11/29/20 -- Testimony
Notes
Transcript
PRAYER
ILLUSTRATION
Becoming a Member of a Gym
Start out motivated -> hit a wall -> lose interest -> end up quitting
The key to succeeding in a gym, is having other people pushing you on, holding you accountable
You’ll go more
You’ll work harder
You’ll grow faster
You’ll last longer
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together
TORONTO—Local man Tim Rubidoux has refused to join a local gym, claiming instead that his membership in the “invisible, universal gym” should be enough to get him into shape.
“Yeah, I’m not really into the whole ‘organized fitness’ thing,” he told reporters, stating that he’s been “burned a few times” by gyms that didn’t cater to his every whim. “I’m into fitness, but I’m not religious about it.”
He also launched into a long diatribe about the hypocrisy of other people he sees at the gym, who are working out but aren’t perfectly fit yet. “That really turned me off of the whole institutional exercise thing. It’s just not for me.”
Rubidoux states that he simply exercises on his own time whenever he feels like it, with no disciplined routine or partners to keep him accountable. “Nature is my gym.”
At publishing time, sources had been able to confirm that Rubidoux hasn’t exercised in 14 years.
INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES
Going to be taking a break from our series in Genesis
New Series = Flipping the Switch = changing our view of what it means to be a member of a church
Just as the Canadian, many people claim to be “part of the universal church”, but have nothing to do with a local body
There are others who view church as just a “Sunday thing”, not something you are
Jesus compared church to a body
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
So when you give your life to Christ, you are becoming a part of that body, the Church
So we are going to spend the next 7 Sundays looking at what GOD has to say about being a member of a church
Because God never called for people to just “attend” the church
He called them to BE a part of something, and something great
We are called to be a part of something great
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
I feel that this is not something that we think about, or evenly honestly believe is a true statement
The church is the most powerful army in the history of the world, fighting for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords
And so we are going to look at what the Bible says it is to be a part of this great army, and God is calling you to go on mission with Him to battle, fighting the greatest battle in history
And one of the ways that we fight that battle, is through sharing our testimony
We do this three ways
Our Personal Testimony
Our Public Testimony — through words
Our Public Testimony — through baptism
Personal Testimony
Personal Testimony
Think about yourself
What are some things you would use to describe you?
During interviews, we try and put our best foot forward
In dating we do the same thing
In the public eye
We want for everyone to see our best parts
Honestly, who dressed up today so that they would look good for God, but rather so that you would be presentable to others, because you figure that’s what other people expect of you
It’s different with God
FILE READ during adoption: history, abuse, records, you get to see everything about that kid
God has a case file on you, and He knows everything, the deepest secrets you hope never get out
When God looks at our file read, it is full of nothing good
Paul says that everything that could be considered good he considers it to be garbage
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
This is what we have to bring to the table
Box full of nothing but garbage
The great news is that God still chooses us regardless of what is in our file read
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God knows everything about you, and yet He WANTS you
This is the testimony that you have, every single person here
Just now a new Christian after years of sin, PRAISE GOD THAT HE SAVED YOU!
Been a Christian since you were 10 years old, PRAISE GOD THAT HE PUT UP WITH YOUR SIN FOR 10 YEARS AND KEPT HAVING PATIENCE WITH YOU
God desired us so much that He adopted us
to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Your testimony is solely being saved by grace
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Every time you come to this building, are you coming looking for ways to grow in Christ, or looking for ways to have your interests improved on?
Sermon wasn’t what you liked = leave
Songs weren’t correct = leave
People rubbed you wrong = leave
Every single one of us is a sinner saved by grace
The only contribution that we make to our salvation is our sin
Every single one of you has a testimony, a testimony that is personal to you, that God wants to use to further His Kingdom
Public Testimony — Through Words
Public Testimony — Through Words
Whenever you gave your life to Christ, it wasn’t just for you
This is part of the Great Commission that Jesus gives to every single believer
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We are called to go out into the world and profess who Jesus is
We are called to live lives that are a testimony, but when you truly grasp the Gospel, you won’t be able to hide it
But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
Can we say the same thing that Jeremiah said?
If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
The command is repeated over and over throughout the New Testament, that
God’s people are called to share the Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Do you know what the word preach means?
It is to proclaim, to be a herald, to go before and share the message
This is what Christians are called to do, as members of the body of Christ
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Paul encourages Timothy to do this, to continually preach the Word and to always be ready
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
Public Testimony — Through Baptism
Public Testimony — Through Baptism
Not only do we share our testimony publicly through sharing the Gospel, but we also do it through the actions we take
In today’s society, baptism doesn’t seem like a lot, we have a heated baptistry and we’re surrounded by fellow believers
Put yourself in the first century Christian’s shoes, where Christianity is being persecuted
Think of the cost that it would require of you to be baptized, to identify with Jesus
Baptism is the symbol of what Christ has done inside of your life
There are so many different views on baptism, and so this is what we believe here
Baptism is the outward action of the inward decision
Baptism is NOT the saving act, but instead, when Christ has entered into your life, you follow Him in obedience by being baptized
Baptism is the demonstration of the new birth that the believer enters into
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
When you are baptized, you are signifying that Christ has washed away your sins, you go into the water representing the old man
You die to your sins, and then you are raised to the new life in Christ
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
You are representing the work that Christ did in your life.
And in doing so, you are proclaiming to the world that you are a new creation in Jesus Christ
This is great for accountability, because now you have a milestone moment connected to when you gave your life to Christ
It’s a marker in your life that you can look back on and remember where you stand with Christ
If you want to know what Christ thinks of you, look to the cross, if you want to know what you think of Christ, look to your baptism
CONCLUSION
So as the body of Christ, what we believe that God’s Word says about being a member of a church is that you are a part of a body
Every part is equal, but every part has a different testimony in where they came from, but a similar testimony that Christ is the answer
If you have placed your faith in Christ, think about that passage in Jeremiah
If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
Have you truly grasped who Jesus is and what He has done for you, to the point that you cannot keep silent?
If you have never placed your faith in Jesus Christ, I want you to look at the cross
This is the greatest symbol of His love, that He gave His life
Not only did He die for you, He took on the wrath of God so that you wouldn’t have to
And then He invited you into His family, a messy broken family that is full of sinners saved by grace
If you desire to enter into eternal life in a relationship with Jesus, Curt is going to lead us in a song, and come and I will pray with you and we will walk with you through the journey
If you are a believer, but do not belong to a local church, we would love to have you join us here
2020 has been a rough year, but we know that God is greater, and we are from this moment moving forward, planning on aggressively going to battle the gates of hell
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
LET’S GO CHURCH!