TITLE: “JUST DO IT!!”
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:1-12
By: Captain Danny Pinksen
The Salvation Army CBS Corps
Introduction:
[ILLUS: You and I are the consumers. Did you ever wonder why TV commercials are the way that they are? Every commercial producer hopes (believes) that their commercial, advertising their product, will entice us, the customer, into buying their product. Simply put - they are trying to make you believe that life won’t be the same unless you’re using their product.
Some examples include:
A wife and mother cannot possibly find peace and rest unless they take a bath w/Calgon: “Calgon take me away!” {Men, we don’t have anything!}
It is impossible to have a good night’s rest unless you use Niquil: “The sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head so you can rest medicine.”]
I don’t want to be and never will become a commercial producer. But I certainly want you to buy into this message this evening. Therefore I am going to do this sermon in the form of a commercial hoping that I can sell it to you.
When I thought about Community Cares Ministry Sunday, for some strange reason a TV commercial kept coming to my mind. Whenever I gave I gave thought what I would speak on - a certain commercial kept coming to me.
Until finally I said to the Lord “Now I get it, You want me to preach about this commercial.” The Lord said “Yes”.
We live in a world that is filled with slogans.
Scouts: Be prepared!
Ford: Built Ford tough!
M and Ms: Melts in your mouth and not in your hands!
Canadian Tire: More than just tires!
But the slogan and commercial that has really caught my attention over the last few weeks is the one by the NIKE corporation.
“JUST DO IT!”(rpt)
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this slogan applies to our Community Cares Ministry in more ways than one.
I want to introduce this slogan to you this evening perhaps in a way different than you have ever thought about it before – one word at a time.
The first part of the slogan I want to look at is ….
1. JUST:
What is JUST? The Websters’s Dictionary defines it as being righteous. Righteous is acting in an upright manner; virtuous; morally right. Therefore a JUST person is someone who is righteous, someone who acts in an upright manner; someone who is morally right.
That’s what the dictionary says it means but what does it really mean to us Christians?
Romans 5: 9 “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” This verse gives us a glimpse of what JUST really means.
When we give our lives to God, come to faith, get saved, being born again, whatever way you want to describe it. When this happens in our lives then and only then do we become JUST.
Romans 5:9 “we have now been justified by his blood…” If you are a child of God, then in God’s eyes you are a JUST person. God views you JUST as if you have never sinned.
What does the Bible have to say about JUST people? James 5:16 “…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” The prayer of a righteous man, woman, and young person is powerful and effective.
Not only are the prayers of righteous people powerful and effective, but you will notice all throughout scripture, but God only uses righteous people (JUST people) to carry out His work. This is true in the Old and New Testaments. Therefore the work of righteous people is powerful and effective when God is with them.
Some examples:
Old Testament: God used Moses in a powerful way in freeing the Israelites from Egyptian captivity. From the beginning when God first called, Moses said ‘I am not your man, I am inadequate for such a great task’. Basically God said to Moses I have choose you not because of your abilities but because of your relationship with me. God seen Moses as a JUST person. God said to Moses “no arguments – JUST DO IT!”
New Testament: Jesus Christ in choosing His disciples called 12 ordinary individuals to follow Him. Not only were the first disciples but some of them are known today as the greatest of disciples. He didn’t ask the men to think about their calling. He basically said “JUST DO IT!”
Those of us who claim to be Christians, especially CCM workers. Are you the Biblical “JUST” person – doing the work that God has called us to do.
If the JUST don’t do it, then tell me something: Who is going to do it? (rpt) We need to think about that!!
The second part of the slogan I want to speak on is ….
2. DO:
What is DO? Webster’s Dictionary defines it as an action; to perform; to finish; to complete; to exert; to do with as required. The word ‘DO’ is a verb. The verb in a sentence describes the action. What does DO mean for us?
It is the action that the JUST people should find themselves doing.
