SF119 - WHAT IT TAKES TO BE GREAT (John 1 6)
@PAGE NUMBER = SF119
@TITLE = WHAT IT TAKES TO BE GREAT
@LEVEL ONE = JOH 1:6ff; MAT 11:11
@LEVEL ONE = INTRODUCTION
@ILL TITLE = PROPER PRIORITIES
@ILL TEXT = In his great spiritual allegory Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan paints a word picture of a man "who looked no way but downward." This poor creature was groveling on his knees in the dirt and filth, working constantly with a rake, trying to unearth some choice morsel that would enrich his life. All the while a bright diadem of great worth was in reach just above him.
@ILL TEXT = The tragedy of it all is summarized by Bunyan in these words, "There stood One over his head with a celestial crown in His hand, and proffered him that crown for his muck rake; but the man never looked up as he continued gathering to himself the straw, the small sticks, and the dust of the floor!"
@LEVEL TWO = John the Baptist understood the secret of greatness and fulfillment in life.
@LEVEL ONE = 1A. RESPOND TO GOD'S CALL TO SERVICE
@LEVEL TWO = 1B. Hear And Understand It (1:6‑8)
@SCRIPTURE = ROM 10:17<R>So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
@LEVEL TWO = 2B. Heed and Undertake It (1:15)
@SCRIPTURE = JAM 1:22<R>But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
@ILL TITLE = JUST DO IT!
@PAGE NUMBER = Page 2
@LEVEL ONE = 2A. RESPECT GOD'S CONDITIONS FOR SERVICE
@LEVEL TWO = 1B. Your Position In The Kingdom
@LEVEL THREE = 1C. Understand Who You Are Not (1:19‑21)
@LEVEL THREE = 2C. Understand Who You Are(1:22‑23)
@SCRIPTURE = JOH 3:30<R>He must increase, but I must decrease.
@LEVEL TWO = 2B. Your Place In The Kingdom
@SCRIPTURE = "wilderness"
@ILL TITLE = MADE RICH BY A "POOR MAN"
@ILL TEXT = Jesus was an extremely poor man. Born and reared in obscurity, He lived and died to make repentant sinners eternally rich.
@ILL TEXT = A stable was His birthplace and a manger His cradle. For many years He worked as a carpenter in a poverty‑stricken and despised village which bore the scorn of men as they asked, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" He began His public ministry at the Jordan River with no organization to support Him and no patrons to enrich Him.
@ILL TEXT = He preached without price and performed miracles for which He received no money. He even had to borrow a small coin when He needed one to make a simple illustration. How pathetic His words, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head" (Mt. 8:20).
@ILL TEXT = Occasionally He was invited into homes for His meals, but many times He went hungry. He frequently slept under the open sky and once spent 40 days in the wilderness without food. This One who was both God and man constantly went about doing good.
@ILL TEXT = At the end of His life He was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver ‑ the price of a slave ‑ and was unjustly crucified. As He hung on the cross, He was finally stripped of His last remaining possession ‑ a seamless robe. His burial clothes were the gift of a friend, and He was laid in a borrowed tomb.
@PAGE NUMBER = Page 3
@LEVEL ONE = 3A. REVEAL GOD'S CHRIST THROUGH SERVICE
@LEVEL TWO = 1B. Proclaim Him (1:29‑34)
@LEVEL THREE = 1C. As the sacrificial Lamb (v.29)
@SCRIPTURE = HEB 9:28<R>So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
@LEVEL THREE = 2C. As the sovereign Lord (vv. 30‑34)
@LEVEL TWO = 2B. Point Others To Him (1:35‑37)
@ILL TITLE = LET OTHERS SEE JESUS IN YOU
@POEM TEXT = While passing thro' this world of sin,<R>And others your life shall view,<R>Be Clean and pure without, within,<R>Let others see Jesus in you.
@POEM TEXT = Your life's a book before their eyes,<R>They're reading it thro' and thro;<R>Say, does it point them to the skies,<R>Do others see Jesus in you?
@POEM TEXT = What joy 'twill be at set of sun,<R>In mansions beyond the blue,<R>To find some souls that you have won;<R>Let others see Jesus in you.
@POEM TEXT = Then live for Christ both day and night,<R>Be faithful, be brave, and true,<R>And lead the lost to life and light;<R>Let others see Jesus in you.
@POEM TEXT = Let others see Jesus in you,<R>Let others see Jesus in you;<R>Keep telling the story,<R>Be faithful and true,<R>Let others see Jesus in you.
@PAGE NUMBER = Page 4
@LEVEL ONE = CONCLUSION
@ILL TITLE = GOD'S MEASURE OF SUCCESS
@ILL TEXT = H. L. Gee tells of a village cobbler who longed to go into full‑ time Christian service, but circumstances prevented him from obtaining a formal education and fulfilling his goal. Although disappointed, he read widely and became a man of spiritual depth.
@ILL TEXT = One day he noticed a fine young lad who had a keen mind and a genuine devotion to the Savior. He took an interest in the boy and assisted him from his meager income so he could further his studies.
@ILL TEXT = Later, when the young man entered the ministry, the cobbler gave him a pair of shoes and said, "Please wear these when you preach the Gospel. It will help me think that you are standing in my shoes and performing the task I always wanted to do." Certainly that humble shoemaker will someday receive the Lord's commendation!