Sharing the Gospel of Jesus -- 8/26/2007

Last Sunday, as I continued to talk about Evangelism, we took Jesus’ story about a lost son, a waiting father, and a resentful older brother as our lesson. I asked you to hold open the door to the Father’s house to those who would enter.

This week, I discovered that several of you are very loyal supporters of Rush Limbaugh! If my statements about him offended you, I regret using that illustration and hope that you were able to step over the few lines of introduction to hear the rest of the message which came from the Word and my heart. I have made a mental note of another commandment that here to fore I had not realized existed -

“Thou shalt not speak badly of Rush Limbaugh at Washington Assembly!”

Kidding aside, I appreciate that you listened and that you cared enough to let me know what you thought. That is a very good thing! For a preacher, it is better to be heard and argued with, than to ignored!

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A True Treasure?

In my safe box at home there are some documents that are of considerable valuable, but I seldom look at them, have never read them in detail, or consider their worth. They are insurance policies! In the event of my death, Bev would present them to the companies that issued them and collect funds that would provide for her financial security. I am glad that I have those policies, but I do not really treasure them. This is evidenced by the rarity of thinking or speaking of them!

Many Believers regard Christianity much the same way as I regard my life insurance, valued but not treasured! They are glad to know that they can pray when times get tough, glad to have the assurance that Heaven awaits when this journey is over - but meanwhile - they are chasing other dreams, spending their time and money to own trinkets of temporal value. This kind of Believer seldom talks about the things of God and invests minimal efforts in the work of God.

Why is this true?

One reason is that the Gospel message is frequently cheapened in our time. Seeking an audience and thinking that we must make Jesus Christ more accessible and/or attractive to a culture that is fixated on pleasure, we make

Jesus into a Heavenly Buddy. From some presentations of the "gospel" a person could conclude that knowing Jesus is accomplished by saying a little prayer that expresses regret for past misdeeds (we don't even use the word 'sin' since it is so judgmental) and inviting "Jesus to come into my heart."

There is enough truth in what I just said that some of you are thinking, “But what’s wrong with that?”

∙ The first thing we must consider is that coming to Christ involves recognizing that we are not who we ought to be, that we have failed to reach the potential God’s planned for us. In short, we have sinned! As the Spirit presses that on us, we must be willing to repent - that is to turn from our sins. Genuine repentance is a world apart from simple regret! Repentance involves true sorrow and real desire to experience spiritual transformation. Regret seeks only to be relieved of guilt!

∙ The second issue that Jesus Christ is not just another god to add to those we serve already! To encourage another person to invite Jesus to come into their heart is a great phrase, but it misses the idea of surrender of our lives to Him fully! Jesus is not a roomer that takes up residence alongside of our other loves. He is the King that assumes the throne, the Lord to whom we must hand over every part of life.

When we speak of living the Christian life, again we often trivialize what is involved.
We may even imply that the only things required are to believe some key doctrines, to show up in church semi-regularly, and to put some money in the offering plate. Jesus says otherwise! In a couple of short parables He declares that knowing Him and experiencing the life of the Kingdom requires sacrifice, effort, and commitment.

TEXT - Matthew 13:44-46

An unintentional consequence of softening the presentation of the Gospel is that we actually cause others to question the reality of and the worth of our faith!

Who really wants a wimpy belief system that is disconnected from where we live everyday?

Who wants to follow a god who commands little in the way of loyalty?

Who would really consider a religion that does not really change anything except to insure Heaven,

when life is over?

Owning citizenship in the Kingdom, according to Jesus, is like owning a precious treasure, something so

wonderful, so incredibly valuable, that we will give our lives and fortune to pursue Him. The realization of our high and holy calling as followers of Jesus came clearer to me recently in an ordinary situation in life.

ill.- A couple of weeks ago, two very professional young men stopped here at our church office. They were "Verizon" men! Their folders were emblazoned with the company's logo. Their dark suits were conservative, their white shirts starched, their ties knotted perfectly. When they spoke, it was with a practiced courtesy. These company representatives had set aside their individualism, their personal preferences - to do the work of their employer. And all this, they did for a salary!

