Beyond Sunday pt. 1
Introduction to Beyond Sunday Series:
Our new series is designed and I believe inspired by the Holy Spirit to show how Christianity is not just about going to church on Sunday morning. It’s not about doing good works to get myself into heaven, like going to church every Sunday. Christianity is about relationship - number 1 with Jesus (God in the flesh) and number 2 - relationships with others. The Bible says my neighbors to be exact in reading what it said is those who are in close proximity to me every day. Christianity is not something we do but instead it is a lifestyle rooted in love (Gods Love) which goes beyond a Sunday morning event.
I am excited about this new series – the other point of this series is to show how important – no - how critical it is for the church to go beyond just Sunday morning service. The leadership of Christian Hills Church and I are excited about focusing on the world around us – our neighbors, those who live on our street, those we work with every day, those we go to school with and yes even our own families.
I sincerely believe we are at a critical junction in the history of our nation and in the spiritual direction of our nation. I believe the church of Jesus needs to rise up in this dark hour and bring forth the light of the truth of Jesus to those lost in darkness, lies and bondage. I am convinced after much prayer and reflection that we the church “The Body of Christ” must reach out beyond these four walls and reach those around us with His truth and His love!
So over the next few months we have put together outreach events like “Labor of Love” , special dramas, and even illustrated messages to help us all go beyond Sundays!
Thesis: Beyond Sunday is designed to help us understand that Christianity is not a Sunday morning even but is instead a lifestyle based and rooted in the love of God. Beyond Sunday means we desire to reach out to those in darkness and bring them into the light of truth through random acts of kindness. Beyond Sunday is a challenge to the believer to be empathetic to the needs and the issues surrounding them and their lives. It’s opening our busy eyes to the conditions and situations right around us every day and then with the power and authority of Jesus we minister to these people in need.
Scripture Texts:
1 Samuel 13:14: “A man (woman) after God’s own heart”
Matthew 22:37-38: 37Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38This is the first and greatest commandment.
Mark 12:28- 30: 28 One of the teachers of the Law of Moses came up while Jesus and the Sadducees were arguing. When he heard Jesus give a good answer, he asked him, “What is the most important commandment?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. 30You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Do you remember my formula for a miracle last week?
LOVING GOD = GROWING IN DARING FAITH = MAKING THE GOD CONNECTION = RECEIVING A MIRACLE!
This formula goes “Beyond Sunday” if you want to be a person who is after the heart of God you have to go beyond just Sunday morning service!
Beyond Sunday is about being a person who is after God’s own heart – a person who loves God first and foremost – who places their love relationship number one in their life – the person who does the One Thing – the greatest thing first with God/Jesus– a person who was like King David in the Bible who was called “a man after God’s own heart “ – his heart is revealed in his ultimate love for the Lord – he would sing to him (worship), write poems to Him (See the book of Psalms), A person who trusted Him (Even when people were trying to kill him), A person who defended His name (With Goliath), A person who would sacrifice for Him (Accumulating the stuff to build God His house the temple), a person who would obey Him (Following His call to be King), a person who would admit mistakes to Him (When he sinned with Bathsheba/Uriah and Nathan called him on it), a person who would repent to Him (Like he did), and a person who would 100% live for Him both politically and personally (See 1,2 Samuel, Kings).
Scripture Text for Sermon “Beyond Sunday” Turn to Luke chapters 9,10:
Introduction:
As I was pondering our subject “Beyond Sunday” my mind reflected on why people seem to not understand the Bible’s primary message to Love God first and foremost?
Have you ever thought, “Why people don’t love God?”
I asked myself the following questions:
Why don’t people give their hearts to Him?
• He died for us because of His love for us!
• He gave His life for us on the cross!
Why do people pretend that He does not exist?
• I think because they were traumatically hurt in their past and felt God was not there for them.
• I think because they see all the evil and its destruction around them and they say “Where is God? He cannot be real and allow this to happen!”
• I think it’s because they never experienced His genuine Love in their life!
Why do people ignore Him and put others things above Him – even so called Christians?
• Selfishness I think is the big reason!
• Greed I think is another reason!
• Love of money is another reason!
• Failure to see the importance of dying to self is another reason!
• Pride I think would also make the list too.
• Not understanding that Jesus desires to be a part of our everyday life so He can bless us and guide us.
Why do people choose to sin against God?
• Weakness in the Spirit!
• Selfishness again I think makes the list.
• Pride rises it puffy head again.
• They love sin over God!
• They are in bondage to that sin and have not been delivered by the Lord yet.
Why do people choose to ignore His Words of life and blessing (The Bible)?
• Misunderstanding and lack of knowledge of the Bible.
• Knowing God’s word is not a priority in their life.
