This is the manuscript of the sermon delivered at Christ Church on March 21, 2021. This is the sixth sermon in a series "The Answer To Eternity's Most Important Questions"
Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou biddest me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
We can respond to these words by coming to Jesus just as we are and by encouraging others to come just as they are. But we cannot come to Jesus and remain exactly as we were when we came. He produces radical changes in those who come to him and experience his transforming presence.
For an audio recording of the sermon click the YouTube link at the end of this manuscript.
To see a video of the entire service click this link https://youtu.be/2Fi-wQoUpp8
Scripture Reading:
Mark 3:13-19 CEV Jesus decided to ask some of his disciples to go up on a mountain with him, and they went. Then he chose twelve of them to be his apostles, so they could be with him. He also wanted to send them out to preach and to force out demons. Simon was one of the twelve, and Jesus named him Peter. There were also James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. Jesus called them Boanerges, which means “Thunderbolts.” Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus were also apostles. The others were Simon, known as the Eager One, and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus.
Text:
Mark 3:14-15 CEV Then he chose twelve of them to be his apostles, so they could be with him. He also wanted to send them out to preach and to force out demons.
Introduction
When we think of coming to Jesus the words of a popular hymn come to mind;
Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou biddest me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
We can respond to these words by coming to Jesus just as we are and by encouraging others to come just as they are. But we cannot come to Jesus and remain exactly as we were when we came. He produces radical changes in those who come to him and experience his transforming presence.
Jesus’ transforming power is demonstrated most dramatically in the changes that came about in the disciples, who later became apostles. In the days following Jesus’ ascension, they were brave and courageous proclaimers of a message that brought upon them the hostility of both political and religious leaders.
Peter and John got in trouble for healing a bigger and when confronted he asked and then answered his own question.
Acts 4:19-20 CEV God wants us to obey you or to obey him?
He an answered his own question in verse 20
Acts 4:20 CEV We cannot keep quiet about what we have seen and heard.”
Those who charged them were amazed at their bravery.
Acts 4:13 CEV The officials were amazed to see how brave Peter and John were, and they knew that these two apostles were only ordinary men and not well educated. The officials were certain these men had been with Jesus.
An apostle must first be a disciple, but not all disciples become apostles. A disciple is a listener, a learner, a follower. You first become a disciple and then an apostle. The word translated apostle means “one sent forth.” An apostle is a representative of another and who goes on a mission. Apostles have some parallels with our modern ambassadors.
In Ephesians Paul spoke of apostles as being the gifts of the Spirit to the church.
Ephesians 4:11-13 CEV Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, so his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him.
We cannot limit this term apostle to the original ones who were with and personally encountered Jesus. Anyone who goes forth on a mission, being led by the Holy Spirit, is in reality an apostle with a message. While we don’t all have this spiritual gift of apostleship we are all called to be ambassadors.
2 Corinthians 5:17-20 NLT This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
What is so interesting in the account of the calling of the Twelve, which Jean read from Luke and we read in our text, is that Jesus appointed them “to first be with him, and then to be sent out to preach.” Experiencing the new birth is only a starting point. If we want to become the servants, the helpers, the apostles of Jesus Christ, we must first “be with him.”
Some disciples did become apostles. The disciples who sincerely worshiped Jesus Christ and stayed with him went forth to be his witnesses. These men, originally so helpless and so insignificant, became the helpers of Christ, of God, and of the church. These men who became known as apostles were originally there to just receive. They had there own reasons and vested interests in following Christ. But by being with him, they were changed from receivers into givers. They started out like reservoirs. A reservoir is a place where water is stored in one location, but these men end up like streams or wells where water flows freely. They went from being spectators to participants and eventually partners of the Lord Jesus.
Jesus Christ first calls us to be with Him, before he sends us out to be His blessing to others.
