The Aliens Have Landed
Knowing Where You Come From
8/20/03
I. Introduction
One day a space ship landed in the middle of a huge field just outside a small, rural community. The aliens looked friendly enough, so some farmers cautiously approached them, hoping to establish a good relationship with them. The aliens greeted the earthlings warmly and said, “We are on a mission from the planet Zuron of the galaxy Andromeda. We have been assigned to explore your planet and to discover what you have learned. We are here to learn as much as we can about the planet earth. So tell us, has anything significant happened here on earth that you can tell us about?”
The farmers thought for a moment and then one spoke up and said, “Well, we have radio and TV! We can send radio and microwave signals all over the planet using satellites.” The aliens replied, “Oh, well we have had that for thousands of years. In fact, that technology has become quite obsolete. What else has happened?”
Again, the farmers scratched their heads and one said, “We have developed computers that can process information in seconds that used to take years. And these computers are small enough to be carried in a briefcase!”
“Well, that’s old news, too,” said the aliens. “Hasn’t anything extraordinary happened here?”
The farmers were still thinking when one of the aliens asked, “We have heard a rumor that God visited your planet many years ago. Is this rumor true?”
“Well, there was a man named Jesus Christ. He claimed…”
“Yes! That’s it! Jesus Christ! Did he really come?” the aliens asked excitedly.
“Yes,” said the farmers, “but…”
“What an extraordinary thing! What a wonderful thing!” exclaimed the aliens. “Tell us, what did you do when God visited your planet? Did you bring gifts and throw them at his feet? Did you run the streets celebrating and singing? Did all the world finally realize how much he loves them? Please, tell us, what did you do?”
The farmers pondered for a moment and then sheepishly said, “Um…we killed him.”
Tonight we’re talking about aliens. The message title is The Aliens Have Landed: Knowing Where You Come From. Chances are you may have seen one or two sci-fi flicks or TV shows about aliens. The movie, Alien, for example, E.T., Star Wars, Signs, or The X-Files, among many others. And these movies investigate the possibility of the existence of extraterrestrial life forms. But did you know that the real aliens have already landed here on earth?
Who are these aliens you may ask. Well, you’re in the right place, because tonight, I’m unmasking historical evidence that proves that aliens exist and that they’re right here on planet Earth!
II. The Real Aliens
1 Peter 2:11 “11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in this world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.”
Who is Peter writing to here? Is he writing to E.T.? No, he’s writing to Christians. You see, Christians are the real aliens. That means you and I are really aliens. What does it mean to be an alien? Does it mean that we’re green and slimy with big heads and no noses? No, the word alien simply means foreigner or one who is not of this place. Well, you and I were born here, right? That means we’re from this place, or this planet, doesn’t it? Well, yeah. Then why does Peter refer to us as aliens? And you know what, Peter wasn’t the only one who said that we’re aliens.
John 15:18-19 “18If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
John 17:14 “14I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”
Even Jesus said that you are not of this world. And He even said that He was not of this world either. That means Jesus was an alien too. And if Jesus was an alien, and we’re Christians, little Christs, then that makes us aliens.
So, if we’re aliens, what planet do we come from?
Philippians 3:18-21 “18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
How many U.S. citizens do we have in here? No illegal immigrants? What does it mean to be a citizen? What about being a citizen of heaven? That means heaven is our home. This world is not our home. Though we may be U.S. citizens, we have a higher citizenship and we’ll be going home soon enough.
So, we’re aliens from heaven. Why would aliens come to this planet? For sight-seeing or do they have a purpose? There is a purpose, we have a mission.
III. The Mission
Matthew 28:18-20 “18Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
Our mission as aliens in this world is to take them to our leader. We’re not just tourists here to see all that we can see and do all that we can do to have fun. We have a purpose for being here, and that purpose is to convert all the other humans into aliens like us.
