Sermon for 4/13/2003
Friend Day
The Sign of the Fish
Introduction:
A. What do you think about fish?
B. Are you taking us out to Libby Hill or Mayflower later?
C. Are you talking about fishing? I love to fish. I hate to fish. The worms are slimy and the fish are slimy and wiggily. I took my boys fishing and they called the worms snakes.
WBTU:
A. I am talking about the sign of the fish. Mention it behind you.
B. The fish symbol is the earliest symbols of the Christian faith.
C. When the Christian faith was still new, many Christians were persecuted and forced to worship secretly. The fish symbol served as a secret form of communication. Often the persecuted Christians would scratch this symbol on the ground to identify themselves to fellow believers.
D. If a Christian scratched the symbol of the fish and there was no response, then he would know that this was not a fellow Christian. If he scratched it and the other party recognized it, then it would a safe place, safe harbor for him.
E. It was a secret symbol. Many clubs in our society have secret symbols and handshakes, etc.
F. In first, second and third centuries there were great persecutions against people who called themselves Christians. The Roman Empire did not allow a new faith. These Christians were tortured and killed.
1. Stephen was stoned to death for being a Christian.
2. James was put to death with the sword.
3. Antipas was put to death in the city of Pergamum.
4. Peter was crucified on a cross upside down.
5. Paul was beheaded.
6. During the second and third centuries AD there were many persecutions. Many times there were so many Christians that they would hold prayer meetings and sing songs in their holding pens before the next day when they were lead out to the areanas to be fed to the lions or to fight with gladiators or to be crucified on crosses for the enjoyment of the population. In the persecutions under Diocletian from 295 to 305 AD, one of the reasons that it stopped was because it was no longer enjoyable for the population. As the crowds saw their friends and neighbors being beaten or tortured, fed to the lions, it was not enjoyable, it sickened the people who came to the areanas to see their friends suffer and die.
7. In 313 AD Christianity was allowed in the Roman Empire. However, this does not mean that the persecutions stopped in other lands. As the years have gone by many have died for their Christian faith. One of my ancestors from the Czech Republic, John Huss, was martyred in the 14th century for preaching about his Christian faith. They burned him at the stake and all the while he was singing a song, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” The crowd was upset and sickened by the sight.
8. In this century, we have not seen it here, but their have been more people die for there faith in Christ than all the mryters in the other centuries.
G. Why? Why did they do that? Are they crazy?
H. We probably believe in company we work for. If we didn’t believe in the products, goals and objectives of the company we work for we would not be working their for long. However, would we die for our job?
I. Why? For the things that this fish stand for.
J. The word fish in the Greek language, the language of the New Testament, is Ick-Thoos. The Greek letters for IchThoos are an acronym.
Thesis: I = Jesus; X= Christ; O = God’s; Y = Son; E = Savior.
For instances:
I = Jesus
1. (Mat 1:20 NIV) But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.(Mat 1:21 NIV) She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
2. The name was given from heaven.
3. At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess.
4. (Acts 4:12 NIV) Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
5. Only through the name of Jesus.
6. This baby was born and he lived and grew up into adulthood. Don’t know a lot about it read the gospels.
X = Christ
1. This is not really his last name; it is his title.
2. Christ is Greek for Messiah. The anointed one or more commonly, the Promised One.
3. (Luke 2:10 NIV) But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.(Luke 2:11 NIV) Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
4. The Old Testament proclaimed that one would come who would make things right.
5. (Luke 4:16 NIV) He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.(Luke 4:17 NIV) The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:(Luke 4:18 NIV) "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,(Luke 4:19 NIV) to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."(Luke 4:20 NIV) Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,(Luke 4:21 NIV) and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
6. (Mat 16:13 NIV) When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"(Mat 16:14 NIV) They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."(Mat 16:15 NIV) "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"(Mat 16:16 NIV) Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."(Mat 16:17 NIV) Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.(Mat 16:18 NIV) And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.(Mat 16:19 NIV) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."(Mat 16:20 NIV) Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
O = God’s; Y = Son
1. Yes, but aren’t we all Children of God.
2. This might be up for debate among some people. Those who believe in nothing but evolution would say that we are not children of God but that we are children of the cosmos, children of the universe. However, most people believe that someone had to make all of this stuff. There has to be a higher power that created us and the world. Most people call this Creator God.
