Sermon for 12/31/06

Explore our opportunities for...

Sermon for 12/31/06
(First time visitors: Please read the notes HERE about these sermons first!)

Jesus: GREATEST GIFT OR GREATEST SECRET? –
Jesus Loves Me this I know!

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN

Main Theme: Either we see Jesus as the Greatest Gift the world has ever been given, or we act as if He is the Greatest Secret. There is no doubt in scripture as to which attitude is correct. Sharing our faith is the greatest desire of God! We are to be fishers of people! Today, in this introduction to the sermon series, every listener is asked to answer only one main question: do you believe a Christian’s loving response to Jesus is to hold Him up as the Greatest Gift, or selfishly keep Him the Greatest Secret? We will explore the scriptures to discover God’s purpose for our lives, which includes the Great Commission. Either “Jesus loves me” is good news for everyone and He is the “Greatest Gift” to the world, or He is only for a select few and to be treated as the “Greatest Secret”. The choice should be clear.

1) JESUS LOVES ME! In your bulletin this morning, there is a copy of a beloved children’s song, “Jesus loves me”. Those 3 words, when truly believed, will change the very foundation of your life! To discover that the Creator of the Universe cares about ME… or as John put it, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (3:16)… well, it changes everything! In fact, I want everyone here this morning to read those words with me, and this time I want you to replace “the world” and “whoever” with your name! “For God so loved ____________ that He gave His one and only Son that when _____________ believes in Him then ____________ shall not perish but have eternal life.” If you understand and embrace the meaning of those words, (“Jesus Loves me!”), it will change the way you think, and the way you act in this world! Let me ask those of you who proclaim to be “the children of God”, ….who claim that “Jesus loves me”… Is this true? (Raise your hands.) See, if you begin to respond to God’s love with love, if Christ is allowed to come into your heart and causes it to beat more and more with the rhythm of God’s heart, then… the way you see the world, and the way you interact with the world will never be the same! All because we believe that Jesus loves me.

2) WHY? Now some of you raised your hands rather hesitantly, not because you didn’t believe Jesus loves you, but because you sensed Pastor Chuck was setting you up. And you would be right! The majority of “sermon series” are designed to 1) merely pour out God’s grace, or 2) ask you to apply God’s word to your life. And there occasionally there are sermon series that are 3) specifically aimed to challenge us, to wake us up, to stretch us in ways we don’t want to be stretched. And admittedly THIS is one of those. So here goes: if the children of ASLC believe Jesus loves us, and if we are responding faithfully to that love by increasingly following His will, then why are we not yet intentionally and excitedly sharing our faith with others? Why so many empty seats in our pews? Why do we call ourselves the EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA, when the average Lutheran only invites someone to church every 28 years?

3) THE WORLD! See, even though I asked you to substitute your name in John 3:16, so as to reflect on how important those words of love were to you personally, never-the-less, John says, “For God so loved the world…” The world! Yep – everyone! …your neighbors, family, loved ones, …even your enemies! John 3:17 says, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him!” As you have been saved from the power of sin, Satan, and death, so He longs for every one of His children to be saved! How can those who have never heard of God’s love ever respond as you have, if no one tells them? Well, Jesus Himself supplies “the answer” in a conversation He was having with the Father, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. …so that the world may believe you sent me.” (John 17:18, 21) Did we get that? The world that God “so loves” will receive the great news and be changed forever, if we respond faithfully to God’s request to go share the “good news” with the world.

4) WITNESSES! Hmmm, …should we squirm in our seats just because of one little verse? Let’s hear Jesus again, as He makes His children’s main task in life crystal clear, “…and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the world.” (Acts 1:8) Luke tells us what we are to witness “about” (and again Jesus is specific and direct): “…the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. You shall be witnesses of these things.” (24:46-48) Who are the witnesses? You! And Me! The children of God! In Mark (16:15-18) Jesus again clearly makes His desires known, “Go into the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” In John (20:21) Jesus again declares, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you!” Why “us” as witnesses? Because passage after passage clearly underscores that God is a loving Creator “who wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1^st Tim 2:4) Those of us who KNOW “Jesus loves me” are clearly called to be witnesses to those still untouched by this amazing and life-changing relationship!

