I Must Proclaim

Turn to , the third Gospel book found in the New Testament.

(Today is “All In Sunday” when we stoke the fires of our faith and commit our lives to being like the early church that loved God, loved people, and was urgent in God’s business.)

Is there something we should be doing as Christians? I mean, going to church and singing songs doesn’t seem like it is going to change the world, right?

We may have all heard of the song, “Kumbaya, My Lord,” but having a “Kumbaya” moment is not going to change the world if the church doesn’t get out into the world to proclaim Christ!

Stand, read text (), and pray.

Jesus was invited to stay in Capernaum to enjoy a big “Kumbuya” moment (v. 42), but Jesus did not stay there long—Jesus’ mission sent Him to reach more people—to make disciples who would know Him and walk with Him.

Jesus just got done healing the demon-possessed and the sick, and He left for the expressed purpose of His life: I Must Preach. Preach is translated as "proclaim" in .

Isaiah 61:1–2 AV

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

In the Gospel narrative, we read that when Jesus neared the end of His earthly ministry of proclaiming the Gospel, He gave the keys to Heaven to Peter in a figurative way (). God gave to the church the opportunity to open the doors for people to know Christ in a personal living way.

Matthew 16:19 AV

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

These keys represent the authority and power of the church through the Gospel.

ILL: Losing Keys. I am not sure about you, but one of the things I lose the most, besides my mind, are my keys. They usually show up where I left them, but sometimes I put them in odd places and forget about them until it’s time to leave. Church, Jesus has handed us the keys to the kingdom. Perhaps we’ve lost them, and it is time for us to find them again! is about to hand us the key to success and fulfilment. Will you take the key with you to unlock the door for others, or will you forget about it?

We cannot read the Book of Luke and ignore the connections it has with the rest of the Bible.

The Book of Luke is a part of the Gospels that transition us out of the Old Testament into the New and ultimately to us today.

In order to know why Jesus is connected with the past, and why today we are continuation of the reason Jesus came, we need to read it. Roughly 10% of Christians have actually read the whole Bible through, so you may miss the story unless you read it—I encourage you to!

Today's population is many times greater than it was in Jesus' day, yet… In America, the church… 8,000-10,000 church close their doors each year! … Does this sound like the church is awake and noticing the need?

Story of the past…is one of God’s love for people—a people who rejected Him—yet He never gave up!

Are we content ignoring God's whisper of love that He wants us to herald to the world?

Creation/Garden of Eden…Adam and Eve were tempted by the poisonous words of the Devil, and they started a domino effect of sin whereby mankind listens to his gut, instead of his God. God told them one day a descendent would come to save them. Their children chose to walk away from God.

God reached out to Abram to establish a new nation, out of which God would bless all nations. His descendents also walked away from God.

In Egypt, God raised Moses to lead His people away to the Promised Land. All along the way, the people doubted, disobeyed, and complained.

God gave the Israelites laws to create an orderly society, to help the people know Him, and to show sin has consequences. Yet, the Israelites walk after their own ways.

The Israelites wanted a king to be like other nations. God gave them a king. Some were good, but most led the people away from God, and the Lord sent His people into captivity for about 500 years.

Soon, 400 silent years were disturbed “when the fullness of time was come” () by the cry of a baby in a manger in Bethlehem. The Roman Empire was man’s greatest empire. It was the epitome of man’s greed, lust, corruption, and oppression. It was then that God sent Jesus to make a difference—to lead a revolution—to lay the groundwork to bring God’s kingdom to earth.

Galatians 4:4–5 AV

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

God’s love prompted the mission of Jesus to come rescue the world!

John 3:16 AV

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God’s love is what drew us to Christ, and it is through God’s love that we continue the mission of Christ.

"It requires much more than just preaching and evangelism. It starts with loving people; then it blossoms into caring about every dimension of people's lives: caring, sharing, helping, healing, giving, comforting--telling people of God's good news after showing people God's great love." Stearns, Unfinished, p. 76

Transition: When Jesus came, His ministry was to change lives, and to show us how to change lives through His Gospel. But is our job done? Are we supposed to twiddle our thumbs waiting for our bus ride to Heaven? Who do we go to?

