- 4 weeks ago
- #mlcc
- #church
- #churchonline
World events are seeming to spin out of control at breakneck speed, leaving many of us swept up in worry and uncertainty. One ancient event towers above all others in its universal effect on every person who has ever lived. What makes this occurrence uniquely powerful, and how does understanding its gruesome details, along with its triumphant outcome, transform the way we live today?
📝 Study Notes, Scripture List, Transcript, and more: https://medicallake.church/sermons/history-s-fulcrum-point
#mlcc #church #churchonline
📝 Study Notes, Scripture List, Transcript, and more: https://medicallake.church/sermons/history-s-fulcrum-point
#mlcc #church #churchonline
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00You know, you follow the news, as my brother Brian here does, and you see all kinds of events happening.
00:06There's Iran and Iraq and Russia and Turkey and just all these events kind of spinning seemingly out of control,
00:15moving faster and faster.
00:17Political landscape is changing. New alliances, battlefronts are being drawn.
00:22People across the world, led by many etiologies and religious zealots, and just things are happening at a breakneck pace.
00:31And if you aren't careful, it's easy to be swept into the concern.
00:36It's easy to be kind of swept away by all the worries that is happening.
00:40But, you know, throughout time, things haven't been a lot different.
00:45I'm going to take you on a pretty rapid pace, and you have to kind of hold on tight, because
00:53we're going to move pretty quick.
00:55And when we get to the end, I'm going to ask a question.
00:58I want you to think about that as we see some of the pictures of the images as they flash
01:02before us.
01:073,000 B.C., Phoenician ships sail around the Mediterranean Sea.
01:122,800 B.C., building begins at Stonehenge in England.
01:172,600 B.C., work begins on the Great Pyramids in Egypt.
01:222,000 B.C., Babylonians begin counting in the 60s, hence a 360-degree circle.
01:2913,39, King Tut is buried with his hoard of treasure.
01:341,001, people from Southeast Asia begin colonizing Polynesia.
01:399,50 B.C., Solomon's temple is built in Jerusalem.
01:436,000, or 600 B.C., Phoenicians sail into the Atlantic and possibly could have sailed around Africa.
01:495,63, the birth of the Buddha.
01:525,51, birth of Confucius.
01:564,47 to 4,38, the Greeks build the Parthenon Temple in Athens.
02:014,400 B.C., the first five books of the Bible reach their final form.
02:063,36 to 3,23 B.C., Alexander the Great conquers the known world.
02:112,14 B.C., the Great Wall of China is started.
02:151,46 to 1,7 B.C., the Romans invade and conquer Greece.
02:201,40 B.C., the photo's been edited.
02:23The Venus of Milo is carved in Greece.
02:261,12 B.C., the Pharisees' sect develops in Palestine.
02:304,5 A.D., beginning after the death and resurrection, begins his mission to the Gentiles.
02:388,79, Mount Vesuvius are up, destroying Pompeii.
02:421,64, the oldest Mayan monuments are built.
02:462,71, the Chinese invent the first compass, and it points south.
02:513,13, Roman Emperor Constantine declares toleration of all Christians.
02:556,33, Arab Prophet Muhammad flees from Mecca to Bedina.
03:016,59 to 6,98, Arabs dominate North Africa and spread Islam.
03:077,87, the first Viking raid on Britain.
03:118,02, the Khmer Empire is founded in Cambodia.
03:158,12, China issues the first paper money.
03:188,51, the crossbow first comes to use in France.
03:239,36, Otto I of Germany is crowned as the Holy Roman Emperor.
03:2810,50, of special interest to our worship team, polyphionic or mini-voice singing is introduced into the Christian church.
03:3511,23, the first Lateran council in Rome forbids priests to marry.
03:4011,24, go Scots, Scotland has its first coin.
03:4411,51, the game of chess is introduced into England.
03:4711,74, the Bell Tower in Pisa is built in Italy and immediately begins to lean.
03:5312,30, returning crusaders bring the disease of leprosy to Europe.
03:5713,25, the Aztecs of Mexico build their capital city.