5) BLESSINGS! Now why I am I willing to stand before you this morning, and present to you a growth opportunity that not all are eager to explore? Why am I willing to prick your “spiritual consciences” and perhaps even catch grief because of it? Because I love you all! I have watched so many of you grow spiritually. And it has resulted in greater blessings flowing down upon you! And I know, that many of you are now ready to step into full maturity in your faith, and obediently and boldly take risks for Jesus, AND… receive even greater blessings, blessings just waiting for those who step forward to be witnesses for Jesus. On Jesus’ behalf, I am now ready to ask and equip you to be a fully mature and faithful disciple – knowing that there are greater blessings awaiting you… and those you touch with His love.

6) GREATEST GIFT OR SECRET? You see, there comes a time in a Christian’s life when they have to decide, “Is Jesus the Greatest Gift to the world, or is He the Greatest Secret?” If He is the Greatest Gift - then why am I so frightened to share this divine gift with others? If, as we just read in Mark (16:15-16),it’s true that “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned,” is not our silence just one way of saying to the lost, “You can go to hell”? And how does that line up with God’s desire to save all people? So, if you do nothing else this morning, I want you to face Jesus, and tell Him one of two things! Either tell Him – “Jesus, I hear you calling, but I’d rather just selfishly keep you a great secret.” …or “Jesus, though I am nervous about it, I truly believe that you are the world’s greatest gift, and I want to share You so that others can experience what I have: a new life that comes as a result of knowing ‘Jesus loves me!’”

7) EVERYONE? Now, to be honest with you, I don’t expect everyone here to choose the second response. 1) There are some of you still brand new in the faith – and still in the consumer stage; focusing on what God can do for you, and not on what you can do for God. God bless you; you are right where God meant you to be! Relax, growth will come – making disciples takes time. Still, 2) others have been resisting this call to witness for decades, and the heart has… well, it is hardening. You are happy to settle for less than all of God’s blessings; you are satisfied not to advance in your spiritual growth. You’ve convinced yourself “sharing the faith is the pastor’s job, or someone else’s – not mine! I’m comfortable living in my insider’s church world of religious routines and busyness. I’m saved by grace and not my works so I don’t have to follow Jesus. After all these decades in the church, I’m not about to start sharing my faith now!” I may be puzzled by that conclusion – but I run into it all the time. I will continue to love and pray for you, but I do not expect everyone here to heed the Lord’s calling to share the good news!

8) YOU! No today, I am addressing you with open hearts, who don’t just know “ABOUT” God, you are in a growing and joyous relationship “WITH” God! So, if God is out there in the community helping the poor and needy, then you want to be there too! I’m talking to you whose lives have been so blessed by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, that you too are willing, (more than willing!), to sacrifice yourself - more and more each day! I’m addressing those of you who are never satisfied to be stagnant in your faith, but keep reaching out to Jesus to learn more. You are grasping His hand firmly and willing to go anywhere He wants to lead you, because you’ve a long record of His faithfulness. You know that He is trustworthy and will not ask you to “do something” without first providing the tools to do it!

9) HOLY SPIRIT! Today the Holy Spirit is stirring up the hearts of all of you who are madly in love with Jesus, and asking you to consider this: If “Jesus loves me!” truly means something to you – don’t you think there are other broken people out there who might also need to hear it? Whose eternal destiny will depend on knowing Christ? Though I am but a humble pastor, I pass on the Word of God, because I am convinced the Holy Spirit has prepared many of you here today, to not only hear Christ’s calling, but to be equipped as to how this is done!

10) HOW!You see, I believe that many of us are hesitant to share our faith because we don’t know how! Perhaps we’ve experienced unwelcomed “bible pounders” at our front doors, and we cringe at the thought of cramming canned tracks down the throat of strangers! We’ve passed by street corner preachers - witnessing to crowds who neither stop or listen, and we know instinctively that this is not what Jesus had in mind. And face it; we fear rejection! Rejection hurts! Is that how to “share our faith”? Heavens no! I am here to assure you this morning that becoming an ambassador for Christ has nothing to do with canned scripts, door knocking, or preaching to strangers. There is a natural, loving, caring way to share our faith that most will be glad and eager to embrace. Once the gift of “knowing how” to share our faith is received, we will discover our fears melting away! And a new and greater joy comes to those who learn HOW to share and reveal His love!

