Sharing the Good Stuff
We are in week 6 of a 4 week sermon series. We have had a couple of breaks with Mothers day and a testimony of how God has worked in Gene’s life.
We are back on the topic of open minded atheist. The quick definition in the context of our messages are Christians that say that they believe in God but live in ways that suggest He does not exist.
We have addressed that by talking about cafeteria Christians, people that pick and choose from what the Bible says about our relationship with God. .
We also examined how many Christians live in such a way as to make God Sick. How being lukewarm is a bad condition for any Christian and also for churches as well.
We looked at how many Christians choose Money as their savior and panic in this economy when conditions threaten our lifestyle and future. We often pray to God out of our financial fears saying, Just a little more money, God. When our desire and prayer should be Just a little more….GOD. renewing our trust in our maker.
I have mentioned that I thought that the firm nature of the messages in this series are intended to move people to a response . They are a call from God to repentance and renewal because God has valuable things for you to do for the Kingdom.
-- This morning our scripture comes from John 1
While you are looking that up in your Bibles, I want to talk about desserts. I have brought out here one of my favorite desserts. I used to have just one favorite. It was banana pudding. Not just any banana pudding but the one made by Renee’s grandmother, Nanny. I have several people that have tried to simulate that heavenly creation but all have fallen short.
The biggest problem is that my diabetic condition means that people don’t follow the recipe that would come close to Nanny’s. They substitute other things to cut down on sugar. So, that has left me to sample a variety of other dessert options.
Margret Jones has really made the process of finding a suitable favorite very hard. She consistently introduces me to new wonders.
However, for my purposes this morning I have chosen something that is simple. It is generally well liked. It offers savory goodness and yet has portion control built into the basic serving.
I am talking about the standard white chocolate and macadamia nut cookie. This cookie offers personal satisfaction to hunger I might feel. It solves the munchies. It eases the desire to just have something sweet.
The recipe calls for butter, brown sugar, white sugar, Vanilla extract, flower, macadamia nuts and white chocolate.
I just love how this taste. I like the texture of the nuts, the sweet flavor of the white chocolate.
I like these so much that I have to control how many I have access to. It would be so easy for me to over indulge and to just hurt myself.
When I eat one of these, I feel a sense of satisfaction for a desire I have for something sweet.
-- Man that is tasty. I think it makes a good breakfast.
Let’s say, that I was giving away white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies today.
How many of you would want one? Raise your hand….
Well you are in luck. I have asked Renee and Cheryl to help me out this morning and they have a bunch of white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies to pass out. There should be enough for everyone to have one, if you want it.
-- Some of you are wondering what is going on. I gave you the scripture to lookup then I seem to have had an “A D D” moment where I started talking about desserts. So you may feel a bit confused.
What I did was model a biblical principal which is based on this morning’s scripture.
Let’s read John 1: 35-42
The next day John (John the Baptist) was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?"
They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"
"Come," he replied, "and you will see."
So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. (Between 3 and 4 in the afternoon)
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).
-- Anyone want to guess how giving away cookies models this scripture?
Giving away cookies/dessert is a simple illustration of the act that I sometimes refer to as the E word … Evangelism.
All I did was tell you something about a subject that I love. I talked about something that I have personally experienced. I described the object and the experiences to you in such a way that many of you wanted to try one for yourself.
That is what the great commission, issued by Jesus, is all about. Sharing news about what we have experienced with someone we have a relationship with.
Please note that I did not stand up here and yell and scream at you telling you to eat white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies or some other dessert or you will go to hell.
I did not stand in the parking lot with a sign that read Eat or Burn.
I simply told you about something I experienced in such a way that it created an interest in what I had to share. Many of you responded to at least getting a sample.
Evangelism is the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs.
I used dessert evangelism as an example of what Christians are called to do as members of the kingdom of God on earth. Christians are to share the sweet satisfaction that is offered to everyone, not as a theory but as a personal experience story…a witness of What God has done and is doing in our lives.
It is not the “great suggestion” it is the “great commission.” Commission is the granting of certain powers or authority to carry out a particular task or duty.
The commission issued by Jesus, to Every Christian, is to take the news about Him and God’s love outside theses walls!
We don’t seem to find it hard to share about that good movie we saw or that we are a fan of some sports team.
We shouldn’t find it difficult to talk about the one who saved us from Hell either.
We are in our last week of the series on saying we believe in God but living as if God is irrelevant to how we live.