04:0213,47, to 13,51, the Black Plague in Europe kills an estimated 75 million Europeans.
04:101400, Ethiopians start making a drink from wild beans called coffee.
04:1714,38, the Inca rule begins in Peru.
04:2014,92, Columbus explores the Caribbean.
04:2314,54, Gutenberg produces the first printed Bible.
04:2814,80, a man named Da Vinci designs a parachute.
04:311508, to 1512, Michelangelo paints the Sistine Chapel.
04:3515,28, a severe outbreak of bubonic plague hits England.
04:39And in 15,47, fire destroys Moscow.
04:4315,53, Mary Queen of Scots, a Roman Catholic, becomes Queen of England.
04:4715,90, to 15,94, William Shakespeare of England begins writing his plays.
04:5215,93, church attendance is mandatory in England.
04:5716,13, Galileo agrees with the theory that the earth goes around the sun.
05:02In 16,33, the Catholic Church forces Galileo to say the sun revolves around the earth.
05:0716,44, Harvard College is founded.
05:1016,65, plague ravages London, killing 69,000.
05:1516,82, Edmund Haley of England observes a comet named after him.
05:1917,76, the 13 colonies declare independence from England.
05:2418,08, Napoleon abolishes the Inquisition in Italy and Spain.
05:3018,30, Joseph Smith founds the Mormon Church.
05:3318,76, Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone.
05:3718,71, Charles Russell founds the Jehovah Witnesses.
05:4118,84, Mark Twain writes Huckleberry invents, Zeppelin invents, Zeppelin invents the rigid airship.
05:4719,12, the Titanic sinks.
05:5119,41, U.S. inter...
05:5319,50, the U.N. building in New York is completed.
05:5819,53, Mount Everest is climbed for the first time.
06:01And I don't think it was by Troy Danel.
06:051965, a baby girl, Susan Eileen, is born to Fran and Don Sodom in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
06:12A special interest to me.
06:151969, Neil Armstrong steps on the moon.
06:181976, earthquakes shake China, Guatemala, Indonesia, Italy, the Philippines, and Turkey, killing 780,000 people.
06:271987, it crashes, stock market crashes.
06:301991, the collapse of the Soviet Union.
06:331992, riots sweep through L.A.
06:361997, Hong Kong returns to China.
06:402001, the World Trade Center is destroyed by terrorists.
06:43And of special importance, in 2006, the Seattle Seahawks make the Super Bowl.
06:48Woo-hoo!
06:51I seem to have left out one particularly important event.
06:55And it's an event that has shaped our history and our destiny like no other event before it or will
07:00ever be.
07:02It's an event that has a unique distinction of being the only event that has affected every living being,
07:08from the time of creation till the time this thing wraps up.
07:13What is that event and why is it so important in the chronology of world history?
07:17And you might have guessed it's the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
07:20I want to take a look at that event.
07:22It's of particular importance to us.
07:24Sometimes we forget about the event.
07:27We get wrapped up in church.
07:29We get wrapped up in being Christian.
07:31We get wrapped up in being religious.
07:33And sometimes we forget about what it's like to actually be a Christian.
07:36And what happened that caused us to be able to be a Christian.
07:41So I want to look at the historical event of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
07:45And I'm going to look at it from a medical account written by a physician who tried to explain the
07:51details of the crucifixion to the best of his ability.
07:54And I've edited it a little bit.
07:56I got it off an article on the internet.
07:59And I edited it just for brevity a little.
08:02But it has the same event.
08:03So as I go through, I will be showing a few pictures on the screen.
08:08There are a couple that are a little bit graphic.
08:11So as we get to those, if the children, if you want to have them turn their heads or whatever,
08:15if they feel comfortable or if you feel comfortable with it, you can use your own call on that.
08:20So rather than just take a look at the event, you might have seen the movie The Passion.
08:25You might have seen the movie Greatest Story Ever Told, where it depicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
08:35These particular events draw on our emotions.
08:38They really do.
08:39They're emotionally impactful because you see it.