• Not knowing that the Word of God brings wisdom to a person’s life.
• Not knowing that these are the very words of God who created the world in which we live and formed us in our mother’s wombs.
So we have worked our way through these probing questions – now what? Or maybe you are thinking “So what?”
Even if we have made the mistakes of doing any of the thoughts above I want us all to know that making mistakes, failing God, falling into sin is completely natural and human. Poe said “To err is human to forgive is divine.” We all have made the mistakes no one is perfect – let me say it again “No one is perfect we all make mistakes, we have all sinned, we have done the things we don’t want to do!”
Case in point King David – called a man after God’s own heart committed adultery and set the murder of her husband! But God forgave Him – he suffered the consequences of his sin but God forgave Him.
T.S. - Come with me as we explore Luke 9 because I want to show you something I discovered in this chapter about making mistakes, failing the Lord, doing the wrong thing, even falling into sin is not the end of our spiritual life – but should be stepping stones to failing forward and learning through our mistakes.
Quotes from John Maxwell “Failing Forward”
“In life, the question is not if you will have problems, but how you are going to deal with your problems. If the possibility of failure were erased, what would you attempt to achieve?
The essence of man is imperfection. Know that you're going to make mistakes. The fellow who never makes a mistake takes his orders from one who does. Wake up and realize this: Failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success.
I. Jesus sends out the 12 like He is sending us out into our world today:
a. Luke 9:1-9: Jesus sends out the 12!
i. They proclaimed the Good News of Jesus!
ii. They healed people everywhere!
iii. They delivered people were ever they went!
1. They were so effective --- The news spread all the way to the King Herod!
a. People were talking about what was happening – miracles – deliverances – but the king was perplexed – concerned over this wave of the Spirit.
b. I pray that we be so impactful with our witness that the President of the USA hears about it and becomes concerned even perplexed over what is happening!
b. Jesus is sending all of us out with His power and His authority! This chapter in Luke is filled with miss opportunities by the disciples, it reveals their inability to step out in faith, even after being given Jesus power and authority to carry out their mission for the Kingdom.
i. Case in point: Luke 9:10-17: Feeding of the 5,000 verse 13: “Jesus replied, “You give them something to eat.” Their answer “But – But we have only 5 loaves, 2 fish – it’s impossible – look around we do not have the resources.”
1. Pause: they just healed people did miracles with His power and authority – Jesus says feed them – use what I gave you “Faith – daring faith that believes in miracles.”
a. We have a failing forward moment with Jesus and the disciples:
b. Maxwell states: “Achievers are given multiple reasons to believe they are failures. But in spite of that, they persevere. The average for entrepreneurs is 3.8 failures before they finally make it in business.”
c. Maxwell: “Life is playing a poor hand well. The greatest battle you wage against failure occurs on the inside, not the outside.”
2. Question: Do we ever have enough resources?
a. Is there ever enough for God’s mission in the natural realm? I believe there is always a faith element in risk taking in daring faith where we don’t see or know how it’s going to work out.
b. Truth Lesson: It’s always enough with the Lord-Jesus! Key in our chapter is do you believe!
c. Share - The miracle lasagna story --- Whatever we have is enough for Jesus to do a miracle. Daring faith tells us that!
i. What do you have? It’s enough – for Jesus to do a miracle!
ii. Case in Point: Luke 9:18-20: Who do you say I am? Jesus is asking his followers.
1. Answers:
a. John The Baptist – back from the dead.
b. Elijah - back from the dead!
c. Former Prophet - back from the dead!
d. Peter’s answer: You are ----- “God’s Messiah!”
i. Way to go Peter!!!!
ii. Spiritual victory and revelation – he heard the voice of God! Spiritual high moment for Peter – he gets a pat on the back by the others – way to go Peter!
2. Jesus then tells them who He is (his deity, his mission) and that He will rise from the dead to prove it!
3. The Jesus tells them how to be successful as Christians – as his followers – as His disciples. For them to be His followers they have to go Beyond Sunday and do the following:
a. They must deny themselves!
b. They have to lose their life to save it!
c. They must not gain the world and in the process lose their soul!
d. They must not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus!
i. Don’t miss this one – Are you ashamed of the message of Jesus today?
iii. Case in point: Luke 9:28-36 – Jesus glows with the glory and the presence of God – Moses and Elijah appear to verify who He is! Jesus is glowing! God speaks through the cloud of glory – “This is my son, whom I have chosen: listen to him.”
1. Peter wants to build a SHELTER FOR THEM!
a. Failure – crash and burn Peter – he had a spiritual high in saying who Jesus is then blows it here!
i. He is thinking fleshly again!
ii. Like they need a shelter!
iii. Peter goes from a great moment of revelation to not knowing what he is even saying - again missing the moment with the Lord and the point of the Revelation.
