4 W Life: Witness

Introduction (open your bibles to Romans 10:13-17)

Next week we are starting a series through the Psalms of Ascent (This is where we got the name for our church)

Mission: To Glorify God by making disciples.

Worship: Praise and Adoration to God for who he is.

Walk: The daily act of Abiding in Christ.

Work: The stewardship of all that God has given us to lovingly and sacrificially serve the body of Christ.

Witness: the obedient love to those in my communities by consistently serving and sharing the gospel.

- Prior to Launching Ascend a group of us gathered and we worked through the Book of Acts....

Acts 1:8 (ESV)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

A witness is someone who has seen something…

To serve as a witness is to to say something about it.

We serve as witnesses all the time...

Remember that time when you?

Did you watch that game last night?

Have you seen the new blank?

Do you have a blank at home? Do you like it?

Transition: We Love to talk about things we have seen that impress us, and even more than that we love to talk about things that move us…

Yet we often struggle to share our faith

there are only two continents in the world christianity isn’t growing.... (North America, Europe)

So this is concerning…

Witnessing is often the weakest and most forgotten W… So we must talk about it.

In fact if you trace our Ascends history from the church the church that planted us redeemer, to the churches that planted Redeemer at one point and time there was no witness W in our mission and Vision.

We believed so strongly in that this needed to be a pillar in all that we do we added it from the 2 Ws to 4.

Paul in our passage today:

Describes the why, the how, what for being a witness for Jesus.

Paul raises some questions that should burn in our hearts and minds as believers.

Pauls words should motivate us to action.

This is the Big Idea of todays sermon and it comes directly from the passage....

B.I Calling requires faith, faith requires hearing, hearing requires preaching, and preaching requires sending.

Gemma Read Romans 10:13-17

Lets pray.

1. Calling requires faith.

Everyone

Romans 10:13 ESV

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Everyone = Everyone has access to it.

The Jew Gentile

All people

There are no prerequisites to following Jesus.

you simply must be human.

No past decision, or action disqualifies

Transition: Everyone has access to Jesus.... yet they must call on him.

calls on the name of the Lord = This is the picture of faith...

Psalm 116:4 ESV

Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

It is not about what you say (praying the perfect prayer)… it is about how you say it?

Moved to put God in a position that you “call on him”....

To Call on God...

God is in a position that you call on him.

You believe he is going to pick up (trust in him)

Illustration:

When you fall down and yell for mom and dad… what good parent doesn’t come pick you up?

Clean it… Kiss it… put a bandage on it… all better.

The act of “calling” displays true faith:

Go and by your faith you will be healed.

The student who is wrestling with God…

Why do we we call on God? because we believe he will answer…

Transition but what about those who have no knowledge of God, no concept… This is where our role comes in.

2. Faith Requires hearing

Romans 10:14 ESV

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?

Illustration:

I need 2 participants.

Hide something in the room? (I already told one participant)

How? (The problem)

They do not believe.

They have not heard

Matthew 9:36 ESV

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

This is the reality of people outside of Christ?

We must be moved to compassion for them?

They have no idea who to follow.

The gospel is the answer...

Worship is what can change their heart

Walking with God will lead to fruit in their life

The Work of the church provides the community that they desire.

We must tell them.

But … How? (next point)

3. Hearing Requires Preaching

Romans 10:14 ESV

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?

Who is Paul saying should preach?

Preach = “To Herald” The person riding horseback to declare the war is over.

You are a church planter… you are a preacher….

God has put you in places, with people… who are in desperate need of the Gospel.

Say something!

Transition: Being a preacher requires that we cannot live in isolation we must live as a sent people. which leads us to our last point.

4. Preaching Requires sending (How do we send)

This is the Vision: How beautiful are the feet of those who share the good news.

We see ourselves: as a church family on the south side of Indianapolis that is striving to help every person follow Jesus.

This work begins by being a people sharing the gospel with those around us...

Everyday you are to live sent.

This is why we are a planted here...

This is why Lord willing we will send people out to plant.

This is why we will work to see the Gospel spread across the world.

Pray through this Verse

Romans 10:16–17 ESV

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.