Anything: Be Anyone

Intro

We are wrapping up our series Anything this morning. The whole point of the the series up to this point is that we are called to follow Jesus’ lead as his disciples. Over the Easter weekend, we saw as Jesus was willing to endure anything to ensure that you and I would be free from the bonds of sin in our life. Not only would he endure anything, he was willing to overcome anything so that not even death could keep us away from spending eternity with God our Father.

Because of the example of Christ our Savior, we then follow suit by being willing to do ANYTHING, short of sin, to reach out to those who don’t know Christ. Before we could commit to doing anything, we had to establish the line that we wouldn’t cross. We won’t really do anything because if we sin while trying to reach those far from Christ, doesn’t that defeat the purpose. Christ died to take away the sin of the world, so to resort to sin as a form of outreach seems counter intuitive.

So to close this morning, I want us to have a look at another banner on the walls of each of our campuses. This banner is located on right side of the building, my left. It is actually one of my all time favorite quotes from scripture, but also happens to be one of the most convicting challenges laid out by the biblical authors.

Question 1: What is your favorite quotes of all time?

It doesn’t have to be a bible quote. I know the quote from last week’s message from Bob Goff shot up in popularity in a lot of people’s books. What is your favorite quote? In fact, I am so interested, I’m going to let everyone in house, both campuses share your answer on Facebook. Go ahead, open Facebook or YouTube on your phone and leave your favorite quote in the comment section. Everyone online, even if you’re watching later on in the week or the year, throw it comment section and I’ll find it. It would actually be cool to get a notification a couple months down road, so and so left a comment on April 25’s sermon.

But this is one of mine.

1 Corinthians 9:19–23 ESV

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

So to start off, Paul is completely capturing everything we’ve been saying through out this series. Listen to his heart. I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. Paul is saying exactly what our banner says. I will do whatever I have to do so that I can get as many people into heaven as possible. When we read the story of Paul in the book of Acts, and when he lists off all the awful things he went through for the sake of the gospel, we very quickly get the idea that Paul really would have done ANYTHING to see the people at the time come to know about Jesus.

Now the interesting thing about this passage is actually the build up to it. I’m going to use a word that has been thrown around a lot during COVID times, and I really want us as OneChurch to take this teaching to heart.

The beginning of 1 Corinthians 9, Paul is defending himself as an Apostle. The church at the time was calling his authority into question, and he was responding to the criticism. So he asks if he doesn’t have the right to take a believing wife. Does he not have the right to compensated for the work of the gospel? Why does he have to have a side job? Why does he have to do life by himself?

Then he says that lays down all these rights for the sake of the gospel. Paul is so committed to doing whatever it takes that he is willing to sacrifice even the rights, his God given rights I may add, so that nothing will get in the way of the message that God has commissioned him to share with the world.

So he gives up his rights, and he gives up his freedoms. When he talks about becoming one under the law that I might win those under the law. Paul wasn’t bound to the Jewish customs, ceremonies or food laws, yet in order to prevent offense, he would follow the law so that his message would be heard. When he talks about those not having the law, he is talking about Gentile believers who have no knowledge of God’s ways or laws. He said I will be like them, with in reason aka short of sinning, so that he doesn’t cause offense and his message would be heard.

It is no different then when we send missionaries out to different countries. They learn the customs of the people. Why? Because to break a custom can cause offense, and when we offend people, we break trust. When we break trust, people stop listening and we hurt the cause of Christ. This is why all it takes is one person to cause offense and it hurts the whole church’s witness. All it takes in one church to cause offense, and the universal church pays the price.

Question 2: What are willing to sacrifice so others can hear the good news of the Gospel?

One question I’ve heard a few times over my years as a believer is this: what has following Christ cost you recently? What have you had to sacrifice, or what inconvenience have you endured for the sake of Jesus? That question should make you a little uncomfortable. In fact, I think the only person who shouldn’t shutter at that question is the Apostle Paul. Because he would gladly tell you what it cost him.

But there is something very important that we all need to understand if we are going to embrace this idea of do anything or be anything for the sake of the gospel. You have to know what your identity in Christ is. Here is another way I want you to hear what Paul is saying. I will be one under the law, though I am not under the law. I will be like one outside of the law, even though I am under the law of Christ.

We have to know the I am statements about our lives, and not the I am statements that we or the world would try to get us to believe. The unchanging, infallible I am statements that God makes about us.

I am a child of God

No one can ever take that away from you, no one can ever change that. You are a child of the living God, which means you’re heavenly Father goes before you in all things and that he will meet your needs if you trust him through the process.

I am forgiven

Jesus died to take away the sin of the world, period. That means all sin that had been committed and every sin that has yet to be committed. If you have asked for forgiveness and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is savior of your life, you are forgiven. Nothing will change that.

I am called

God planned out every one of your days before you lived one. You have a purpose on your life and that purpose is already recorded in God’s book of your life.

I am spirit filled

Paul says in Ephesians that when you professed Jesus as Lord of your life and believed it in your heart, the Holy Spirit was given to you as the seal of your salvation. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead rests in you right now.

I am holy

Not because of what I’ve accomplished, but because who God is and what Jesus did makes me holy through my believing. I am set apart for glorious things, and I’m not going to allow anything make me settle for any less.

We could go on and on with these I am statements, and I encourage you to get into God’s word and write down every defining statement God makes about you. Because once you understand the amazing and true identity that God has placed in you, and once you realize that nothing will change that, then you can be whatever you need to be to meet people where they are at.

My ‘I AM’ statements give me the flexibility to be, to act however I need to be and act to meet people where they are at. Our world is full of hurting people who are making I am statements about their lives that are untrue and damaging. They are believing lies that the enemy has put into motion, and we have the opportunity to be the very thing that pulls them out of the lie and into the truth of Christ.

Question 3: What are the false ‘I am’ statements that you hear today?

Why? Why would we be willing to do anything, be anything or anyone, so that we can share the gospel with people? Why work so hard to avoid offending people?

Now I realize that it is impossible to completely avoid offending people. The reality is that the truth of God offends. But as a wise friend once told me, “It’s not what you say, it is how you say it” More times then not, people are OK with hearing a truth they don’t agree with. What they have a problem with is when that truth is presented in a way that makes people sound like they’re dumb if they don’t agree. I’ve done that, and it has burned bridges that really didn’t need burning.

But why would Paul challenge people to go to such lengths to share the truth of Christ with people?

1 Corinthians 9:23 ESV

I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

There is a blessing that comes with following Christ completely that I unlike anything the world has to offer. And as we come to communion, we are reminded of the biggest blessing that comes with knowing Jesus as Lord. One day, Jesus is coming back for his people, and we will be taken from this world and joined with him in heaven for all eternity. No more pandemics or isolation or pain or death. Eternity in the presence of our loving Father. The truth is the only treasure we can take with us to eternity is the people we lead into relationship with Christ. When you think about it that way, doesn’t it make the rest of the stuff we fill our lives with expendable? If I can trade something perishable like stuff or rights or conveniences, for something imperishable like a friend who loves Jesus, isn’t that a trade worth making?

End recording

Communion