I thought it would be a great idea to post up our Sunday Sermons in this thread. Obviously, we should always check everything we hear in Church against scripture.
So, what was your Sermon last Sunday? Mine was....
(When us Christians give directions to another on how to find God in their life through Jesus Christ, are we being clear? Or are we confusing the message?)
* God designed his followers to introduce others to Jesus Christ.
God has many purposes for us, but he has saved and designed us to introduce others to Jesus Christ also...to share the hope and the joy that we have now found. We need to do this with evident clarity. God wants us to give clear directions on how others can find Jesus Christ.
Acts 1:8: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth"
The word 'Witness' means the same it does today - a judicial term used in a court. A witness is different from a lawyer. A witness is to report on what he or she has seen. The lawyer is the one that tries to argue the case, tries to prove the truth, presses for a verdict. Jesus leaves the lawyer work to the Holy Spirit and us Christians are to be witnesses. We are to report on what we've seen, what we've experienced in our faith and trust in Christ, to testify to what we know to be true and what we've experienced, as honestly as we can, in and through our faith in Christ. Our mission, as Christians, is to witness to, to testify, to report what we've experienced in following him.
The Holy Spirit is the one that convicts, that convinces, the HS is the lawyer. Our job is to be witnesses.
* What do we testify about, as a witness for Christ?....
Transcendent and personal truth: The truth of who God is as you have now incorporated in your life - this is what we are to be witnesses of. Be a witness of His Story as it has intersected with your story. This is how he wants us to share our faith... how His Story has now become a great part of your story.
Colossians 1:27: "To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory"
The simple message is often not made clear.
Jesus shared with people about the Kingdom of God and how the people could know God in a personal and intimate way. This is the task us Christians have today.
How to tell "His Story"
1) God: He exists; created you; loves you.
(Ephesians 2:4: "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us")
2) Separation: All humanity; Sin is culprit.
(Isaiah 59:2: "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear")
3) Christ: God to the cross for our sins.
(Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord")
4) You: God wants a response from you! (To believe, to receive, to repent).
(John 1:12: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name")
How to tell "Your Story"
Before Christ - Event where you came to Christ - Life After Christ
(You have a testimony. You are a witness to what God has done in your life)
* What was your life like before you knew God? Describe "God" and "Separation" events.
* What was your conversion experience like? Describe "Christ" event in your life.
So, what was your Sermon last Sunday? Mine was....
(Grace & Your Neighbor) "Clarity"
(When us Christians give directions to another on how to find God in their life through Jesus Christ, are we being clear? Or are we confusing the message?)
* God designed his followers to introduce others to Jesus Christ.
God has many purposes for us, but he has saved and designed us to introduce others to Jesus Christ also...to share the hope and the joy that we have now found. We need to do this with evident clarity. God wants us to give clear directions on how others can find Jesus Christ.
Acts 1:8: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth"
The word 'Witness' means the same it does today - a judicial term used in a court. A witness is different from a lawyer. A witness is to report on what he or she has seen. The lawyer is the one that tries to argue the case, tries to prove the truth, presses for a verdict. Jesus leaves the lawyer work to the Holy Spirit and us Christians are to be witnesses. We are to report on what we've seen, what we've experienced in our faith and trust in Christ, to testify to what we know to be true and what we've experienced, as honestly as we can, in and through our faith in Christ. Our mission, as Christians, is to witness to, to testify, to report what we've experienced in following him.
The Holy Spirit is the one that convicts, that convinces, the HS is the lawyer. Our job is to be witnesses.
* What do we testify about, as a witness for Christ?....
Transcendent and personal truth: The truth of who God is as you have now incorporated in your life - this is what we are to be witnesses of. Be a witness of His Story as it has intersected with your story. This is how he wants us to share our faith... how His Story has now become a great part of your story.
Colossians 1:27: "To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory"
The simple message is often not made clear.
Jesus shared with people about the Kingdom of God and how the people could know God in a personal and intimate way. This is the task us Christians have today.
How to tell "His Story"
1) God: He exists; created you; loves you.
(Ephesians 2:4: "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us")
2) Separation: All humanity; Sin is culprit.
(Isaiah 59:2: "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear")
3) Christ: God to the cross for our sins.
(Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord")
4) You: God wants a response from you! (To believe, to receive, to repent).
(John 1:12: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name")
How to tell "Your Story"
Before Christ - Event where you came to Christ - Life After Christ
(You have a testimony. You are a witness to what God has done in your life)
* What was your life like before you knew God? Describe "God" and "Separation" events.
* What was your conversion experience like? Describe "Christ" event in your life.
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