Your Life Is An Advert
Walter Troup
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Every time I drive up the road and enter the main road and go to Nsukka or pass the Opi Junction on my way to Enugu, I see adverts all along the road. Signs, promoting many different things. They could be adverts for Indomie, for beers, or for an election. Whatever they are saying, they are promoting something. They want your attention. And we don’t know much about the person or product that is in teh advert, except what they tell us about it. What it says about them.
Look at this advert for Indomie. What do we know about this child and the Mother? Do we know their names? Do we know what state they live in? Do we know what school the child attends? No. They only thing we know is that Indomie tastes really good. You can’t hear their words, but when you look at them, they love Indomie, and it seems like they are telling you, you should eat it too.
Everyday, your life is an advert. You life is on display and represents something. You will promote something. Your life will point to something. But you must ask yourself, what will your life point to? What are you showing the world? Because the world is watching. Your words. Your actions. Your beliefs. Not just the things you say, but the things you display… the world is watching.
This morning, we are going to look at the words of Jesus and his command to those who believed in him to share who he was and what he had for the world.
Before we say our creed this morning, I wanted to show you something. Our Creed we say here is something that my church back in America does every Sunday morning. Some of you know Pastor Douglas, my Pastor. Last Sunday as we were there, this video was taken from their service...
---Temple Creed---
So now, Cornerstone Baptist Church in Opi, stand to your feet, hold your Bible up and let’s declare what we beleive. 1, 2, 3 go....
---CBC-CREED---
Open your Bibles to Luke 24.
When Mom and I left in December we had just concluded the Book of Matthew. The entire book of Matthew covered the birth of Jesus, his ministry, his death on the cross, his resurrection, and his final words to disciples. These were important words, and we can not look over them. On that Sunday in December I talked about those last two verses:
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
As Matthew is writing this book, he is inspired by the Holy Spirit so that for his Jewish audience, this is the last thing he wants them to know about the resurrected Christ.
Luke was also inspired by the Holy Spirit to write his gospel which also show the birth, the ministry, the death and resurrection of Jesus. But the last thing that Luke writes, as you see there in Chapter 24, verses 50-53, is his ascension in heaven back to the Father, making a way for the arrival of the promised Holy Spirit.
But this morning I want us to look at the verses that Luke writes just before that.
36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them. 44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
As we see these final words from Jesus to his disciples, they are the same to us. Jesus is saying “I am risen from the dead and now you must make it known to the world.” These words, these commands were not just for those 11 standing with him in Jerusalem. These same words extend across the ages of time to everyone who say “I am a follower of Christ.” He says to all believers today, I have risen, now make it known to the world…your world. You school. Your village. Your country. Your life should be an advert for Jesus.
But the sad thing is that our lives become adverts for many things that don’t show Jesus. They may be an advert for fashion, futball, music, or the things of this world. There is nothing wrong with fashion or football, but the problem is when that is what we are known as. Some of these disciples loved to fish. They were fisherman. But there came a time when they were more known for their faith than for their fishing.
This morning I want to encourage you to think about what your life is saying, because the world is watching. What is your life telling about what you believe?
If you have made Jesus your Lord and Savior, if you have turned your life over to him, your life should be an advert for the gospel. Do you take this serious? Does your life reflect Jesus as your Savior? Because if it doesn’t, then you are missing the entire message of the New Testament, which is to make Jesus known to an unbelieving world.
Three things I want to look at this morning as we see the words of Jesus through Luke.
His death and resurrection give us the power to speak the truth.
38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
When we look at the Bible and we read of his resurrection from the dead, we are excited. We are joyful. Jesus beat death. He is God. Satan couldn’t hold him down. And we have in our minds Jesus walking out of the grave. It is a beautiful picture that we have, and it gives us hope in a future resurrection that we will experience when we leave his world and are resurrected in the presence of God one day.
But sometimes, we forget the price that was paid. What was the price? Nails, driven through his hands, then nailed into a cross. Nails driven through his feet, then nailed into a cross. A sword, driven deep into his side. A crown of thorns, pushed into his head so that he bled. Thirty-nine times he would be flogged and his flesh was cut. Hung on a cross and died. But even after all of that, three days later his rose, back to life. And because of his painful death, his resurrection… he paid the price so that anyone who would seek and follow him would be his child.