Apparently, Jesus said there was a need, but where is it? What is it that Jesus sees that we must train our eyes to see?

gives us a clue.

Mark 9:36 AV

And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them,

Matthew 9:36 AV

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

ILL: Richard Stearns, Unfinished, describes three kingdoms that affect the way our eyesight—the way we perceive the needs of people.

Luke 16:22–24 AV

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

“I must ...” (Luke Jesus came for a reason as a part of the loving story of God because people need the Lord!

Luke 4:43 AV

And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.

Luke 19:10 AV

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

"How can we hold in one hand the truth that Jesus loves the poor, the widow, and the orphan yet hold in our other hand the tickets to our upcoming Disney vacation?” p. 45, Richard Stearns, Unfinished

How many of you would like to live at Disney World? We’d all like to live in a perfect world—but that has not come yet!

We have become infatuated with the magic allurements of this world—let’s call it the “Magic Kingdom.”

"Prosperity knits a man to the World. He feels that he is 'finding his place in it,' while really it is finding its place in him." C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Knowing our hearts’ desires to connect with this world, Jesus said:

Luke 12:15 AV

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Here’s a question: “What would people be like if they grew up their whole lives in the Magic Kingdom? Do you think our worldview would be distorted?”

We like the Magic Kingdom World, but we also like Magic Kingdom Churches. In America, we have buildings, sound systems, comfortable chairs, climate control, special lighting, people to watch our children—many you can also play at the playground or get a latte—all the while, we dismiss a church if it overruns our favorite worldly programs or touches on issues that are deeper and different than the Magic Kingdom World presents! American saints want a “quicky” with a made-up Magic Kingdom God before resorting to their Magic Kingdom lifestyles. In a world of make believe, we think we are truly “All-In Christians,” but that’s because we bought the train ride the Magic Kingdom producers have sold us!

What we forget is that just outside the walls of the Magic Kingdom is a Tragic Kingdom, and you don’t need to take a “magic carpet ride” to see a whole new world through God’s eyes—just start talking to people about life—their life about Jesus.

In our Magic Kingdom world, we don’t see it.

We complain in the Magic Kingdom, forgetting how life is in places hardest hit in the Tragic Kingdom.

Luke 16:22–24 AV

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

ILL: The 2016 and 2017 floods were ways God cracked our blackened windows to see it again.

We complain in the Magic Kingdom, forgetting how life is in places hardest hit in the Tragic Kingdom.

Natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, famines, civil wars, and insurgencies affecting 100-200 million people each year. People go hungry every night--1 billion are chronically short of food. Lack of clean water. Violence and tension. Ethnic and religious hatred and violence. Human trafficking; pandemic diseases. >1/3 of the world's population lives on <$2/day, and >3/4's live on less than $10/day. (If you earn more than $40,000, you make more than 99% of the people in the world. An income of just $13 places you in the top 10 percent.) 8 million children die each year (19,000/day) largely of preventable causes because they are poor. (Unfinished, pp. 48-49)

The “Tragic Kingdom” is not just people living in far away lands, but Luke gives us insight into the eternal destiny of people who live far and wide—their future is in Hell.

Luke 16:22–24 AV

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

ILL: The 2016 and 2017 floods were ways God cracked our blackened windows to see needs again.

“Most Magic Kingdom Christians don't know much about the Tragic Kingdom; in fact, they go out of their way to avoid it.” (Unfinished, p. 50)

Like Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, the people who should be helping walk far around the needs.

Case and point: How many of you have gone on vacation? How many of you have gone on a missions trip? Both are important—which is a better investment for the Kingdom of Heaven? How many of you who have gone on a missions trip would say your life was more changed and affected by a missions trip than a vacation?

Today's population is many times greater than it was in Jesus' day, yet… In America, the church… 8,000-10,000 churches close their doors each year! … Does this sound like the church is awake and noticing the need and doing something about it? We are not reaching people.

