Tuesday 27 November 2012

Sermon for Sunday 25th November 2012 - How any Why should I tell others?


Sermon for Sunday 25th November 2012 – 1 Peter 3: 8-16 and Matthew 28:16-20 – The Great Commission - How and Why should I tell others? – Christ the King

Which of us haven’t at some time wished we could have a time over again; that we could undo some thoughtless and angry word, some rash commitment or unwise judgement, or some careless mistake? Does that sound familiar? Like most things, when you’ve heard them once, you’ve heard them enough! The great wonder of the story of Easter, by contract, is that we can hear its message again and again, yet it goes on being as true and relevant today as it was yesterday, and as it will continue to be tomorrow and the next, ad infinitum.

How different that is from most modern-day news headlines, as I was reminded a while ago when lifting carpets in the course of redecorating. Beneath these were newspapers dating back three years or so, yet the events on the front pages seemed trivial, filled with the names and faces of yesteryear. Not that you have to go back years for that to be true; in our high-tech media age, even yesterday’s news is old hat. The good news of the resurrection is different. WHY? Because it continues to change lives in the present, each day offering hope and new beginnings to believers across the world. Easter Day may be over, but we cannot consign the message it proclaims to the past. It is still good news, today and every day!

And before Jesus departed to His heavenly throne to take His position as Lord and Christ, He spent a final time with His eleven disciples. The last command that He gave them was this: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).

If these are the last words that Jesus gave His disciples, we must consider that they are of the utmost importance not just to Him, but to ourselves as well. Jesus commands us to tell others about Him. You may ask, "Why me? Aren't there others more equipped to do that? I am not a preacher or evangelist. I don’t know what to say."

The first and foremost reason that we should tell others about Him is that this is His command. The disciple Luke, recorded in Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Christ commanded us to tell others about Him and promised to give us power to do it. In the same way that a person is called to be a witness in a legal proceeding, we are asked to be His witnesses. In a legal proceeding, the witness testifies to the things that they have personally seen and heard; they will give an account based on what they have observed or experienced insofar as it has relevant to the proceedings. As Christians, we have the opportunity and responsibility to tell others what we have "seen" and "heard" and what we have experienced in our walk with the Lord.

Think about what we have received. To know Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord is the greatest thing in all of life's experiences, indeed in the entire universe. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:45-46).

Second, we are the only ones who can tell our story. No one can adequately describe the wonderful things that have changed in your life since you have surrendered yourself to Christ. It is your story; no one else can tell it. If Christ has done great things for us, we have the privilege of sharing that good news with others. "'Return home and tell how much God has done for you.' So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him" (Luke 8:39).

The greatest part of telling others about the Lord is that we now have the opportunity to affect the lives of others for good; now they will have the chance to come to know Christ as their Saviour. The great blessing that is in our lives can be shared with someone else to bring him or her hope. If the desolate and downtrodden woman at the well could be a witness, certainly you and I can do the same. "Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 'Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?'" (John 4:28-29).

Jesus commands us to tell others of His great salvation. He wants everyone to know about Him. He suffered a horrible death so that all of mankind could be reconciled to the Father. The only way for that truth to be known is for someone to tell it. We are that "someone." Why should we tell others? We should tell others because they need to know that Jesus loves them and longs to give them life. He desires to rescue each one from the pit and consequences of sin.

At the beginning of this sermon I spoke about newspapers and how stories which are today’s news will become yesterday’s news tomorrow. But the good news of Christ has been in the public eye for over two thousand years, and still there are millions of people who don’t yet have a personal relationship with God. They still do not know that they are loved and cherished by him. They need a personal encounter with Him through you and me. “What if I get it wrong?” I hear you say. Don’t worry all of us make mistakes but God is the forgiver and will make all things new. We need to remember that God has given us the instructions, the tools and a helper, the Holy Spirit. So we have our stories, praying that blind eyes will be opened and that we might have boldness to speak and above all God’s authority and POWER.

For "The Lord . . . is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). We need never fear that we will be left alone to speak for Him without support; He will always give us what to say and power to be effective. "And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28
:20). AMEN.

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