Tag, You're It

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. John 15:16 (NIV)

The Game of Tag

Is one of the oldest of games… Thrill of pursuit, of being pursued… There were times I wanted to be tagged. I would run in circles, staying fairly close to the person that was “it”.

A few weeks ago I preached a message called “Come Out With Your Hands Up” – a message about God’s pursuit of us. I read a portion of the poem, “The Hound of Heaven”.

It’s as if we’re in an eternal game of tag. To hear some of us Christians talk, you would think that we, in our wisdom, chose God. But as our text says, He chose us. We were running…

But Jesus came – touching… And it was the touch of God.

The Lord has made bare His holy arm In the eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the earth shall see The salvation of our God. Isaiah 52:10 (NKJV)

SOMEBODY TOUCHED ME

The late Nathaniel and Jean Urshan used to sing “Oh-oh-oh, somebody touched me…” I’m so glad He touched me.

I don’t really remember the first touch of God on my life – but I’m sure it was a human hand...

- Godly father and mother, who held me and prayed

- A youth pastor that put his arm around me when I should have been in trouble

I don’t remember the first time He spoke to me, but I’m sure it was a human voice...

THE POWER OF THE NEW COVENANT

The power of the New Covenant is God in a man – touching and speaking. In the Old Covenant, few felt – few heard. But it is different in the New Covenant. It is a human hand, a human voice that made the difference.

Jesus is a man that I can understand, introducing me to a God that I cannot. It is a man speaking to me for a God that I cannot hear. The New Covenant is about a man appearing before me to reveal to me a God that I cannot see.

That is why the New Covenant is so effective. It is effective because in Jesus, God touched us. You might say, “Jesus died 2000 years before I was born. How does he touch someone today?”

ABOUT THE TOUCH OF JESUS

It is an incredible touch.

- His is a touch of PASSION – It wasn’t just a casual brush, or a clumsy bump. It had emotion behind it. I can sense the passion behind the voice.

- His is a touch of POWER – Lame men walk, dumb men talk, deaf hear, blind see, devils flee

- His is a touch of PRIVILEGE – We did nothing to deserve it. But this the touch of a king.

- His is a touch of PERMANENCE – Something about his touch, about his voice. It lives on. It forever changes us.

- His is a touch of PURPOSE – Here is what I came to talk to you about. His touch was a touch of purpose.

o It was ON purpose. (Never a chance meeting)

o It was FOR a purpose. (Always had a reason )

Ultimately - it was a touch to be PASSED

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. John 14:12 (NKJV)

Jesus wasn’t just touching people… He was playing tag! He was touching them on purpose, and when he touched them, THEY WERE "IT"!

- He said “Peter, you’re it.” God was in that touch

- Peter said, “Matthew, you’re it” – and God was in that touch.

- For 2000 years the game has continued… And the hand of Jesus Christ has touched from generation to generation, from country to country. The voice of Jesus has spanned the globe.

FINALLY, HE TOUCHED ME.

That’s why I say that when I first heard the voice of God – it was the voice of a man. When I first felt the touch of God – it was a human touch.

It was still a touch of passion, power, privilege, permanence, purpose… God was in that touch.

But I also realize that it is a touch to be passed! You see – I am it!

And you are here for a reason… This isn’t just a casual brush, a mistaken bump. Tag, you’re it!

TAG, YOU’RE IT!

Please realize what is happening here. This is not a social gathering. This is not an educational seminar. The Spirit is speaking. Jesus is touching. There is a transfer of power taking place… and you’re it!