We've Got A Connection Here Series

WE GOT A CONNECTION HERE

Mark 1:32-39

S: Celebrate Jesus

Th: Personal relationship with God: Jesus stayed spiritually connected and directed.

Pr: We need to stay spiritually connected and directed by God.

?: How? How do we do it?

KW: Commitments

TS: We will find in Mark 1:32-39 three commitments that we need to make in order to stay spiritually connected and directed by God.

The _____ commitment we need to make in order to stay spiritually connected and directed by God is to be…

I. DEPENDENT

II. DEVOTED

III. DELIBERATE

RMBC 1/23/00 AM

INTRODUCTION:

ILL Notebook (future): Y2K (top ten)

TOP 10 THINGS ON A Y2K SURVIVALIST’S TO-DO LIST

10. Apologize to neighbors about the tripwire incident...offer to replace dog.

9. Take up pork & beans skeet shooting.

8. Gather recipes for Spam, dehydrated potatoes, and crow.

7. Cancel subscription to Stockpilers Quarterly, but keep the free can opener.

6. Convert weapons back to semi-auto.

5. Pitch "1000 Ideas for Wheat Gluten" to Martha Stewart’s people.

4. Return 753 videos to Blockbuster.

3. Water yard...one lousy gallon at a time.

2. Find grocery store receipt for 10,000 packets of Ramen noodles.

1. Make friends with the 6 billion other Y2K survivors.

Somehow, we survived the Y2K bug.

At the very least, it brought awareness to how dependent we have become on computers.

But…

1. Do you know what the real issue of Y2K is?

We are now in the year 2000 A.D.

A.D. stands for Anno Domini, meaning “in the year of our Lord.”

A.D. is a tacit reminder that Jesus is the center of all time.

Jesus is the hinge of history.

When it comes right down to it, Y2K is about Jesus.

And you thought it was about computers!

It is about Jesus, for Jesus us the very cornerstone of history.

Jesus is the Hope of salvation.

He is the Architect of eternal time.

So the year 2000 is much more than a simple mark of time.

It is a mark in time with reference to the most remarkable life that ever lived, the life of Jesus Christ.

The opinion of Jesus has been varied through the span of time, but most admire Him.

He is a teacher worth noting, who made an obvious impact on his followers.

So, we find Him adorning from time to time the covers of Time and Newsweek.

But the truth is, while admired by many, he is followed by few.

Most people, in the history of time, and during our present time, have never encountered the real Jesus.

2. We begin a celebration today of the real Jesus.

The impact of Jesus when He lived on earth was startling.

He was so attractive then.

People flocked to him.

They wanted to be near Him.

And that attraction continues today.

What makes Him still attractive?

This will be the task of our 50-Day Adventure.

We will eavesdrop on Jesus as He receives His marching orders from the Father.

We will watch Him breaking down the stereotypes of “us” and “them.”

We will find that He genuinely likes people and draws out the best in them.

We will see Him serving others in true humility and communicating truth in everyday language so that people could understand Him.

We will hear Him speaking of a better kingdom to come.

Then we will find Him bravely striding to the cross in submission to the Father’s will.

Finally, we will rejoice in His fight against the forces of evil and the great victory He gains.

These are the matters we will discover.

But to have a true celebration, it must make a difference in us.

We are not to be caught idly admiring Him.

No, we have the opportunity to continue the light we have found in Jesus.

In a world blinded by its own agenda, we will have the great joy of inviting others to live in the light of Christ.

You see…

3. We are not here , though, to rehearse what is good about Jesus, but what can be truly good about us as we follow His lead.

It is my hope and prayer that this adventure will revolutionize our lives.

This can be 50 days of glory for us.

Our primary goal is that for each one of us will become a lighthouse of prayers, so that we will shine the person of Jesus in our neighborhoods, our work places and our schools.

You see, Jesus wants you and me to be channels of His hope and blessing.

People are to see the light of Jesus in us.

For the reality is…we are either signposts pointing others to Him, or we are detours diverting people from Him.

TRANSITION:

To begin our study today, we need to ask…

1. How well do you follow Jesus’ lead?