Hidden Acres 26 - Wednesday - 7.8.26

INTRO

BIBLE

2 Corinthians 4:7–12 “Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. So then, death is at work in us, but life in you.”

I’m a Christian, yeah yeah, I should tell people about him

It scared me. I was shy, and I surely didn’t like talking to people

I remember being at a football game when I was in 5th grade. I was walking to the concession stand and my teacher was there.

As a shy person, the WORST thing that can happen to you is to see your teacher in public

And she did the worst thing she could have possibly done. She said hi to me.

And you know what I did? I kept walking. Didn’t say anything.

This is the sort of person I was

Couldn’t even say hi to my teacher. So you think I was going to be able to tell people about this Jesus guy?

These sorts of talks always made me feel guilty

I don’t want that to happen to you today, and I hope to encourage you today, and call you to live differently than I lived

When I was a freshman in college, I was in a speech class with probably 8 other people, and I was absolutely TERRIFIED of giving speeches

And these were 5-8 minute speeches… in front of 8 people!

And now here I am speaking in front of people for a living

What happened in my life?

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””

HS (God) = power

Witnesses - see/experience - tell people about it

Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, end of the earth

Ames, Iowa, United States, Globe

I recognized God called me to tell people about himself and to open my mouth on his behalf

I also came to realize this life isn’t about me. It’s about how I can live to show the world that I’ve been changed by Jesus

It was in this exact room 18 years ago that God saved me

From that moment 18 years ago, the Holy Spirit was in my life, in my heart guiding me, protecting me, and speaking to me, giving me everything I needed to glorify and enjoy God

I now have the power in me to share this good news that God has saved me

This power isn’t from me

Remember the verse from 1 Corinthians?

God gives us the power!

Last year I was in Africa, and we got to go into some villages and talk to people about Jesus

We had to use a translator, but we went to these people in rural Zambia and preached the Gospel to them

Can I be real with you?

I was a little scared. My old ways, and my flesh still are a part of my life. It was scary!

But do you know what else is true? God was with me, God empowered me, and God spoke through me

God gave me the words to say in the moment and was with me every single step of the way

Before he created the world, he knew I would be talking to those people, and he led me to them in that moment

There are people in your life who God wants you to go to and talk to

Step into those moments! God is with you. God has given you unique gifts and passions, and placed you exactly where he has for a reason.

Think about what you’re good at, and what you’re passionate about

God has given you those gifts and passions, so you can tell people about him!

Me - reading and teaching

Ellie - caring for people and babies - nurse

Bobby - sports, upward

What is it for you? Ask people in your life

And know this too, God is with you and God uses you when you tell people about him whether you think so or feel like it or not

We’re broken jars! It’s not about us or our abilities anyway! That should free us to point to the treasure that’s inside of us

How do I know God was with you?

Because he promised to be with us!

Matthew 28:18-20 - Jesus’ last words before he went back to heaven, his final charge to his disciples and to us

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.”

RSV - I ain’t going anywhere

Here’s the truth…

God is currently on a mission

He is redeeming the earth. He’s saving people

That’s what God is all about

If I want to find my wife, she’s usually at the barn with her horses or a coffee shop

If I want to find my friend Garrett, I can find him on a disc golf course or at the airport

If I want to find Jesus, I should share the Gospel with someone

That’s were he’s going to be

He’s on the battlefield pursuing the mission

God doesn’t give us the Holy Spirit so we could just feel close to him like he’s some sort of cute divine cuddly bear

He gave us the spirit so we could have power to tell people about him

Sometimes it can feel overwhelming when we look at the world around us

So many people are far from God, what is telling my one friend about Jesus even going to do?

Don’t be scared off by the numbers

Just do your part. You’re probably not going make a big dent in the number, but you’re going to have an eternal impact on the lives of the people you do reach

The whole point of life with Christ is that we are not the point. I am not the point.

What I mean - we are broken, clay jars

The treasure that is inside us is the point

The fact that we sit here now proves that it’s about the treasure and not the jar

Little secret - disciples were kinda dumb. Anyone in here a little dumb?

Just normal guys

Started with 12 random guys in the middle east, and now we’re here

Shows that it’s the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us!

God works through normal people just like you and me and the disciples

That’s why God uses broken vessels like us, to point to himself

There’s no hierarchy in the kingdom of God, the ground is level at the foot of the cross

God works through broken people like us because that’s all there is

It isn’t like God is working through the people that have their lives together, and have things figured out

Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.