11) WE WILL… In the weeks to come, we will study the way the good news about Jesus Christ was spread in the early church – and you will be amazed at how easy and natural is it. We will discuss how new disciples were made then and see that the greatest evangelism occurs within our webs of common kinship, (the larger family), common friendship (friends and neighbors), and common associates (fellow co-workers and people we share common hobbies and interests with.) We’re going to discover that within those webs of common kinship there are those who are already receptive and open to the good news. We will show how to recognize those times and people. We will explore the Key principles of discipleship – and that it isn’t some “formula”; it’s something called “intentionally loving others” and we will breathe easier because we all know we are capable of that.

12) MASTER’S PLAN! Today, Jesus is asking you to trust Him – and “the Master’s Plan!” In the final days of Christ’s earthly life and purpose, He turned His “Commission from God” over to His followers. I ask you plainly: are you the Lord’s followers? If so, prepare your-self, for it is a life-encompassing challenge that should never be misinterpreted: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” You may recognize that challenge as being the Great Commission. It is a part of our congregation’s mission statement. But until now, it has been more of a future goal than an actuality. We don’t mind accepting folks who by themselves come into our church, but we have not been a congregation that has enthusiastically accepted the challenge to “Go!” We have not yet, as a united body, intentionally gone out into the community with the idea of making disciples “a way of life!” But today is a new day! Today is a new day to focus on giving Jesus’ commission top priority! Today is a new day to learn more about the Master’s plan!

13) FIRST/SECOND/THIRD BASE! Friends, I am in the middle of my 12^th year here at ASLC and I have grow to love you too much to leave you at third base, and not share with you how to hit a home run. What do I mean by that? Well, when the Holy Spirit first began His work in you, He invited you, (maybe through a parent, a loved one, or a friend) to come learn the “Spiritual game” of baseball. When the time was right, He put the bat of faith in your hands, and moved you up to the plate to teach you how to swing. He whispered in you ear, “Just open your heart to knowing more about Jesus and that begins the game!” He then moved us towards first base, which is more than just knowing “about” Jesus; he introduced us personally to Jesus and we began to slowly fall in love! Once that relationship began to bloom we were taught to run towards second base. Here we listened to God’s Word and began to apply it to our life! With the Spirit’s help, the way we thought and acted began to change. The way we saw and treated others changed as we began becoming more Christ-like; placing others ahead of ourselves. It was only natural that we were then directed toward third base where we were taught about our Spiritual Gifts and that we were designed to serve others, and to be an active part of the body of Christ. First base introduced us to Jesus, second base began our transformation, and third base defined our purpose and empowered us to start being His hands and feet to a broken world.

14) COACH! Notice I said, “His hands and feet” to a broken world. You see, in order to hit a home run, you have also become the voice of God. You need to share the good news with others, and invite them to come explore the “spiritual” game of baseball. You need to encourage and coach them to grasp the bat of faith, and introduce them to Jesus. You need to help them fall in love with Him and teach them how to run to second base, so as to learn how this great love can change their lives for the better! You need empower them to find their specific purpose on third base, and show them how to hit a homerun by reaching out to others with the Greatest Gift given to humankind. In other words, while you play in the game, you also learn to coach others! And that is where the greatest joy in life is experienced! At home plate - coaching! When you sit here on Sunday morning, and look over at a new Christian whose life is being resurrected and healed because you intentionally let Jesus use you as a coach – you will experience a joy that is like no other! Until you are being a talent scout and coach for the “spiritual game” that brings new players into God’s Kingdom – you haven’t fully lived! And once you have experienced that coaching joy, making disciples will become a permanent life-style!

15) FISHERS! Friends, where are you in the Spiritual Game of discipleship? If Spiritual maturity is truly your goal, then perhaps it’s time to start running for home plate! Don’t worry, we’ll show you how to coach in the weeks to come. But are you even interested in heading in that direction? Don’t tell me, tell Jesus! This day is not a day for instructions, it is a day for making a decision: Is Jesus the Greatest Gift given to the world, or is He to remain the Greatest Secret? The Lord, who so loved you, comes today to tell you clearly: Being Christ’s follower requires not only a commitment to His Lordship, but also a commitment and involvement to the propagation of His Gospel! Jesus is saying as clearly as He can, “Come, follow me, …and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19-20) The first disciples, who were fishermen, dropped everything, and “At once they left their nets and followed Him.” What about you? Are you ready to become fishers of humanity? Are you ready to run towards home plate to coach others?

