Wide Reach

Background

If we havent had the pleasure of meeting my name is John Colunga

If your visiting or havent been with us in a few weeks, we have been going through this sermon series called find your new day

And if you are unaware this church has been Golden Acres Baptist Church but has been adopted into the New Day family

And so we are going through the New Day Core Values

Bold gospel

Deep Discipleship

Real Family

True Love

Wide Reach

We used Ephesians 2:1-10 for this and we know its Bold because in a world that tells us to be the best you can be, our best is not good enough for God

While we are living we are spiritually dead but that it is God who doesn’t leave us in that spiritual state

That God sent Jesus as the good news (gospel) to die for our sins and save us through his resurrection

Jesus - the Savior, who willingly went to the cross gave a command to make disciples

So we have deep disipleship that brings both encouragement and accountability for us to live as Jesus did. To obey his commands and to teach others to do so as well

And then real family - that the church should feel like a family (That we gather and do life together)

True Love because a real family loves each other

Love comes from God, Is displayed through Jesus, given to the church

We can know love because we know God

Just as Christ loved the church and died for it, we are to love one another as the church

Today we will be talking about wide reach

If you have your bibles please turn to Romans 10:10-17

What we do know is that Paul is the author of Romans

Romans gives the most comprehensive and detailed statement of the gospel

In chapter 10 - What we will find today is that God’s righteousness is recieved only by faith

That this righteousness is not exclusive to just one person or group of people

Rather it is inclusive to all who have faith

Romans 10:10-17 “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.”

Please take a moment and remember your conversion story

Remember where you were at, what was the occasion

Remember what was it that brought you to say yes to Jesus

Most of us propbaly said a prayer, or came forward during church, maybe you filled out a card

Who led you through that? Was it a pastor, friend, parent, youth/kids leader?

I remember when I was in first grade it was my teacher, Mrs. Harding who led me to Christ

I cant remember the details and I will be honest that over the years I had questioned when/if that was the time I was truly saved

However, when I look at my life, God’s faithfulness, and read scripture - I am more and more assured that it was at that time

The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ is easy to understand

Surverys done by the Barna Research Group indicate that American children ages 5 to 13 have a 32% probability of accepting Christ, but youth or teens aged 14 to 18 have only a 14% probability of doing so. Unbelieving adults age 19 and over have just a 6% probability of becoming Christians.

Of those saved and surveyed - 85% accept Christ between ages 4-14

I can use these numbers 100 different ways and I could use them to either encourage or scare you but really I just used them

to show that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a complex equation

If anything it is the adults that try to make it complicated

But when we understand that God is Holy and he demands holiness

And that we have sinned so we are unholy

In order to make us holy and right with God

God sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins

and so we must put our faith and trust alone is Jesus to make us holy

And when we die, even though our sin should condemn us to hell

Becuase of our faith in Jesus who paid the punishment

We are saved and are made holy and can be with God in heaven

And so dont be scared of that word justified in the text

Justified - Means that Jesus made us right with God with his work on the cross

And if with our heart we believe then it will spill over out of our mouth to confession

And so when you trusted in Jesus it wasnt the prayer that saved you, or the action, or the card you signed

It was your faith in Jesus who justifies and your yes was the overflow and it is a beautiful thing

It is a beautiful thing when someone comes to Christ,

Jesus changes our life and it is because of this that we desire it for others

Who

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.”

It is estimated this week that a baby will be born and it will be the 8 billionth human in the world

There is 8 billion

Billion (B)

Now that is a wide reach!!!

