Making A Difference In Someone's Life

Making a Difference in Someone¡¦s Life

Matthew 7:28-29 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

We are going to talk about how your 15 minutes of fame can make a significant difference in your life and maybe in the lives of other people.

Ć Did you know that you were placed here on earth with a purpose?

Ć Discovering your spiritual purpose in life is a bit like Mountain climbing- once we get to the peak and discover purpose #1, its ok to rest there for a little bit. But you need to get the bigger perspective in view. You need to turn around and discover that there is still another part of the mountain to climb and another peak to conquer

Ć You were placed here on earth to discover who God is through His Son Jesus Christ

Ć 1 John 4:15 (LB) "Anyone who believes and says that Jesus is the Son of God has God living in him, and he is living with God."

Ć Here is that second peak- Digging deeper into purposes for you being here.

o Once you have found your place in Christ you are to help others discover who God is through His Son Jesus Christ.

God did not save you so that you could just lay around in your spiritual hammock enjoying all of God¡¦s warm blessings.

Paul says in Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) "For we are God¡¦s masterpiece. He created us anew

in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things which he planned in advance for us long ago."

Amazing how much of the New Testament is verbs telling us to do something

Go,

preach,

teach,

baptize,

be my witnesses.

Spiritual enlightenment is not license for spiritual laziness

James 1:22 (NIV) "Do not merely listen to the word...do what it says."

James 2:17 (NLT) "So you see, it isn¡¦t enough just to have faith.

When you experience God¡¦s difference in your life your job is to go out and make a God difference in someone else¡¦s life.

The greatest person who ever lived, lived for the sole purpose of making differences in people lives.

His name is Jesus and the first four books of the New Testament tell us all about the differences He made in people¡¦s lives.

Jesus¡¦ effective ministry is summed up in

Matthew 7:28-29 "After Jesus finished speaking, the crowds were amazed at his teachings, because he taught as one who had real

authority- quite unlike the teachers of the law."

This verse reveals Jesus¡¦ reason for success.

I. Keep the Gospel practical.

a. Don¡¦t move the message of Christianity from a heart religion to a head religion.

b. What made Jesus such an effective person is that he made Christianity a working person¡¦s religion.

c. A story is told of two men who got into conversation on a boat when returning from India. One was an English sportsman and the other was a missionary. The sportsman said, "I’ve been in India for 25 years, and I never saw one of the natives converted." "That’s odd," answered the missionary, "did you ever see a tiger?" "Hundreds of them," was the reply, "and I have shot dozens in the hunt." "Well, I have been in India for many years," said the missionary, "but I have never seen a tiger. But under the power of the Gospel of Christ, I have seen hundreds of the natives of India turn to the Savior!" You see, one loved hunting and was looking for tigers. The other loved individuals who needed God and was looking ways to bring them to Jesus! The Bible says, "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." Dan. 12:3

d. You don¡¦t have to have a seminary degree to understand what Jesus was talking about.

i. He talked about sheep and grapes.

ii. Lost sons and lost coins.

iii. This was something that everyone could relate with.

e. When we are presenting the message of good news to someone make it something they can relate to, keep it good news.

i. Tell your neighbor what God has done in your life.

ii. Tell him about our exciting worship services.

iii. People who are starving for bread, can¡¦t digest steak.

iv. When God prompts you to share a word of hope to someone, present it on their level.

The late Dr. A. J. Gordon concluded his last pastoral letter to his church (Clarendon Street, Boston), with these words: "Forget not that your first and principal business as a disciple of Christ is to give the gospel to those who have it not. He who is not a missionary Christian will be a missing Christian when the great day comes. Therefore, ask yourself daily what the Lord would have you to do in connection with the work of carrying the news of salvation to the perishing millions. Search carefully whether he would have you go yourself to the heathen if you have the youth and fitness required for the work. Or, if you cannot go in person, inquire diligently what blood mortgage there is upon your property in the interests of foreign missions -- how much you owe to the heathen, because of what you owe to Christ for redeeming you with his precious blood. I warn you that it will go hard with you when your Lord comes to reckon with you if he finds your wealth invested in superfluous luxuries or hoarded up in needless accumulations instead of being sacredly devoted to giving the gospel to the lost. "But remember that consecrated giving will be impossible unless there be first a consecrated giver. Therefore, I counsel you to seek the special grace and anointing of the Holy Spirit, that he may work in you that consecration of heart and life on which so much depends."