He’s just giving it away!
Intro: There was a preacher at a small church. He had been preaching there for some time and was discouraged by how disinterested the church was. Finally he had had enough of the unenthusiastic Sundays so he decided to write a sermon that would surely fire the members up. He began his sermon by saying "brothers and sisters we are dead, but we can come back to life! we’ve gotta start crawling" an older gentelman in the back said "let it crawl preacher, let it crawl!" this surprised the preacher because he always thought the old fella was asleep but he was glad to see someone come to life so he kept going, he said "church, if we want to we can grow, we can grow by leaps and bounds, but in order for that to happen we’ve gotta start walking" again the old man called out "let it walk preacher! let it walk!" the preacher was on a roll now, he said "friends, we can outgrow this building and build a new one! we can reach the lost, we can meet the needs of the commmunity, we can be the example that all other churches look to, but we gotta run!" the old man said "let’s run preacher let’s run!" the preacher said "amen brother! now in order to do all this in order to crawl, walk, and then run we only have to do one thing, we’ve all gotta start working!" an old lady sat up and said "let it crawl, let it crawl"
You know in every community where the Lord’s church is meeting today, there is work than can be done, work that needs to be done, but unfortunately in most places it’s not being done is it. And it’s a shame that so many people that should have the opportunity to hear the word of God are not getting that chance because Christians, have not and are not willing, to take the time to show them.
As I thought about what I wanted to speak about on my first Sunday with you all I had a few different thoughts but the one I constantly came back to was simply my vision for what needs to be and can be done in our community if each one of us is willing to put forth the effort. Now I could simply say who’s with me and I feel confident that each one of you would raise your hands but I don’t think it’s fair for me to ask you if you’re with me without letting you know what is expected of us. We’ve all heard the saying it takes a village to raise a child, well when it comes to the church it takes the entire family to grow the church, one man or one woman cannot do it on their own, it’s a team effort that takes each one of us working together towards a common goal, our goal is to help as many people as we possibly can find their way to heaven! How many of you have seen the tv show “The Deadliest Catch?” If you haven’t seen the show it’s about a bunch of crab fishing boats off the coast of Alaska that are trying to catch as many crab as they possibly can. Their season only last two to three months and during that time they’re working to make enough money to live off of for the rest of the year. As you can imagine, these guys don’t go out there with a lackadaisical attitude just chilling on deck throwing a little drop net out from time to time and telling jokes while sipping coffee. No, no, no. These guys are constantly working first they have to set out huge traps then they have to go check their traps and if they’re not catching or setting traps they’re repairing work gear on deck, and for three months it’s a vigorous back breaking cycle these guys work at! But if they do a good job of tracking the crabs, get a little lucky, and work hard, they can make enough to take it easy the rest of the year. Now, lets contrast this to another group of workers, lets compare crab fisherman with state road crews. Talk about night and day! Raise your hand if you’ve ever driven by a road crew “working” and seen at least half the men their just watching? Maybe a better question would have been raise your hand if you’ve ever seen half of them working. Maybe I’m just an impatient person and don’t understand the intricacies of building a road but I have yet to figure out why there are 20 men there when apparently you need about 5. Unlike the crab fisherman there’s no time limit placed on them, I mean they’ll throw out a date and say we’ll be done by june ’09 but we know that’s just for kicks isn’t it, it will be at least another 6 months and that’s if it doesn’t rain…at all. Now what’s the main difference between these two groups of workers? I believe you can look at different things and try to figure it out but I think it simply comes down to one thing, Expectations. You get a lazy worker and a crab boat and they’ll throw him off at the next dock, on a road crew, he’ll fit right in. The crab crew will go and find another guy to take his place because a lazy crew member is not only useless he’s also dangerous and a health risks to those around him because he cannot be counted on to do his part to ensure proper work habits. Unfortunately, too often there are lazy Christians who through their actions become a risk to the Lord’s church because people outside the church see these lazy Christians and think to themselves, “if that’s a Christian I sure don’t want to be one!” So with that in mind, let’s answer an important question this morning. What are the expectations for you and me today? What does God expect from us? Does he expect us to sit and watch others work? Or does he expect us to constantly be working diligently?