Christians that don’t share the good news of Jesus Christ are living as if that news is not useful to others. Perhaps as if God’s grace is limited or embarrassing in some way.
I will venture to say that everyone in this room today, knows people that we fear are going to end up in Hell. We have friends, co-workers, and even family that are unbelievers that if they died today would go to an eternity in Hell.
Not because they were bad people, or good people but because they don’t have a relationship with the Way….Jesus Christ. We might even believe that it is important that these people should hear the good news. But when we are challenged to do something about that we think, I don’t think evangelism is my Gift.
-- It does not matter if it is your gift…it is your commission, your calling.
I have a lot of ground to cover today. And I am going to use 3 questions to get to our point this morning.
The first Question is: When did YOU meet Jesus?
I did not ask do you know Jesus or are you saved?
I did not ask when were you baptized or take a confirmation class.
I did not ask when did you go to the altar because some preacher or Sunday school teacher scared the fear of hell into you?
-- I asked, when did YOU meet Jesus?
When did you really know Jesus as savior and start being changed by the relationship that started with that meeting?
I have found that when I actually ask a specific “when” question people will say I don’t know or I am not sure.
We don’t answer other important questions in our lives that way. When did you get married….I don’t know, did we do that? When were your children born?
How about your first kiss, most of us remember that. I remember mine , we standing in the moonlight in the driveway up next to the house on a summer evening. A quick kiss on the lips, my heart was pounding in my ears. I said “WOW”, she said, “what?” I said, “That was my first kiss.” Then she said, “I thought so.” (EGO taming moment)
I asked that Girl last night about that kiss and she sis not recall the moment.
In our scripture today we read how John the Baptist saw Jesus passing by and says,
"Look, the Lamb of God!"
Notice that the verse “Look the Lamb of God” has an explanation point.
John did not look around and see Jesus walking by and say, “Look the lamb of God.” He said “Look The lamb of God!” He may have even shouted it as he pointed toward Jesus.
If you take time to read starting at verse 29 you find the baptism of Jesus and John sees and identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God and adds details about is superior roll and the ability to remove sin.
Basically, two days in a row John and his disciples have seen Jesus. And each time John offers cryptic but powerful words describing this stranger. He knows his mission was to announce the arrival of this stranger… AS The Lamb of God!.
On this second occasion two of John’s disciples respond to this exclamation by following Jesus. They are just walking behind him. Maybe they are just trying to get a good look at him. Maybe they just want to see what John sees that seems so special.
They have some connection that the title “Lamb of God” it referrers to scriptures about a messiah that will come to reconcile the relationship between man and God. But no one is sure what this “Lamb of God”, this messiah, will do. How will He accomplish the commission from God?
It seems that they were not real good at tailing Jesus and Jesus confronts them.
He asks, "What do you want?"
It sounds like they were surprised and unprepared.
They said, "Rabbi, where are you staying?"
They call him rabbi, a sign of respect. And maybe asking where he was staying was a standard way of saying can we come visit for a while?
Jesus invites them to come and see.
The two men spend the day with Jesus. And sometime between 3 and 4 in the afternoon Andrew excuses himself to go tell his brother that he had
MET the Messiah. Andrew Met Jesus that day.
Andrew knows when or at least that he really did he met Jesus. I believe that You should have an answer to that question of when did you meet Jesus too.
Question 2: Who have you introduced to Jesus?
Some of you know that I have trouble remembering names. It takes me a long time to get names to connect to faces in my head. On the other hand I remember faces pretty well. I see people and remember that we met at a district event or a retreat.
But here is the problem with not remembering names. Renee and I will be out together and someone will walk up and say. Hey Tom, How are you doing? Great, how are you, long time no see.
Basically, Renee knows that if I don’t introduce her or if I say have you met my wife Renee? She knows that I have no idea who I am speaking too. She will speak up and say “and what was your name?” And for about 30 seconds or a minute we both know it. Then when we walk away I ask Renee to tell me again.
Sometimes, I fear that the reason some people feel intimidated and don’t introduce our friends and family to Jesus is because they don’t know him.
That might sting a little. If you knew Jesus like you know your favorite dessert why would you be afraid to share this information, this relationship about Jesus.
That is what Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother ,did. On the very same day that he met Jesus he went and told Simon, "We have found the Messiah"
The natural by product, the natural response, to meeting Jesus is that we want to introduce Him to others.
- Andrew did not go and talk to a stranger about Jesus; he went to a person that he already had a relationship with. He went to his brother.
