Sermon Tone Analysis

*Ministry of Jesus IV - /When You Gotta Have Clarity/*; NV 2~/16~/03

Luke 4:14-30

*OS:* *A* The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

'He who has a "why" to live for can bear almost any "how".

*I.       **When you decide you want to make your life count you gotta have a clear understanding of the B “Why”! (Clarity of Purpose)*

A.     Many Christians suffer from a lack of Identity.

1.

Identity is not found in how we worship.

That does not make us the church that belongs to Jesus!

                       2.

Our identity is found in Jesus alone!

B.     An older sister was sitting next to her younger brother in Church one Sunday morning unsuccessfully trying to keep him still and quiet.

Finally she said, “I wish you would calm down.”

“I can’t”, he said, “it’s” just so boring.”

With that his sister turned and said, “It’s supposed to be boring.”

C.     Boredom comes from a loss of purpose, a loss of purpose comes from a loss of clarity.

*II.

**When Jesus officially began His ministry He went home and clarified His purpose.*

A.     Text – *C* Luke 4:14-30

B.     Jesus uses this text to state specifically what He was on this earth to do.

1.       to preach good news to the poor

                       2.

Proclaim freedom for the prisoners.

3.

Proclaim recovery sight for the blind.

4.

To release the oppressed.

5.

Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

6.       *C*/ He became what we are that he might make us what he is/.

C.     Jesus came to establish His church and the purpose of His church.

1.

This church belongs to Jesus Christ

                       2.       “I’m going to build My church”

*III.

**I am convinced that the majority of churches in America, and Christians in America have little clarity of their purpose.*

A.     Why?

– We havn’t taught all the options.

1.

Narrowed down purpose jobs to just a few options.

2.

Preacher, Teacher, Deacon, or Elder

                       3.

Underestimated: Encouragement, prayer, leadership, influence, compassion, hospitality, etc.

B.     God has created each person unique, and God has created you for a unique purpose.

1.       *E* Ephesians 210 /For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do./

C.     Every feel like you have one foot nailed to the floor and you’re just going around in circles?

*TS]* When you feel your going in circles and you need clarity and purpose in your life you need to:

*I.       **F** Grab hold of God’s purpose for your life again!

(The only reason you’re going in circles is that you’ve lost you clarity of your purpose.)*

A.     Jesus went home and clarified His purpose – This is why I am here.

B.     What has made a difference in your life lately?

1.

Family, Friends, Neighbors, Community, Country, Church?

                       2.

How many here this morning would say NV has made a difference in your life?

                       3.

The real question is not what difference has been made in you, but what difference have you made in someone else’s life?

C.     That is where the question of purpose comes in.

Your purpose is defined by the positive effect you have on others.

1.

God is in the people business.

2.

When He mentions ‘good works’ He has people in mind.

3.

God has sent you with your unique talents and abilities to bring Him glory by making a difference in the lives of people.

4.       *G* John 17 /18 //As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world….

22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me.

May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me./

D.     Elton Trueblood wrote, \\ "It used to be that Christianity was a revolutionary faith that turned the world upside down.

But today Christians sit in Sunday morning church services looking at their watches, wondering what time dinner will be served, or thinking about the kickoff.

And we hope that church won’t interfere with the things we would really rather be doing."

\\  "The longer a church has been in existence, the more its resources go toward its own preservation rather than toward outreach and evangelism.

Our tendency is to design ministries that meet our own needs as opposed to the needs of those who have not yet entered the kingdom."

1.

Don’t let it happen to us.

2.

Don’t let it happen to you.

*TS]* When you loose your clarity of purpose you start going in circles in your life and you just get more and more miserable.

*II.

**H** Grab hold of the fact that God has sent you on this mission!*

A.     Jesus said He has sent Me.

He had not just a reason for existence, but a commission to get something accomplished.

B.     Your purpose will be directed toward the fulfillment of your mission.

1.       *I* Matthew 28 /18 //Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in  the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”/

2.

That is our mission – To reach the lost.

3.

Your purpose is tied to that mission – regardless of what that purpose is.

C.     A Christian Research Group in a nationwide survey conducted in the first quarter of 2001 asked this question: “Please describe your goals in life.”

\\ The survey found that almost 9 out of 10 adults classified themselves as a “Christian” by the following definition, “I am personally committed to Jesus Christ and have confessed my sins and I believe that I will go to heaven when I die because of God’s love and grace through Christ.”

\\ Yet not one of those who said they were Christians declared that their life goal was to be a fully committed follower of Jesus Christ and to participate in making Christian disciples.

1.

Regardless of your purpose, regardless of your talents, - they must work toward the production of Christians – that is the mission.

*III.

** J Grab hold to people.*

A.     God’s mission for Jesus was about people.

1.

People business

                       2.

People reach people, not programs

B.     The early church was obviously in the people business – they even counted!

1.       *K* Acts 2 41 /Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day./

                       2.

Acts 4 4 /But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand./

C.     Our mission and outreach for our surrounding area is not a sideline It is the life line of this church!

1.

If we fail to use all our God given talents and abilities to work together to grab hold of people NV will die.

2.

Re-define your purpose, make sure it’s about people, and get to work.

D.     *L* Our mission is to love people into a life changing experience with Jesus Christ.

1.

A bunch of fleas were hanging out on a blanket, just jumping up & down having a blast.

And then someone came up and put a jar over them.

Not knowing what happened they still keep jumping BUT after hitting their heads a few times they got the message and stopped jumping so high.

Though they still jumped they stopped an inch from the top of the jar.

After an hour the person removed the jar lid.

BUT the fleas never knew the difference, because they had fixed into their minds an imaginary ceiling.

Though they could now jump higher they never did because of the imaginary barrier that they had placed in their own minds.

\\ Listen - We need to remember that as a Church that belongs to God the lid is off.

we need to think big! \\ \\

 

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