joys and hurts. But others will take some time to develop the trust it takes for people to open up and share their stories. There shouldn’t been a timetable to the relationship, because then people just feel used. It isn’t about having “success,” it is about truly believing that their life will be better off when they have Jesus in their life.

I was talking with a friend the other day, and she was telling me about her son and his wife (and they have a young boy as well). Their marriage has been struggling for a while now. They hadn’t gone to church in some time. There was a situation that arose during one of their fights that led them to realize they needed help. My friend encouraged them to go back to church. They have, and now they are growing closer to God and to each other!!

c. Take the risk- As Christ’s followers we are accountable to be

regularly moving in circles with people who are far from God. We are called to uncover their stories with compassion and grace, and then to naturally, over time, make ourselves available to them as God gives us opportunity. We are called to care about those who are lost and wayward. We need to offer the hope that God can give to people who need this hope. Just as you came to Christ once, you have the opportunity to give someone else this experience.

I know that I’ve talked with people who were very negative toward God. Often times they are negative because they have had a bad experience with the church. Maybe they have felt judged or told that they would go to hell for the way they lived their life. They have only heard words like ‘judgment’ and ‘hell.’ Maybe we should offer them new words: grace and power. Maybe we can help them understand that God is a God of grace and power, and wants to bring His grace and power into their lives!

It actually is quite exciting to live your life with the goal to share Jesus with others. You will find that when you are seeking to be available for God in this way, when you are willing to take this risk, you will depend on God so much more. You will be praying more, and asking for God’s Spirit to guide you more! You will always be wondering when God will next use you in someone’s life.

If you have ever had an experience where you led someone to Christ, then you know what I am talking about. There isn’t anything more exciting, for you, or for that person, when they say “yes” to Jesus.

Conclusion: Think with me for a moment about your friends. Are your friends all Christians? Are the people you associate with committed in their relationship with God? Do they go to church and serve the Lord? It is important to take this inventory and understand how God can start using you even in the relationships you already have.

Now let’s expand a little more…Maybe you can get to know your neighbors, the person who cuts your hair, the people in your bowling group or PTA. Who are the people you can start building new relationships with?

It is about being able to start a flame in the life of someone who is in darkness. It is about reminding people that they have been created in the image of God, and have been created to be in a relationship with that God. It is about giving people hope, and strength, and meaning to their life. LET’S MAKE A COMMITMENT TO MAKE OUR FRIENDSHIPS MEANINGFUL, AND ALLOW OUR FRIENDSHIPS TO HAVE ETERNAL IMPLICATIONS. Let us live for Jesus in this way. Amen.

"The Ultimate Walk"

John 8:1-11

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Series on Bill Hybels Book: “Just Walk Across the Room”

Introduction: It is said that we walk about 10,000 steps each day. That is a lot of steps. Even though we aren’t aware of it, we walk a great deal each day. (Hold up pedometer). This is a pedometer. If you wear it, it will count how many steps you actually take. These have become quite popular because people want to track the exercise they get through walking.

Since we walk a lot each day, a good question for us is: Are you using your steps wisely? Your steps have purpose. You walk to your car, or from your car to you home. You walk up the stairs to get something you forgot. You walk all around a store looking for things you need to buy. Your steps have purpose. They are meant to get you where you need or want to go!

Over the next three weeks we are going to talk about how our steps can have even more purpose. We are going to talk about how we can ‘walk with the Spirit,’ and by doing this change the lives of others.

I. Entering the Zone- (Romans 5:8; John 8:1-11)

a. Leaving our comfort zone- I believe that God wants us to make

our steps all the more purposeful. I believe that God wants us, at times, to walk over to someone who is in need and reach out to them, and share the love of Christ with them. I believe that God wants us to invest some of our energy into understanding that if we only make ourselves aware, we can see others who are in need, and whose lives we can impact!

To do this, however, we must leave our comfort zone, especially if the person involved is someone we don’t know. We have to walk over to someone we don’t know, introduce ourselves, and then let God lead us in the conversation.

This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. The Holy Spirit will place on our hearts the compassion for others, and will whisper into our minds: “Why don’t you go over and extend a hand of friendship to that person. Why don’t you go offer that person some encouragement.”

Example: I had a situation like this happen back in May of this year. I was flying from LA to San Antonio to go to a conference. I had already sat down in my seat by the window. There was another person in the aisle seat, when this woman stopped and asked me if the middle seat was taken. I said ‘no’ and she sat down.

