Senior Service : 1.8.23

Sermon:

Good afternoon my friends!

I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. It’s great to be for our 1st service with you guys in 2024.

Yesterday, we had our first service at The River Church too. At church, I shared what I called our 2024 Vision - or what I believe God wants our church to focus on this year. And since I consider you guys an extension of our church, I thought it would be beneficial to share it with you too!

2 Corinthians 4:5 NLT

You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.

This year, our church is focused on living out the truth that “Jesus is Lord.” Strangely, this is something that is not talked about often. What I mean is that often we talk about Jesus the Savior…

I mean, think about two of the biggest holidays we have on our calendar:

We just celebrated Christmas. What’s Christmas all about? It’s celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. When God took on human flesh and came to earth. And why did He come to earth? To be with us and save us from our sins. How will He save us?

Well, that’s the next holiday: Easter. I know you guys don’t think that Easter is all about the Easter Bunny. We know that Easter is remembering when Jesus died on the cross and then rose from the grave 3 days later. But why did He do that? He did that because on the cross, He was SAVING us from our sins. He was perfect but took the punishment we deserved.

And we are so thankful for this. We love Jesus the Savior. And He truly is the one and only Savior! But here’s the thing that many of us forget about…

In the book of Revelation (the last book of the Bible), the apostle John is given a vision of the future - the end times. And he writes this…

Revelation 19:11–16 ESV

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Jesus not only Savior, but He is also the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And in the future, everyone will know Him as Lord Jesus. But that title is not reserved for the future, but is true today. That’s why the apostle Paul wrote, “We proclaim that Jesus is Lord.” He is Lord Jesus right now!

And maybe we’ve heard that. Maybe we know that. Maybe we’ve confessed that. But do we live like He is Lord over our lives?

Many times we say, “Thank you Jesus for saving me from that problem. Thank you for saving me from that relationship. Thank you for saving me from that sickness. Thank you for saving me from hell.” Again, we love Jesus the Savior!

But all too often we’re not fond of Jesus the Lord. How do I know this? Because if we’re honest, our thoughts, words, and actions don’t show that we consulted or listened to the Master. We just do what we want to do. Or, what’s popular and prioritized in our culture. And what that really shows is those other things - or ourselves - are really “lord,” not Jesus.

Well, for The River Church (and maybe you guys too), my prayer is that will change. That in 2024, we will be a people who say, “Jesus is Lord.” And we will not only say it, we will prove it by the way that we live.

And in our short time together, I’d like to give us 3 ways we can do that…

1. We commit to loving the Lord Jesus.

That can sound a little subjective, so let me give you a more concrete way we can know that we’re loving Jesus according to what the Bible says…

John 14:15 NLT

“If you love me, obey my commandments.

One way we love Jesus is by obeying what He says. But then we must ask, “Do I know what He says?”

The other day, Pastor Jon was telling me about how his youngest son failed his driving test. When I asked why, he said, “Because he got stuck floating in the box.” I didn’t tell him that at the time, but I had never even heard that term. Thankfully he explained it.

It’s when you have a green light, but not a green arrow to turn left. And you pull into the intersection in order to turn left after the oncoming traffic passes. Apparently, you’re really not supposed to do that. You’re supposed to wait behind the line. I didn’t know that!

I was always taught to float the box, even if I didn’t know that’s what it’s called. I’ve been driving that way for over 25 years! And at 43 years old, I would’ve failed the driving test because I didn’t know what the rules said.

That’s how we live sometimes. We don’t know what God says, so we just do whatever, even if we have no intention of rebelling against God. But if we want to love Jesus as Lord, we need to learn what He says, so we can obey Him. And the way we learn what He says is by reading your Bible. Maybe in 2024, you commit to reading a Psalm every day or the book of John this year?

2. Build a relationship with Jesus Christ and His church.

We live in a culture that values independence. That we can do it all by ourselves and we don’t need anyone’s help. And while that may make you look strong, it’s actually not how God designed us to live. We’re supposed to live in community - in relationship - with both God and other people.

When Jesus was asked, “What’s the most important commandment?” This is what He said…

Matthew 22:37–39 NLT

Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

The Lord Jesus commands us to love God with all our heart - be in a deep relationship with Him. And then… it’s just as important to be in relationship (in community) with your neighbor.

I think a great place to start practicing this is here in this room. Every month (as you usually do), commit to coming here, so we can worship/love God together. And then, look at all your neighbors here. During the rest of the month, love them. Spend time with them. Encourage them. Because that’s what the Lord Jesus says to do!

3. Bring joy in the name of Jesus.

What am I talking about … bring joy? How do we do that in Jesus name?

Well, I’m not just talking about making people happy, although that’s not bad! What I’m talking about is the gospel - the good news of Jesus!

I believe the greatest joy comes from the gospel - when people hear about and receive Jesus and He changes their lives. That’s what brings joy. And the way we bring that to other people is we tell people our story!

Did you know God wants to use you to change the world. He wants to use your story to change this community here at Addison Place. All you got to do is tell people two simple stories:

First off, tell them the story of Jesus. And here’s a simple story to tell…

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

But then, tell them your story. Ask your neighbors or the people who work here… … or maybe any family or friends who visit, “Can I tell you what God is doing in my life?” And then, simply share what Jesus has done or is doing. And when you do, God will use your story to bring joy.

And I am confident, that if you will read your Bible, spend time in biblical community, and share your stories of joy… in 2024, Jesus will be Lord of your life. Even more, I believe more people will make Jesus their Lord, because of your faithfulness. Amen?

Communion / Prayer