My Message Is All About God Series

A. I read about a minister who gave an unusual sermon one Sunday.

1. He used a peanut to make several important points about the wisdom of God in nature.

2. One of the church members greeted him on the way out and said, “Very interesting sermon, Preacher, I never expected to learn so much from a nut.”

3. Today I’m hoping that we all can learn something from a nut, like me.

B. Let’s start by talking about the Pony Express.

1. We’ve all heard about the Pony Express, but did you know that it only operated for a short time?

2. The Pony Express was a mail service that delivered messages, newspapers, and mail using relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California that operated from April 3, 1860 until October 26, 1861 (1 year and a half).

3. The Pony Express riders had one assignment: to deliver the message safely and quickly.

4. So they seized every advantage: the shortest route, the fastest horse, the lightest saddle.

5. Yet in spite of their concern about weight, every rider was issued a copy of the Bible and required to carry it.

6. Only the sturdy were hired – they had to know how to handle horses, and outrun bandits, and outlast blizzards.

7. They were paid $125 a month (a very good salary in 1860) and they had 8 hours to cover 80 miles, 6 days a week.

8. It was hard work with high pay, but getting the message out was worth it.

C. You know, the apostle Paul would have loved the Pony Express, for just like those riders, he had been entrusted with a message and he was committed to getting it out.

1. Paul had a duty to all people to get the message out.

2. In Romans 1, Paul wrote: 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. (Rom. 1:14-16)

3. I hope that all of us feel that same obligation to share the good news of Jesus with others – with family and friends, people of all nations, backgrounds and circumstances.

a. God loves everyone and wants everyone to be saved – no matter how good or bad they are.

4. I pray that we are not ashamed of the Gospel, but that we believe that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, and such that we are compelled to share it.

D. Paul’s mission was to deliver the message about God, and he really didn’t want it to be about him.

1. What people thought about him and how people remembered him was secondary.

2. But what people thought about Christ and how people remembered Christ was primary.

3. Unfortunately, many of us, if not all of us, can be tempted to make the message about us rather than about Christ.

E. Max Lucado tells a story about a young man who worked at an art museum who allowed that to happen to him.

1. His job at the art museum was simple and clear: his job was to lead people to the paintings, answer their questions, and step out of the way.

2. Initially, he carried out his role beautifully and professionally.

a. He walked the clients to the framed art treasures, identified the artists, and stepped out of view.

b. “This is a Monet,” he would say and move back as people oohed and aahed and asked a question or two.

c. When they were ready, he would lead them to the next masterpiece and repeat the sequence.

d. “This is the work of Rembrandt,” he would say and then step back as they leaned in.

3. It was a simple and good job, and he took great pride in his work.

4. But then something began to change, and he began to forget what his true job was.

a. He began thinking the people had come to see him.

b. Rather than step away from the work of art, he lingered near it.

c. As they oohed and aahed, he smiled and said, “Glad you like it.”

d. He even responded with an occasional “Thank You,” taking credit for work he didn’t do.

5. But soon just lingering near a painting was no longer sufficient for the guide.

a. Little by little he inched toward it.

b. Initially he just extended his arm over the frame, but then his torso would cover part of it.

c. Finally, he got to where his whole body blocked the entire piece of art.