We Are Here! Series

Series: 2013: We are here!

Introduction to the series:

Illustration: “We are Here, We are Hear” from movie” Horton Hears a Who!”

Clip from movie about 5 minutes.

The “Who” people with the help of Horton shouted, proclaimed, cried out and made themselves heard – it was life and death by the way – they did this to let the rest of the world around them know that they were there. They shouted and sang “We are here! We are here!” and eventually the world heard their voices and recognized their value no matter how small they were. The lesson is their singing and their shouting resulted in the saving of the “Who” world. It also took all of the who’s shouting and proclaiming that they were there to help the world know they were there.

This clip should help remind us of the importance of making our voices heard to the rest of the world and our society. I really do believe the fate of our society, our country and our world relies on the determination of the Christian community’s voice and message of Jesus. The Christian community has become way to quiet and withdrawn on the issues of the day and it should be reversed. We need to raise up our voices and be the whose who of the kingdom of Heaven because many who's lives depend on it.

So in light of the message from our clip and the message of the Bible I believe this is the year that we lift our voices up to those around us to let them know “we are here.” We need to cry out and declare the message of Jesus to this world.

You may be thinking what is Jesus message?

John 3:16-18 - The Message: 16-18 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

Here is one of Jesus main messages to us Christians about the importance of speaking , being heard and to remind us why we are here. It’s about proclaiming and living His message to this dark world and being as preserving force in it! But to do this people need to know that we are here!

Matthew 5: 13-16: Salt and Light

13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Did you notice the phrase "You are here?"

Thesis of the series: We are here in 2013 as a church and as Christian individuals to declare the message of Jesus and to bring in God’s heavenly harvest of souls. We are here to be the salt and the light of this world.

I. We are here in 2013

a. Here means – We are present in this place and time. We are in this life in this moment. We are in this year at a particular place in history.

i. Are you here this year?

ii. Are you here and conscious of the fact that you are here and not there?

iii. Can you repeat after me – We are Here! We are Here!

1. Yes we are here – not there- not somewhere else but here!

b. Do you recall what you heard throughout last year - the rumors of the end of the world coming? But we know the world did not end on Dec. 21, 2012. All the talk made some of us wonder – right?