The Wake Up Call

A young mother was surprised by her 7 year old son one morning.

He had gotten up early and made her coffee and taken it to her in bed.

As she willingly drank what was the strongest tasting cup of coffee in her life.

When she got to the bottom of her cup she noticed there were three of those little green army men in her cup.

She said, "Honey, what are the army men doing in my coffee cup?"

Innocently…her son replied, "Mom… it says on TV, ’The best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup!’"

Americans have become obsessed with their coffee…haven’t we…

Even here in Hobbs at any given morning you cannot drive by the coffee barn or undergrounds and see the people’s passion they have for it.

I’m sure that there are many of you here today that stopped by our very own holy grounds coffee bar for a cup of Joe this morning…before the service.

Being a coffee drinker myself…I can see the reason that it is such a demanded beverage.

There is just something enticing about the smell of a fresh brewed pot.

Well today I feel Christians’ (the church itself) need to drink some spiritual coffee, because the world needs to wake up from its sleep.

The Church today is in a spiritual battle with an enemy that has a very strong hold on its candidates.

Referring to Candidates…I mean those who are still searching for the answers in life…

Over two thousand years ago the church was established with the intentions of transforming peoples’ lives one at a time… in order that they separate from the worlds standards…and begin to serve Christ.

To be a church/people who are reaching the lost…There are certain steps that have to be followed.

Just like the Ten Commandments that God left behind for us to live our lives by…the people must have rules and regulations that must be followed.

Today we must understand that as a Church… in order for Vista Pointe to continue to reach out to the community of Hobbs…Just as Jesus once did…

SLIDE #2 We Must Be Concerned with People

Thinking about that statement of “being concerned with people”…what kind of people was it that Jesus associate with?

The Bible shares In…

…Matthew 9:9 …He associated with…A despised tax collector…

…In Luke 23:40-43…A criminal on a cross …

…A fisherman in…Matthew 4:18-20

…A widow in…Luke 7:11-17

In …Luke 7:1-10…He hung around a roman captain…

…It was a group of children in…Mark 10:13-16

And a rich man in…Mark 10:17-23

Weather it was…The blind…government officials…the helpless…the paralyzed…a doubting follower…the woman at the well…a drunkard…druggie…the greedy…or everyday sinners like you and I.

This was the type of people Jesus was found hanging around with.

So what was it that allowed Jesus to remain in focus on what’s important? He knew where He came from…

He came from the Father…our creator…and He knew that one day…every person who walks on this earth would be held accountable for their actions and choices.

Did you notice that I said every person?

And without His love…compassion and sacrifice…we would all fall short.(Jesus loved all people).

But He still gets disappointed with them at times.

This world is filled with millions of people …all of whom believe they have figured out the true meaning of life.

Some believe its daily working to build up their 401K…their IRA…

Others believe its obtaining all the latest and greatest gadgets that have recently been released.

How do people like you and I convince these people that all their treasure and wealth will be useless on judgment day?

We have got to be living a life where people see a noticeable change.

Day after day Jesus would spend time with people…share the meaning of life…and still there were those (like today) who did not listen?

Unfortunately Christ or Iwill not be able to convince everyone of their need for forgiveness.

But because of what we know…we all need to be active doing our part of showing concern for the lost.

Along with being concerned with people… in order for Vista Pointe to continue to reach out to the community of Hobbs…Just like Jesus once did…

SLIDE #3 We Must Be Willing to Sacrifice

Usually when people hear the word sacrifices…they often tie it in with money and possessions.

Following Jesus is not always easy or comfortable.

Often it means great cost and sacrifice…with no earthly rewards.

You might even find out that following Jesus might affect your popularity status…your friendships…leisure time…or your habits that you enjoy so much.

All Jesus ever wanted was to for you to spend time with Him.

I can just imagine how disappointed He was the night He found His closest friends sleeping the night before His betrayal.