08:42You see the suffering.
08:43And they're meant to do that.
08:46What some of them don't do a real good job of, however, is telling the rest of the story and
08:51drawing on the resurrection of Jesus and the power that that provides us as believers.
08:56So I want to walk through the crucifixion, and then we're going to get to the rest of the story.
09:05And I will be reading some text, and I'll be putting some screenshots up here.
09:11So as I go through, keep in mind I'm reading this.
09:14This isn't my original work.
09:15This is something that I've got down here.
09:17The physical passion of Christ begins in Gethsemane.
09:20Of the many aspects of this initial suffering, this is the one of physiological interest, the bloody sweat.
09:27It is interesting that the physician of the group, Luke, is the only one to mention this.
09:31He says, and being in agony, he prayed the longer.
09:34And his sweat became as drops of blood trickling down upon the ground.
09:39Now, every attempt imaginable has been used by modern scholars to explain away this phrase, apparently under the mistaken impression
09:45that this just doesn't happen.
09:47A great deal of effort could have been saved by consulting the medical literature.
09:51Though very rare, the phenomenon of hematidrosis, or bloody sweat, is well documented.
09:56Under great emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can break, thus mixing blood with sweat.
10:02This process alone could have produced marked weakness and possible shock.
10:06I would probably say it produced significant weakness and significant shock.
10:12After the arrest in the middle of the night, Jesus was brought before the high priest.
10:18It is here that the first physical trauma is inflicted.
10:21A soldier struck Jesus across the face for remaining silent when questioned by Caiaphas.
10:26The palace guards then blindfold him and mockingly taunt him to identify them as they each pass by.
10:31They spit on him and they strike him in the face.
10:35In the morning, Jesus, battered and bruised, dehydrated and exhausted from a sleepless night, is taken across Jerusalem to Pontius
10:42Pilate.
10:43It was then in response to the cries of the mob that Pilate ordered Barabbas released and condemned Jesus to
10:49scourging and crucifixion.
10:53Preparations for the scourging are carried out.
10:55Jesus was stripped of his clothing.
10:57His hands are tied to a post above his head.
11:01It's doubtful whether the Romans made any attempt to follow the Jewish law in this matter of scourging.
11:06The Jews had an ancient law prohibiting more than 40 lashes.
11:09The Pharisees, always making sure that the law was strictly kept, insisted that only 39 lashes be given.
11:15In case of a miscount, they were sure of remaining within the law.
11:18The Roman legionnaire steps forward with a short whip consisting of two thongs with two small balls of lead attached
11:26near the ends of each.
11:28The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across Jesus' shoulders, back, and legs.
11:34At first, the heavy thongs cut through the skin only.
11:37Then, as the blows continue, they are cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from
11:44the capillaries and veins of the skin,
11:45and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles.
11:49The small balls of lead first produce large, deep bruises, which are broken open by subsequent blows.
11:56Finally, the skin on the back is hanging in long ribbons, and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of
12:02torn bleeding tissue.
12:03When it is determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped.
12:10The half-fainting Jesus is then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with his own blood.
12:18The Roman soldiers see a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be king.
12:24They throw a robe across his shoulders and place a stick in his hand for a scepter.
12:28To make their travesty complete, a small bundle of flexible branches covered with long thorns commonly used for firewood are
12:36plated in the shape of a crown and pressed into a scalp.
12:39Again, there is copious bleeding, the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body.
12:44After mocking him and striking him across the face, the soldiers take the stick from his hand and strike him
12:50across the head, driving the thorns deeper into his scalp.
12:53Finally, they tire of their sadistic sport and the robe is torn from his back.
12:57This had already become adherent to the clots of blood and the serum in the wounds, and its removal, just
13:03as in the careless removal of surgical bandage, causes excruciating pain, almost as though he were being whipped and the
13:08wounds again began to bleed.
13:11In deference to Jewish customs, the Romans return his garment.
13:15The cross is tied across his shoulder, and the procession of the condemned Christ, the two thieves, and the execution
13:22detail of the Roman soldiers, headed by the centurion, begins its slow journey across the Via Della Rosa.