I believe the bible clearly tells us that he expects us to be working. You have all heard the saying work like there’s no tomorrow. Isn’t that a pretty fitting label for the work of the church? Working like there’s no tomorrow? Because whether there is or isn’t we have no idea do we? The bible actually has a lot to say about working and of course we’re talking this morning about the work of the Lord the work in the church, seeking and saving the lost. II Thessalonians 3:6-10 I believe paints a great picture of what God expects from us, (read).
Now if I asked each of us, including myself are you willing to work like God wants are we going to be as quick to raise our hands? How about if we ask ourselves have we been working like God wants us to? I don’t know you and what you’ve done but I can only answer for myself and honestly say that I have not been working like I should be. But this morning I want to make simply two points that I believe that if we apply them in our everyday lives we will be more diligent workers in the kingdom.
1. Number one is pretty straight forward, Realize that for Christians, working is not an option, it’s not a suggestion, it’s not recommended, it is demanded. When each of us took on Christ in baptism we not only were redeemed, not only were our sins washed away but at the same time, we took on a new responsibility, a responsibility greater than anything else the world knows. You see we are now children of God and we have been given a job, You see, we don’t let others know we are Christians by simply telling them or by walking in the church building on Sundays and Wednesdays we show them. We really show them we are a Christian by the life we live outside of these walls. What we do, how we carry ourselves, is how we represent Christ to others. We must be an example and we have got to realize that the great commission, the great responsibility we were given, to seek and save the lost, is not an option, it is mandatory.
Now lets say you go to your job everyday and you don’t do the things that your boss expects out of you, you turn in your paperwork late, you don’t show up for meetings, you get there an hour late, take two hours for lunch, and then leave thirty minutes early, what’s going to happen? Is the boss man going to come in and say hey man you’re doing great work, keep it up! Most likely not, 99 times out of a hundred you’re going to get shown the door, you’re going to get canned! Now let me ask you this, how come so many times we are willing to meet the demands given to us by our boss at our jobs but we’re not willing to follow the commands given to us directly by God through his son Jesus Christ? Our priorities are obviously out of order aren’t they? Being a Christian is like any other job in one way, if we don’t do the work expected of us we’re not going to like the end result. When we’re talking about our Christian duties, getting fired takes on a new meaning doesn’t it. The phrase getting fired is no longer a figure of speech! Now you’re probably saying man Batsell, you’re bringing gloom and doom right off the bat! But I don’t think I am. What we have just discussed is simply a possibility IF we do not do what we are supposed to, on the other hand if we do what is expected from us, we don’t have to worry! You see we don’t have to worry about our company downsizing or go bankrupt or selling out do we? No! You see being a Christian is the only job in the world where one can be guaranteed to receive what has been promised to us, if we do our part, if we do what God asks us to do then we know that our God, who is just and faithful, will give us a home with him in heaven for all of eternity! I believe if we start looking at Christianity as a responsibility instead of a title we will do a better job of doing the work that God has given to each one of us. Realize that seeking and saving the lost is not a suggestion, but rather is necessary for our own salvation.
II. You know, one of the most unwelcome people in our lives are salesmen aren’t they? We look at most of them like sharks circling the pool just waiting for another victim to be thrown in. I would rather dig six foot deep trenches in 100 degree heat with a plastic shovel than talk to most salesman, especially if they’re selling something I don’t have any interest in buying! Usually when salesmen are in training they are told the customer doesn’t really mean no until he’s told you three times, now how many of you just say no twice for no reason and that third one is when you really mean it? Me either, so once I learned this I just started answering telemarketer calls by picking up the phone and politely saying hello, no, no, no, have a great day. You know, they usually don’t call back! Salesmen are just someone we don’t want to deal with, unless, they’re selling something we really want. While we hate used car salesmen as a whole, we usually like realtors pretty well don’t we? Why is that? Because buying a car is like throwing money in a pit isn’t it? You know you need it and you may want it but you’ll never get a return on your money will we? Now, when we are looking to buy a house we don’t think of it as a burden usually we think of it as an investment, we see something that is going to bring us a profit one day, something that we need that we like that we consider a good investment. Which brings me to my second point for the lesson today. We are salesmen and women, and what we are selling is a better investment than any home, is safer than any mutual fund, and definitely will last longer than any car on the road, we are selling eternal life! Have you ever seen a car commercial where the salesman says come down today to bob’s bargain barn car lot and get any car on the lot for $99 down, $199 a month and all our cars come with a 3 year warranty and eternal life! Of course not! No one can offer eternal life but our father, God!
