Matt 4:23-25
Just say Jesus (miracles of Jesus) • Sermon • Submitted
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Ready. Set. Go!
PRAY On July 1st, 1982, Larry Walters Had a bright idea. A truck driver from Los Angeles California, Walters had always dreamt of flying in the air force, when this plan didn’t work out… Larry took matters into his own hands. for some 20 years Larry imagined what this flight might look like, the breeze in his face, the cool wind over the California sky. That July morning, this dream became a reality.
Larry conspired his plan while sitting outside in his "extremely comfortable" Sears lawn chair. He purchased 45 weather balloons from an Army-Navy surplus store, tied them to his tethered lawn chair (that he named the Inspiration I) and filled the four-foot diameter balloons with helium. Then, armed with some sandwiches, Miller Lite, and a pellet gun, he strapped himself into his lawnchair. He figured he would shoot a few of the many balloons when it was time to descend.
Now Larry planned to cut the anchor and lazily float to a height of about 30 feet above the backyard, where he would enjoy a few hours of flight before coming back down to earth. But things didn't work out quite as Larry planned.
Larry did not float lazily up to 30 feet. Instead, he streaked into the LA sky as if shot from a cannon. He didn't level off at 100 feet, or even 1000 feet. Larry Walters made it all the way to 16,000 feet.
At that height he felt he couldn't risk shooting any of the balloons, lest he unbalance the load and really find himself in trouble. So, he stayed there, drifting cold and frightened with his beer and sandwiches, for more than 14 hours. He crossed the primary approach corridor of LAX, where startled Trans World Airlines and Delta Airlines pilots radioed in reports of the strange sight.
Eventually he gathered the nerve to shoot a few balloons, and slowly descended. The hanging tethers tangled and caught in a power line, blacking out a Long Beach neighborhood for 20 minutes. Larry climbed to safety, where he was arrested by waiting members of the LAPD. As he was led away in handcuffs, a reporter dispatched to cover the daring rescue asked him why he had done it. Larry replied nonchalantly, "A man can't just sit around."
You can’t just sit around. What famous words, of course, I’m not advocating that we leave from service today and tie ourselves to lawnchairs with 45 helium weather balloons… unless of course, you’re interested in that in which case, let’s talk.
But really, the heart of this story about lawn chair Larry is many of us can relate with this idea of having good intentions, or wanting to do things with our faith, and yet what started as a fire within us at one point, for some has now dwindled down to a mere flicker and we wonder where that initial zeal went in sharing the gospel and being impactful for the community.
You see, 2 weeks ago, we looked at the idea of discipleship as one of the primary reasons the church exists. We read Matthew 4:19: 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” From there we discussed the initial choice personally to accept Christ as savior, second, we see the value and need in spiritual growth on an individual level… and by the way I feel as a church we accomplish this area pretty well. But third and finally, we get to this point of going. And sharing the gospel… and evangelizing… and all of a sudden… the tendency is to get scared.
You see church, that as few as 5 to 10 percent of most church goers in most churches across America have share their faith with someone over the last year.
Interestingly enough A survey from the Institute of American Church Growth showed that 75 to 90 percent of new believers actually came to Christ through a friend or acquaintance who explains the good news on a one-to-one basis. And yet Only 17 percent of all conversionscome through what is called an “event”—whether it’s a pastor giving his message on Sunday morning, or Billy Graham like crusade…
And so, the point this morning guys is that we have a job to do… and studies show that so often, sharing our faith with others is how they come to a point of salvation. And yet, again according to the studies, we see that many of us have a difficult time sharing our faith with others…
Can I share with you for a moment what I personally believe one of the biggest driving factors is…? I believe at present that we certainly live in a culture and society that is drifting away from God…and so many of us are Christians, but there Is a sense of quietness or maybe even shame when we get around our secular friends… because after all, we don’t want to be outcasted by our family because of our faith….