16) DISCIPLE! The words of Jesus in the Great Commission communicate vividly Christ’s understanding of a disciple. And He comes once again this morning to share with you that a disciple is one who becomes a follower, who is taught, who is nurtured in the faith, who in turn goes out to make disciples, who are then taught and nurtured in the faith, who then in turn go out. Jesus intends to reach the remotest parts of the earth through empowering ordinary disciples like you and me to share His love so that His beloved children are saved from sin, Satan, and death… forever! Believe me, if Christ says to us, “You shall be my witnesses!” He will empower us as disciples through the Holy Spirit to get the job done!

17) JESUS LOVES ME? Look again at the song “Jesus loves me”. Verse 1 declares that while we are weak, the One who is strong loves us! Verse 2 proclaims that whether we’re good or bad – He still loves us! Three tells us whether we deserve it or not, He died on the cross to free us from bondage to sin! Verse 4 declares His death washes us clean and opens heaven gates to us! Five promises Jesus will never leave us, and suggests we should serve Him faithfully. Verse 6 tells us not to worry for we are safe in His care! And verse 7 informs us that God will do what we cannot – purify our hearts, allowing us to love and live for Him! Oh yes, Jesus loves me! Do you believe that? And will you accept the invitation, the power, and soon the instructions on how to make disciples that is being placed before you? Along with His unconditional love, He offers even greater blessings to those who will join Him in His Commission to the world! Think about it: “Jesus loves me this I know!” Do you? Either Jesus is to remain the world’s Greatest Secret, or He is the Greatest Gift and needs to be shared! May you and the Lord come to the right and life-giving decision!

PRAISE GOD!

AMEN!

Sermon/Confessional Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we confess that we have many fears in terms of sharing our faith! We have heard your call to be your voice to those you love, and yet we have left this to others. We have rationalized why we are excused from this responsibility, and filled our time with other priorities. Forgive us – and help us to see and believe that the Great Commission was given to us all. Empower us to seek in the weeks ahead the tools and understanding that will free us to share your life-giving love with others who have yet to experience it!

Lord, you broke into this world and took on human flesh to show us how to transform hearts and renew lives! And yet witnessing to the Father’s love is often the last thing on our daily agendas! No doubt you have given us regular opportunities to help those in darkness to see your light, and we have missed it! Forgive us and help us to intentionally looking at others through your loving eyes, that we may continue your mission to save your beloved children!

And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and recommitted to you! (made anew.)

(Silence)

Lord, we know in our heart that “Jesus loves me”, and this heartfelt knowledge is what gives us hope, faith, and joyful purpose! But our silence has unintentionally declared that we believe this is a great secret and not a great gift to the world. In the weeks to come, transform us that through us, others may also know the joy of being your beloved children! In Jesus Name We Pray. AMEN

Assurance of Forgiveness:

Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, who is the Greatest Gift to the world, …that Lord has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. Go now, and remember: if His unconditional love is important and life-giving to you, then others need to hear of it and experience too! But unless you tell them, how will they know? God was never meant to be a great secret – but a great gift to all the world! Praise God! AMEN

Opening prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we enter this morning in eager anticipation of the precious gift that came to us last week – the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ! But we forget that knowledge of your birth came to us only after someone shared the good news with us! Perhaps a parent showed us the gift of forgiveness we seek again this morning! Or perhaps it was a friend who revealed the healing powers you offer to us every day! Maybe it was a loved one who showed us your wisdom and guidance that gives us purpose and peace. It may have been a co-worker, or a neighbor that helped us fall in love with you – but we stand here today because they refused to stay silent and shared the gift of faith with us! Today, as we contemplate the invitation to do the same for others, help us to be transformed. Stretch us this morning through your life-giving word to hear and respond faithfully to join with you in bringing your lost sheep home to the divine shepherd. Remove any stumbling blocks or fears we may have and empower us to do what we cannot do alone! Help us decide whether you are to be the world’s greatest secret or the world’s greatest gift. It is in your precious Name we Pray! AMEN!

Return to Sermon Index & Intro Page