3. (Psa 100:3 NIV) Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4. (Acts 17:28 NIV) ’For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ’We are his offspring.’
5. In that sense, we are God’s children.
6. However, Jesus Christ is in a different category that we are. He was fully God and fully man. He is God’s Son in that he is one with God. Difficult concept.
7. (Mat 3:16 NIV) As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.(Mat 3:17 NIV) And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
8. (Mat 17:1 NIV) After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.(Mat 17:2 NIV) There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.(Mat 17:3 NIV) Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.(Mat 17:4 NIV) Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."(Mat 17:5 NIV) While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
9. The winds and the waves obeyed him. The demons came out. He healed the sick, raised the dead, walked on water.
10. Jesus himself claimed to be the Son of God. (Mat 26:63 NIV) But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."(Mat 26:64 NIV) "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
11. 12 men said that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. John the Baptist said that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. A Roman soldier said that he was the Son of God. Martha said the Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Jesus himself did not deny it. (John 1:49 NIV) Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."(John 1:50 NIV) Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that."
13. (Col 1:19 NIV) For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,(Col 1:20 NIV) and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
14. John 3:16
E = Savior.
A. A savior is a person who rescues someone or something from bad or dire circumstances.
B. Jesus Christ; God’s Son is our Savior. What did he rescue us from? Our sins. What are sins? Wrong things that we do. All of us do wrong things. All of us have broken one of the Ten Commandments.
C. God must judge sins. However, Jesus Christ saved us from eternal suffering, hell, through his blood shed on the cross.
D. Jesus Christ willingly laid down his life for our sins. Many people did not like Christ because he was God’s Son and because he was sinless. We nailed him to a cross but three days later he rose from the dead. Read it for yourselves.
E. This makes him our Savior. (2 Tim 1:9 NIV) Grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,(2 Tim 1:10 NIV) but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
G. This is why we celebrate Easter.
F. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, the Savior wants to come and save you from a miserable eternity. He wants to snatch you away from hell and take you to heaven. All of us have eternity, where are we going to spend it? Without the help of Jesus Christ, the Savior, there is no hope. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
Conclusion:
G. How do we make Jesus Christ our Savior?
1. Believe all of this stuff. “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”
2. Repent, want to make a change, want to be a Christian. Be sorrowful for sins. Need the help of Christ to overcome sin. (Acts 3:19 NIV) Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
3. Confess Jesus Christ and your belief in him. (Rom 10:9 NIV) That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.(Rom 10:10 NIV) For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
4. Be baptized. Acts 2:38
H. Why did all of these people die for their faith? (Mat 10:32 NIV) "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.(Mat 10:33 NIV) But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
I. Because of the fish. Jesus Christ; God’s Son, the Savior.
J. What are you going to do with the fish? Throw him back or keep him.
K. When we came this morning, you might have come through a traffic light. Green means what? Red means what? At some harbors at night when the fishing boats are coming in, if there is a green light flashing, then the boat is on the right coarse. However, if a red light is flashing, then the boat needs to change coarse or it will end up on the rocks.
L. Christians, the light is green for you and we are on our way to heaven.
M. However, in your life, is the light green or red. If it is red, it is a warning light. How many warning have you had? If a boat does not pay heed to the red flashing light it will end up on the rocks, shipwrecked. If you don’t pay attention to God’s warnings you will find yourself in hell. It would be wise to heed the warnings and change course. How can I change course? Only through Jesus Christ. Let him come and take hold of the controls and steer you away from the rocks.
