The Importance of One
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
Greg Groschel, pastor of Life Church, 3rd largest church in America with over 30,000 weekly attenders.
His testimony- while president of a fraternity some members got in trouble. He announced he was starting a Bible study to help their image with administration. Going to class the day of Bible study he realized he didn’t have a Bible. After class the Gideons were handing out Bibles. He took his free New Testament and began at beginning. God got a hold of his heart and changed his future. One Bible handed to the one person made a big impact.
One person matters.
Luke 15:1-7
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
3 So he told them this parable:
4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’
7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
4 Ways To Impact Your One
We Must Be Intentional (4)
We Must Be Intentional (4)
Luke 15:1-4
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
3 So he told them this parable:
4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
Why did Jesus hang out with sinners?
Because they needed Jesus.
John 1:45-46
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
“Phillip found Nathaniel”
Evangelism does not happen by accident.
We Must Be Focused (5)
We Must Be Focused (5)
Luke 15:5
5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Don’t give up until they are found.
Not enough to just identify them. We need a rescue plan.
Paul stayed focused because of importance of the Gospel.
Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
We Must Be Accountable (6)
We Must Be Accountable (6)
Luke 15:6
6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’
Find those around you that will pray for you and celebrate with you.
Share Jesus Now- 40 people in 40 days. - daily telephone calls
We Must Be Spiritually Focused (7)
We Must Be Spiritually Focused (7)
Luke 15:7
7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Jesus saw world differently than Pharisees because he looked at man the way God looked at man. He saw their heart. In their heart was their spiritual need.
Lostness is a spiritual issue- spiritual problems can only be fixed spiritually.
Our battle is not against flesh and blood.
Care about what God cares about.
4 Spiritual Actions That Will Help You Witness
A- Daily Prayer and Bible Study Time
A- Daily Prayer and Bible Study Time
Grow as a Disciple
Learning to obey
Matthew 28:20
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Daily Devotional - Spiritual disciplines
Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline- List of spiritual disciplines
Meditation.
Prayer.
Fasting.
Study.
Simplicity.
Solitude.
Submission.
Service.
Confession.
Worship.
Guidance.
Celebration.
We are not saved by works. We do not hold on to salvation through works. But if we are truly saved we will want to be like Jesus.
B- Live in Urgency
B- Live in Urgency
One way to heaven.
John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Oprah, evangelist of universalism, made up her own rules.
If you believe in love, you believe in God. If you believe in God you will go to heaven.
Romans 1:18-20
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Hell is real
Revelation 20:11-15
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Put it in your calendar
This makes you more intentional.
If you do not calendar the night you will invite neighbors over, it will never happen.
C- Dwell on Positive
C- Dwell on Positive
Don’t dwell on rejection.
Think about their acceptance.
2 Corinthians 2:14-16
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,
16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
D- Love Your Neighbor
D- Love Your Neighbor
Tolerance verses love
Matthew 7:12-14
12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
CONCLUSION
Are you living as a disciple of Jesus?
Are you living as a disciple of Jesus?
The need is great and the cost of doing nothing is too large.
Jesus pursued you. He left the 99 to go after you.
Will you accept his gift of salvation.
We are Christ’s ambassadors.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.