Sermon Tone Analysis

Not good enough?

(insert slide not good enough)

Have you ever felt you were not good enough, not worthy?

Maybe not, but have you looked at someone else as not good enough?

Not good enough of your time, your attention, your love, your affection or your assistance?

We may not want to admit it, and sure enough don’t like to talk about it, but it maybe true.

Something to consider tonight as we go through this lesson.

When we have those thoughts of not good enough, we need to remember that Jesus was not considered good enough.

But by the work of Jesus, not only did He prove He was good enough to be your Savior but good enough for you to be good enough too.

In this series, Practical Christianity for Today’s World, we are looking at application.

How can we, who are not good enough, be good enough to share about the one who is good enough to save us and them?

I.

Not Good Enough Jesus

When you think of Jesus, why would anyone not think He is good enough?

He was just the son of a carpenter (Mt13:53-57)

He was a guy from Nazareth (Jn1:43-47)

He taught on a rock or a boat (Mt5:1; Lk5:3)

The temple was not his teaching ground, he was where the people were.

He was on the mountain side, the lake side, the sea side and taught to the wayward since His own would not accept Him.

He even taught from the boat

He was not well received, in fact the religious folk judged Him, questioned Him and even tried to trick Him at times.

(Mt21:23)

Jesus was not thought of as good enough, but they had the wrong concept of good enough didn’t they?

But you and I know He was, is good enough to save us, for we are not good enough to save ourselves.

They even challenged the not good enough on the cross (Lk23:36-37)

But the not good enough proved to be good enough when He rose from the dead.

(Lk24:5-6)

As the women on the first day of the week went to the tomb the stone was rolled away.

So the proven good enough, risen from the dead fulfilled the prophesy of old so then He could fulfill other prophesy and save us.

The one’s who really aren’t good enough

II.

The Not Good Enough’s

(insert personal story here about not feeling good enough before and after baptism; needed to learn about my being good enough is found in Christ)

When you look at scripture we can know we cannot save ourselves, that not only does Christ die and rise again, He did it for us (Rom5:8)

Not feeling good enough at times look at what Paul has to say in (Rom3:10-18)

There are none righteous no not one (v.10)

None good (v.12)

No one has a fear of God (v.18)

Paul showing the depravity of all men, but Roman’s written to Christians who still fall short

Do you ever feel you fall short?

If so, you are not in bad company, another good example (Jn8:1-11)

Summarize it until (vv.10-11)

The not good enough’s cleansed by the One who was good enough, a reminder of (Rom5:8)

Jesus stepped in for us, died for us, rose for us to intercede for us (Heb7:25)

For there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom8:1-2)

And if that were not enough, lets press on more

Since you were made good enough by the the One who was considered not good enough.

Good not on your own, but by the One who dwells in you now.

Because of His Spirit, we have life so we can share that life, regardless of how we feel with others who may not be good enough in the world’s eyes, even our eyes at times to bring them to the One who is good enough.

III.

Example of not good enough sharing the not good enough.

When you think of Peter what do you think of?

The one who would try to keep Jesus from the cross?

The one who denied Him 3 times

The one who was concerned about his suffering compared to the suffering of others?

But in reality we do think of him in some might ways

The one who knew and proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, the son of the living God, who had the words of life

The one who tried to defend Jesus in the garden with the sword

The spokesmen of the Apostles who spoke that first sermon in which the church was born.

Then a little later

And

But that one, not good enough brought a message of the One who was good enough to save anyone who would call on His name

How about what another not good enough had to say (Eph2:1-10)

So, practical Christianity for today’s world application for today is knowing that the One the world thought was not good enough is good enough to save the one’s who really are not good enough, so they can share the One who is good enough with others.

Maybe we can use just a small reminder

We were dead in our trespasses (V.1)

But God, rich in mercy saved us (v.4-5)

It is by grace through faith (vv.5, 8)

It is God’s gift to us to share (v.8)

Left us prepared for us work to do (v.10)

(Insert Invitation Slide)

We are made good enough only by the finished work of Jesus on the cross

When we realize it, believe it, obey it, then we are left to do something with it.

Share it with others.

Go, be a person like the woman at the well, or like Paul who was not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation for all, the Jew first and then the Greek!

wrap it up here (18 minutes long without any additions)