13:28In spite of his efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy cross, together with the shock produced by
13:33the copious blood loss, is too much.
13:35He stumbles and falls.
13:37The rough wood of the beam gouges into the lacerated skin and the muscles of the shoulders.
13:41He tries to rise, but human muscles have been pushed beyond their endurance.
13:45The centurion, anxious to get on with the crucifixion, selects a North African onlooker, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the
13:51cross.
13:52Jesus follows, still bleeding and sweating, the cold, clammy sweat of shock.
13:56The 650-yard journey from the fortress Antonio to Golgotha is finally completed.
14:01The prisoner is again stripped of his clothes, except for a loincloth, which is allowed by the Jews.
14:09The crucifixion begins.
14:11Jesus is offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild analgesic mixture.
14:17He refuses to drink.
14:18Simon is ordered to place the cross on the ground, and Jesus is quickly thrown backward with his shoulders against
14:23the wood.
14:24The legionnaire feels for the depression in the front of the wrist.
14:27He drives a heavy square wrought iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood.
14:31Quickly, he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly,
14:36but to allow some flexibility in movement.
14:38The cross is then lifted in steps, and the sign reading, Jesus of Nazareth, King of Jews, is nailed in
14:45place.
14:48The left foot is pressed backwards against the right foot with both feet extended.
14:51Toes down, the nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed.
14:56The victim is now crucified.
14:58As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails and the wrist, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the
15:03fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain.
15:06The nails and the wrist are putting pressure on the median nerves.
15:09As he pushes himself upward to avoid this wrenching torment, he places his full weight on the nail on his
15:14feet.
15:14Again, there is searing agony of the tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet.
15:20At this point, another phenomenon occurs.
15:23As the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over his muscles, nodding them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain.
15:31With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward.
15:35Hanging by his arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed and the intercostal muscles are unable to act.
15:41Air can be drawn into the lungs but cannot be exhaled.
15:45Jesus fights to raise himself in order to get one short breath.
15:48Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and the bloodstream and the cramps partially subside.
15:54Spasmodically, he is able to push himself upward to giving oxygen.
15:58It was undoubtedly during these periods he uttered seven short sentences which are recorded.
16:04The first, looking down on the Roman soldiers throwing dice for a seamless garment.
16:09Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
16:13The second, to the penitent thief.
16:15Thou shalt be with me in paradise.
16:18The third, looking down at the terrified, grief-stricken John, the beloved disciple.
16:22He said, Behold thy mother.
16:24And looking to marry his mother.
16:26Woman, behold thy son.
16:28The fourth cries from the beginning of the 22nd Psalm.
16:31My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
16:34Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation,
16:41searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against the rough timber.
16:46Then another agony begins.
16:48A deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and compresses the heart.
16:55We can look at the 22nd Psalm, the 14th verse.
16:58I am poured out like water.
17:00All my bones are out of joint.
17:01My heart is like it is melted.
17:03It is melted in the midst of my bowels.
17:06It is now almost over.
17:08The loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level.
17:11The compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissue.
17:15The tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to draw in small gulps of air.
17:19And the markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain.
17:23Jesus gasped his fifth cry.
17:25I thirst.
17:28Another verse from the prophetic 22nd Psalm.
17:31My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaw, and thou hast brought me
17:35into the dust of death.
17:37A sponge soaked in posca, the cheap sour wine, which is a stable drink of the Roman legionnaires, is lifted
17:42to his lips.
17:43He apparently does not take any of the liquid.
17:45The body of Jesus is now an extremist, and he can feel the chill of death creeping through his tissues.
17:50The realization brings out his six words, possibly little more than a tortured whisper.
17:54However, it is finished.
18:01His mission of atonement has been completed.
18:07I was bodied to die.
18:09I was bodied to die.
18:11With one last surge of strength, he once again presses his torn feet against the nail, strengthens his legs, takes
18:18a deep breath, and utters his seventh and last cry.
18:21Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.
