Sermon Tone Analysis

Lego is an amazing toy.

Many of us have spent hours as a child building things and letting our imagination run wild.

But Lego has two major draw backs, for something to really work well you have to follow the instructions, your creation may be wonderful in your mind but unless you are good enough to be on the Lego master show then what you create just doesn’t work the way it does on the box.

The second major draw back of Lego is that kids tend to leave it all over the floor and stepping on it in bare feet is really painful.

When you follow the instruction that come in the Lego box each step is laid out and as you click each of the bricks together step by step you will end up with what is on the front of the box.

Amazing.

There are other parts of life we wish came with instructions.

Babies don’t come with instructions, yes there are books to read and classes to go to but there is no actual instruction manual.

Wives is another!

But then the manual would need constantly updating.

Just when you think you have things figured out everything changes.

When it comes to sharing our faith – or making disciples of Jesus many of us wonder if there are any instructions.

We know what the finished product looks like, but how do we get there?

And that’s totally OK.

Because when Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 28 to go make disciples Jesus had already spent three years giving them instructions.

Three years training them in what disciple making looked liked.

Today we are going to go back to the beginning and start in Matthew chapter 5 where Jesus gave his first real instructions to his disciples.

To use the Lego illustration this is where the first few brick click together.

We are using the Crossover Australia series called PLAN A which is going to help us see that the Great Commission in Matthew 28 is for every Christian.

It has been called PLAN A because there is no PLAN B.

God’s plan has always been that disciples will make disciples and they do this best in the community known as the church

PLAN A has 5 principles: Growing, Knowing, Sowing, Rowing and Showing Up.

This morning we are focusing on the first principle “Growing as disciples of Jesus”.

We are going to find that our starting point isn’t what to say, but how to live it.

The way we live our lives will open doors for us to speak about Jesus.

This is actually a wonderful opportunity for us.

Because we don’t just have the truth, we also have a beautiful way of Living.

We have the Jesus way of doing life.

And research tells us that if we can live this out, if we can keep growing as disciples of Jesus that people will become attracted to the message of Jesus.

So let’s take a look at three ways we can grow to be more like Jesus so we can live out our faith.

This morning we are going to see from Matthew 5 that disciples of Jesus witness through their character, their conduct and their commitment.

Let’s start with our character.

When Jesus draws together his disciples to teach them in what we know as the Sermon on the Mount, he knows that a day is coming when he will return to be with the Father.

This sermon is to teach his disciples how they will represent him to the rest of the world.

And do you know what he starts with?

Their character.

Verse 3 The poor in Spirit,

Verse 4 those who mourn,

Verse 5 the meek.

It’s not a very impressive list when you think about it is it?

But Jesus is saying these are the type of people who belong to him and who he is going to send out to represent him to the world.

Who do you think you’d want to represent you to the world?

Would you choose someone rich, famous, good looking, smart or entrepreneurial?

Advertisers spend millions of dollars trying to get this right.

Did you know there is whole industry based around getting good looking people on Instagram, you tube and other social media channels to mention your product.

They are called “influencers”

Some of the most famous influencers are people like Kim Kardashian and her sisters.

They can get paid tens of thousands of dollars to drop a brand name.

Why?

Because that’s the way the world works.

But what about Jesus?

Who did Jesus choose to represent him to the world?

The influencers, the important, the instagramers.

No.

Jesus doesn’t need rock stars.

Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth.

He has the power to call and change people.

Jesus is the rock star.

Jesus doesn’t need us to be famous or funny to spread the gospel.

Jesus just wants us to show the world who he is.

Because if these beatitudes are a list of anything, they are a list of what Jesus is like.

The character of Jesus.

How Jesus lived and died.

Think about it.

As Jesus hung on the cross, was there anyone else in the whole world who was poorer in Spirit, anyone who mourned more, anyone more meek, anyone hungrier and thirstier for righteousness, anyone more pure in heart, anyone more committed to peacemaking or anyone more persecuted?

No, Jesus lived and died this way in order to bring about change in our world, in order to bring the blessing of the Kingdom.

And now that Jesus has done that, he wants his disciples to pick up our cross and grow more like him.

To develop a character like Jesus.

Sometimes we think of growth as growing more important, more influential, more powerful.

How can I move up in the world?

How can I move up in the Church?

But in Jesus’ kingdom, growing means to become more poor in Spirit, more meek, more pure in heart.

More willing to admit we don’t have it all together.

More longing to see the ways of Jesus lived out in our church and community.

One of the biggest realisations I have come to about character is that those who truly shine for Jesus have learnt what it is to be humble and not need the success.

Over several pastorates I had big dreams of what could be achieved and I set out to achieve it.

Now I have always seen growth in the ministries I have led.

In a number of cases that growth has been remarkable in the circumstances.

But I always wanted more and in each of those contexts more was simply not possible.

So here I am, having hopefully finally learnt that I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, that God loves me anyway and I simply have to be obedient in whatever context I find myself.

Do you know how liberating that is!

Renew isn’t about proving anything, I am simply here because God told us to come.

It has only been because I have finally learnt that lesson that God put us in a community where there are 130 000 people coming.

If he had brought me to a place with this potential earlier then the drivenness to suceed would have been an issue.

Now I can confidently say that it is about obedience to preach the Gospel and not my own need to prove myself.

Growth is about relationship with God and others first and foremost.

Everything else flows from that.

When we do so we might have opportunities like one Christian university lecturer.

Our universities are not places where the teaching of Jesus is valued.

It can be a very tricky place to live for Jesus.

But this lecturer invited students to come to a gospel talk.

And they came!

One of them was significantly touched by the talk, and said he’d like to learn more.

A little while later that student put his trust in Jesus.

How do we get people to say yes to hearing more about Jesus.

Belinda Lakelin from Crossover Australia who put this series together shares that she was told that it was the character of the lecturer that made the difference.

This lecturer stands out as an authentic follower of Jesus who respects and serves others.

In return she is well respected and loved.

Her students came to the gospel talk because she meant so much to them.

Her Christ-Like Character opened doors to the gospel.