1. The other disciples most likely looked at Him and said, “that was really a dumb idea Peter!”
b. Quotes from John Maxwell:
i. “If you are succeeding in everything you do, then you're probably not pushing yourself hard enough. And that means you're not taking enough risks. You risk because you have something of value you want to achieve.”
ii. “The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get.”
2. But listen to what the story is setting up here in this pinnacle spiritual moment with Jesus – God – Moses and Elijah - God says – “This is my Son listen to Him!”
a. Did you hear Gods command?
i. “Listen to Jesus!”
1. If you do you get life – if you don’t you get misery!
iv. Case in Point: Luke 9:37-35
1. Jesus comes off the mountain top experience and the crowd is waiting for them at the bottom of the mountain!
a. The world is looking for truth and the real thing – they are hungry for spiritual truth!
2. Jesus is asked to heal a demon possessed boy!
a. Why? Because the disciples could not!
i. Failure – they blew it!
ii. Spiritual defeat!
iii. Inability to use Jesus’ power and authority rightly and correctly!
b. Why the spiritual blunder?
i. Lack of faith – not believing?
ii. Heart not in right place!
iii. Fear of demonic realm?
c. Remember: They have been given Jesus’ power and authority! But they really don’t believe in it yet – they don’t get who Jesus really is and what He really gave them!
i. Quote John Maxwell: “God uses people who fail—'cause there aren't any other kind around.”
1. Maxwell: “When achievers fail, they see it as a momentary event, not a lifelong epidemic.”
2. Maxwell: “Recognize that you will spend much of your life making mistakes. If you can take action and keep making mistakes, you gain experience.”
d. God’s Power – God’s Authority – God’s Words he gave them to us to use!
i. Words that speak creation into existence – Words that drive out demons – Words that heal the sick – words that speak truth and people believe in it and get saved.
3. Back to the failure of the disciples to drive out the evil spirit.
a. What would you have done?
b. Could you have done it?
c. Would you have done it?
d. Do you have enough faith to do something like this?
e. Can you do it now!
i. My own story of seeing people delivered from demons.
ii. Share story from audio CD about missionaries in Haiti.
4. We are in a war for the souls of the people around us!
a. We need to learn from our mistakes like the disciple did and learn how to use the authority, the power and the Word of God to see people set free from bondage.
v. Case in Point: Luke 9:46-50
1. We find a little while later the followers of Jesus “yes” His Disciples arguing who is the greatest! No really this happened – Jesus is walking down the road to his next adventure in God and the disciples are having an argument “Who is the greatest!” Jesus just says “Really guys?”
a. They have been given Jesus power and authority and God’s powerful Word and what do they do?
i. Compare themselves to each other!
ii. I am better than you are in this deliverance of demon stuff!
b. They don’t focus on reaching out to others – they don’t support one another in the ministry?
i. No they argue who is greater with their gifts and power! Really!
ii. This once again is a “Beyond Sunday” event!
c. Reality Check: Don’t we do the same today pastors -churches - Christians doing this very same thing?
i. My church is bigger than yours!
1. If you are not mega-pastor you are failure!
2. If you don’t have multiple service’s you are a failure!
ii. Is this why the churches are not reaching out to others – working as a team for the Kingdom – striving to win the lost – uniting for the cause of Jesus?
1. Is this why the church as a whole has no impact on this dark world?
2. Sin is winning and the light is getting darker because of this type of attitude in the Body of Christ!
d. The same attitude is revealed in this text too see verse 49 another person is setting people free and the disciples tell them to stop it because they are not part of the first church of Jesus disciples!
i. Beyond Sunday means focusing on the lost and the church of Jesus supporting one another to get the task done for Jesus.
1. This is why we are supporting Jessica with the Lockport Block Party – it’s not about us it’s about the Kingdom of God.
2. This is why we support Tom at Southside Christian Center it’s not about us but others!
ii. This happens today and I think this is why the church hides within its four walls!
1. This is why the church is not going “Beyond Sunday” in our world today!
2. The comparison – greater game is hamstringing the church of Jesus today!
vi. Case in point: Luke 9:51-56
1. Samaritans reject Jesus because he is going to Jerusalem to worship at the temple and not to the Samaritans place of worship. The disciples are angry so the disciples ask Jesus if they could call fire down from heaven and destroy the village!
a. You have to laugh at this – no really – because this is what people do today too!
i. Jesus answer “NO!” and he rebuked them for even thinking like this!
b. How often does this happen by those within the church – instead of reaching out to save the lost they want them destroyed – not saved but burned up!
c. We see it with those protesting at funerals of people – really this is not Jesus!
vii. Case in point: Luke 9:57-62
1. We find Jesus moving on in the God adventure and on his journey he meets people who say they want to follow Him BUT first they have to do these other things!
a. People want to follow Jesus but on their own terms and when it is convenient for them!
b. Jesus made it plain those who follow Him that they must come on His terms – this is not let’s make a deal!
i. Listen Beyond Sunday mindsets love God they do not have: “Let’s make deal attitudes with God!”