But I also believe that we suffer from this sin of silence, where we haven’t put into practice the idea of actuallysharing our faith with others… and as the old saying Goes “if you don’t use it… you…. Lose it…” many of us have failed to share our faith with someone and the idea now is actually kind of scary.
And yet, I reminded of the words of Paul to his protégé timothy as he writes in 2 Timothy 1:6-8
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.…) 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God
You see this morning God calls us to fan into flame the gift of God….
With this in mind there are 3 sermon points this morning are learning from Jesus: 1. The message, 2. The method and 3. The map.
Turn with me first to Matthew Chapter 4:12-17
1. The message in Sharing our faith
MATT 4:12-17 12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”[f]
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 9 simple words
Verse 17 is key this morning because this is the message. It says to repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. I want to break down 2 words for us. The first word is repent which in the Greek is the word: metanoeō
Meaning to change one's mind for better and to change in disgust from one's past sins. In other words, Jesus is calling people to leave their old life, to change their mind and come after him…
But how is he spreading this word? The message is spread by preaching.
It says from that time on Jesus began to Preach. The word preach there is the Greek word kēryssō. which means to be a or messenger. It also means to make a public proclamation of the gospel.
In other words, when we look at the example of Jesus, yes, he’s using different ways of communicating… but the primary means of communication is by speaking in public.
Now for a second, I want us to see that the same message that Jesus was preaching during his earthly years of ministry. Began before him and actually continued on after him.
In Matthew 3:1 we’re told of John the Baptist, who… came before Jesus and his message was this:
3 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Do we some similarities here?
Then in Luke 10: 9-11 it goes from John the Baptist sharing ting this message, to Jesus, and now Jesus has commissioned 72 to go out. It says:
9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’
You see in one of my favorite books entitle share Jesus without fear the author explains:
Many Christians tell people they love the Lord. They offer hugs and tell people they'll pray for them, yet they only share hints of gospel truth. Sometimes they put those silver fish and “Honk If You Love Jesus” bumper stickers on the back of their cars. And if they are made of braver stuff, they go to football games and hold up posters with the words “John 3:16” painted in large red letters.
These Christians don't share enough information to allow the Holy Spirit to affect a heart change. They fail to tell their friends how to go from the state of death to the state of life!
Friends, if God had his messenger, John the Baptist go out before him and call people to repentance, then we see Jesus do the same and later commission 72 others to do the same… What does that say for you and I?
You see, the reality is we are now plan A. God has put us here, In Kenton Ohio to share the gospel with those around us.
Maybe you’ve never done that… and It’s scary to you… but if I could challenge you to do two things… I would just encourage you to 1. start praying for boldness in sharing your faith. 2. Start praying for others… You can begin there. 3. As opportunities open themselves up, share your faith. A common way of doing so is by using many of the scriptures in Romans, we know it as romans road and tell people your testimony. Like we said early, most people that are accepting Christ as their savior do so on a one-to-one basis? The question simply becomes, who do you know, that you need to start praying for?
The bible says in Romans 5:6 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”
You see there was a point in your own life where you weren’t ready to accept Christ as your Savior, but friends, you don’t know what work God is already doing in someone’s heart.
1 Cor 3:6-7 says 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
You see, studies show that the average person will need to hear the gospel 7.6 times before they accept it. Of course, it varies from person to person, but you may be the first time someone hears the gospel, or you may just be the person that ultimately leads them to Christ… but either way we have a job to do.
2. the method of sharing the Gospel.
Turn with me to Matthew 4:23-25 and as your turning there, we’ll recall that Jesus has gone from a place of temptation in the wilderness, to then calling his first disciples and the very next account is of him preaching the gospel. But as we’re reading the text together, I want us to catch a key concept. And that is this, Jesus didn’t only teach and preach, he also met the people’s needs.
we’re told Matt 4:23 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
The truth of the matter is Jesus is showing that he is the Messiah because he has the power to perform miracles,so these healings give him credibility as God’s son. But at the same time, what is so crucial about the scripture is that he’s noting only sharing the word, he’s meeting people’s needs, He has compassion on them.
