Never too old or too young
Our theme this year is Dynamic Disciples and this morning our focus is on Making Disciples by Teaching and Leading others.
Here is the question to begin: Have you noticed how the world often writes people off for being too old or too young?
While the world may often be ageist in attitude,
our God never writes people off for being too young or too old.
God called Abraham in his 90s and the prophet Samuel when he was just a young person in the Temple.
Moses was 80 and Aaron was 83 when God sent them to tell Pharaoh to release God’s people from slavery in Egypt.
God called the eight year old boy king Josiah to lead the biggest religious renewal recorded in the Old Testament.
The title of the message God has laid on my heart for us this morning is this: You are never too old to learn and never too young to teach.
The Bible is clear that both young and old are called to serve God.
When God calls He equips, by the power of the Holy Spirit He enables.
We could live to be 100 years old,
and study the bible every single day,
and at the end of our life there would still be things for us to learn about God.
Or you could be a recent beliver in Jesus,
just responded to the truth of the Gospel,
just saved and have a desire to teach other’s about Christ.
We are never too old, or too young to start learning God’s Word.
We are never too old, or too young to start teaching others about Jesus,
about how He has saved us from our sins.
How we have been rescued, set-free, ransomed healed, restored, forgiven.
Old or young, Spiritually Mature or babe in Christ,
each of us need to learn more about God,
and each of us need to teach others about Him.
God has called every believer in Christ,
every disciple to be part of the Great Commission,
to go and share the truth of the Gospel.
Why? So that others can come into a saving relationship with Jesus for themselves.
Jesus command is to all of us, old or young to be disciples who make disciples who make disciples.
Perhaps you have been a Christian, a follower of Christ, a disciple, for longer than you can remember,
perhaps as a child someone taught you about Jesus, and you asked Jesus to save you from your sins.
Perhaps you came to know Jesus as an adult, and you can still remember what you were like before you knew Him.
Either way, someone took the time to tell you about Jesus and the importance of accepting Him as your Lord and Saviour.
You were willing to listen and learn and someone was willing to share the truth with you - to teach you.
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (NLT) says:
You must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.
From childhood Timothy had heard the truth about God, he would have been taught the reality of God,
the truth about an all-powerful and all-loving God.
Someone, somewhere, somewhen cared enough to teach Timothy about God.
I want you to think of one person you know, young or old who needs to hear the truth about Jesus.
One person who need to know God’s love, grace and mercy for themselves.
One person who needs to be saved from a lost eternity.
Can you raise your hand if you have a person’s name in your mind right now?
Well that’s pretty much all of us, ok drop your hands.
Now a question I want you to answer in your head.
Have you told that person about Jesus?
Have you shared anything with them about the God who loves you and also loves them?
Have you shared with them why it’s important for them to be in a real relationship with the Saviour?
You see in verse 17 where it says God uses His word, the Bible to prepare and equip US - His people to do every good work - that includes equipping US to share the truth of the Gospel - the truth that Jesus is the way, the truth, the life, the only Saviour.
If we are disciples of Jesus, we have already learned for ourselves that Jesus is Lord and Saviour, we know we have been saved, we know we have been rescued, and that is a truth we can share with others.
We can teach others about Christ by sharing our own testimony, our own story, how we met with Jesus and He saved us, how we willingly committed our life to Him, how we are assured of a place in Heaven, not because of what we have done, but because of what He has done.
He has died to set us free, and He rose from the grave, and He ascended into Heaven and one day He has promised to return.
Friends, each and every name you thought of, every single one of them, if they need to know Jesus for themselves, someone needs to teach them about Him.
So what is stopping you from being the one to tell them? What is the barrier? What is the fear?
What is the problem?
God has revealed Himself to you, you know salvation is through faith in Jesus alone.
Young or old as a disciple of Christ you have been born again - you have been set free and Jesus has commanded you to Go and share the truth with others.
Salvation can only come through faith in Jesus.
You’re never too old or too young to share that message, to teach that truth.
Around this world, every day, someone hears that message and they are changed, they are transformed, they are saved.
Every day, disciples share the truth about Jesus with others and they see sinners saved, captives freed from darkness, born-again as children of the living God.
In writing to Timothy, Paul encouraged him, and he also encourages us — young and old to continue in what we have learned, what we have become convinced of, what we know is truth.
As I draw to a close, let me remind you that we are disciples and we are also Christ’s ambassadors.
The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:20 says “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
On our journey through this life we will meet many people who need to know Jesus for themselves.
On our journey we’ll face different situations, experience different things, and meet different people - young and old alike.
Sometimes when we share who Jesus is with others, they will be not be receptive to the truth of the Gospel.
Sometimes we will be disappointed in how people respond.
But we are still called to share, to teach what we have discovered to be true - that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Sometimes when we share who Jesus is with others, they will be be receptive to the truth of the Gospel.
Sometimes they will respond to what we share, they will respond to what they have been taught of God and be saved.
Sometimes we will cry, sometimes we will smile, sometimes we will be filled with joy and we will celebrate with the Angels in Heaven that another name has been added to the Lambs book of Life.
So finally, how do we apply this sermon to our lives?
We need to allow God to use each of us, young or old to share the truth that people can be reconciled to God, that people can know Jesus for themselves and be saved.
Each time we open our Bibles, each time we hear a sermon, each time we attend a Bible Study, each time we read a devotional book, we can learn something that we can share with others.
We learn so that we can teach others and even teach ourselves more about God.
God’s Word never changes, but our understanding of it does, as the Holy Spirit reveals God’s truth to us in ways we’ve never considered before.
Friends let me encourage you this morning to continue in what you have learned.
Continue listening.
Continue learning.
Continue growing.
Continue participating.
Continue sharing.
So that others can grow and be taught and teach others the truth that Jesus Christ is Saviour, Healer, Baptiser and Coming King.
Look for opportunities to learn and to share because no one is too young or too old to turn to Jesus and be saved.
Amen
