Ready To Go!

READY TO GO!

John 1:19-28

S: Preparing others for Jesus

Th: “My Life as God’s Light”

Pr: WE ARE TO COMMUNICATE JESUS TO PEOPLE.

?: How?

KW: Ways to communicate

TS: We will find in John 1:19-28 four ways to communicate Jesus to people.

The ____ way we communicate Jesus to people is as an…

I. INTERPRETER (19-21)

II. INFORMER (22-23)

III. ISSUER (24-26)

IV. INDICATOR (26-28)

RMBC 01/07/01 AM

INTRODUCTION:

1. Have you ever wondered what they were trying to say?

I know that there is such a thing as scholar-athletes, but some of the following quotes will make you think that sports scholarship is an oxymoron:

ILL Notebook: Communication (strange sport sayings—selected)

“You guys line up alphabetically by height.” said by Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach.

When Shaquille O’Neal was asked whether he had visited the Parthenon during his visit to Greece, he replied, “I can’t really remember the names of the clubs that we went to.”

“I’m going to graduate on time, no matter how long it takes,” was said by a Senior basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh.

“Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein.” This was said by ESPN football commentator and former player Joe Theismann.

And finally, another statement by Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach, “You guys pair up in groups of three, then line up in a circle.”

Well, perhaps that isn’t quite what they meant to say.

They did not communicate what they had intended to.

But it makes us ask a personal question this morning…

2. What kind of a communicator are you?

Do you communicate clearly?

Are you understood when you speak?

TRANSITION:

1. Our theme this year is, “My Life as God’s Light” (Ephesians 5:8).

We will be discovering throughout the year how each one of us can be God’s light in this very dark world.

Our theme verse is Ephesians 5:8:

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.

We are continuing in our study of the gospel of John because we want to know what it is to be light in the Lord.

Even though the verse in Ephesians was penned by the apostle Paul, it is a theme that weaves its way through the gospel of John.

He frequently mentions the word light and words that are connected to it.

He wants us to know what our responsibility is to live as children of light.

ILL Notebook: Heaven (Spurgeon)

The gifted English preacher, Charles Spurgeon, was telling a group of young pastors that their facial expressions should be in harmony with the subject they were focusing on. “When you speak of heaven,” he said, “let your face light up and be irradiated with a heavenly gleam. Let your eyes shine with reflected glory. And when you speak of hell…well, then your everyday face will do.”

Heaven should be very evident in us as believers.

We have a destination of hope and security.

But there is a greater percentage of people without hope.

They trust in things that are not reliable.

Their future is full of insecurity.

But we can do something about that!

2. We have the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.

ILL Notebook: Difference (“It’s a Wonderful Life”)

One of my favorite movies of all time is “It’s a Wonderful Life” starring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey. I watched it again this week. The pivotal moment in the movie is when George Bailey is standing on a bridge, contemplating suicide. But then, Bailey instead finds himself leaping into the water to save someone else, a ’man’ who turns out to be his guardian angel, Clarence. It is a defining moment of greatness for just as George is in this moment of greatest despair, he risks his life to save someone he doesn’t even know.

George Bailey is an admirable man. He always does what’s right, often sacrificing his own dreams for the good of his family, friends and community. And, up until that moment on the bridge, he does so with little complaining, self-pity or loathing. This is what makes his ethical battle on the bridge so compelling. By the time George hits rock bottom, we have accompanied him on such a fascinating ride that we can’t help but pray that it turns out well for him. And it does, as he discovers that his life has truly made a difference to his friends and to the town as a whole.

We need to see that what is true of George Bailey is also true of us.

We impact people everyday.

And we contribute to their final destination.

So this is why we must take seriously this challenge to be children of light.