MAKE JESUS FAMOUS
Ex. 9:16
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
Pete Smith told me about a King in Europe who was only 12 inches tall! He was a terrible King but a good ruler!
B. TEXT
1. God told Pharaoh, “But for one reason only I’ve kept you on your feet: To make you recognize my power so that my reputation spreads in all the Earth” Ex. 9:16, MSG
2. Solomon prayed, “People are going to be attracted here by your great reputation, your wonder-working power, who come to pray at this Temple” 1 Kgs. 8:41-43, MSG.
C. THESIS
1. God is very interested in lost people hearing about Him and He’s very concerned about His reputation. For that, He’s depending on us.
2. Today, we’re going to see how God wants us 1). To make JESUS famous, not ourselves; 2). To make Jesus famous by our HOLY LIFE; and 3). To make Jesus famous by stepping out in faith to see the miraculous.
3. The title is “Make Jesus Famous.”
I. MAKE JESUS FAMOUS, NOT OURSELVES
A. JESUS IS THE KEY TO REVIVAL
1. Jesus said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me” John 12:32. Jesus DIDN’T say, “If you talk about hunting or sports or about yourself.” He said we must lift HIM up!
2. To "lift up" is to "draw attention to," "make obvious," "make visible" in comparison to other objects of faith.
3. It’s not religions that save, or denominations or doctrines – it’s Jesus! Like the Hindu said: "Many things which Christianity contains I find in Hinduism; but there is one thing which Christianity has that Hinduism has not." "What is that?" the missionary asked. His reply was striking: "A Savior." There is NO SAVIOR in Islam, Hinduism, Confucianism, or Buddhism!
4. DON’T WATER JESUS DOWN!
a. If you water gasoline down, it ceases to be explosive -- it becomes useless for running your car.
b. If you reduce the active ingredients in pain killers, they no longer relieve the pain of the sufferers.
c. If you put too much carbonated water or less syrup in fountain drinks they lose their appeal and flavor. TO REDUCE THE KEY INGREDIENT IN OUR PRODUCTS MAKES THEM LOSE THEIR PRIMARY FUNCTION! The PRIMARY FUNCTION of Christianity is to Save, Heal, and Deliver! Let’s KEEP JESUS AS THE MAIN INGREDIENT!
B. EVEN THE HOLY SPIRIT DOESN’T SPEAK OF HIMSELF, BUT JESUS
1. John 16:13-14, “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He...shall not speak of Himself....He shall glorify Me.”
2. This is the same Holy Spirit who hovered over the waters at Creation and the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus up from the dead (Rom. 8:11). If HE will not glorify Himself, how dare any human bring glory to themselves? THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME TO MAKE JESUS FAMOUS – SO SHOULD WE!
3. God says, “For My own sake, I will do it...and I WILL NOT GIVE MY GLORY TO ANOTHER” Isa. 48:11. The Bible says God is “jealous” God who will allow no worship except of Himself (because it would be inappropriate and against the created order). God wouldn’t let Gideon have more than 300 men so Israel wouldn’t take the glory of the victory to themselves (Judges 7:2).
4. ILLUS. A man with a fine fishing boat & equipment fished in vain a whole morning. He saw a boy on the shore with a fine string of trout. "How is it that I can't catch any?" the man inquired. The boy answered, "Because you don't keep yourself out of sight!" God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. If you want God’s blessing, give HIM all the glory!
II. MAKE JESUS FAMOUS, BY YOUR HOLY LIFE
A. OUR BEHAVIOR AFFECTS PEOPLE’S VIEW OF GOD
1. Peter told us, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” 1 Pet. 2:12.
2. We bring honor to God when we live holy lives (consistent with God’s nature, since we say we have inside us), or we demean God by ungodly behavior, because it reflects on the One we say we serve.
3. God said, “I suffered much pain over my holy reputation, which the people of Israel blackened in every country they entered” Ezek. 36:21, MSG.
4. When David sinned with Bathsheba, God told him he had “given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme” 2 Sam. 12:14. A holy life honors God & unholy dishonors Him.
B. LET’S BE THE LIGHT TO A DARK WORLD
1. Philippians 1:27; “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
2. Our conversations, business transactions, modes of dress, style of living, entertainments all are involved. There’s nothing which we do, or say, or purpose, that is exempted from the rules of the Kingdom of God.
3. Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. If the salt loses its saltiness, it is good for nothing but to be cast out and tramped on by men.” “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid…Let your light so shine among men that they may see your light and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Are we being the salt and light God wants us to be?
C. ILLUSTRATION: HE SHOWS THROUGH
1. One Sunday a little girl turned to her mother & said, "Mommy, the Pastor said that God is bigger than we are. He said God is so big that He could hold the world in His hand. Is that true?" The mother replied, "Yes, that’s true, honey."
2. "But Mommy, he also said that God comes to live inside of us when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Is that true, too?" Again, the mother said ‘yes.’ The little girl asked, "If God is bigger than us & He lives in us, wouldn’t He show through?"
III. MAKE JESUS FAMOUS - STEP OUT IN FAITH!
A. WHY GOD WANTS MIRACLES TO HAPPEN
1. All the miracles of the Bible were performed by ordinary men or women in cooperation with God: the sun standing still, the parting of the Red Sea, fire from heaven, plagues on Egypt, iron floating, salt making water sweet, healing the sick, walking on water, multiplying food or oil, etc.
2. Jesus told us that miraculous signs would follow believers (Mk. 16:17). If we really believe Jesus is who He says He is, then we will do the same things He did! “Jesus Christ – the same, yesterday, today & forever!” Heb. 13:8.
3. Jesus said, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” John 14:12.
4. He commanded us, “And as ye go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give” Mt. 10:7-8.
5. Miracles are normal to God! When God performs a miracle, the laws of nature are NOT violated, but superseded by a force superior to the laws of nature.
6. Miracles are STILL NECESSARY TODAY because they meet human needs, they get people’s attention focused on God, they confirm Christ’s deity (Acts 2:22), and they build our faith (John 11:45).
B. DO WE LIMIT GOD?
1. You may say, “Ah! But if God wants to work a miracle, then there’s no way we’re going to stop Him.” Not necessarily. WE CAN LIMIT GOD! Mk. 6:5 says, “And He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them” Mk. 6:5. Why? Because of unbelief. God has determined that OUR PART in miracles is to have faith in God.
2. WE LIMIT GOD TO OUR EXPERIENCES – our preconceived ideas of what God will do. But God’s moving is often outside the scope of our conception: Moses used a stick to make salty waters sweet; Jesus used spittle to heal a man’s eyes; Elisha used flour to remove poison from soup; leprosy was healed by dipping 7X in a muddy river, etc.
3. We say, “I don’t think God moves that way!” We need to take our hands off the HOW God’s going to do it and let God be a mystery! But trust Him!
4. WE LIMIT GOD BY SMALL VISION.
a. 2 Guys went fishing. One fisherman was experienced, the other wasn't. Every time the experienced fisherman caught a big fish, he put it in the cooler.
b. When the inexperienced fisherman caught a big fish, he threw it back. Finally, the experienced fisherman asked, "Why do you keep throwing back all the big fish you catch?" The other fisherman replied, "I only have a small frying pan."
5. Sometimes, like that fisherman, we throw back the big plans, big dreams, miracles, and big opportunities that God gives us. Our faith is too small. What we really ought to do is get a bigger frying pan! A bigger vision! Do you need to increase the size of your faith?
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Paul Harvey told the story of a three-year-old boy at the grocery store with his mother. She told him before entering the store, “No chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask!”
2. At the store, he was quiet until he got to the cookie aisle. He saw those delicious chocolate chip cookies, stood up and said, “Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies?”
3. With a strong voice she said to him, “I told you not to even ask. No!” He sat down. Later, when they passed that aisle again, he asked for them again. She told him, “Sit down and be quiet. I said no.”
4. Finally, when they arriving at the checkout lane, the little boy knew it was his last chance. So he stood up in his seat and shouted as loud as he could, “In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?”
5. Everyone around him began to laugh and applaud. And because of their generosity, the little boy left the store with twenty-three boxes of chocolate chip cookies!
6. God answers prayers that are prayed in the name of Jesus!
B. THE CALL
1. Jesus said, “If ye have faith...nothing shall be impossible unto you” Mt. 17:20. “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” Mk. 9:23.
2. What do you need God to do for you? Stand up and represent your need as we pray for the God of Miracles to meet your need.
3. Salvation Call. PRAYER.
[This is a total revamp of Ian Johnson’s message of the same title.]