We need to realize that we are "Jesus" people! We represent Him to our world- hopefully with even more dedication than those two Verizon guys. He has called us to set aside our convenience, our comfort, to give our live for His cause. And we gain lives of purpose, eternal rewards, and the joy of pleasing Almighty God!

Many Believers do not understand the Christian life in that way, at all. The message is inverted in this culture so that many come to Christ Jesus with the idea that He will make their lives easier. Many of our complaints before God are related to that upside down concept. We demand that God serve us, coddle us, and take away the things in our lives that we find inconvenient; growing angry when He asks us to give up our money, our time, or our preferences to serve Him.

I can hear you asking,

"So, Jerry, are you saying that we 'earn' our salvation?

Are you suggesting that the what Jesus did for us on the Cross is not sufficient to save us?"

Not for a moment. We can do nothing to add to our salvation, which is fully and freely provided by God through Jesus Christ. The declaration of the Word on this is inarguable:

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece.

But it does not stop there – we read on and find that

“He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:8-10, NLT)

The life that has the goal of intimately knowing Christ, being a valuable citizen of the Kingdom, is one that requires difficult choices, self-denial, and a focus on a different treasure than fame or wealth. When a person is pursuing the Kingdom as his treasure, every decision is made in the light of serving Him and of seeking His will. It does not allow us to 'do what we want to do' in any given situation. Rather, we do what He wants done - forgiving those who wrong us, loving those who do not love in return, giving away our resources without calculating benefit to ourselves, taking on responsibilities we would rather leave to another, and so on.

Here’s the short of all that –

Genuine Christianity is not just an idea, a philosophy, or a romantic notion.

It is a WAY OF LIFE and those who follow Jesus Christ will make a measurable difference in

the world of which they are a part.

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There is another text where we read words of Jesus that make it clear that grace is free, but not cheap.

TEXT - Luke 14:25-30, 33-34

In a way, what we’re about to read seems illogical. Jesus says, “Come to me!” The invitation is broad and sincere. No matter one’s rank, social status, economic situation, history - there is a standing invitation. And then, He ways - ‘Think about it! It is a costly decision!”

READ

In The Message a portion reads like this:

"Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple. " (Luke 14:25-27, The Message) "Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple." (Luke 14:33, The Message)

Honestly, in our evangelism, we should have the same honesty, the same clarity about the potential cost of becoming a Jesus person!

But, there is a problem. Believer, I must be direct with you....

Please listen carefully....

We cannot call others to any higher discipleship than we ourselves have embraced!

Those with whom we share the message of the Gospel see the One we represent through the lens of our life experience. If there are areas of our lives that remain outside of the Lordship of Jesus, how can we present Him as Lord of all with integrity, with conviction?

Paul states a model for us. To those he led to know Christ he gave this invitation -

“Imitate me as I imitate Christ!”

Can you say that? Does your commitment to Christ allow you to invite others to follow in your footsteps?

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Believer, ask the Holy Spirit to help you evaluate your life today.

Honestly ask yourself -

"Is knowing Jesus a matter of having insurance or is He my Treasure?

Am I keeping Him handy for times of crisis, or do I love Him

with my whole soul, mind, heart, and strength?"

I preach this knowing full well that some will misuse these words to become what we call ‘legalists,’ those who mistake keeping religious rules for having a real relationship with God. They will judge the depth of the commitment of others based on how faithful they are in church attendance, or by the kind of car they drive, or by the cut of their clothing- things of that nature. Clearly there are choices to be made in the service of Christ that involve our church attendance, our ethics, our use of money, and our conformity to fashion. But there is more, much more, to this thing called being a disciple. Jesus’ call goes deeper! He does not want just the outward keeping of the church rules! He wants our hearts, our singular love. He wants to be the Treasure of our lives, for which no price is too high. Is He that to you?

Then you own the Pearl of Great Price, for there is nothing and no one to compare with Him!

And, your life will take on a quality that makes the message you share compelling to others. Over time they will see the quality of your life compared to theirs. Where that is true - evangelism is much more effective. There is no hard sell of Jesus! There is simply one friend telling another of the Great Treasure he has found.