DO SOMETHING #4: GET IGNITED AND GO LIGHT YOUR WORLD
SUPERBOWL SUNDAY ILLUSTRATION:
Ray had rushed down to the local supermarket to pick up some hamburger rolls, chips and drinks. The big game was going to be on, so he was having a few friends over to watch it. The store was loaded with shoppers and as he headed for the six item express lane, the only one that didn't have a long line, a woman completely ignoring the overhead sign slipped into the check-out line just in front of him pushing a cart piled high with groceries. Ray was quietly fuming at the anticipated delay. But the elderly cashier beckoned the woman to come forward, looked into the cart and asked ever so sweetly, "So Dearie, which six items would you like to buy?"
JOKE: Coach James “Shug” Jordan at Auburn University asked his former Line-backer Mike Kolen, who was then playing for the Miami Dolphins, if he would help him do some recruiting. Mike said, "Sure, coach. What kind of player are you looking for?" The coach said, "Well Mike, you know there's that fellow, you knock him down, he just stays down?" Mike said, "We don't want him, do we, coach?" "No, that's right. Then there's that fellow, you knock him down and he gets up, you knock him down again and he stays down." Mike said, "We don't want him either do we coach?" Coach said, "No, but Mike, there's a fellow, you knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up." Mike said, "That's the guy we want isn't it, coach?" The coach answered, "No, Mike, we don't want him either. I want you to find the guy who's knocking everybody down. That's the guy we want."
INTRO TO TOPIC: This morning, I wanted to share a message on going and lighting your world, but I realized something – we first need to get ignited before we can go light our world!
TESTIMONY: When I first got saved, there was a fire and passion burning brightly in my heart. I wanted to tell everyone I knew about Jesus! I saw Christians who were lukewarm and had little fire, and I prayed that would never happen to me. But one day it did. I got to a place where going to church and serving God was just part of my life. Routine. Ritual.
• QUOTE: If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll have what you’ve always had.
Then I made a decision to return to my first love. First things first. Secret place. Meeting with Jesus again daily in prayer, worship and the Word.
• QUOTE: “There was a time when people came to church to meet with God. Now they come to church to hear stories and sing songs about Him.” (Leonard Ravenhill).
• Are you tired of the usual? Hungry for more of God?
FROM MY BIBLE READING ON FRIDAY:
“Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.” (Mark 3:14-15).
• We must come to Jesus first before we can go to the world!
THE BIG IDEA: We need to get ignited with the fire of God before we can go light our world!
GET IGNITED - IN THE UPPER ROOM!
“He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, which, He said, you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4-5).
“And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room…These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.” (Acts 1:13-14).
"On the Day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4).
• If we want to go light our world, we first need to get ignited!
• This happens in the Upper Room—the secret place of prayer, Bible reading and worship.
• Jeremiah said, “Your Word was like a fire, shut up in my bones!”
KEEP THE FIRE BURNING:
“A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.” (Lev. 6:13).
“Where there is no fuel, the fire goes out.” (Prov. 26:20).
• When you light a fire, it doesn’t stay burning forever.
• We need to daily stoke the fire – prayer, worship, Bible reading, etc.
QUOTE:
"All that is necessary for evil to prosper is that enough good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke).
• Evil is prospering in our world! Injustice, poverty, human trafficking and more!
• What are we going to do to make a difference in our world?
WE ARE SALT AND LIGHT:
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:14-16, NKJV).
• Jesus wants us to be salt in the world. I like salt!
• Salt provides seasoning but is also a preservative.
• We are also the light of the world, a city on a hill.
• God wants us to let our light so shine – do good deeds – so He can be glorified.
IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP AND LIGHT OUR WORLD!
“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:11-12, NKJV).
• “Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5:14-16, NKJV).
• “Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.” (Eph. 5:16, NLT).
ARE YOU READY FOR THE DAY OF JUDGMENT?
“31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” (Matt. 25:31-33, NKJV).
• One day, Jesus is coming back and we will all stand before Him in judgment!
“34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'” (Matt. 25:34-40, NKJV).
• To the first group – the sheep – will be the reward of the Kingdom of Heaven.
• What was the qualification? Those who helped the poor, sick, lonely and hurting.
• Jesus said whenever we did that to the least of these, we were doing it to Him!
“41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' 44 Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' 45 Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt. 25:41-46, NKJV).
• Does this mean we are saved by works? No. Good works are the fruit of our salvation!
CHALLENGE: It’s time to wake up and do something – go light your world!
Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor’s Blog: http://pastorchrisjordan.wordpress.com/