Matthew 28:19 Jesus gave the Great Commission in which He said to His disciples “Therefore GO” GO! GO! Basically He said Do something in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
I guess the natural question to ask at this point is:
To what extent should Christians be doing God’s work? For example, if I just keep my ownself saved, and do my own thing: will I be OK with God? I would assume if Jesus wanted us to be only concern with ourselves, then He probably wouldn’t have issued the great commission in the first place. Neither would He have given us numerous instructions on what He expects from us in various scripture passages.
Based on what I read in my Bible, I believe it is very clear that Christ expects us to be DOERS. The world has enough people now who just think about all that need to be done. God needs people who are going to do it.
One of the well-known parables is the Good Samaritan. This one shows us clearly that Christ wants us to be like the Samaritan who was a DOER and not the others who simply passed by; even when we are not comfortable or fond of the situation.
I also found an interesting Bible passage in
James 2:24&26 “A person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone…As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
Please do not misquote what the Bible says here or what I am going to say. Salvation is a gift from God and there is nothing that we do to deserve it. But once we are saved, scripture says that we will be known by the fruits of our spirits. In other words, we will be known to the world: our family, friends, co-workers, church members by what we do and don’t do. When we become saved there is more expected from us than just staying saved.
Are we doing the work that God has called us to do?
If the JUST don’t do it, then tell me something: Who is going to do it? (rpt) We need to think about that!!
The third part of the slogan I want to speak on is …
3. IT:
What is IT? In terms of our slogan it is the pronoun that describes all that we the JUST are to be doing.
The obvious question is what is IT that we are to be doing?
We need to get back to doing the things that God raised churches to be doing. We need to be meeting the needs of the people both inside and outside the church. I believe that God desires to use our church to that end.
When a church starts fulfilling its God-appointed purpose - the impact on the Kingdom of God can only be positive and powerful.
We need to take heed of the Great Commission and go into the entire world. For us in CBS that means:
in our neighbourhoods,
on our streets,
in our community centers,
in prisons,
in our churches,
in our senior’s homes, and
in our hospitals.
We need to be visible and be found meeting whatever needs are present.
Those needs could be:
Feeding the hungry,
Speaking to the lonely,
Visit the sick,
Ministering to the prisoner,
Encouraging the downhearted,
Helping the disabled,
Most importantly leading the unsaved to Christ. With all that we do, it should be done hoping that it may eventually if not immediately lead them to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Friends, tell me something: If the JUST don’t do it, then tell me something: Who is going to do it? (rpt) We need to think about that!!
Conclusion:
Now we have the task of putting the slogan together.
“JUST DO IT!” (rpt) Everyone wins when God’s people do what they should be doing. You win because you’re doing God’s work and those who are in need also win because their needs are being met.
Let’s realize this evening: God does not require workers who need to think about it. The needs are too great and too urgent for God’s people to be thinking about it.
There are too many people who are hungry.
There are too many people who are lonely.
There are too many people who are hurting.
There are too many people who are sick.
There are too many people who are depressed (suicide).
There are far too many people who are unsaved.
Let’s allow God to do the thinking and lets get doing what needs to be done.
The last part of the slogan that I really like is the symbol that looks like a checkmark. You see young people wearing it on the caps. When I look at that symbol, what comes to my mind is: Can God count on me (place a checkmark by my name) as one of the people who will “JUST DO IT!”?
Let’s personalize that thought this evening. Can God put a checkmark by your name as one of the people who He can count on to “JUST DO IT!”?
CCM workers, brothers and sisters in Christ if God can place a checkmark by your name, then I invite you to come to this mercy seat, and tell Him personally that “Yes Lord You can definitely count on me”.
Sinner friends God is speaking to you this evening. You need to be saved! You need to give your heart to Jesus Christ. You too need to act as the CCM workers do and put aside all the excuses you have for not getting saved and “JUST DO IT!” Jesus Christ wants to put a checkmark by your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Will you allow Him to do that this evening?