Transition: Are we content ignoring the whisper of God’s love that He wants us to herald to the world? Jesus spread the truth of God’s kingdom, will you take the key?

transitions to . Note the people were comfortable with Jesus being with them, but not many initially followed Him. , is the message God has for those who know Him—to forsake all, and follow Him—to be fishers of men.

Luke 4 KJV 1900

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son? And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way, And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

Luke 4 KJV 1900

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son? And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way, And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

Luke 5 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink? And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

Luke 5 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink? And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

Luke 5:10–11 KJV 1900

And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Luke 5:10–11 AV

And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

ILL: Have you ever had an email come, and you ignore it? Jesus, through His Word, gives us a message that He wants you to proclaim His story of love and redemption! He gives you a key to help people and unlock doors for them! An “All In” Christian is quick to respond like Isaiah: “Here am I, send me!” ().

We like to hold out, hide out, and bide our time. We like to be in control of when we want to reply to God.

By the time you reply, how many people will you have missed the opportunity to bring to Christ with the key of the Gospel?

The vision of the American church needs corrective surgery from the Great Physician.

"Most Americans are still drawing some water from the Christian well. But a growing number are inventing their own versions of what Christianity means, abandoning the nuances of traditional theology in favor of religions that stroke their egos and indulge or even celebrate their worst impulses." Ross Douthat quote, p. 41, by Richard Stearns in Unfinished.

Jesus calls us to follow Him. Will you say, "I must proclaim!"? The early church understood their call and were willing to sacrifice for the Gospel.

The early church was "All In," and because of that, God used them to change the world!

The early church was "All In."

We'll look at soon, but there Jesus calls Peter to follow Him, and Peter does. Will you say, "I must proclaim!"? The early church understood their call… …sacrifice… "All In" to them meant something different for them than it does to us. To them it meant EVERYTHING…not just IF IT'S CONVENIENT!

The people from the Tragic Kingdom are calling us, too. We saw the rich man in Hell who prayed in :

We see

Luke 16:27–28 AV

Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

“Brethren We Have Met to Worship” (2nd Verse):

Brethren, see poor sinners round you slumb’ring on the brink of woe; Death is coming, hell is moving, can you bear to let them go? See our fathers and our mothers, and our children sinking down; Brethren, pray, and holy manna will be showered all around.

Paul launched his missionary journey into Europe which brought the Gospel later to the Western Hemisphere because he responded to the Macedonian call ():

Acts 16:9 AV

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

The world is waiting for you to reply! It may be your aunt, your spouse, your child, your neighbor, or someone on a distant shore—will you take the Gospel to them?

ILL: Have you ever received an invitation to meet someone really important? Perhaps the highest human invitation I’ve had was to meet the Governor or to pray to open the Louisiana Senate. Would you agree that an invitation from someone important carries with it a priority to RSVP—to reply to their invitation and make a way to go?

The reply of Peter and Andrew to Jesus’ call was to drop their fishing nets—no questions asked. They didn’t try to make a deal with God. They knew the best thing for them was to follow God’s plan. They were “All In.”

Could you imagine how the world would have been unchanged and worse off today had Peter and Andrew went back to fishing; Matthew returned to being a tax collector; and Paul to his prestigious office as a Pharisee?

The baton is passed to us now. This is the time for us to shine for Christ!

What is your reply to God’s invitation to take the key of His Kingdom to others? Are you “All In”?

(Use the invitation and Connecting Cards to help people take the key of the kingdom with them…)

Invitations are meant to be accepted. God invites you, but He will not force you. You can refuse. You can choose to stand on the sideline as a bystander. You can choose to let the great purpose of your life pass you by.

OR you can choose to be “all in” and help make a difference in the world by taking the key of the Gospel.

First, do you know Christ? Have you been saved by believing on Christ and allowing Him to forgive your sins?...

Second, if you are saved, are you going to be “all in?” Yes, this involves all of you—reaching the world where God puts you, using your time, treasure, and talent with the Truth of God’s Word...

I Must Proclaim

Introduction

Proposition: Take the key to the Kingdom!

1. The Loving Story

2. The Apparent Need

3. The Waiting Reply

Conclusion:

Invitation: