Evangelism Series #2
CHCC: January 22, 2006
Tell a Friend
John 20:18-30
SCRIPTURE READING: John 20:19-22
INTRODUCTION:
Have you ever heard of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics? It’s a basic Scientific Law – right up there with the Law of Gravity. One definition of it says: The entropy (disorder) of a closed system will not decrease for any sustained period of time. (That was the shortest one I found.) To put it simply: everything tends to wear out, run down, or stop working. Things move from order to disorder and from organization to chaos.
According to an author named Mark Mittelberg, there is also a 2nd Law of Spiritual-dynamics. This Law says: If left to themselves, Christians move toward self-centeredness. (Building a Contagious Church) If that is true, then we have to work against the gravitational pull of selfishness. There’s no way a Self-centered Christians will be motivated to spread the Gospel to a dying world. This sermon --- and the lesson in our Pueblo groups this week --- are meant to help us get motivated for evangelism.
You may remember that our Church is
working to move forward in 4 areas:
Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, and Outreach.
While you look at the logo overhead,
I want you to notice something about these 4 Purposes:
not one of them is SELF-centered.
• REACHING UP in Worship is directed toward God.
• REACHING IN with Fellowship is directed to our fellow Christians.
• REACHING DOWN in Discipleship is directed to those who are growing up in their Christian life.
• REACHING OUT is directed to those who do not know the Lord.
Out of these 4 Purposes, I think OUTREACH is the most susceptible to the 2nd Law of Spiritual-dynamics. Pastor Rick Warren put out a survey about the Purpose of the Church that shows why some Christians aren’t motivated for Evangelism.
• In the survey, 89% of the church members said the Church’s Purpose is to “take care of my needs and those of my family.”
• Only 11% said, “The purpose of the church is to win the world for Jesus Christ.” (The Purpose-Driven Church, Page 82)
But according to Jesus Christ, spreading the Good News is our MAIN purpose. Some people think of Evangelizing as a heavy burden. It’s just one more thing to feel guilty about. But that’s not the way we should be looking at it, because the call to evangelism is actually a HEAVENLY HONOR.
1. HEAVENLY HONOR
Look at the TEXT in John chapter 20. It was a Sunday evening. But it wasn’t just any Sunday. Jesus rose from the dead early that morning. The Disciples heard this amazing news from Mary Magdalene --- but they didn’t believe her. Far from spreading the Good News, they went into hiding. Verse 19 says they were huddled together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews…
The reason they were hiding is the same reason a lot of Christians hide behind Church doors instead of REACHING OUT. That reason is --- to put it bluntly --- FEAR. Look at how Jesus ended their fear. …Then Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" John 20:19 Jesus showed them his wounded hands and feet so they could know the truth. Then the text says that they were overjoyed because they had seen the Lord.
But they hardly had time to soak it all in before Jesus made this amazing statement: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20: 21 Here they were, cowering behind closed doors. They had only BELIEVED the truth for a few minutes. And already Jesus is telling them to go and Spread the Word. It’s as if he tossed them the Keys and said, “What are you waiting for, guys? Get going!”
How many of you remember the first time your mom or dad gave you the KEYS to the car? That’s when you really feel like you’ve grown up. And for those of you who have had that “exhilarating” experience of tossing the KEYS to your child for the first time, you know what kind of TRUST you were putting in them. In my case, I wanted to find some kind of SHERMAN TANK for my girls to drive. I didn’t care if the engine worked just so it had good brakes.
The point is, giving someone the KEYS to the car means you have put a lot of trust in them. When Jesus said As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. He was entrusting us with something very valuable. We should see it as an HONOR, not a burden.
Another MOTIVATION for telling others about Jesus is what we could call our SPIRITUAL STOCKPILE. (By the way, I took the points in this OUTLINE from the book we’re using in our Pueblo Groups.)
2. OUR SPIRITUAL STOCKPILE
When Jesus appeared to His Disciples in John chapter 20, His first words were: Peace be with you. The Hebrew word for Peace is Shalom, which means “all good to you.” Jesus offers shalom ... “all good” to you and me.
The GOOD that Jesus gives you is what makes up your SPIRITUAL STOCKPILE. Now, your STOCKPILE will look a little different from mine. Each person comes to Jesus in different ways, at different ages, through different circumstances.
But for all of us, He gives FORGIVENESS in place of GUILT.
He gives JOY in place of DESPAIR.
He gives COURAGE in place of FEAR.
When you receive that much GOOD, you just naturally want to tell others about it.
I Peter 2:1-3 says … grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. I don’t know about you, but when I TASTE something GOOD, I want to spread the news.
Just recently I discovered a restaurant where you get to fill a big bowl with frozen meat and pasta and sauces … and maybe even vegetables. Then they cook it up right there in front of you and dump it in a dish. When you’re through, you can start all over and do it again. What could be better than that?
Susan was underwhelmed --- but I thought it was great. So, naturally, I spread the word. In fact, Ronnie, Dallas, Jesus, and I had our last Pastoral Staff Meeting over big bowls of Mongolian stuff at HuHot.
All of us talk about the things that excite us. We’ve heard people go on and on about their latest Vacation Trip … or their wonderful Grandkids (feel free to ask me for details on that one…) And people are usually ready to talk --- any time, any where --- about Sports. (…especially if it’s a winning football team … ask Bill Crouch about that one…).
