Why talk about Jesus?

Why talk about Jesus?

My personal redemption is real. I am made righteous through Jesus Christ and I don’t deserve it!

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The Bible teaches me to be a messenger for Jesus Christ. My skills and abilities do not save people. Jesus saves. He wants us to declare Jesus Christ.

Matthew 28:18–20 - And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Acts 1:6–8 - when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 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.”

Matthew 4:19 - he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

The Bible teaches me not to be ashamed of Jesus Christ. Jesus has many reasons to be ashamed or embarrassed of me, but he has chosen not to be those things.

Hey guys, I need to tell you something. It’s important. All of you are going to leave me and scatter for your life. Don’t worry, I’ll be waiting for you in Galilee.

Jesus, that isn’t true about me. Even if everybody else leaves, I won’t do it.

Oh Peter, I regret to inform you that you’re going to deny knowing me three times before tomorrow morning.

Jesus, I’m willing to die with you.

Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean. I do not know this man of whom you speak!

Peter ~ “upon this rock, I will build my church” ~ that Peter.

Every so often, the question comes us ~ If a gun was pointed at you and the shooter asks, deny Jesus or die, how do you respond? 90% of the time, believers respond “I hope I make the right decision and not deny Christ.”

We should learn from Peter that our willingness isn’t always congruent with our actions.

Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Matthew 10:33 - Whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Jesus is a “70x7” God. In a lawsuit generation, second chances are rare.

Matthew 18:21–22 “Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Jesus’ point to Peter was that we ought to keep forgiving without keeping count.

You left a wet towel on the floor again. This is the 489th time! When are you going to learn? You only have one more forgiveness left, you better figure it out before you run out.

We’re easier on that person than we are on ourself. There are people that still think they need to somehow repay God for those horrible sins of our past. Then we sit down with our Bible and ask God to forgive those same sins for the thousandth time. He wraps his arms around us and says, “What are you talking about?” Once Jesus forgives our sin, it is deleted from the record. Never recalled. Never retrieved. It doesn’t work to remind him of it. Jesus’ blood covers our sin much better than a sharpie and it never fades. It is impossible to read what is under the blood of Jesus.

Jesus uses people that don’t have their stuff together.

In July, August and September, we’re going to study Hebrews 11, a chapter that is known as the Old Testament hall of fame. The Old Testament is full of people that we consider superheroes and they had messy moments. Some of them were liars and manipulators. Some of them got drunk. Some were murderers. Some were fugitives. Some were cowards. Some were addicted to women. Some lived in prostitution. Some struggled with depression. All of them were used by Jesus in significant ways. The stuff the enemy throws in your face as he tries to destroy any spiritual momentum you have ~ is just that. Him trying to destroy your God-glorifying mission to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ.

How do I get better at talking about Jesus?

I talk about Jesus more often when I pray for opportunities to talk about Jesus.

I talk about Jesus more often when I don’t think I have to do HIS job.

I talk about Jesus more often when I participate in Christian mutual edification.

Lord Jesus, would you burden me to talk about Jesus with one person every day until July 4?