Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction - Today is the first Sunday of the New Year, 2022.

I’ve never been much on “Year in review” stories the media invariably shares.

I’m more like Paul “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward for those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

(Phil.

3:13-14).

Besides, who want’s to relive all the stupidity of 2020?

I know we’re not supposed to say stupid, but there’s not really another word to describe the foolishness we’ve all witnessed this last year!

Cheryl and I have been talking about what we want to accomplish this year, not really new years resolutions, just goals we have for ourselves.

I did see this humorous take on reflection that cracked us up.

“I can’t believe it’s been a year since I didn’t been a year since I didn’t become a better person.”

In all seriousness though, we should be setting goals to make ourselves more effective servants of Jesus Christ.

Those may be physical health goals to help us have more energy to serve the Lord like losing weight, exercise and getting enough sleep.

I’ve also learned that you need to build margin into your life and don’t just cram activity upon activity in to every living second of the day.

What I see as a professional life observer & pastor is people are so frazzled because they are just too stinking busy! “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Jesus observed this also in Matt.

9:36 “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary & scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”

Everybody you know in your circle of influence is maxed out also aren’t they?

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we also need spiritual goals as well.

Our job as believers is to please our Master, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Read Col. 1:9-10.

Paul lays out a couple of worthwhile spiritual goals, “be pleasing to God, & to increase & be filled with the knowledge of God’s will & knowledge of God in general.”

The will of God is not something we have to guess at; it’s not some nebulous mystery God is hiding from us.

He spells it out for us in His Word.

Last fall, I shared about our trip to NH and seeing the little church we planted up there, now 20 years later.

In the Northeast, in places like New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, all of New England; the pagan lostness is impossible to ignore.

I found people were really saved or really lost.

Polar extremes in how they talk and act.

The truth is here, people are still really saved or really lost!

It’s just camouflaged because people tend to have a spiritual exterior that hides their lostness.

In other words, they know how to talk in spiritual terms from having a church background or the influence of parents and grandparents who were church going people, but the fact is, they are lost and doomed to an eternity in Hell.

I’ve had several conversations with people over the last couple of weeks that reveal this condition clearly.

One of the ways we can be fully pleasing to God is to be faithful witnesses for Christ.

We know this in theory, but we find it difficult & intimidating.

If I polled the audience, we know we should witness more.

I’m not here to beat us up, but encourage us in a simple way to please God; not to get God to love us more, that was settled 2,000 years ago; but to help us love God more by being faithful servants.

Today’s message: Spiritual Goals for 2022…

Well, today I want to give you a simple method of sharing your faith that is one of the most effective ways to share Jesus Christ you can use.

It’s so simple and profound literally everyone can do it with confidence & w/o fear!

What is it?

Glad you asked!

Your testimony!

Your personal account of how you came to faith in Jesus Christ.

Being able to share your Jesus story in 2-3 minutes is a powerful tool that God will use greatly.

Read text Acts 1:6-8 - Literally the last thing Jesus said before returning to heaven was a command to witness!

Notice the Promise of Jesus… A promise of:

The power & presence of the Holy Spirit.

(Pentecost).

The ability & the command to be a witness for Christ.

No limits on the location for being a witness for Christ.

We have no excuses!

So what is a “witness”?

GK word - Martureo - Martyr - one who will testify with their life - they are willing to put their life on the line to verify their testimony.

Also means a testimony of first hand experience of what one has seen or knows.

Also means one who’s life and actions testify to the truth of their faith in Jesus.

Need of assurance - One of the reasons people may be hesitant to share the Gospel is they lack the assurance of their own salvation.

If you’re not sure whether or not you are saved makes it really hard to share the good news with someone else.

Here are some key’s to a “know so salvation.”

1. Memory of one’s conversion - You may not know the exact date or time but most people who truly are saved can point to a moment when they met Jesus Christ and received Him by faith.

2. Promises of Scripture - Key texts -

Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…” More than intellectual accent, Pisteuo.

John 3:16 & 18 - “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

vs. 18 He who believes on Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe on Him is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Rom.

5:8-11 - Turn & Read (10:13) Calls…Shall be

3.

The Spirit’s Presence - Eph. 1:13-14 - “In Him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of your inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

See also Rom. 8:9 & 16 “The Spirit himself also bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” (vs.16).

4. Righteous living - “If He hasn’t changed you, He hasn’t saved you.”

2nd Cor.

5:17 “If any man be in Christ, He is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.”

This doesn’t mean sinless perfection but it is not a continual life pattern of sin.

5. Receiving sound doctrine - A true Christian will be convinced of the truth of Scripture.

A young Christian may not understand much about doctrines of Scripture, but they will receive the truth and accept it.

A true believer cannot consistently deny the truth of the revealed Word of God.

6. Answered Prayers - 1st John 5:14-15 - “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

7. The discipline of God - Heb.12:5-8 Tells us that the Lord corrects His children when they go astray.

If you sin and God doesn’t “spank” you, you are not His child.

8. Love for other Christians - 1st John 3:14 the true believer has a love for other believers.

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.

He who does not love his brother abides in death.”

Sharing your testimony is modeled in Scripture - It’s Biblical - The man born blind in John 9, the Samaritan woman in John 4, twice in the book of Acts we have extended versions of Paul’s testimony in chapter 22 & 26.

Paul’s testimony was so powerful King Agrippa told Paul he almost persuaded him to become a Christian Acts 26:28.

Your testimony is also powerful!

Why your testimony is a powerful tool for God to use and why it’s so effective.

1. It’s easily remembered - There is no formula to remember, no points, it’s your story so you can remember what directly happened to you and the more you share it the more confident you become.

2. People love the stories of other people - We love to watch reality TV shows where real life people have similar struggles - The Biggest Loser, Undercover Boss - etc.

If people hear how Jesus changed your life it encourages them that He can change their lives too.

3. It is relevant - We’re talking about something that happened in your life time, not something that happened to some obscure person several thousand years ago.

People are hungry for real life, current spiritual experiences.

4. It is uniquely authoritative - You may not be an authority on anything else but you are an expert witness on what happened to you personally.

As such your testimony cannot be argued about because it happened to you!

People can try and debate all kinds of questions about the Bible, but they can’t argue with a Christian’s simple testimony.

The Pharisees couldn’t say anything to the blind man who said: All I know is once I was blind, but now I see.

It is undeniable.

5. It’s easily duplicatable - Personal testimonies don’t require a seminary education or Bible College training and any new believer can learn to share their testimony simply and quickly.

I heard about a waitress who got saved and she sent out invitations to here friends and family to attend her baptism.

She then held a party (Like Matt) at her home for all her friends and family and invited the pastor.

She shared her testimony and let people ask the pastor questions.

By the time it was over, 17 of her friends and family came to know Jesus as Savior.

How cool is that?

Guidelines for writing out testimony - Share simple faith story format.