iTruths: Life Lessons for the iPod Generation
iTell: Telling People of the Love of Christ
Today we continue in our iTruths series. Over the past two weeks, we have focused on iKnow (that we stand on absolute truth, standing on the word of God) and iLove (that we love others with God’s definition of love.) Today, we move on with iTell.
This is a natural progression in our series on truth. Why? Because we know absolute truth it will drive us to love others with the love of Christ and it will naturally make us want to TELL others about that same truth. Today, that is exactly what we will talk about. Telling others about the presence and the power of God in our lives.
We have a passion here at TRBC to reach this community, to reach the world, with the Gospel. And that passion is a vital part of the future of our church. You see, if we don’t have a passion for souls…a passion to tell others about Christ…then we really have no reason to even gather together here at church.
Sure, we could get together and sing great songs. Sure, we could get together and learn about the Bible. Sure, we could get together and have great fellowship. And those are all very important things. But, the Bible is clear in Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
We are charged with the responsibility of telling others about Christ. We must give the Gospel to others. Knowing that we must do so at every opportunity. We must get comfortable with sharing our faith, comfortable with sharing our testimony. We must be comfortable telling others what Jesus has done in our lives so that people will know what He can do in theirs. That is our responsibility, that is the task that we must all take very seriously.
That is what today’s message is all about. How do we tell others about Jesus? How do we reach others for Jesus? How do we focus on making that a priority?
Luke 14:16 Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, “Come, for all things are now ready.’ 18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, “I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 19 And another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 20 Still another said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 22 And the servant said, “Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
And so, there it is…that my house may be filled. That is where we are as a church. We could have a great big club here of people who just enjoyed getting together a few times a week, but that’s not what God wants in His church. He wants us to be passionate about GOING OUT and bringing them in!
Today, we focus on how to do that. How to tell them and bring them in so that His HOUSE MAY BE FILLED!
There are four things I want to share with you today.
1. WHY DO WE TELL?
2. WHAT DO WE TELL?
3. HOW DO WE TELL?
4. WHERE DO WE TELL?
1. WHY DO WE TELL?
I Timothy 2:3-4, For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Jesus wants us to tell so that people can be saved. For some reason, God chose us to be His instruments to reach this lost and dying world. A world that is so desperate. A world that exists in darkness and we have the light. The light that can change everything.
Luke 11:33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.
We tell because Mark 16:15 commands us to do so.
2. WHAT DO WE TELL?
Salvation Is…
Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, We are all spiritually “lost!”
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. God is holy and he MUST punish sin – no question. God can never allow sin to slip past Him unnoticed…God has to punish sin. And He will.
Now, if we were to stop right here, the entire world is hopelessly lost! Because the Bible has just told us that no one is perfect and holy like God. So, because we have fallen short (or ‘don’t measure up’) to God’s holiness…and we all have sin in our hearts…and we are all going to be punished for that sin…and there is NOTHING WE CAN HUMANLY DO ABOUT IT…then, we’re hopelessly lost!
Listen, my Friend, the reason why I pause here is that a gift is really not appreciated unless it really sinks in how MUCH we really need it! If I stop right now, there is NO hope, NO peace, NO comfort, NO joy…and NO salvation!
And in order to be “saved” you have to come to the realization that you are first lost.
BUT…
Ephesians 2:8-9 – Eph. 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast - We can’t earn our salvation – it is a GIFT from God!
Titus 3:5 – not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We can have peace with God!
Romans 10:9-10 – Rom. 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
A Summary of Salvation:
1) Understand that you are nothing but a sinner!
2) Know that Jesus is indeed God!
3) Believe that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was sufficient to pay for your sins!
4) Believe that Jesus physically rose from the dead – proving that He can conquer both physical and spiritual death!
5) Place your trust in His promise to save you!!
3. HOW DO WE TELL?
a. With knowledge
I Peter 3:15a But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
1. We must know the basics of our salvation
b. With love
I Peter 3:15b “…with meekness and fear.”
“Meekness” = “gentleness, tenderness”
“fear” = “respect”
c. With understanding
I Cor. 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
d. With prayer
I Timothy 2:1-2 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
e. With your testimony
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
4. WHERE DO WE TELL?
Luke 14:23 Then the master said to the servant, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
a. We must go OUT to the world
b. Missions
a. Foreign
i. Short term trips
ii. Sending full time missionaries
iii. Helping missions organizations
b. Home
i. Helping those in our midst
ii. Prison ministry
iii. Hospitals
c. Friends & Family
a. November 4, 2007 Friend Day
d. Workplace
e. Knocking on doors in our neighborhoods
We must go out from this place with a passion to win souls, to see people understand the Gospel as we’ve presented here today, as we present it often in this place.
Our responsibilities as Christians are not just to grow in our faith, to increase in our knowledge of the Bible, to have a powerful prayer life, to fellowship with other believers and to live a worship-filled life. Our responsibility is also to TELL what we’ve experienced. And it is absolutely amazing that the more we tell others, the more others want to experience what Christ can do in their lives.
That must be our passion. That must be our goal. As we talk about iTRUTHS-LIFE LESSONS FOR THE iPOD GENERATION, I hope you grasp hold of the concept that one of these truths upon which we should live is to tell others about Christ.
There are so many in our world who are hurting. There are so many whose lives are in shambles. They live each day with no direction, no peace, no joy. Their marriages are falling apart. Their families are crumbling. They live in loneliness. Because they don’t know the joy that Christ can bring into their lives.
We must tell them. We must tell them.
Perhaps today you’ve come to this service and you’re living in darkness. You’re hurting. You’re lonely. Your joy is gone. Your marriage is falling apart. Your family is disintegrating. Let me tell you about the joy of Christ.
Know that He died on the cross for our sins, buried and rose again for us so that we can have joy and peace. The peace that passes all understanding. And that we can have salvation through Him. John 14:6 says Jesus is the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Jesus. Today, I want you to experience Jesus.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