I. Jesus calls all to come.
A. He invites us to come be with him so that we might experience the cleansing of forgiveness.
1 Peter 3:18 CEV Christ died once for our sins. An innocent person died for those who are guilty. Christ did this to bring you to God, when his body was put to death and his spirit was made alive.
Through his death on the cross, Jesus dealt with our sin problem. He offers to us forgiveness that is free, full, and forever.
Hebrews 10:12-14 CEV But Christ offered himself as a sacrifice that is good forever. Now he is sitting at God's right side, and he will stay there until his enemies are put under his power. By his one sacrifice he has forever set free from sin the people he brings to God.
Ephesians 2:8-10 CEV You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. This is why he sent Christ to make us what we are.
Every person needs to be clean before God and Jesus made and continues to make that possible
B. Jesus invites us to be with him to enter into a family relationship with God (John 1:11–12).
John 1:11-12 CEV He came into his own world, but his own nation did not welcome him. Yet some people accepted him and put their faith in him. So he gave them the right to be the children of God.
No one likes to be an outsider. No one enjoys being alienated and experiencing loneliness. Jesus Christ came in order that all people might enter into God’s family. He wants everyone to experience the sense of belonging that comes to those who are members of God’s family.
Galatians 4:4-7 CEV But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God's children. Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. You are no longer slaves. You are God's children, and you will be given what he has promised.
These are just a couple of the scriptures that tell us that because of Jesus and our faith in Him we are God’s children, in His family. There are more scriptures that say similar things and you might want to look them up and read them.
C. Jesus invites us to come and be with him for the fullness of life (John 10:10).
Jesus intends for us to experience something more than just birth into God’s family, which is wonderful by itself but He also wants us to experience wholeness, and completeness.
John 10:10 CEV A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so everyone would have life, and have it fully.
The NKJV versions says;
John 10:10 NKJV The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
That "abundant" life means something more meaningful than material wealth and prosperity. It begins with salvation from an eternity of suffering the penalty of sin. An abundant life is, first and foremost, eternal life. The abundant life means gaining a heavenly perspective, leading to a growing trust and knowledge of God. It means blossoming into a life full of the fruit of the spirit. While false teachers and false religions offer shallow, temporary relief, only Jesus brings truly everlasting life and spiritual abundance.
Jesus said;
Matthew 7:16-20 CEV You can tell what they are by what they do. No one picks grapes or figs from thornbushes. A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. Every tree producing bad fruit will be chopped down and burned. You can tell who the false prophets are by their deeds.
Good fruit’ includes both social justice and personal morality.
What is fruit from an abundant life? It's the fruit of the Spirit:
Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Jesus is the way to this abundant life.
John 14:6 CEV “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” Jesus answered. “Without me, no one can go to the Father.
II. Jesus calls people to companionship with Himself
After inviting people to become believers and disciples, Jesus selected and called them into a companionship in which they might become apostles. Before the original disciples could become apostles, it was necessary that they “be with him.”
A. Only by being with Jesus could the disciples get acquainted with God.
Jesus came to introduce God to people and people to God. He came to manifest the character and purpose of God.
John 14:9 CEV Jesus replied: Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don't you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father?
He wanted his disciples to be with him so they could truly become acquainted with God.
Colossians 1:15 CEV Christ is exactly like God, who cannot be seen. He is the first-born Son, superior to all creation.
1. It takes time to get acquainted with someone.
2. We must listen to someone to get acquainted with them.
3. We must carefully watch someone to get deeply acquainted with him.
These disciples desperately needed to get acquainted with the God Jesus Christ was revealing. To experience this acquaintance they had to be with Jesus. A question we need to ask ourselves is; To what degree are we watching and listening to God in order that we might come better acquainted with him?
B. Only by being with Jesus can we learn how to live by faith.
1. We have to learn to trust God.
Proverbs 3:5-6 CEV With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.
2. Many of us want to trust in ourselves or in circumstances. We want to walk by sight and common sense.
Hebrews 11:1 CEV Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.
