My Story Impacts the Least of These
This is My Story • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 2 viewsMissions Month 2023 is all about stories. Each week, we will learn from a bible story, a missionary story, and consider our own unique story. The hope of this series is that people will identify their faith story and share it with others!
Notes
Transcript
Handout
October 22nd 2023
Series:This is My Story – Missions Month 2023
Sermon Title:My Story Impacts the Least of These
Key Passages: Matthew 25: 31-33 & 37-40, Jonah
Sermon Blurb: Missions Month 2023 is all about stories. Each week, we will learn from a bible story, a missionary story, and consider our own unique story. The hope of this series is that people will identify their faith story and share it with others!
Green in sermons means illustration, something we are looking for a response from, or a picture that goes on the screens.
Yellow means what is yellow will be on the screens and in the handout.
Sermon:
Hello Family Church!
Welcome to Week 4 of Missions Month 2023!!!!!!!!!
Family Moment –
Dan / Steve we like to try and start our messages with something personal from our family life recently to help people get to know us.
This whole month we have been intentionally focusing on what God is doing in the area of local and global missions at Family Church.
If you’re new or newer to Family Church, we are thrilled that you are with us……and want to let you know that we LOVE missions at Family Church.
…and we have a LOT going on in Missions here!
That’s why every year we spend an entire month dedicated to celebrating what God has done and looking at the opportunities for missions that are in front of us as well!
And this year, we will do just that… we will highlight the missionaries and missions that we partner with both locally and all over the world!
PAUSE
And let me encourage you to jump into one of our upcoming trips!!!!
Grab Missions 2024 brochure in the lobby… that lists all the trips we will be taking in 2024.
You can also get these trip details online at familychurch.app/missions
PAUSE
So, this year, Missions Month is all about STORIES.
We have been talking about how everyone has a story.
Everyone!
And the incredible part about it, is no two stories are the exact same!
Your story is unique, personal, and powerful.
And our hope is that throughout this month, you will learn how to tell your story in ways that guide people toward Jesus!
PAUSE
Each week, there will be three aspects of our messages.
We will learn a story of a missionary or ministry-partner.
We will look at a story from the Bible.
And we will also connect things to our own story.
PAUSE
So… you have a story… a powerful story!
We all do!
There is no doubt that our stories will impact those closest to us.
But we need to know that our stories will ALSO impact others…
People we may not yet know…
People we may not recognize…
And our stories can even affect people we don’t regularly associate with.
LONG PAUSE
I want you to think about something as we dive into this today…
Who do you think is unreachable?
Repeat
Is there any person, or any group of people, that you think God cannot reach?
OR… maybe there’s a part of you that doesn’t even WANT God to reach someone or certain kinds of people.
PAUSE
Ever since September 11, 2001, when the Taliban destroyed the Twin Towers… some people have had a sense of angst against Muslims.
Maybe you dealt with it better than some, but the reality is that many Americans felt a strong attitude against Muslims… and even people of Middle Eastern descent.
A lot of time has gone by since 2001… and in that time, we have gone to war with the Taliban, we have seen more terrorist attacks, we have witnessed oppression by Muslim extremists in those regions of the world…
…and perhaps this has created even greater division in our thoughts or attitudes toward these.
BUT… what if I were to tell you that you are called to share your story with Muslim people?
What if God put you in situations where He wanted you to share your faith with a Muslim?
God called Pastor Erik to do that for YEARS of his life!
What if God called YOU to do that????
PAUSE
Step beyond just one people group… ask yourself, “who is the person or people that I despise the most?”
Who is that person that just rubs you wrong?
Or that group of people that you just can’t get along with?
Or that ethnic group that you are jaded towards?
That group whose lifestyle you find SO offensive?
PAUSE
What if God called you to share your story and serve them?
PAUSE
You see, God doesn’t only love “descent” people.
Jesus didn’t come just for “likable” people.
God does only want to save people who grew up in “Christian” families.
In fact, Jesus committed much of His ministry to the marginalized.
…the low-life rejects,
…to the diseased & downcast people,
…to the poor & needy,
…to the mentally ill & socially awkward people,
And yes I did just say the socially awkward people….and if you don’t know who those people are….it is probably you!!!!
Jesus came for people who were not accepted as “normal.”
And whether we realize it or not…
Whether we like it or not…
Jesus calls you and I to do likewise.
PAUSE
Let me show you…..Turn with me in your Bible to
Matthew 25
In this teaching, Jesus says that those who live like He lived, they will inherit the full reward of heaven…
Look at verse 31…
Matthew 25: 31-33 & 37-40 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Jump down to verse 37…
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Pause here.
Who would you think are “the least of these”?
When you hear that phrase, who comes to your mind?
Who in your mind is the least of these?
Many scholars have made suggestions and offered insights here… but I think it is quite simple.
The “least of these” is EVERYONE!
The least of these includes EVERYONE!
In fact, write this down,
God wants my story to be one of serving everyone!
Repeat
PAUSE
Following Jesus is not rocket science.
It isn’t hard to figure out…
It is just hard for us to commit to.
Jesus served EVERYONE.
He came for and died for EVERYONE.
And He calls us and empowers us to go and do likewise.
PAUSE
We don’t pick and choose who is worthy, or who is not worthy, of our service…
We simply serve.
And our service isn’t motivated by the person, but by Jesus… by our appreciation and love for Jesus.
In fact, when we serve people, we are actually serving Jesus.
Not only that, but we serve people because Jesus served us.
That means our motive AND our Motivator is Jesus.
Jesus is the purpose of our service AND the power in our service.
PAUSE
And the key ingredient to serving Jesus… or serving like Jesus is compassion.
It’s compassion.
Write this down,
Compassion is an essential part of a Godly story.