You see, time after time, he’s meeting not only their spiritual needs, but also their emotional and physical needs as well.
Going back to Luke 10 for a moment, we read:
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
We see a number of truths from this scripture. First, we see that Jesus had sent them out the workers two by two. In other words, they’re not by themselves, but their going with others. Which not to say that we always have to share our faith like this, but there are certainly advantages to doing so.
We also see that Jesus says, “I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” Which by the way, wolves like to attack lambs. Wolves are carnivores and have a tendency for wanting to kill lambs…
On a side note, John 10:11-15 says
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So, when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
And we know ultimately that Jesus being the lamb of God would go on to lay down his life for us.
But the key in this verse that I want to draw our attention to is verse 9 which says: “9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.”
You see, when we talk about methods of sharing the gospel with others, we would be wise to look to the example of Jesus. That as we share our faith with others, we’re not only concerned with their salvation and their heart, but we’re also concerned with their physical and emotional needs.
James 2:14-17 says: 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
You see I think back to my evangelism professor while I was going to Liberty University. His name was Dr. David Wheeler and Dr. Wheeler shared with our class that one of the ways that they would witness to their community was this. Every Halloween, as families were out trick or treating in the Lynchburg Virginia area, he would serve hot dogs, coffee and hot chocolate within the neighborhood. Dr. wheeler went on to explain how he started out with only a few families that would come out to grab a hot dog, but in time this turn resulted in over 500 hot dogs being passed out to their neighbors. Dr. Wheeler then we on to explain how one family in particular asked why he would do such a thing. Which then… opened a door for the gospel to be shared.
Here's the point. It might seem like something small, but ultimately a small gesture can turn into a gospel centered conversation.
Here in the church on April 16th, we’re going to for instance be having an easter egg hunt outside. And the plan is to have 1,000 easter eggs on the church yardfor not only our own kids, but also for kids in the community to enjoy an easter egg hunt.
Now, the point is not to take away from Easter Sunday. Instead, the point is to add to easter Sunday because my prayer is that whether it’s this year, or next year… that as families start to come out to things like easter egg hunts, community barbeques or other events… that they ultimately open the door for gospel conversations and families to be impacted.
So, here’s what I would ask… 3 simple things.
1. be praying about those that might be joining us in the coming months.
2. We order a number of invited cards to the easter egg hunt on one side and on the other side, its an invite to attend church.
3. If your able to start bringing out candy to fill the 1,000 plastic eggs that have been ordered, or if you can help in any way.... we need that…
The point is friends, we are modeling the example of Jesus and meeting the needs of our community and I would love everyone to be a part of what we do here during easter.
3. The Map in sharing our faith
In 2 Cor 10:12-17, Paul is addressing a relatively young church in the city of Corinth. And here’s what he writes to them: 12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you. 14 We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. 15 Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, 16 so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. 17 But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.
Paul is addressing the people and simply saying, “we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory.” Instead, let’s boast in the Lord… Friends, this morning, God has called us here, to Kenton Ohio, and our “sphere of service to God” as verse 13 states is largely within our own community. Yes, God has called us also to all nations, and I would love to lead or be a part of an overseas missions’ trip with the church… but for this week ahead, our mission field is our back yard. It’s our neighbor. It’s the people of Kenton.
Call Lisa back up at this time.
AND AS she is coming back up, I Just want to close with the great commission found in Matthew 28: 18-20 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
GO – ACTION WORD….
1. Pray for the church. pray for boldness within yourself. Pray for those who are lost.
2. Be a part of what God is doing in and through the church. Serve the church / survey in your bulletin / ways you can serve. Need help.
3. Simply tell someone about Jesus in the coming weeks.
Pray