Now I had brought my sermon, and a book, and so I had plenty to do over the next 3 hours, but the Holy Spirit prompted me to reach out to her. So I started to talk with her about very general things. But somehow the Holy Spirit turned the conversation into a spiritual discussion. Over the next 3 hours we talked much about some of what she was struggling with spiritually in her life. She had come out of a Catholic background, and was living her life through guilt. Also, as a mom, she was concerned about everyone else except herself, and was feeling a little over-whelmed by life. By the end of our time together, she had expressed an interest in receiving my Daily Bible Readings, and I was able to pray for her. Since, then, I have had many e-mails from her about how the conversation and the Daily Bible Readings have impacted her life, and helped her to live more the life God has for her!!

You too can be used by God in this way. You too can ‘evangelize’ someone else by walking across the room or opening yourself up to a conversation. You too can share the good news of God’s freeing love with others.

b. The Son of God left His comfort zone- In a sense, God has done

the same for us. Stay with me here, as we imagine that God’s coming to this earth (the incarnation of Christ, as we’ve talked about the last 3 weeks), is really God walking to us because of our great need. God left the comfort zone of heaven to come to this earth.

Romans 5:8 talks about this: “For God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” It was when we were in the helplessness of our sin that God chose to do something for us. It took initiative from God to make this happen. In walking up to us He offered us acceptance, and love, and forgiveness!

STORY: The story in John 8:1-11 displays this beautifully. It is a well known story, but let me highlight it for you. A woman is caught in the act of adultery. She is brought to Jesus by her accusers. The Pharisees argue that adultery is a serious offense. Jesus is put in a bind, because if He lets the woman off the hook, he’ll be denying the validity of the law. But if He allows her to be stoned, He might be accused of being unmerciful. Jesus knowing that they were going to stone her no matter what He said, responded to them with great compassion and wisdom in verse 7, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” You know the story, one by one their rocks dropped to the ground. Jesus helps her realize that there is no one left but Him to condemn her, and then He says in verse 11: “…‘Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.’”

Jesus was offering her the love and freedom of God. And that is what Jesus wants us to do: to love people, and to serve people, and point people toward a saving faith in Jesus so that their broken lives can be healed!

II. Tuning Into Heaven-

a. Zone of the unknown- There is a story of a man who was learning

how to fly a plane. The man and his teacher would get to cruising altitude, and then for a while switch to autopilot. They would then talk about flight patterns, weather conditions, and altitude assessments. These would be prompted by air traffic controllers on the ground who would feed them updates. One time he asked his teacher if he would ever make a flight without listening to the air traffic controllers. His teacher referred to this as the ‘zone of the unknown,’ and the teacher immediately said: “Id be crazy to do this. I need all the information I can get my hands on, especially if the weather is not good!”

Wouldn’t this be a good discussion starter? To ask people if they would ever drive or fly into bad weather without the proper information to guide them. And then help people to see that so many venture forward in their lives, into areas unknown, with zero input from God! They get no guidance, no wisdom, and no counsel. Because of this is it any wonder that people end up crashing and burning?

You might just find that people will want to know how to get that information from God as a pilot would get information from the air traffic control tower. What a wonderful opportunity that could open up for you in having this discussion with someone who is lost in life or struggling with important issues.

b. The God you know- What this really is about is believing in the

saving message of Jesus Christ. I don’t mean just for yourself. I mean believe it in a way that leads you to know that every person on this earth would have a much better life if God’s love, God’s grace, and God’s redemption were a part of their lives.

Do you believe this? Do you believe people’s lives would be better off if they would just give themselves over to Christ? OR, are you like the man who once told his minister: “I never share my faith with anyone because I would never want to inflict the burden of God on anyone.” Do you believe Christ makes your life better, or puts a burden on your life to have to live a different standard?

The God I know has invaded my life with love, acceptance, grace, second chances, forgiveness, wisdom, power, and on and on the list could go. I know that my life is far better off because I have Jesus in my life, than what my life would be like had I never accepted Him as my Lord and Savior.

When you talk about God, do you know Him as someone full of grace, mercy, and compassion? Is the God you know mysterious, surprising, and captivating? Is He forever unchanging and yet always brand new? Does He inspire you with His big ideas about how your life can really count? Is He always faithful?

If God is these things and more to you, then you will be compelled to ‘walk across the room’ to share this God with others! If you believe that God is worth knowing, then you will want everyone you know to know Him too. If you are in love with God, then you will want others to be in love with God.