Think for second about family and friends in your life that don’t know Jesus.
We all have them.
When it comes to people you know, who are not Christians, You are the most qualified person to share the good news.
Relationship is more important than the words, because there is already a level of trust about your intentions. Remember God’s message has never depended on the messenger. We can all relax because God has used inadequate people for thousands of years to make a difference.
For some people it is easier to stand on Broad Street and shout at passersby that don’t know Jesus and tell they are going to hell. Than to talk to their own family.
That does happen on Broad Street and more recently in front of the police building from time to time. I have had one of those people look right at me and yell, you are going to hell if you don’t repent.
I was on the way to RLT to see a play at the time. My thought was “well it is amateur theater and not Broadway but It’s not that bad.” Besides my wife and kids are in it and that will make it great.
I can’t say it never happens but, I have never seen a crowd gathered around a person shouting threats of hell to random people.
I have seen events where family responds to family and for the sake of the personal relationship will come to church or other events.
But all too often people will stay silent because, they are worried about rejection. They are worried about saying the wrong things.
That is rarely a real danger if you are practicing an invitation to meet Jesus like I invited you to have a cookie. Danger comes when you think that threats of hell attract people to listen to you.
Folks, our culture constantly educates people about Christianity as being exclusive and bigoted and control people with fear and superstition. While not globally correct, they are right because many too many Christians and even churches are that way.
Some have fear of inviting people to meet Jesus because they that they don’t have answers to the questions a person might ask.
Andrew met Jesus and spent part of a day talking to him and went to his brother. There is no way he had all the answers. He would spend the next 3 years learning about Jesus and God and the relationship that is offered. And Still not know it all..
Our commission is to share what we know and experience with people that God has already placed in our lives with no reservation or the need for a special opportunity.
You are offering a choice dessert not hot coals and torment. Look people that don’t know Jesus already have the bad stuff wither they know it or not. Most have already been told where their current path leads. You are called to invite people to the best stuff.
The great commission only requires you to share your knowledge and experience with others in a willingness and honest sincerity.
Third Question: Do you really believe that Jesus still changes lives?
Have you ever had a life changing conversation?
There are lots of them in a life time. It might be with a boss or a police person.
If you are a married man I know you have. It usually happens early in the marriage when asked to do something. Some men respond to the request with a statement, “that’s not how my momma did it.”
Then for the next week life generally became harder. Hopefully, if that was you, a lesson was learned. The lesson is that certain responses are unacceptable in your married relationship. Perhaps, you learned to never say the first thing that pops into your mind. But overall the conversation makes a permanent change in how things are done around OUR house.
When we meet Jesus, the conversation changed us.
Andrew was excited about what he had found and had a desire to get his brother in on this find. Andrew did not try to explain everything they had talked about. He did not try to give Simon a simple salvation prayer.
He only brought Simon to a point where he could have a conversation with Jesus for himself. It is likely that Simon only made the trip because he thought his brother had lost his mind. The brothers conversation brought a response to an invitation. When Simon met Jesus, for himself, it was that conversation started to change him.
We all too often feel that we need to qualify who we invite to church. Well they can’t drink or cuss. They need to have their life in order.
I think that is because we forget what shape we were in when we first met Jesus.
Some people have a fear that our conversation might go wrong. We bring someone to church and they don’t receive Christ. We feel pressured to assure success.
Folks your call, your commission, is to share your story and offer an invitation to church or Wednesday Bible study, or JesusJam or Bible School and let Jesus do the rest.
In that meeting, Jesus changed Simons identity, he changed his priorities, He changed his passions and three years later God empowered Simon Peter to preach on Pentecost and 3000 people became believers.
The theme of the series was all about living our lives as people that believe that God exist. Living lives that constantly move closer to God. Lives that illistrate our faith and experience in ways that invite people to meet our God through the relationship offered and paid for by Jesus Christ.
To close today I have a song for us to listen to. My helpers have some pencils and dissert plates to give out.
While the song is playing will you let God speak to your heart about the lost people in your life. Write their names on the paper plate and take it with you. Put in some place where you will see it every day. Let it remind you to pray for courage to put away fear of sharing the good stuff.
All Glory be to God!
Let me say that the most important thing for you to nail down today is that you are absolutely clear that you have met Jesus. That there is no doubt in your heart and mind that you have something to offer your friends and family. The you know the flavor and that Jesus know the recipe and wants to give you something to talk about.