As his child, what he went through for you and me should cause us to stand up for the truth. Wherever we are.
But what happens when we speak the truth about Jesus? Sometimes, most of the time, people don’t want to hear it. What do people want to hear? They want to hear what Jesus can do for them. Can he give me money, can he give me what I want, can he bless me? Jesus has already blessed you. He gave his life for you. He died for you. The truth about what people need to hear is “what are you going to do for him?” The price was paid, and that price should cause us to live our lives as an advert for him…because the world is watching.
One thing I will point out that is very important. Luke mentions here that Jesus asked for something to eat. Why is this important? Many people who don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus will say that it is because it was a story that was just made-up by the disciples, or maybe they saw a ghost and believed that it was teh resurrected Jesus. But do you see what Jesus does? He points to his physical being. His hands and feet that have holes in them His side that was pierced. And that he was hungry. Does that sound like a ghost, or does that sound like a physical person who has been raised by the dead?
His death and resurrection gives us power to speak the truth.
2. His Word gives us the power to speak the truth.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
When Jesus says: “everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms” he is pointing to the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah. The world had existed four thousand years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Four thousand years of time happened between Adam and Eve and the birth of Jesus. God didn’t one day think, “well I need to do something different, so I will send my Son to repair the problem of sin.” No, it was his plan from the beginning. In Genesis we see that Jesus was part of the solution for the world from the beginning.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
It was God’s plan from the beginning to send his Son. Then as you move through the rest of the Old Testament, page after page points to a coming Messiah. A king, a throne, a ruler. It was even prophesied the city in which he would be born.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
The historical Jewish Scriptures, the Old Testament speak of a coming Messiah, and even point to his death and resurrection, and that gives us the power to stand up, speak the truth and be an advert for the Lord we love and trust. Why? Because the world is watching.
3. His Spirit gives us the power to speak the truth.
Luke 24:49 (ESV)
49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
What is ”the promise of my father?” The promise of the father....gives us the power to speak the truth when the world is watching. Bt what is the promise of the Father?
Let’s look at a few Scriptures that point to this promise of the Father.
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Look at Jesus’ words.... YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES...
Jesus is not asking you....please…be my witness....if you have time time and you have courage, then be my witness. No, he says…YOU WILL BE MY WITNESS…it is a responsabiliy you should have, not because he demands it, but because out of love we ant others to experience his love and his redemption that he can give.
You will never be able to show the world Jesus without the help of the Holy Spirit. Only someone who has surrendered their lives to Jesus can speak the truth. Just because you are a good person or you are kind to people doesn’t matter. You cannot speak the truth if you don’t not know the truth. And you cannot know the truth unless you have given your life to God. And the Bible tells us that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you…if you are a true believer.
Look what Paul wrote
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ…you need to represent him.
The world is watching…what is your life saying. Your life is are an advert…what is your life saying? It it saying you are dishonest? You are a liar? You listen to music or look at things that dishonor women. Are more concerned about getting approval with money than than getting approval from the creator of everything?
This morning during our time of prayer, I want you to think about what I am about to say. So please, bow your heads and listen to what I am about to say...
If you have given your life to Jesus, Your life should be the gospel in action. What we do with them, how we use them show show the message of Jesus’s love for the world. Jesus should be an advert through everything you do. People should look at you and see and hear about the gospel message.
I want you to ask yourself, IS THAT WHAT IS HAPPENING in my life? Do people see the truth of the gospel displayed in my life. No matter if you are in school, on teh road, in the place you live, or in the market…Is Your Life an advert for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
And this morning, if you have never given your life to Christ, hear me, God loved you so much he sent his Son Jesus to this world to die that you might live. He can give you a hope that nothing in this world can give me. If you have never prayed to recieve Christ as your Lord and Savior, we will be here this morning to share with you all that God has done for you. And today, you can leave here knowing that you have a full hope in Jesus Christ, and become a living advert for him. Let’s pray.