Rewind for a moment in your faith journey. Think about those days before you were a Christian, or if you can’t remember a day like that, then remember the days before you were really living for God. Remember that time when you would wake up and there would be no words from heaven and nothing supernatural invading your world. The day when you didn’t have the grace of God covering your sin. As I speak of this, hopefully you are feeling relieved to know God now, and will begin to desire for others to know this God!

III. The Greatest Gift-

a. Questions that arise- Now this doesn’t mean that we won’t

struggle in our faith from time to time. This doesn’t mean that we won’t have questions that arise. It is not uncommon for our life to not go the way we want it to, or feel we have unanswered prayer, and then question God’s existence or goodness.

But think about this: all people give their lives over to something. It could be pleasures; possessions; trying to be successful; the acquisition of power. People give their lives over to something, and that something becomes their god.

You need to ask yourself: What am I giving my life to? What is the one great something I am living my life for? Am I just interested in myself, or in the lives of others as well?

So often people want that perfect life. They want to have the great marriage with 1 ½ kids, a good home, a successful job, and lots of friends. If their life doesn’t end up looking like this they begin to place blame, usually on God first. They begin to question God why their life isn’t the all-American dream!

The real dream of a wonderful life actually comes when we give ourselves over to God, and let God lead our life. The dream begins to be fulfilled when we stop focusing on ourselves and start caring about others. As someone once said: “True followers of Christ who really get it right give themselves to people for the sake of Jesus. More importantly, they give themselves to pointing people to faith in Christ. That is the highest and best use of a human life—to have it serve as a signpost that points people toward God.”

If we are to really believe in the redeeming and transforming power of God’s presence in a person’s life, then the single greatest gift we can give to someone is an explanation of how to be rightly connected with God.

b. Following the example of Jesus- We have to think of Jesus saying

to us: “What I did as I walked across the cosmos all those years ago, I now want you to do.” Isn’t that why Jesus left us the great commandment? “Go and make disciples of all nations…” We need to live as if we actually believe in who Jesus is and what Jesus did. We need to live as if Jesus’ life, and death, and resurrection are really life transforming. We need to take this to others.

When you choose to live by faith and not by sight, then you begin to realize that living this life is more than just about yourself. You are not the only one who exists in this world. We live in a world with many people, who have been created to co-exist with each other and to be in relationship with each other. We will find that this will happen better if we are all followers of Christ. That is really what Christ died for, to bring all people into a saving relationship with Him!

I already said this, but let me say it again, the greatest gift you can give someone is an introduction to the God who sent His Son to redeem them. When you allow your purpose to be ‘other people,’ you will find that when Christ asks you to walk across the street, or up a flight a stairs, or across the room, you will be ready to do it. Too many people are not willing and ready to leave their circle of comfort and follow Christ’s lead.

Christ wants to say today to all of His followers all over the planet: “Reflect my love, and repeat my action.”

IV. Take the Walk- (1 Corinthians 3:6)

a. Being prompted- Story: Bill Hybels tells of a time when his son

was in soccer, and he was prompted to go and help his son’s soccer coach, Brian, pick up cones after the game. As they were talking Brian shared that he knew that Hybels was the pastor of a large church called Willow Creek, and told Hybels he was not interested in talking about religion. Hybels left the subject alone. Each week, after the game, he would help pick up cones and just chat with Brian. At the end of the year Hybels son was no longer on the team, and so he didn’t get to see Brian anymore. One day Hybels got a call from Brian. It seems that his job and family situation had become difficult and he wanted to talk with Hybels. They met several times after that, but nothing changed about Brian wanting the Lord in his life. Months later Brian showed up to a baptism meeting greatly surprising Hybels. It seems Brian had slipped in to one of the services, heard the message about Jesus, and accepted Christ as His Savior and Lord, and now he wanted to be baptized!

Brian is now at Willow Creek, serving the Lord there, and he and his wife are teaching other couples how to experience the joy of a Christ-centered marriage.

b. Walk with me- Some of you are sitting there overwhelmed by this

message. You just want to live your life in a simple way each day. You don’t want to have to have the pressure of talking to others for Jesus. That is a frightening concept for you. So let me encourage you in a few ways.

