Caught Flatfooted?
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
In the year 1999 there was a new family move into Jim’s area. It was a rural area, just outside of the nearest town. This family had two boys, around the same age as Jim. Over the next year, they all became friends, and had a ton of adventures together. They would camp in the woods, ride bicycles, and even get into a little bit of trouble together, as boys do. Well, the Boy’s dad was a Pastor in the area, and the family started taking Jim to church with them on Wednesday nights. Eventually, Jim got saved at a VBS. He was excited for a little while, but quickly lost interest. He wandered away. He fell back into the distraction of business, activities, and sports. For years, He was in a “Spiritual Coma”. Then at the age of 17, there was a girl. And Jim started going to a local youth group. Jim eventually went off to college. The relationship with the girl ended, and He was lost. He felt alone, worthless, and without purpose. It was there that He heard a small voice tell him to get up from his table at the college cafeteria, and to walk. He didn’t give him anymore information, just to go to a certain building on campus. When He walked in ,He was greeted by people who seemed to have been waiting for him. It was this group of friends that helped Him hear God’s call to Preach the Gospel. And He is standing here before you this evening. James Matthew Coby. That is a portion of my Testimony. The Story of how God steered my life for the better. The Story that proves to me that God is real. Because of what he’s done in my life, and no one can convince me otherwise.
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
Tonight we’re going to be talking about where our testimony comes from, how it’s constantly developing, and how it is a tool in our spiritual toolbox.
Testimony:
evidence or proof provided by the existence or appearance of something.
a formal written or spoken statement, especially one given in a court of law.
Where does it come from?
Where does it come from?
Let’s hop over to John Chapter 9
In this passage verse 1 says:
1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
So we know that this man has a physical disease that kept his eyes from ever fully developing. He has never been able to see.
The world treated this man like we treat a broken mug
Break Mug
Jesus sees this man, not as a problem or a person who was useless, but as someone with purpose. The way that he sees each one of us.
and He said
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud
7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
Now this was so shocking that it caused people to start asking questions:
8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?”
9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.”
10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”
Now in this moment, the man has a choice. Will he brush this off and give credit to science, or say that it was all a trick, or even begin to doubt how it happened himself?
11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.”
The man’s sight couldn’t be denied, so they started digging even further to see if this was a trick. To figure out how they were being deceived.
18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight
19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.”
Then they returned to the Formerly Blind man, and asked Him again what had happened.
They tried to criminalize Jesus by calling Him a sinner, but the man said this.
25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
This Man gave the account of how his life was forever changed, and gave Jesus the Credit for that change. And in that account, people were forced to listen because of the undeniable and miraculous change that had taken place.
This man’s testimony came from the way that Jesus made a way, where there was no way,
16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters,
17 who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
18 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Bring out new Mug
Our Testimony comes from the same place. The way that God took the broken pieces of our lives and put them back together.
How is it constantly Developing?
How is it constantly Developing?
Where this Blind man is a great example of a man’s testimony beginning. Peter’s journey is one that shows how our testimony is constantly developing, which can be for the good or for the bad.
You see Peter was one of Jesus’ closest friends, then he abandoned him. (3 denials)
Peter was supposed to be the Rock of the Church, but he would let people pressure him into doing things that he shouldn’t do. (Antioch)
Peter was the only other man to ever walk on water, but His eyes wandered from Jesus and sank.
And we often look at these things and say stuff like, “Really peter...” “Why would you do that?” but we do the same things each and every day.
We let our own desires and priorities cause us to leave Jesus hanging.
We allow peer pressure and our desire for acceptance to draw us into actions and behaviors that we know are wrong.
We let distractions pull our eyes off of Jesus, don’t we?
All of these things that we face in our lives are ways that God molds us.
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
2 “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.”
3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel.
4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.
But that’s the awesome things about our Testimony!!
That when we turn our eyes upon Jesus, and turn from all of these things. People are shocked. People don’t believe it. People ask questions. People see a spoiled vessel, a messed up piece of pottery that needs to be thrown away.
But when we see mistakes God sees beauty, God sees a Tool.
Why is it a tool?
Why is it a tool?
Our Testimony is one of the most powerful tools that God gives us. It’s the proof that many people need in order to believe that Jesus is real and that He loves them.
HOW can my testimony help someone else believe?
because people can see who you were before Jesus, and now they see who you’ve become.
There is no better example of this, than The Apostle Paul.
We’ve heard the account. He was a Christian Hunter. He was the smartest. He was most driven. All of the things that Satan wanted and needed him to be, but God radically saved Him from that life, and He was forever, Changed.
This is the part where most people just stop in their own Christian experience. They get saved, and maybe even start coming to church, but that’s not Paul did.
You see we don’t want people to remember how we used to act. We don’t want people to know who we used to be.
But that’s the most important tool that we have in our tool belt. The fact that Jesus is so powerful that he pulled me out of that sin filled life.
Think about Paul, He was constantly pointing people to the Bible, but he was also telling His story. Telling people about how bad he was, so that he could show how GOOD GOD IS!!
Paul is in court. A courtroom that will decide whether he lives or dies. This story is why he’s there, but he still tells it.
4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,
5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me.
7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’
11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him.
14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth;
15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.
16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
The Bible says that He told this story, over and over and over again. and got mixed responses.
Paul’s testimony caused some people to close off, because they weren’t ready to receive this good news:
22 Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.”
But His testimony also open doors that allowed Him to spread the Good news of Jesus across Europe and beyond.
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”
33 So Paul went out from their midst.
34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.
Even today, Paul’s testimony is used to show that even those of us who are the furthest away from Jesus, can be redeemed, can be saved.
What is your testimony?
What is your testimony?
We all have one.
Is yours one of Redemption and salvation
Is yours one of wandering away from the Lord
Or is tonight the night when your testimony takes the turn from the Bad to the Good. From the World to Jesus.
How are you using it?
How are you using it?
Activity
Activity
Write our your 2 minute testimony
Before God is was:
But then God Saved me by:
Because of God, I am now:
Was this an easy exercise?
Were there areas about this that were more difficult than others.
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