Follower | Go & Tell

Follower, Pt 4  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
0 ratings
· 4 views

Jesus changes our story to share His story.

Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
View more →

Recap

Week One - Christianity starts with Jesus’ pursuit of us
Week Two - God’s plan for us is to grow in Him
Week Three - Biblical community is absolute, not an option
Have you ever had something in your life that you found just extremely hard to do?
Have you ever had something in your that you found just hard to do?

YOU

Is there something that you can’t do, but something that you just honestly did not want to do. Maybe for you it’s riding roller coasters, canoeing, cleaning your room, folding laundry, or doing your homework ahead of time (come on!).

ME

For me it’s mowing the yard. Now, during college one of my jobs was cutting about 15 people’s yard. Back then I loved it! I would mow those yards to perfection. Did that all for years of college. But after I graduated, I did not mow anymore and began to not want to. So, when it came to mowing my own yard, I just flat out did not want to anymore (All the while, next door I have neighbors watering their yards so it will grow, not me!). All of us know that if neglected for a long period of time, a front lawn can get high! So, eventually I would have to mow it. I would have to make myself mow it. Once I got it done, I was always glad that I did.

YOU/ME

One of the things in our walk with Jesus that a lot of us find hard to do is be public about our relationship with Him. We go to church and all the events & trips associated and all of our friends know about it. But when it comes to sharing the hope we have in the gospel, we tend to ignore that command from Jesus. Everything else is “100,” but being a witness for Jesus is honestly a “0.”
What if I told you that we might sharing our faith harder than it has to be? That there’s simpler way to be “public” about our relationship with Jesus? As we dive together in God’s Word, we’ll see just that.

God’s Word

We are picking up our passage immediately after the account of Jesus calming the sea. Share
This man was:
Enslaved to a condition - not his own
Mark 5:19–20 ESV
19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
Socially ostracized (outcast-ed)
Isolated
Defined, "Legion." Not his proper name
Forgotten - People had already given up on him
Mark 5:18–20 ESV
18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
Jesus did not forget about him. Matter of fact, Jesus intentionally restored this man’s life. Everything that was broken in this man’s life was radically restored.
Mark 5:14–15 ESV
14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
Mark 5:14-15
Jesus changed this man’s story to share His story.
Jesus changed this man’s story
Jesus had stepped into his life and intervened. There was nothing this man could have done to cure his life. Only Jesus could. Only Jesus did. Jesus demonstrated His power and authority and transformed this man. A man that everyone, including himself, thought would never be changed or cured.
Jesus had stepped into his life and intervened. There was nothing this man could have done to cure his life. Only Jesus could. Only Jesus did. Jesus demonstrated His power and authority and restored this man. A man that everyone, including himself, thought would never be changed or cured.
Students, if you are saved today, you need to understand that Jesus restored you. Jesus rescued you. Jesus transformed you. You were dead in sin, now you are alive in Christ! This is what happened to this man. This is a picture of the saving work of Jesus. His old life was gone, done, finished so that His new, restored life could be a reality.
But..there’s a greater reason why Jesus did this.
This man’s story was changed to share Jesus’ story
Mark 5:19 ESV
19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
Mark 5:18-
Immediately Jesus commissioned the transformed man to go & share his story of how Jesus changed him. His testimony included:
Immediately Jesus commissioned the restored man to go & share his story of how Jesus changed him. His testimony included:
1) How much the Lord had done for him
Immediately Jesus commissioned the transformed man to go & share his story of how Jesus changed him. His testimony included 1) how much the Lord had done for him and 2) how the Lord the had mercy on him. Not only that, but how the power of Jesus can change anything!
2) How the Lord the had mercy on him.
3) Not only that, but how the power of Jesus can change anything!
Many in the town and even himself eventually accepted that he would never be changed. It became a waiting game. Then it happened. Everyone witnessed it. Everyone was walking about it.
Maybe that's some of you? Maybe you do not believe that you cannot be changed, that Jesus can overcome anything. That Jesus can overcome that one thing.
TRUTH: Jesus changes our story to share His story
Jesus changes our story to share His story so others can be changed.
Jesus does have save us to be quiet, but to be vocal.
Why do we have this tendency to silent about Jesus???
Mark 5:20 ESV
20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
“..and everyone marveled.”
Before you and I can be go & tell, we must know ourselves.
Do you know what Jesus has done for you?
Do you know the mercy of Jesus in your life?
Listen students, as soon as you personalize the work of Jesus in your life, you will be more likely to share Jesus to others!
“For me Jesus, _________________.”
This guy could have stayed enslaved, but Jesus freed him.
This guy could have stayed outcasted, but Jesus gave him in value.
This guy could have stayed isolated, but Jesus gave noticed to him and brought him in.
This guy could have remained defined by his identity, but Jesus transformed his identity.
This guy could have easily stayed forgotten because of his condition, but Jesus had compassion on him.

Closing Activity

The invitation is simple today.
Some of you need to welcome Jesus in your life for the first time.
Some of you need to articulate what Jesus has done for you yourself.
Direct students to to the back of the room to write and post what Jesus has done
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more