First, don’t go away today thinking that you have to search out opportu-nities. Believe me, God will provide the opportunities in natural ways. God will prompt your heart and your mind to go and talk with someone. Just let the conversation progress naturally. At some point, if they talk about God, or religion, then use that as an opening. Second, you don’t have to save anyone. God is the one in the business of saving. All you have to do is build relationships with people and talk with people! Third, you might be like me, where your gift is more in helping people grow stronger in their faith than leading people to faith. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” I tend to be the one who waters more than plants. That seems to be how God uses me, and maybe how He might use you as well. Fourth, the most important aspect of this all is to have a willing heart; a willing heart that comes from the desire to want to see everyone know Jesus and have their lives changed by Jesus. Fifth, often times this whole transformation for a person comes gradually. As you develop a relationship with people, they will just walk with you and see how Jesus affects your life. By watching you they will see the change and want what you have.

Conclusion: Bill Hybels talks about a day where he and his son were walking to his office. At this time his son was all grown up. They turned the corner and ran right into a muscular man. They took a step back from each other, and then Hybels and his son realized it was Brian. Hybels’ son Todd hadn’t seen Brian in fifteen years, but as Christ-followers they immediately shared God’s love with each other with a big bear hug. As Brian was walking down the stairs he yelled up: “Bill, I just want to thank you for all those times you walked across the soccer field and opened yourself up.” And with that he left.

There are many times we walk over to talk with people not knowing how it will impact their lives. I had no idea that my talking with Leah on the plane would allow me to impact her life. The key is to be faithful to God when He leads us. So, take a walk this week, and see what God might do. Amen.

"God's Greatest Miracle"
(based on the devotions of Selwyn Hughes: 'Every Day Light')
Hebrews 10:1-10); Sunday October 9, 2011

Introduction: Today’s sermon title is ‘God’s Greatest Miracle.’ If I were to ask you what you thought was God’s greatest miracle, what would you say? You might say things like creation, God’s making people, or one of Jesus’ miracles (say bringing Lazarus back from the dead). I believe at one of my Easter sermons I said it was the resurrection. While all of these are amazing in their own right, I believe that God’s greatest miracle was His taking on flesh and dwelling among us; the Incarnation of Christ.

Today we finish our three-week series on the Incarnation of Christ. I want to talk about this miracle, because without it, we wouldn’t have had any of Jesus’ miracles, nor the resurrection of Christ. As we conclude this series, I want to propose that without this miracle of God taking on flesh, we would not be able to have any hope in our lives.

I. The Shadow, not the Image- (Hebrews 10:1-10)

a. The law is a shadow- Last week we spent some time talking about

how philosophy and moralism cannot lead us to God. Philosophy tries to teach us alternate truths, while moralism just leads us to feel guilt because we cannot live up to the law. The law is really just a shadow of the true image. Let me explain.

In our passage we just read, Hebrews 10:1-10, it starts off in verse 1 saying: “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves.” The law is not the true image of who God is, but just a shadow, helping to point us to God. If we try and make the law the focal point, then in essence the law becomes God and we will be lost in futility.

Up to that point, for centuries they had been making animal sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. But in this chapter, the author of the book of Hebrews writes in a way that tells the people that animal sacrifices are to be no more. Speaking the words of Christ Himself in verse 5: “Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.’” In other words, Christ was saying that the body He took on was for the purpose of sacrifice, once and for all, so that animal sacrifices could be finished.

Jesus then goes on to say in verse 7: “… ‘I have come to do your will, my God.’” When the Son of God placed Himself into a human body, the greatest miracle of all ages took place. This was the substance of all that was real and true. This was the substance of all that would give humanity hope and promise.

The whole point of creation was so that people could be in a relationship with God. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, sin was now a deterrent for this relationship to happen. Animal sacrifices weren’t sufficient to bring us into a full relationship with God. The law couldn’t bring us into a full relationship with God. They were just shadows of what needed to happen.

b. The Incarnation supersedes the law- The real substance was the

Incarnation. This was ‘the good thing’ that was to come. The Incarnation of Christ superseded all previous manifestations of God, and now becomes the greatest miracle of God, because it is the fullest revelation of God we have received. Up to this point we have the law (the 10 Commandments), we have the prophets speaking God word, we have the Scriptures (the word of God), but in Christ we have the exact representation of God present among us!

No one would have ever thought that the God of the universe would take on a body and become a man in order to redeem mankind. In doing this God showed His great love for us. We truly need to try and wrap our minds around this concept of what God really did in taking on human flesh. It would maybe be like us taking on the body of an ant to save some ants. It would be quite humbling going from a human being and becoming an ant!

A love like that does not exist in the categories of philosophy, moralism, or even in other religions (as we have talked about the past two weeks). The incarnation supersedes the law, because the law just reminds us of how we cannot live up to the standards of God. The law tells us that we are nowhere near the holiness of God. The law puts a barrier between us and God that we cannot break down ourselves.

