Sermon Tone Analysis

A Place To Belong

Help Someone To See Jesus

mat 28:

Confession of Faith

I am not moved by what I see or by what I feel.

I am moved by what I believe.

I believe the WORD of God!

The victory is mine!

I have it now!

I can see it through the eyes of my faith!

You can find some great wisdom simply by reading T-shirts . . .

• My Husband's Wife Is Amazing!

• My Husband's Wife Is Amazing

• Wisdom doesn't always come with age . . .

Sometimes age comes alone

• I am in shape . . .

Technically, round is a shape

End with this one:

"You are absolutely unique, just like everyone else"

The one thing that we hold in common with everyone else is the simple fact that each and Every one of us is unique.

There is no one else in the world just like you.

And the same is true with every church.

Every church is unique.

The church in Chicago,Illinois is different from the church in Tampa, Florida, which is different from the church in Houston, Texas, , which is different from the church here in Morgan Hill, Ca.

The church in Guatemala City is different from the church in Kansas City, which is different from the church in New York City, which is different from the church in Mexico City.

Every church is unique and our church is no different.

There is no church like our church, anywhere in the world.

There is no church like United Christian Fellowship.

Think about it: This is all God's plan.

Just as God chose to create every single person as a unique individual, God has brought together every single church in a very unique way.

Just look around; we are a unique church made up of a unique gathering of people.

Therefore, how we grow in Christ and how we fulfill God's mission are going to be somewhat unique.

No church will minister exactly the same way we do here at UCF,

No church has the same ability to reach the specific people that we are able to reach out to,

No church can live out God's mission in the same way that we here at UCF can live it out.

So, we have a responsibility to play our part and our unique role in what God is doing in our neighborhood, in our city, and around the world.

Now, Although each church is unique, the mission is essentially the same for every church around the world.

Jesus gave this mission

In that special time after his resurrection but before he ascended to heaven, he addressed his followers and shared with them what we commonly refer to as The Great Commission.

This was Jesus passing on God's mission to the church.

So this is the foundational mission that every Bible-believing, God-honoring, Christ-centered church holds in common.

And yet every church is still unique.

So we each uniquely live out this mission.

We have a responsibility to live out God's mission, to be faithful to fulfill what God is asking us to do in this time and in this place.

We don't want to just “do” church—show up week-in and week-out, sing some songs, say some prayers, listen to a sermon, and then go on with life.

Our Job is to honor God as his church,

We do not want to just “do” church, we want to BE the church,

And to truly be God's church as effectively as possible here at UCF we need to understand and embrace what it means for our church to live God’s mission right here in Morgan Hill, South San Jose, San Martin, Gilroy and beyond

You see, it is our desire to be a church that lives in step with the Spirit.

Not rushing ahead of God, and not lagging behind what God is doing, but staying right in step with God's Spirit.

The apostle Paul was writing to the church in Galatia and was encouraging them about their freedom in Christ and that they were to be living in the Spirit.

He shares with them about the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) and then he says

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

It is our desire to stay right in step with how the Spirit is leading us as a people.

The danger is if we do not take the time to seek God, to hear from God, to understand what God is doing here and now, then we run the risk of falling behind or heading off course or simply going through the motions, right?

So We must do the hard work of seeking God so that we can confidently move forward in step with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus gave the church the foundational mission: to go into the world and make disciples.

Many times we have good intentions about helping others have a relationship with Jesus and commit their lives to him.

But There is a massive difference between good intentions and being intentional: One is wishful thinking, the other makes a difference.

We are called to be intentional in living out God’s mission.

Each and every one of us.

How do we —right here, right now—live our lives with that mission?

It all begins with the understanding that we are called to follow Christ.

How did Christ help people place their faith in him?

He met people where they were and he led them into a life of following him

Bringing God’s Word to Your WORLD

Jericho was a very important city in the time of Jesus.

It was a center of commerce and served as the hub of all the trade routes from Jerusalem.

As Jesus entered the city, the crowds made their way out, for they had heard of this holy man who was rumored to perhaps be the Messiah.

Zacchaeus was a wealthy tax collector, which, at the time, was one of the most corrupt roles.

A tax collector had great authority from the Roman government and was permitted to collect taxes in excess of what the government needed, and that is how tax collectors made their living.

So they squeezed money out of people, some made its way to Rome, and the rest made its way into their pockets

Like the others, Zacchaeus had heard about this Jesus character and wanted to see him, but because he was so short, he had to climb a sycamore tree.

And the most amazing thing happened: Jesus saw Zacchaeus, spoke to him, and invited himself over for a meal.

People grumbled because Zacchaeus wasn’t a good guy; he was a sinner, full of selfishness, corrupt.

Yet Jesus met him where he was, and through that encounter, Zacchaeus’ life was forever changed.

And notice, he was dramatically transformed.

Jesus guided him right into the life of a passionate Christ-follower!

And not only was Zacchaeus’ life changed, but he took action immediately in serving the kingdom.

Think about it: God’s mission was impacted in a powerful way because of this one man who embraced Jesus and started living as a passionate Christ-follower

I love this story because it is a perfect example of the truth that every person is somewhere on the journey with God.

Even Zacchaeus.

Even those who live around you, those who you know at work, those people who you grumble about and think are so selfish or crude or lost!

But Jesus saw beyond all of that.

Jesus saw his God-given potential.

We are challenged to do the same, UCF—to meet people right where they are and help them to see and experience the hope and power of Jesus.

Bring God’s Word to Their World

But we must be intentional; we cannot simply have good intentions about sharing our faith with others.

Now, you probably did not give much thought to the sycamore tree in this story, but my attention was captured by it as I was preparing this message.

How can we help people see Jesus?

That sycamore tree gave Zacchaeus the chance to see Jesus.

How can you be a sycamore tree this week?

In just a couple of weeks, our church will be participating in National Back to Church Sunday.

We have been praying about this event as an opportunity to meet people right where they are and incite them to encounter Jesus.

All This month and on that special Sunday it gives you a chance to be a sycamore tree.

It is your opportunity to help a friend, coworker, classmate, relative, or neighbor see Jesus

I pray that you ask God , open your eyes and help you see who needs you to be a sycamore tree in their life right now.

For many of you, God has probably already placed someone on your heart who you know needs to know Jesus.

There is someone in your life who is living in brokenness, heartache, sin, perhaps rebellion.

I ask you to commit to praying for that person every day?