One-Week 3

We all need a ‘one’.

This is going to be our focus for this unit. The ‘ones’.

Your ‘one’ is that person you want to see brought to Jesus.

The truth is - I can’t reach everyone. But everyone can reach someone.

Now, this drive, it comes with one of the scariest questions we can face as christ followers. ‘How do I witness to someone?’

I’ve got a couple good answers for that.

FIRST:

We need to expect to do Jesus’ work

STORY - Summer students. One is driven, one is waiting around to be instructed.

John 14:12 ESV

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

We take this to mean ‘we will see miracles’ - and that’s true.

But we can’t ignore the basic point of this. That we would do the work Jesus did.

Jesus walked around, and fed the poor. He healed the masses. He taught people. He called people to repentance.

How much do our day to day lives look like Jesus’ day to day life?

How different would this verse sound if we assumed he was also talking about his ministry, and not just his miracles?

JESUS - I reached the woman at the well. You’ll reach a lot more outcasts rejected by society.

I fed 5,000. You’ll feed millions.

Why is it so important that we expect to work: MY SECOND POINT:

God’s plan for us - from the beginning - was to do good works in Jesus

Ephesians 2:10 NIV

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

In this section of Ephesians, Paul is explaining the Gospel. He says - we were all dead in our sins (Following the flesh, living by the ways of the world). But God made us alive in Christ by grace.

To paul, there was two sides to salvation:

Dead in our sins, destined for judgment OR

Made alive by the Spirit IN ORDER to do good works, prepared by God in advance

There isn’t a third scenario - made alive by the spirit, but left to just do whatever while everybody else does stuff

The thing is - we are saved BY Christ. But that salvation primarily executes by us being IN Christ.

It’s by the death of Jesus that we even have the ability to be free, and to receive new life.

It’s in the following of Jesus that we actually receive it, that we accept that gift freely given.

There is no concept of salvation apart from us serving Jesus with our lives.

Matthew 7:21 NIV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Jesus says - serving Him is absolutely essential to the idea of salvation.

Now, sidebar. This isn’t the same thing as saying, ‘we’re saved by works’.

It’s not like, Jesus forgives all our sins, but then takes out a clipboard and looks at everything we do and says, ok, but , i’m not ACTUALLY going to forgive you until you start ticking boxes.

Salvation is Jesus saying - I have forgiven all your sins and I have this new life, this plan, this purpose for you. And we respond with ‘I want in!’ or ‘…No thanks, I”ll keep doing stuff the way i’m used to before’.

When we receive Jesus, we shift our allegience from our plans and goals to His. And actions are just the simplest way to measure that change.

We’ll never be able to perfectly serve Jesus. But the question is really, at the root - are we going to serve him, or are we aiming for something less?

This may sound anxiety inducing. Because we preach this idea of a loving and forgiving Jesus. But the idea that he’s got work for us, that we have a job to do - I mean, what could I possibly do? I’m just me.

But there’s good news here:

THIRDLY -

God gives us the will and the ability to do these works

Philippians 2:12–13 NIV

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

So, God created the opportunity for good works.

But it also says, God wills in us to do the works, and he acts in us to be able to do the works.

so, God has promised help in the area of motivation

God has also promised help in the area of ability

So, next scary thought. What if we start, but we mess up something along the way? We launch well, but drop the ball before the end?

FOURTH:

God can bring to completion the work He starts in us

Philippians 1:3–6 NIV

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

So, Paul is recognizing this church, and saying, whenever I pray for you guys, i’m joyful, because you’re working together with me on the gospel.

Then he says, knowing that, i’m confident that Jesus who BEGAN this work in you will carry it on to completion.

So just a review:

God created works for us to do beforehand.

God promises help to have both the will, and the way, to do the work

God promises help to complete the work the way He wants it done.

Every step of the process - God is there

So what do we have to worry about?

Romans 8:37–39 NIV

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

MORE THAN CONQUERORS - that is the God we serve.

NOTHING IN ALL CREATION can separate us from His love.

And it is THAT GOD that is asking us to step up to the plate, to go to bat for our loved ones, our coworkers, our friends and family.