1. Jesus make me rich and I will go to church every Sunday and give to your church!
a. Buzzer – wrong attitude!
c. These type of followers have a lack of self-denial for the Kingdom of Heaven!
i. They fail to surrender and place Jesus 1st!
c. As we see all the missed opportunities, the failures of the disciples,’ in this chapter, we see what can be a apart of the explanation of why the modern day Church and Christians are not impacting our culture!
i. Daring faith moments missed – failed – blown!
ii. Taking our Christianity “Beyond Sunday” not happening.
1. We need to go beyond Sunday to reach the lost!
iii. We need to seize the moment people of God today!
iv. We need to step out – believe – pray – die to ourselves!
v. We need to pray for people, love people, deliver people, share the truth of the Gospel with people – they are God’s Words not yours – But His! He wants to see people set free!
1. We need to take our faith out of the physical church building today – we need to die to selves so our witness soars to new heights in the power and the authority of Jesus! We have to leave the building! To impact and rescue people from this dark world of bondage and deception.
T.S. – In Luke 9 we see some of hindrances to going beyond Sundays and we need to lean from the disciple’s mistakes so we can impact our society! If you read the book of Acts we see the disciples have learned and grown through their mistakes and the result is they go out with the power of Holy Spirit and change the world!
II. Jesus sends out the 72 - like - He is sending us out today:
a. Luke 10:1-18:
i. He sends out the followers to do His work – and he tells them the “Harvest is plentiful!”
1. Same word goes for today – people will be transformed as we reach out – they will – they are searching.
a. Show why?
2. We need to pray to the Lord for the workers to bring in the harvest – it goes beyond just Sunday!
a. I have been praying that you would labor for the Lord in your everyday life!
ii. Luke 10:1 - Jesus sends them out 2 by 2 and they go ahead of Him before He enters that town or place.
1. The 1 on 1 challenge?
a. Idea: Connect with one other person each week for accountability and spiritual growth – have this set up by 2017 – find a person to connect with!
b. Work on the recruiting of those to mentor those with Love Inc! Preparing the way of the Lord!
iii. Point: Luke 10: 3-5 He is saying “Go!”
1. It will not be easy you will be like lambs among wolves! Not a pretty sight to watch!
2. You do not need to take anything with you – Jesus said “I will give you what you need!”
3. Jesus says, “Do not get hung up in greeting everyone on the road- go to those who I lead you too.”
a. Fellowship is good but Beyond Sunday is going to those God is leading you too! Which in most cases is not your friends!
b. He says “I will provide for you – be grateful for what I give you through those you minister too.”
iv. Luke 10:6 He is saying stay put – rooted – it’s through being faithful in the long haul that people’s lives are changed.
v. Point: Luke 10:8-15 When rejected – warn the ones rejecting you of their choice and its consequence.
vi. Point: Luke 10:16-17: “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects Him who sent me.”
b. The 72 returned with joy – amazed at the miracles that happened beyond the Sabbath – Demons submitted – people healed – people saved WHEN THEY HEARD God’s Words.
i. Point: Luke 10:18-24:
1. When we step out in daring faith Jesus sees the spiritual results – Satan is beaten back – He rejoices that they are using the authority and trampling on Satan --- nothing can harm them – he is over them in protection!
b. Caution: Do not rejoice that spirits submit to them but understand it’s about having your names written in heaven as His disciple – men and women with daring faith.
2. Jesus rejoices at the success of the disciples – He praises the Father --- we need to understand how blessed we are that we have His power and authority to do these things in this lost world.
ii. Point: Luke 10:25-37 Point to Highlight –
a. The Parable of Good of Good Samaritan leads us into to next Sunday with "Labor of Love!" Is all about this story from Jesus!
iii. Point: Luke 10:38-42: The story of Mary and Martha – work (ministry) verse worship- Jesus presents – the balance!
1. Simplify by Bill Hybels!
c. Why does our faith have to go beyond Sunday?
i. Why not just have our faith be about Sunday only?
ii. Is this not too much and going over board?
Conclusion:
Beyond Sunday – Skit!
The situations that were shown here exists today in our world, both in the walls of this church and outside these walls. Beyond Sunday is an opportunity for us to go beyond this Sunday, to go beyond these walls, to see the need for Christ in all of our lives, and to impact our world with the love of Jesus….
Picnic carnival after Sunday service!
