"To All The Nations"

“TO ALL THE NATIONS” Luke 24:36-53

INTRO – Let’s talk about Jesus:

- He’s the Savior of the world;

- He’s the Light of the world;

- He’s the promised Messiah;

- He’s God’s one and only Son;

- He’s the one in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins;

- He’s the Lord of all creation;

- He’s the King of kings and Lord of lords;

- He’s returning for His bride, the Church, very soon;

- He’s worthy of all of our worship;

- He’s Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace;

- He’s the Lion of the Tribe of Judah;

- He’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world;

- He deserves our obedience, allegiance, and faithful service.

- He is “Jesus, the One and Only” – Beth Moore book

Don’t you love Him? If you are a believer, aren’t you glad that He saved you? Aren’t you glad that He keeps you saved, that your salvation is in no way dependent upon your efforts? Aren’t you glad that one day, He will save you completely, that heaven is waiting on you?

He truly is a wonderful, grace-filled, loving Savior. We sing about Him. We sing to Him. We read about Him. We hear Sunday School teachers teach about Him. We hear preachers preach about Him. We read books about Him. We do Bible studies about Him. We pray to Him. He is such an awesome Friend who was willing to lay down His life for us.

If all of these things are true – and they are true – then why aren’t we telling more people about Him? Why aren’t we living in obedience to His commission to tell the world about Him? His final words to His followers on this earth were words that challenged them to go and tell the world about Him. Like a small band of soldiers standing on the edge of the battlefield, they received the marching orders from the commander. And to the man, they took them, obeyed them, paid the price, and blazed the trail for you and me to follow. Question – Are we following? Steve Green song, “May all who come behind us find us faithful.” As we come behind the disciples, we have found them faithful to the command and commission of Jesus. But will those who come behind us find us faithful?

We have the message that will make all the difference in 2 worlds for anyone who hears it, believes it, and receives it. The message? Simply put: John 3:16. That’s it. That’s really all you need to know. FAITH is great; Roman Rd. is great; GROW is great. But all of them simply put a little more meat on the foundation of Jn. 3:16. Tillie Burgin, Mission Arlington – “Our goal is to do whatever it takes to give everyone living in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex the opportunity to know X personally. We do this by hanging out w/ folks and hovering around the Scripture John 3:16. 1,229 people made spiritual decisions for X in 2003.”

So how many of you know John 3:16 by memory? If you know it, then say it w/ me. You have the message.

I. THE PERSON OF THE MESSAGE – v. 46

A. We are not preaching the message about Baptists. We are not preaching the message about religion. We are not preaching the message about men. We are preaching “Christ crucified” (1 Cor. 1:23). The person of the message is not the person giving the message, but the person of Jesus Christ.

a. Philip and the Ethiopian – Acts 8:26-40 – Ethiopian reading from Isa. 53. Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading. Verse 31 – “How can I unless someone explains it to me?” So many people in the world waiting for someone to explain the message to them. Verse 35 – “Then Philip began w/ that very passage and told him the good news about Jesus.”

B. Jesus is the Person of the message. It’s all about Him. So focus on Him.

a. Focus your life on Him. “Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus” (Heb. 12:2) in your own life so that you will know Him deeply and personally, and will be able to communicate your love for Him to others.

i. If someone asked me to tell them about George W. Bush, I could tell you about him based on what I’ve heard others say about him.

1. Facts about him.

2. His accomplishments and achievements.

3. Even my deep respect for him.

ii. But if someone asked me to tell them about my wife, I could tell them about her based on a deep, personal rel. w/ her.

II. THE PREACHING OF THE MESSAGE – v. 47a