7billion 9hundred 99million 9hundred 99thousand 9hundred 99people that you can possibly reach 7,999,999,999

That is a bit of an exaggeration but you get the picture that there is a wide landscape of people that we can reach

In Pasadena alone, we have over 152 thousand people

I wonder how many of these people need a New Day

How many of them need hope

How many of them need to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ

We do not know what all of these people are going through, we do not know what circumstances they are in

In youth age 6-17years old in the US - 17% have a mental health disorder

In adults 18+ in the US - 20% have a mental health disorder

anxiety, depression, adhd, eating disorder, obsesive compulsive

Average american family debt is $96,371

Average american income is $70,784

Many families are struggling financially to make ends meet

People in this world need the peace and comfort of Jesus Christ

People in this community need the peace and love of Jesus Christ

What we do know, and what we believe is that a life with Jesus is a life fullfilled no matter the trial or circumstance

Even more than that - We know that where they spend eternity is dependent upon their faith and trust

And we know that only way for them to be saved in all eternity is for their faith and trust to be in Jesus and to call upon his name

Marianne and I went to Cabo San Lucas for our honeymoon and unbeknown to us, we went while the Bisbee was going on

If you are like us you dont know what the Bisbee is but we found out that it is a fishing tournament

And this particular one in Cabo is the highest paying fishing tournament

The winner who catches the largest fish will recieve over 11 million dollars

In order to even qualify, you have to pay over 125 thousand dollars just to be a part of it

And the fish you catch has to be a minimum of 350 pounds

And so we were at the port where the boats launch from and these were huge fishing boats

Twenty fishing lines it seemed like because the more lines you have the greater percentage of catching fish

They have a certain time to go out and they have to be back at a certain time

As the end of day draws near, we learned that if a boat has caught a fish, they raise a flag and have a flag for each one they catch

It was amazing to me that boat after boat would come in without a flag raised

They were out there all day, with multiple line, and they come back with nothing

Heres the thing, its a 3 day event so at the end of 3 days they could still end up with nothing

And I think about Luke chapter 5 where Peter and Andrew had been fishing all night

Time after time they cast their net and yet they have caught nothing

How tired and dissappointed these men must have been

Their circumstance was not ideal, if they do not catch fish they do not make money and without money how are they to buy food

And here comes Jesus who tells them to cast their net down again

Peter being Peter said We already have but whatever whats one more time

And then they get a large number of fish, the nets were breaking, and the boat was sinking

And right then and there Peter knew that Jesus wasn’t just a teacher but the Messiah

He fell to his knees and declared that he is unworthy to be in Christ’s presence

Yet Jesus, tells him, Andrew, James and John to follow him and he will make them fishers of men

That they will teach, heal, learn, and serve others

Some will accept Jesus and others will reject

However, they will be going out and ministering to the people

Teaching them about Jesus!

Understand this that Jesus provided the fish and Jesus will provide the people

8 billion people for us to minister too

How

And what I love in our text today is how Paul emphasizes believers as the means to which the fish/people will be caught

How

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.”

How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!

I am glad we understand and believe the gospel

I am glad we disciple one another

I am glad that this church acts like a family

I am glad this church displays the love of Jesus

And I am calling on this church to continue these things and to continue the mission of reaching those outside these walls

For all of us to be fishers of men

We teach the song to our kids “I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men, fishers of men, If you follow me”

What good does it do for us to teach them if they do not see mom, dad, or the church acting out what it means to be fishers of men

It can be discouraging to hear that statistically speaking only 6% of people over 18 will accept Jesus

Thankfully, God is over statistics but he does not operate within statistics

And we are to go out and reach as many as we can, to share Jesus with them, because they need Him

This church can be like one of those Bisbee boats but with 60+ fishing lines

If each of us cast our line out daily, talk with people, interact with people, look for opportunities to interact with people,

God will provide the catch!

Sure, Some will reject but others who hear, will only be able to hear because you go to them to be used by God

It is comforting to know that it isnt your words or how you say it that saves

At the end of this Paul states, So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

God’s word, the gospel itself is what changes lives

The gospel is powerful and transforms

It is the primary way in which people are saved

And we are the primary vessels God uses to teach it

And so that is why New Day Pasadena is here

It isn’t here to be exclusive but to be inclusive for all to hear the truth of Jesus

We want to reach far and wide, outside of these walls so we can bring people in

So we can disciple, love, and grow our family

I dont care your age, race, ethnicity, circumstance, if you are a follower of Jesus you are to share

Mr. Tom, who is here today, just went through a