That is why the law is a shadow. But the Incarnation is the image, in that we have before us the image of God; we have before us the image of God’s love; we have before us the image of salvation; we have before us the image of redemption. As we are told in Hebrews 10:10, “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

II. Firstborn from the Dead- (Colossians 1:1-20)

a. Obtaining salvation- I’m not fully sure why, but for so many

people they have trouble with the idea of a free gift from God. People think that they have to attain their salvation, meaning that they have to earn it. This is true of all other religions as well. It doesn’t come through faith in a savior, but through good works. Non-Christian religions teach that salvation is the work of mankind. The Christian faith teaches that salvation is the gift of God.

Therefore, in Christianity it is obtained, not attained. It goes along with the question: “Does mankind strive to reach up to God or does God come down to redeem mankind through the incarnate Jesus?” There are a good amount of Christians who believe that they are saved through faith in Christ, but then after they are saved, feel like they have to deserve this salvation by their deeds. So their deeds are to try and attain all the more their salvation, instead of being a response to the fact that they have been saved in Christ.

But by the very nature of things, we can’t be saved by faith and by works. Likewise, we can’t be saved by faith and keep our salvation through our works. This is because we are then transferring the means of salvation onto us, who are incapable of saving ourselves. Salvation is initiated by God, and brought to fruition by God. The whole of the New Testament revolves around the Person and work of Jesus Christ. In some form or another, Jesus is on most every page. Without Christ there would be no New Testament!!

In Colossians chapter 1, the apostle Paul writes to the Colossians commending them on their faith, not their works. He does remark about how they are bearing fruit with their works, but in the sense that it is coming out of their faith. He then tells them that he is praying for them so that their faith would be lived out in a way that is worthy of the Lord. This living out of their faith is not for the purpose of salvation, but for the purpose of living for the Lord.

b. Christ is the meeting point- We have to make Jesus the meeting

point, the focal point of all things. Colossians chapter one is a great chapter to help us understand this. Paul talks about how Jesus is the image of the invisible God. In Christ, God is made visible. Then he continues in verse 16 saying: “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

There is so much in this passage, but let me pull out a few things that really fit with the Incarnation. First, all things are held together through Christ. Christ is the meeting point of the human and the divine. That is the beauty of the Incarnation, in that God came to us, dwelt among us, but was also one of us! It is only Christ, God become flesh, who can hold the position of uniting God and humanity.

Second, He is the head of the church. Without Christ the church would have no future. Because of who Christ is, and what Christ has done, the church now has a purpose: to bring people into the Kingdom of God by being saved through Christ. While one purpose of the church is to have a place to worship God, another important purpose is to reach out to the lost so that they can be saved. Only in Christ can they be saved.

Lastly, this section helps us understand that Jesus came to this earth to die for the sins of the world. After He died He was raised from the dead. Paul refers to this as Christ being the ‘firstborn from the dead.’ Because of Christ’s resurrection we too can know that we will be resurrected, or born from the dead. In all this, Christ is the meeting point of heaven and earth!

III. The Genius of Christianity- (Isaiah 7:13-17)

a. Wonderful events- There are some wonderful stories in the Bible.

If I were to name a few I might mention how God caused the sun to stand still. OR, how God gave Moses the 10 Commandments. OR, how God helped Joshua and his people overcome Jericho by marching around the city once a day for six days, then on the seventh day they marched around the city 7 times while blowing their trumpets. At this the great wall of Jericho crumbled to the ground and the Israelites overcame the people of Jericho.

But an even more wonderful event, that really happened, is the Incarnation of Christ. There were eyewitnesses to this event. There are historical records supporting this event. The works of Jesus Himself shows that He was God in the flesh. There are even eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection and His appearance after His resurrection. God, becoming flesh, was a real event!

The genius of Christianity is that it is not just a religion that influences people with values and principles, but a religion with happenings and events and historical occurrences. The Incarnation belongs to the very core of the gospel, that asserts that God, in the Person of His Son, came to earth at a certain hour in history, lived among us, died for us, and rose from the dead. Those who say that they admire Jesus as a great teacher and human being are missing the whole point of the story.

This then leads us to have to speak the truth: those who cannot believe that God took a body and became man cannot claim to be a Christian. Jesus Himself made statements about this truth. If they do not believe Christ’s statements concerning Himself, and the reason why He came into this world, then they cannot be disciples of Christ. As Christ Himself said, “If you are not for me, then you are against me.”

b. Ridicule transferred- Illustration: “Wet Pants,” One day at a third

grade classroom there was a nine-year-old boy sitting at his desk, when all of a sudden he realized he had wet his pants. His heart stops beating as he wonders what he will do next, knowing that he will be totally embarrassed by this event. He puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.' He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered. As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and ‘accidentally’ dumps the bowl of water in his lap. The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!' Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else – to Susie. She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. ‘You've done enough, you klutz!' they say. Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'

To be a Christian means accepting the great fact of the Incarnation—that Christ, the second person of the Trinity, was born at Bethlehem, as the Scriptures tell us. The Christian faith carries certain facts at its heart, and this is the greatest of them. Jesus Christ came to this earth to take the ridicule of our sin for us. What should have been our penalty has been transferred to someone else—to Jesus.

IV. Christianity Unrivaled-

a. The weight of the matter is on Christ- Before we finish up we have

one more aspect to look at, and that is at the Person of our Lord Himself. The truth is, Christianity IS Christ. Meaning, Jesus Christ is not just the founder of Christianity like Mohammad, or Zoroaster. Jesus Christ is the very foundation of Christianity. On Him rests the weight of bringing all men and women to God. As we read before, He is the head of the church, and all things on heaven and earth were created by Him and have been redeemed by Him.

It is important to reflect on this point, as I have said over and over again that the uniqueness of Christianity is Christ. We have to admit that over the centuries things have been done in the name of Christianity of which our Lord would not approve. The historical figure of Jesus and His teaching is the criterion by which everything must be measured. Jesus is not like anyone else who has ever lived or will ever live. No one else in history can be compared to Jesus Christ, and no other religion can be compared to Christianity.

“Missed Shots,” A couple of years ago at a high school basketball game a team from Madison, Wisconsin and a team from Dekalb, Illinois (who were bitter rivals) squared off against one another in a hotly contested game. The week before the game the mother of a key player for Madison died. As a result, the player was not expected to play and was not listed on the roster for the game. However, the player, Johntel Franklin, decided he needed to be at the game as a way to help him through his grief. The coach for Madison faced a tough decision. If he let Johntel play, the team would be charged with two technical fouls and Dekalb would receive free shots. In essence giving Dekalb a chance to have 2 free points. Despite the rivalry, Madison’s coach and the players decided to let this young man play and give Dekalb two technical foul shots. This is when the amazing happened. The Dekalb players went to the free-throw line and intentionally missed all the shots. The coach and team had decided this was the best way to respond to this situation.

A game like this is rare. It is rare because there was great compassion shown to the other team for their situation. So Christ shows us amazing compassion by coming to this earth to be our Savior and Lord.

b. Christ stands alone- Do you know what the 7 wonders of the world

are? The seven wonders of the world have been compiled from antiquity to the present day, to catalogue the world's most spectacular natural wonders and manmade structures. There have been many lists drawn up, and now there is a list just for the 7 natural wonders of the world. This lists consist of: the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Mount Everest, the Aurora, the Paricutin volcano, and Victoria Falls. They have been chosen for their beauty, wonder, and magnificence.

Jesus Christ however stands alone. You do not select Jesus Christ from a list of rivals, He is not the first of a class, He occupies a category all by Himself. There is a passage in John where we see people starting to drift away from Jesus. His teachings were too hard to understand. His standards were too high to attain. Even the disciples started to reconsider their position. At this point Jesus turns to His 12 disciples, in John 6:67 and asks: “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Simon responds for the twelve in verses 68-69, “… ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

That is the point here, that Jesus is not just someone who came to point us to God. Jesus isn’t just a great teacher, Jesus is the ONE who not only has the words of eternal life, but provides for us the way to eternal life.

Conclusion: For three weeks now we have talked about the Incarnation of Christ. Maybe it seems like we have spent too much time of this. What is there to say other than God took on flesh? Well, the fact of the matter is, this is the greatest thing that God has done for us. It is one thing to create us and all of creation, but in coming to this earth God the Son gave up the confines of heaven. Then, He had to be subjected to ridicule and torture before being crucified. All so that we could have the penalty of our sin paid for us! Do not take this theological truth lightly. The Incarnation is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions. The Incarnation is what show us that God truly loves us. The Incarnation is what gives us hope and purpose. I hope You believe in it fully, and speak of it often. Because it is the Incarnation that gives power to our faith. Amen.