Becoming God's Sign

BECOMING GOD’S SIGN

Aug 14 2011 J Robison JN 1:43-51 PS 139:1-6 13-18 2 COR 5:16-21

Title for today’s message comes from quote Mother Theresa

Make it a special point to become God’s sign in your community

Becoming a sign for God in US has become increasingly difficult

Yr ago this week Anne Rice author of hugely popular vampire novels

Announced that she was quitting Christianity because it is

“simply impossible…to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile,

disputatious, & deservedly infamous group.”

Rice said questions use of the word “Christian” to define American

followers of Christ, says she refuses “to be anti-gay, anti-feminist,

anti-artificial birth control, anti-Democrat, anti-secular humanism,

anti-science, and anti-life in the name of Christ.”

She concluded with the statement, “In the name of Christ, I quit

Christianity and being Christian it is an immortal group.”

However, Rice says a connection with Jesus is central to her life.

She having just come from outside the church challenges us

Can be complacent about God in lives, complacent about worship,

So complacent about evangelism no reaching out

Oswald Chambers our job to be part of reconciling entire human race

And God. Jesus started it in redemption

We not here to focus on own spiritual life what Jesus does for me

But to have realization of Jesus and share him with others

“God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself” 1 Cor

In John 1 Jesus gives ideas for becoming God’s sign in community

This was at very beginning of what would be Christian movement

1. God Knows ALL ABOUT US

Believe it or not God knows everything about you

May be a little painful I don’t like everything about me

There are things I am ashamed of, want to hide,

Jesus, found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Vs 43 NKJV

Jesus approaches Philip who was not a follower

He was not just sharing an anybody who will come invitation

But I believe he looked Philip in the eye knowing him

Said follow me

Follow me is an invitation to KNOW JESUS

Jesus did not give him a task to complete

Something to memorize but just get to know me

Jesus does not say KEEP THE LAW, BE PERFECT

OR EVEN BE RELIGIOUS

He does not say be a good person but first of all follow me

All those other things will fall in to place

First things first we are called to follow Jesus

If we fall in love with Jesus, want to know him better

Seek to learn more about him, walk with him

All other relationships will fall in to place follow him first

Jesus already KNEW ABOUT PHILIP’S LIFE

John gives us background about Philip

Where he was from and who his family was

Jesus knows all about you and me as well

And still calls us to follow

2. Come and SEE WHAT GOD CAN DO

Philip came to see convinced about Jesus we do not have

Listed here all of the interaction between Jesus and Philip

Clearly they had other talks John gives us the highlights

Philip was convinced about Jesus

Christianity is based on A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP W\JESUS

Bible can’t be clearer: Christianity, eternal life, heaven—all based

on what you know and think about Jesus.

Not intimate knowledge of rituals, ceremonies, philosophies or laws

Christianity is about a person. Jesus Christ

People who meet Jesus ARE CHANGED

(Philip said) We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and

also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Vs 45 NKJV

Rice appears to have no problem with Jesus

It’s the organized church where she has the miss givings

Certainly the church means people like you and me

Can discourage Vs encourage, squelch rather than cheer faith

Pastor Mark Driscoll wrote in Newsweek Anne Rice is in a season

many, if not all, Christian’s experience: the great joy of coming to

personally embrace the love, forgiveness, and new life that Jesus

offers is then followed by the troubles and trials of learning the

teachings of the Bible and living with fellow Christians.

Truthfully, both are difficult. every Christian has seasons in which

he or she struggles to lovingly live in community with fellow

Christians as the church. Some Christians are so self-righteous,

mean spirited, & just plain annoying

even pastors are occasionally tempted to preach in one

of those "Jesus, Please Save Me from Your Followers" T-shirts.

Driscoll believes Rice struggling how to be Xian while hurting.

She lost her daughter Michele to leukemia in 1972,

buried her gay best friend John Preston, died of AIDS in 1994,

in 2002 she buried her husband of forty-one years, Stan Rice.

Her son, best-selling author Christopher Rice, is a gay rights

activist whom she loves even while she reads the Bible's denial of