And we all know
2 Corinthians 5:7 CEV But we live by faith, not by what we see.
3. Many of us want to plot our own course and then let God okay it. We want to jump off the cliff and depend on God to rescue us.
James 4:13-15 CEV You should know better than to say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to the city. We will do business there for a year and make a lot of money!” What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears. You should say, “If the Lord lets us live, we will do these things.”
4. Jesus teaches us that God is good and wise, that God is at work for good in all things and that he is always reliable, and that God does not always work according to a human timetable.
Isaiah 55:8-9 CEV The Lord says: “My thoughts and my ways are not like yours. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, my thoughts and my ways are higher than yours.
Jesus helps us know that God will always show us what is right.
C. Only by being with Jesus can we learn the way of love.
Jesus wanted to teach his disciples to love God supremely and to love others with the same measure they loved themselves.
Jesus was asked once what was the greatest commandment and His response at Matthew 22:37-40 CEV was "... Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.
Most of us live self-centered, selfish lives. Jesus taught and demonstrated the way of love. He always had a persistent, unbreakable spirit of goodwill toward others and an unflinching desire for constructive action on their behalf. The security and development of others was always uppermost in his mind. By his example, as well as by his teachings, Jesus showed his disciples what it meant to live by the principle of love. They could learn this only when they were with him.
John 13:33-35 CEV My children, I will be with you for only a little while longer. Then you will look for me, but you won't find me. I tell you just as I told the people, “You cannot go where I am going.” But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.
D. Only by being with Jesus could his disciples learn the importance of absolute obedience.
Jesus was obedient to his Father and sought at all times to carry out God’s will in his life—even to the point of dying on a cross. Here are some examples;
John 4:34 CEVJesus said: My food is to do what God wants! He is the one who sent me, and I must finish the work that he gave me to do.
John 5:19 CEV Jesus told the people: I tell you for certain the Son cannot do anything on his own. He can do only what he sees the Father doing, and he does exactly what he sees the Father do.
John 12:49-50 CEV I don't speak on my own. I say only what the Father who sent me has told me to say. I know that his commands will bring eternal life. This is why I tell you exactly what the Father has told me.
John 14:30-31 CEV I cannot speak with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. But he has no power over me. I obey my Father, so everyone in the world might know that I love him. It is time for us to go now.
Jesus sought to instill within his disciples the desire to so love God that they would always be obedient to his commands, for he knew that the evangelization of the world would be dependent on their obedience.
John 14:15-17 CEV Jesus said to his disciples: If you love me, you will do as I command. Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you. The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don't see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you.
Conclusion
It was after considerable teaching and growth that “the disciples were for the first time called Christians”.
Acts 11:25-26 CEV Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. He found Saul and brought him to Antioch, where they met with the church for a whole year and taught many of its people. There in Antioch the Lord's followers were first called Christians.
In Antioch they became Christians as they let Jesus change them into his own image.
God needs you; others need what God can do through you. Determine that you will be with him so that he can make an apostle out of a disciple, using your life as the raw material.
Thank you for revealing yourself to us. Thank you for saving us. Thank you for inviting us to be with you. Thank you for using us as your ambassadors reconciling others to you. Continue to empower and to use us.
Invitation
Have you spent time with Jesus in order that he might place his mark upon your mind and heart so that others can see his presence in your life? Have you come to know Jesus Christ through the forgiveness of your sins? Have you come to know God as Father and his family as brothers and sisters?
You can do that today.
Here's what you need to do;
Admit that you have sin in your life that you are a sinner
Confess and take responsibility for your sin
Repent of your sins. Repentance is real sorrow for sin and an act of turning around and going in the opposite direction.
Trust that Jesus' sacrifice was for your forgiveness. Trust that he took the punishment for you.
Receive God’s forgiveness
All of this is wrapped up in
Romans 10:9-10, 13 CEV So you will be saved, if you honestly say, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others. All who call out to the Lord will be saved.
Benediction
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.
Sermon Audio
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