One of the biggest rules of opening a business that I was taught in school was this, the most successful start up companies are the ones who have a product that everyone needs and nobody can find. Can you think of anything in this world that anyone is selling that can even hold a candle to eternal life?? Definitely not! Now here’s the biggest sales point, we’ve got something but we’re not selling it, God is simply giving it away, it’s free!!!! You see God paid the price for each and every person on earth when he sent his only son to die on the cross so that every single person could have the ability to receive his gift of eternal life. Guys, we are salesmen and women with a free product that is more valuable and amazing than anything anyone else on earth is selling. I think too often we feel as though it’s a burden to tell someone about Jesus and the amazing gift he has for them, when in fact we are offering them something that nobody else on earth can even come close to! How about instead of hiding this precious gift we light the fire here in Newberry and start offering our family, our neighbors, the cashier at Hitchcocks, whoever we can, this unbelievably awesome free gift that is salvation which leads to an eternal life in heaven! Be excited! Spread the good news, show others the joy that can only be found in being a child of God!
Inv. Two simple points this morning is all I have for you, but I truly believe that if we apply them, we will be successful in our mission to seek and save those that are lost all around us. Realize the responsibility and accept it and realize that God is giving away an amazing gift that can not be rivaled by anything else on earth and you are the person chosen to give it away!
What frame of mind we are in is what is going to make the difference, if we keep thinking of it as a burden than we will be stagnant, both in physical and spiritual growth, but if we get out in the community and we start teaching and leading those around us by example, and by our words then, and only then, we can, and will make a difference. And if we all go out and work and only one soul is brought to Christ through our efforts, then it has been a successful effort. Let’s all get on a mission, a mission to make the Church of Christ that meets in Newberry an example to other congregations all around of how a church, when it comes together and does the work of the Lord can reach the community, meet their needs and save lost souls. I know we can do it, I know we all want to do it, the question is are we willing to put forth the effort, are we going to be the church that crawls, walks, or the one that is running, that is on fire for God doing whatever it takes to spread the word to everyone we know! As we are told it is a race and when I see people racing they are not usually taking they’re time they are usually in a hurry pushing to reach that finish line, Let’s run to the finish line! This morning if you know you’ve not been doing your part, there’s no time like the present to start living like you should, If there are any here who have not entered into Christ through baptism but you are ready to do so, there’s no time like the present! If you have any need of the church, please let us know and we will pray for you and help you however we possibly can while we stand and while we sing.
Outline
Intro: Crawl, Walk, Run, Crawl
- In ever community, there is work to be done
- It’s a shame, so many should hear, but don’t
- What I want to speak on in my first sermon, my vision
- Who’s with me?
- Takes a village to raise a child
- one man/woman cannot do it all on their own
- TV Show Deadliest Catch
- State Road Construction Crews
- A lazy man is dangerous as a deckhand, welcome as a road worker
- Crab Trappers have to meet a deadline, State Road Crews don’t
- Work like there’s no tomorrow
- II Thess. 3:6-10 what happens to those who do not work
- Are we willing to do the work of the Lord?
- Have we been doing the work?
- Two points that, if applied, will transform us into more diligent workers
I. Work is not an option, not suggested, no recommended, it’s demanded.
- 1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
- We accepted the responsibility when we became children of God
- We don’t do fulfill our responsibilities by coming Sunday/Wednesday
- We must be an example, and a light unto the world
- You every day job. Arrive late, leave early
- We will get fired…literally
- only a possibility if we don’t do what we should
- Only job in the world where we are guaranteed a bonus
- Christianity is a responsibility, not a title
– salesman unwelcome
- no, no, no
- we don’t want to do with them unless, they have something we feel good about buying
- hate used car salesmen
- like realtors
II. we are salesmen/women
- car commercial
- successful company, product everyone needs nobody can find
- no one has a comparable product to ours
- God is giving it away!
- feel like it is a burden instead of a amazing gift
- stop hiding the gift and share it!
Inv. Two simple points, that if applied can make us successful
- realize the responsibility and accept it
- our frame of mind is what makes the difference
- if only one soul is saved then it was worth it
- warren buffet, one more dollar
- one more soul
- let’s get on a mission
- We can do it, we want to do it, will we do it?
- Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us
- are we going to crawl, walk, or run?