Repeat
The Bible teaches that compassion motivated Jesus to do everything He did.
Compassion is simply having the heart of God.
Having the heart of God for people… for ALL people.
So, we need God to give us something that does not come natural.
We have to ask God to give us a heart like His.
…to move us with compassion for people.
…or as they say down South, to help me “give a care.”
But compassion moves people from intention into action.
Dr. Seuss said it this way, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.” Dr Seuss - The Lorax - PICTURE
Intentions are good but actions create change.
Intentions are good but actions create change.
LONG PAUSE
There are so many stories in the Bible we could look at but there is one unique story that I’d like to draw from.
Flip back in your Bibles to the Book of Jonah
Many of you here have heard the story of Jonah.
Maybe you remember the Veggie Tales version of this story.
But to refresh our minds… let me cliff note some of this story.
PAUSE
In this story, there is a prophet of God named Jonah.
Jonah was also a Jew.
He was from the nation of Israel, the group of people that God set apart for Himself… dating back to Abraham in Genesis 22.
And I think it is really important to note that God’s intended purpose for the Jewish people was to be a blessing to the rest of the world…
…to share God’s message with the other nations…
God literally said that in Genesis 22:18.
And that is really important to remember.
PAUSE
So, one day, God speaks to Jonah and tells him to go to the city of Nineveh to preach against the wickedness there.
But instead of obeying God, Jonah runs away.
He rushes to the nearest port, boards a ship heading away from Nineveh, and tries to get as far away as he could…
PAUSE
While on the voyage, a violent storm comes, and the sailors hold Jonah’s rebellion toward God responsible for this misfortune.
So, what do they do?
They throw him overboard!!!!
Then God causes a massive fish to swallow up Jonah.
Where Jonah would live in the belly of this fish for 3 days.
PAUSE
During his stay at the Fish-Belly Hotel, Jonah prays to God and commits to do what God called him to do…
To go preach salvation to the Ninevites.
So, God causes the fish to spit Jonah out on the dry ground.
PAUSE
When Jonah arrives in town, he spends three days preaching and warning the wicked Ninevites.
He called them to repent, to turn from their sins, and turn to God.
He did exactly what God called him to do… and it worked!
People did EXACTLY what he told them to do!!!!
A massive success!
A revival sweeps the land!
The King of Nineveh heard the message and called the entire city to repentance.
Jonah 3:10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
Jonah did what God called him to do… mission accomplished!
And one would think that everyone would be happy…
Jonah would be THRILLED by a successful evangelistic crusade...
But surprisingly… Jonah was not thrilled by the results.
PAUSE
Jonah 4: 1-3 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.
2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.
3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
Jonah’s response to a powerful revival is a bit strange.
I mean, most of us would be rejoicing!
But Jonah is bitter.
Angry at God for being gracious.
He even said he would rather diethan see these horrible people be forgiven and blessed, to be brought into God’s family.
That’s extreme, don’t you think?
PAUSE
Remember what I said earlier about God’s role for Israel?
How they were set apart with a purpose.
The purpose was not to keep God to themselves but to share God with others.
With the pagan nations of the world.
With people who also needed God.
And a side note: in the New Testament we see this same religious pride within many Jews as well.
They missed the point, they forgot their purpose, and they became prideful in their elitism.
Which lead them to kill Jesus……
In the SAME way, Christians can have an elitist attitude today!!!!!
LONG PAUSE
Is it possible that your view is as narrow as Jonah’s?
Is it possible that you feel that some are not worthy of God or forgiveness?
Is it possible you think certain kinds of people DON’T deserve God’s forgiveness?
Let’s just be RAW for a moment…
Maybe someone hurt you, and you just cannot forgive them or want God to bless them.
Maybe your spouse divorced you and you HATE them now…and have NO desire for them to be in church…forgiven by God….
Maybe you were raised to hate a certain group of people and you do…..
Maybe you look at how a group of people live…and are influencing people and you think the world would be better off without those kinds of people….
PAUSE
There are so many times when we act as if we are the juror and Judge of others…
But we are not!
Our job, our purpose, our mission… is the same that the Jewish people had in the Old Testament.
We are saved by God’s good grace, adopted into the family of God… and we are sent to seek and save the spiritually lost!!!
Just like Jesus was!!!!
Write this down,
Part of God’s desire for my life is to help change other people’s stories.
Repeat
God wants me to share Him with others.
And not just the people I am comfortable with or people I like… but also people who I don’t understand or would rather avoid.
PAUSE
God tried to show Jonah this truth.
Patiently, God explained to Jonah His heart was for everyone.
Look at how God responds to Jonah’s attitude…
Jonah 4:4-11 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.
6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant.
7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered.
8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.
11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
The story of Jonah ends there…
…a little abruptly,
…a little unclear,
…We don’t actually know if Jonah stayed in his bitter state or if he finally saw God’s perspective, and gained God’s compassion for the Ninevites.
But either way, we can learn from Jonah.
We can learn that God’s grace is NOT just for me and my story.
God wants to be involved in other people’s stories.
We thank God for being the Savior in our story!
And we also need to allow God to use us for other people’s stories!
Ask God to give you a heart for people and show you ways you can use your story to help serve others.
PAUSE
MPINDI’S VIDEO
Mpindi’s - I’m in the states now - but really wants to go back and reach his countrymen - and they are the unreachable - Bringing a message that goes against countries belief
Lottery to get a VISA to come to the states - while in GR started recording radio programs which by faith they stuck on CHRISTIAN radio stations in W. Africa and now , by faith 20 million people listen
PAUSE
Life Application: No one is beyond God’s love or reach. Who is God calling you to share your story with or serve? Who is God asking me to live more compassionately toward? I Will _________________.