Our purpose is ultimately to proclaim God’s promise. What is His promise? God’s promise is the good news. The Bible is full of good news for people. It’s full of good news about every situation in life. Are you sick? There’s good news…God came to make you well. Are you depressed? There’s good news…God came to give you joy. Are you selfish, mean, ugly and arrogant? There’s good news…God came so that you could be changed and people can like you. Are you flat broke? There’s good news…God came to give you the power to get wealth. Are you tired? There’s good news…God came to give you rest. Are you scared? There’s good news…God came to give you a spirit of joy, and power and sound mind. Are you stupid? There’s good news…God came to give you the mind of Christ. Are you happy? There’s good news…God came to make your life even better! If you want to know what God’s promise is, read His book. Or get the Cliff notes…God’s Promises books are full of Scriptures about God’s promises for certain situations.
IV. The Strategy
Now that we know our mission for being here, we have to have a strategy to accomplish this mission.
Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.”
We have to show up shining our light, blinding them with the love of God so that know there’s something to this alien thing. And then they’ll want to be abducted into our alien family and make heaven their home.
One way to go about this mission is by sharing the gospel to our friends with words. But we have to be careful what we say so that we don’t give our friends a wrong view of Christianity. But Pastor Nate, how can people get a wrong view of Christianity from us telling them about it? I want to read to you a few headlines from actual newspapers. Let’s see if you get the right view or the wrong view of what they’re trying to say.
· Grandmother of Eight Makes Hole in One
· Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
· House Passes Gas Tax onto Senate
· Two Convicts Evade Noose, Jury Hung
· Milk Drinkers Are Turning to Powder
· Safety Experts Say Children on School Bus Should Be Belted
· Iraqi Head Seeks Arms
· Queen Mary Having Bottom Scraped
· Panda Mating Fails, Veterinarian Takes Over
· Child’s Stool Great For Use in Garden
· Eye Drops off Shelf
· Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim
· Dealers Will Hear Car Talk at Noon
· Two Sisters Reunite After Eighteen Years at Checkout Counter
· Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Experts Say
· Juvenile Court To Try Shooting Defendant
· Stolen Painting Found by Tree
· Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge
· Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
· Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
· Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
· Sex Education Delayed, Teachers Request Training
We’ve all had times when what we write or say just comes out wrong. When we share Christ with people, for instance, what do they hear in our stumbling attempts at proclaiming the gospel? What we mean to say is sometimes not what actually comes out. Listen to yourself; make sure you’re not communicating a wrong impression of what it means to be a Christian.
I’m not saying that you have to have perfect speech or be a perfect communicator to share the gospel with someone. Anybody in here can carry out the mission and succeed. If you don’t feel comfortable telling someone about Jesus, there are other ways to share the gospel.
-Lead by example. “Share the gospel wherever you go, and if needed, use words.” – Michael W. Smith
That’s what Jesus was talking about when he said let your light shine and do good works. Live the Christian life, be willing to share testimonies about what God’s done for you and people will want what you have.
-Mission trip or Outreach events.
Go on a trip or event specifically for the purpose of sharing the gospel with people. Maybe you’ll be doing work to show the love of God. Maybe you won’t have any actual contact with people. For instance, we’re going to have a Friend Day coming up in a few weeks and for that day, the weekend before we’re going to be going around to different subdivisions and hanging doorhangers on people’s doors. And that’s a way to reach out to the community and impact people’s lives.
-Tract cards/Get Real cards.
A good way to share the good news is to put something in somebody’s hand. You can hand them a tract (but it has to be cool). Don’t give out tracts to people that say “You’re Going to Hell” in big bold letters and in fine print underneath they say “if you don’t accept Jesus as your Savior.” No, you can give out these little cards that have neat phrases and stuff. Especially when you eat at a restaurant. Leave the waitress a nice tip and one of these cards. You might write out a Bible verse on it or a note that says thanks for the service.
And you know what you’re doing when you do any of these things? You’re sharing God’s love in a practical way. You’re carrying out the mission of why we’re here and you’re carrying out a part of the Get Real vision: Proclaim God’s Promise. We’re supposed to proclaim God’s promise because we’re Christians, not just because it’s a part of the Get Real Vision. God’s Vision is for you to proclaim His promise.
It’s not fair to everybody else if we keep what we have to ourselves. We need to share God’s goodness everywhere we go and with everyone we meet.
