Sermon Tone Analysis

We Are All Witnesses

Intro -

Make sure to wrap up series with “g,g,g,g…ALL for the Glory of God.”

Make sure to wrap up series with “g,g,g,g…ALL for the Glory of God.”

We do these things, we gather for Him and each other, we grow in His faith, we give to Him and His service, and then we Go out into the world with Him and to Glorify Him!

But be sure of this one thing, church, we are going no matter what.

We all leave this place and go into the world!

The question for us today, and every day really, is that if we go, are we going into the world to glorify Him, or us?

Our vision statement speaks to that very idea.

It says, “We go locally and globally to serve and share in the name of Jesus in order to show the greatness and saving power of Jesus.”

Understand, that no matter what, as we go, we all have to make the choice.

We all have to decide if Christ’s command to us is the central call of our lives, or if the world’s call on us - those Gods that we often worship - money, technology, society - is too much to overcome.

We go for Him.

We go to show the world what He is all about.

But if we are to go, there is implied in that statement a choice.

A moment when we have to decide whether we are going to go, and if so, for whose glory shall we go?

Our, the worlds, or God’s?

So as we “go” - either from this place, or wherever we are - we all have to make a choice.

We all have to decide if Christ’s command to us to go is the central call of our lives, or if the world’s call on us - those Gods that we often worship - money, technology, society - are those calls too much to overcome?

The Bible reminds us of that in the book of Joshua…[brief exegete…about to die…had gathered the leaders to give them advice and now was gathering all the people to lead them!]

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While the question that Joshua asks in this text is “whom will you serve,” it is just as well served to ask other questions here.

I say that, because the argument that is being posed by him is one of loyalty and faithfulness, not just a simple choice.

After all, that is likely why he lays out all that history!

The God that gave the land to Abraham, and began the lineage of the people of God, the God that brought them to Egypt, and who brought them from bondage in Egypt!

The God who delivered peoples into your hands!

The God who brought you back over the Jordan and into your home!

Joshua lays out the case for obedience, if not at least gratitude to the God who had delivered on all His promises.

So it isn’t just a simple choice.

There is an implication here that the Jewish people, who had stopped living their lives for God - people who had become accustomed to a way of life that was far more comfortable than God had intended; a life, by the way, that is infinitely less comfortable than our own.

There is an implication that they need to understand “why” they needed to choose more than “who” they needed to choose.

After all, God has given you all that you see, so the choice to follow Him is clear!

Listen, those people Joshua is speaking to have already made their choice!

They are choosing to live on both sides of the fence, and if we are honest, we do that too!

So really, they didn’t come there to make a choice, it has already been made!

Now they have to understand it!

And so do we.

So Joshua helps us, as he did them.

We all live on land on which we have not labored and cities that we have not built.

We eat food that we didn’t plant.

We live a life of blessing - one in which we sometimes offer up to all of our own hard work and effort.

But this text reminds us that it isn’t ours!

It was never ours!

Everything is God’s.

So the choice isn’t who we serve, that is obvious!

The questions that we need to look at are:

Why we serve, or go?

Where we go?

And, how we go?

So why do we go?

Matt 28:28-20

Well for one, we go because we were told to go!

During His time here on earth, there is much that Jesus told us to do.

New ways to live, and to love.

New ideas about all that God needs us to think about and to strive for.

But standing in and amongst all of that are two moments: The greatest commandment - love God and love neighbor, and The great commission.

The moment we are given our marching orders.

Jesus looks at His people, those who claim to follow in His footsteps; not just those disciples, church, but you and me!

He looks at us and reminds us that all authority is His.

God speaks through the Son.

As I say all the time, we must view everything through the lens of Jesus.

So because Jesus has all authority we must listen and obey!

That is why we go!

We go, because Jesus told us to go!

We don’t go to look good in the eyes of our friends, or to garner the praise of men!

We go because we have been commanded to go!

Every single one of us.

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I know that often we think that some are called to go and others to stay, right?

How wrong we are.

Wrong, not in the idea of calling - no some are in fact called to “go” further afield than others - but we are wrong in that we are all called to “go” every single day!

We “go” to the store.

We “go” to work.

We “go” out to eat.

Every single day, we go somewhere!

And as we go, church, if we are going under our own power and authority we will crash and burn eventually!

Someone will make us mad.

Mistakes will be made.

Troubles will come.

And when it all happens, our strength and our witness about ourselves won’t be enough to overcome the tide of the trials of this life!

So we are going, but have we chosen to go with God?

Choose today, Joshua reminds us.

Choose the Gods that we serve every day - our favorite shows, our social expectations, instagram feeds, those neighbors we are always trying to out do - choose them or choose to go for God.

Not just for, either.

Go with God.

You see, when you choose to go, you will recieve…[keep reading]

This little verse not only closes the door on why we go, church, it opens the doors on where we go.

The second question that needs answering today.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard arguments on both sides of the debate about where it is we are called to serve!

God calls us to serve here at home first.

Some say.

Others say that we should go out to those who haven’t had a chance to hear the Gospel yet.

Still others take a moderate approach and say that there are some in our country who haven’t heard so we should start with them!

As if the value of one person is more than the value of another because of their country.

We are all the same to God.

So whether you want to stay close or go far, God says, “Go!”

But as for Faith, and our vision, I offer this.

I want us to be an church.

A church that sees the value in being Christ’s witnesses here in Jerusalem - Burke county, our local area.