Share the Good News of Jesus
Core Values • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Core Value Recap
Core Value Recap
Biblical Authority
The Bible is God’s Holy word. It is the highest source of written authority regarding God's plan for His people. It reveals how to live out that plan, individually and corporately. Beliefs, practices, priorities, and our mission are to be anchored in clear biblical teachings. (Psalm 19:7, 2 Timothy 3:16, Luke 24:44, Luke 4:18-21)
Transformational Discipleship: Discipleship is the ongoing process of becoming more like Christ. A disciple actively imitates both the life and teaching of Jesus. It is the unique job of the church to make and equip disciples. (Psalm 1, Matthew 7:21-23, Matthew 28:16-20, John 20:21)
Love God and Others: When Jesus was asked what is the most important thing in the Bible his response was: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” It is our strong conviction that we honor God by loving others. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:37-40, Luke 10:25-37)
Share the good news of Jesus: We believe that Jesus is too good to keep to ourselves. We are compelled to share the good news of Jesus with others and to invite them into a relationship with Jesus. (Isaiah 9:6-7, Romans 9, Matthew 28, Romans 10:14)
I was at a conference one time and this lady came up on stage to give a testimony…apparently she had been a big time model and very successful with her life but one day she found herself at a coffee shop just feeling empty
She was trying to hide the fact that she had been crying
I don’t know what had happened in her life to make her feel this way bit she said that a little old lady walked up to her and just sort of checked in on her and asked if she was doing alright
And I guess she tried to fake it and say that she was just fine and didn't need anything
But this lady pulls out a card from her purse and says when your ready I have a friend that helps people going through tough times. He’s great. He can literally help you through anything that you’re facing just talk to him.
The model thanked the old lady and took the business card and the older woman moved on...
The model said that she didn’t even look at the card because the last thing she wanted to do was see another therapist....
But at one point she flipped over the card and instead of finding contact information it just said the named Jesus on the card....and the model wept in her chair
Because she knew deep down that what she was missing in her life was significance and she had been contemplating the question of whether or not there was a God…and this little old lady came up to her and gently pointed her toward Jesus...
Well that week the model dedicated her life to Jesus and found a church and got discipled...
I have always loved that story because the little old lady didn't shove anything down her throat....in fact she probably hands out 500 of these cards a week...
The little old lady never got the glory of heard of the fruit of this woman’s story...
She was just obedient to tell others to talk to her friend and give them a card
She never knew the end result of the work that she was doing. She was just a seed planter. And I love that story becuase in a way we all need to be sold out to being seed planters.
We all need to move about our lives like we have a pocket full of seeds and we are just passing them out all day every day...
You never know the way that Jesus is going to use you to bring glory to him.
I was a christian in college at a state school. And I happened to be on Student government my last year there. And I’ll never forget this…The way that God used me....
There was another guy on student government with me and the way that it worked, he and I were on a sub committee together, then we did model UN together and spent even more time together...
His major was pre-law…in fact he is a lawyer today...
So I would just be a witness to Jesus around him…Everyone would go out drinking and I just didn’t I lived differently…
I would share with him some stuff…And it was nothing in your face, it was just the fact that I was a sinner who was saved by grace…it was really nothing major...
And one day he came up to me and said hey your a christian right?
And I was like...”It’s happening wow...” I am going to lead this guy to christ right here and now
So I said yeah I am a christian
And then he launched into this tirade…How can you be so stupid…I mean you are a sharp guy and then your just throwing it all away with religion…I mean he was just mad...
And I was trying to be nice to him but I got really defensive and I said, don’t talk to me like that…your obviously searching for truth....It will never matter to you what I say so you should just go search for truth and leave me alone...
And after that we didn’t talk....
We graduated and went our separate ways
And then one day I get a call on my cell phone and I answer…And this guy says Is this Dave…I say “yes” and then he says…this is Steve” can we meet for coffee...
So we meet for coffee and keep in mind…this was like 4 years later so Steve had to literally remind me of all of this...
After I told him that he was obviously searching for truth he was really angry at me and he wouldn't let it go and that started him on a path of searching for the truth....
And after a while of searching he encountered Jesus…Surrendered his life to him and Jesus changed his life forever
Both of these stories I love because we are God’s spokespersons…God trusts us to tell our story and then he will do the rest!
We are called to live as lights for Jesus..>As his spokespeople…And he takes our feeble efforts and multiplies it greatly...
I love what Jesus says in the sermon on the mount:
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
To say you are the light of the world is to acknowledge that we live in a dark world.
But what Jesus is saying is that you are a light and this light serves to guide others to Jesus. Just as the stars in the sky mark out the seasons…
God made you to be a light that points to him
So much so that other people meet you and then give God glory!
Jesus calls me to live as a light that leads others to worship God
Jesus calls me to live as a light that leads others to worship God
My prayer for my kids since they have been really little is
“Lord help Emma, Lucy and Jake to be the kind of people who make others happy that you made this world and put them in it...”
what I am really doing is praying Matthew 5:14-16 over their life!
God help them to be lights of the world that cause others to give you glory...
Sharing the good news of Jesus isn't a task that we do, it is baked into who we are
Sharing the good news of Jesus isn't a task that we do, it is baked into who we are
See in the kingdom of God when you say yes to Jesus God makes you new...
And one of the things that he does is to give you these gifting in your life and these gifting are not just to be a good person…they are gifting that help reveal who God is.
So if you at one point in your life have repented of sin and given yourself over to Jesus then Jesus had made you into a light and he wants you to shine!
You might be here and you think…Well I don’t have the gift of evangelism so this sermon isn’t for me
Nope not true…All believers are called to be lights of the world that lead others to give honor and Glory to Jesus...
In other words your life should always be pointing to a greater reality
that it isn't you who lives but Christ in you
This is why this is a core value to us here....
One of the whole problems with church is that we tend to think, well I have an unsaved friend…so I will bring them to church…my pastor will tell them about Jesus…he went to seminary…I’m not qualified to do that...
No see you come to church week after week to get equipped to share Jesus with your world...
My job isn’t to get you to bring friends to church, although bringing friends is great and an impotrant thing to do…
my Job is to equip you with the word to go and be the hands and feet of Jesus to your unsaved friends...
I hope that as we continue on here at Rivers Edge church that I here more stories of people accepting Christ around your dinner tables or birthday parties or your conference room tables than I hear about them accepting christ here
Obviously I’m just happy wherever anyone accepts Jesus but you see the point that I am making
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
So last week we looked at when Jesus was asked, what is your number one law in the Bible, he said, Love God, love people.,..
Today Jesus gathered his disciples and he gave them a commission…a command
of all the things he could have told his disciples he told them that he has all authority
and that in that authority he is sending them to the nations to make disciples
So Jesus says that our job is to go out to all the world and make disciples of all nations
In order to make a disciple…what do we have to do first?
Share the good news of Jesus
It strikes me that in the church one of the things that people always want is to be closer to God..
Jesus told us one of the sure fire ways to always be near him
We are nearest to Jesus when we are living on mission with Jesus
We are nearest to Jesus when we are living on mission with Jesus
People need to hear about Jesus and what he did for all of humanity before they can become a disciple of Jesus...
But more importantly…Before people can put their faith in Jesus they often times need to see it in your life…They need to trust a christian
This is the commission given to the whole church...
We are to go day in and day out and tell people about Jesus, make disciples of them, show them the life of Jesus
This is our call and divine mandate by Jesus
It reminds me of one of the things that Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Paul reminds the church that we have truth to tell.
We primarily have this truth that is our own transformed life and we are called to tell this to people
You might see the word “preach” here and think, I am not a preacher
Thats is not what Paul is saying...
In the sense that Paul is speaking he is using the term more as a herald, like an angelic announcement...
So Paul isn't saying, go give a well researched three point sermon to your friends....
No he is just saying…share with everyone about how your life has been changed...
Share with them the difference that Jesus has made in your life
share with them the love that God has for them
I have a question that I want to leave you with then I want to bring up James and Tatiana Alderson
Do my feet bring good news?
Do my feet bring good news?
I asked James and Tatiana to introduce who they are and to share how God has called them and used them in living out this core value
James & Tatiana
-Introduce yourselves and in what capacity you serve (maybe you could have a map graphic of where you are in Ukraine)
-what are your positions?
-Introduce what InterVarsity is
-Share with us a few stories of sharing the good news of Jesus and some of the results you have seen over the years (Time Mag cover_
-What are your plans for the future?
Response:
Are you a light that shines brightly for Jesus?
When people get close to you, do they get to know how good you are or how great Jesus is