So why don’t Christians talk more about our Powerful, Loving, and Forgiving God? For some, the reason is described in Revelation 2:4. Jesus told the church at Ephesus: I hold this against you: You have forgotten your first love. I don’t know about you, but I can remember my first love (… it was Susan, of course!) Anyway, when you first fall in love you have no trouble admiring, praising, thinking about, dreaming about, and especially TALKING about --- that amazing person. The one you love stays in the forefront of your mind all the time.
The point is, our relationship with God belongs in the forefront of our minds. We need to remember our first love. We need to “take stock of” our Spiritual Stockpile. That means we might need to make a list (Like that Old Hymn says: Count Your Blessings, name them one by one. Count Your Blessings, see what God has done…) If we continually thank God for the Good He gives, we’ll be ready to TALK about HIM when the chance arises.
There are plenty of GOOD reasons to share the Good News, but there is also a NEGATIVE kind of motivation. When it comes to Evangelism, the Stakes are high. Eternity is in the balance.
Now, I’ve noticed that most people like to talk about Heaven. But it’s not “politically correct” to bring up the other “H” word. Whether we like it or not, though, Hell is a major theme in the New Testament. In fact, Jesus explained more about Hell than any other teacher.
3. REALITY OF HELL
The REALITY OF HELL should motivate us to tell lost people how to be saved. An old Baptist preacher named Vance Havner once said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard people speak of an unsaved boy or girl as being lost. That old word has departed from our Christian vocabulary. …
Young people who are prospering materially and socially are admired … but if they do not know Jesus Christ, they are not doing well. We act as if their lost condition were incidental. Either it is a stupendous issue of Heaven or Hell, or it means nothing.
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He died for them. He is their only hope for salvation. There is something wrong when we say we believe that … but act as though it doesn’t really matter.
Maybe one reason we have trouble witnessing is actually because it DOES matter so much. I mean, we can blab on and on about unimportant things --- because it doesn’t matter if we get it right. But when something is a life and death issue, we are afraid of messing up. There’s too much at stake, so it seems safer to just stay quiet. What if we say the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong way?
Do you feel overwhelmed by the importance of the task Jesus gave us? Join the club. No one is really up to such a important task. But Jesus didn’t ask us to do the job on our own. In John 20:22, Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you…" Look at what he did immediately after that: With that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.”
If you have accepted Jesus as Your Savior, the Holy Spirit lives and breathes in you. The Holy Spirit helps you pray for your friends. He gives you the words to say when the time is right. He helps you live the life that “backs up” your witness. And best of all, the Holy Spirit works in the heart of the person you are talking to.
In John chapter 20, all of the Apostles except one had seen the Resurrected Jesus. Verse 24 explains: Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" John 20:24-25
When these men told Thomas the Good News they did not get the response they wanted. He said, I can’t believe it unless I see it myself. Soon after that, Jesus stepped in --- quite literally.
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" John 20:26-28
Look at the Chronology:
• The Disciples shared the Good News but their friend wasn’t ready for it.
• Then Jesus revealed Himself directly to their friend --- the same way Jesus had revealed Himself to them a week earlier.
• That was the point where Thomas believed.
This shows us a picture of what the Holy Spirit does after you witness to a friend. When the time is right, Jesus will reveal Himself to your friend --- just like He revealed Himself to you. I think this is the best news of all. Just like the Holy Spirit works in your heart, He will work in the heart of the person you are talking to. Your part is to tell your friend about God. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.
Once you have played a part in leading a friend to Christ, you will know a kind of JOY that’s like no other. The JOY OF BRINING SOMEONE TO CHRIST is a big MOTIVATION for sharing the Gospel.
4. JOY IN BRINGING SOMEONE TO CHRIST
It’s a great feeling to know someone will be in Heaven because of your prayers and words. When you experience that kind of JOY, you won’t want to stop with just one. But don’t expect to see results every time you share the Gospel. Billy Graham once said that it takes 40 people to lead someone to Christ … the first one thinks they did nothing and the last one thinks they did it all. Just remember that any time you speak out for Jesus, His Spirit will use your words to bring that person closer to salvation.
An evangelist named Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman stated that the New Testament records tell about 40 different people who were healed by Jesus. Of this number, 34 were brought to Jesus by friends. Only 6 out of those 40 came to Jesus without the help of a friend. What was true in the First Century is still true today. Most people who come to Jesus will be brought by a friend.
Every one of us has friends, co-workers, and neighbors who need to hear about Jesus. We have a part to play in God’s eternal plan.
CONCLUSION:
I heard a story about the day that Jesus returned to Heaven. The Angel Gabriel asked Jesus to explain what had happened down there on earth.
He asked, “Did they make you King?” Jesus answered, “No.”
“Did they make you prince?” “No.”
“Did they worship you?” “Most of them didn’t.”
“Well then, what happened?” “They crucified me.”
“But after you rose from the Dead,
everyone worshipped you, right?” “No.”
“So, what is your plan?” “I left my people down there.”
Gabriel looked skeptical.
“But if they fail ---- What is your other plan?”
Jesus replied, “I have no other plan.”
We are Plan A. There is no Plan B.
Maybe you are here this morning because a friend invited you to come. If the Spirit of God is speaking to your heart today, this is your chance to respond to God’s call. (prayer)