18:26We've seen a glimpse of the epitome of evil, which man can exhibit towards man and towards God.
18:31It's not a pretty sight and tends to leave us despondent and pretty depressed.
18:37But there's a commentator out there, some of you might have heard.
18:40His name is Paul Harvey.
18:41And Paul Harvey's got a tagline.
18:43Paul Harvey says, and now you want to hear the rest of the story.
18:46Good thing about us is we have a rest of the story.
18:49And I want you to turn to Mark 16, verses 1 through 7.
18:55Let's see what the rest of the story reads.
18:58It says,
18:58When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome brought spices so they might anoint
19:05Jesus' body.
19:07Very early on, on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the
19:10tomb, and they asked each other,
19:12Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?
19:16But when they looked up, they saw the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.
19:21As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man in a white robe sitting on the right, and they
19:24were alarmed.
19:41This is the most awesome that has ever happened in the history of the world.
19:46All those people we saw on the show, they're all dead.
19:50Well, not all of them.
19:50Sorry, Sue.
19:52Most of them are dead.
19:53But Jesus cheated death.
19:56Death could not hold him.
19:58He conquered it for us all.
20:00Although we've all sinned, Romans 3.23 says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,
20:05and deserve death as punishment in Romans 6.23,
20:09we have life simply by saying,
20:12Yes, I want you to be the Lord of my life.
20:17It's a very, very simple message.
20:18In fact, it's so simple, it's amazing how hard it is to share it with people.
20:24It's an easy, simple message.
20:28He made it easy enough for the most simple-minded to understand.
20:32What keeps us from sharing the gospel message?
20:36Is it our fear?
20:38Is it our doubt?
20:39Is it complacency?
20:41Or is it a lack of sense of urgency, of knowing that death is around us, people are dying every
20:47day, people are dying and going to an eternal torment every day?
20:54So, what is our role as believers?
20:57Well, fortunately, Jesus looked into that, and he talked to us.
21:01In verse 15 of chapter 16, it says,
21:05Go into all the world and preach to all creation.
21:08Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
21:14And these signs will accompany those who believe.
21:16In my name, they will drive out demons.
21:18They will speak in new tongues, pick up snakes with their hands, they will drink deadly poison, it will not
21:23hurt them at all.
21:24They will place their hands on sick people, and they'll get well.
21:29So, how are we doing, church?
21:31Have we preached the gospel to all creation?
21:35We do have a role in this.
21:37We're not to be passive participants.
21:39We're to be active participants.
21:41We're to be active players in this drama.
21:45So, I want to take a look at something that will help us fulfill this role.
21:49And it's seven elements of effective evangelism.
21:52These are outlined in Mark Middleburg's book, Becoming a Contagious Christian.
21:56Now, we have a picture of what an evangelist does.
22:00Some fiery orator that gets up in front of a massive group of people,
22:04brings out a message that brings people to their knees and draws them forward
22:07and gets people to commit their lives to Jesus Christ.
22:11Well, I think in Mark 16, Jesus wasn't just talking to those evangelists.
22:15He was talking to each one of us.
22:17Each one of us have a role to play.
22:19We can all be evangelists.
22:20And it doesn't mean we all have to stand up in front of hordes of people
22:23preaching a gospel message.
22:25There's different ways of evangelism.
22:27We're going to talk next week about different methods of evangelism.
22:29But today, I want to talk about the elements of effective evangelism.
22:35The first element, we are authentic.
22:40Okay, we are authentic.
22:42Effective evangelism flows out of a genuine love of Jesus Christ.
22:48If you genuinely love Jesus Christ and you are loved by Jesus Christ,
22:54it will be evident in your life.
22:55We are authentic.
22:57Think about somebody who has told you something.
22:59Or talk to you about something.
23:00But yet, their actions don't match their words.
23:03We're a company of integrity.
23:05But you see them cut corners.
23:07Their actions don't match their words.
23:09So, we need to be authentic in our faith.
23:12If we say something, we need to be living that out.
23:15John 15, 5 says,
23:17I am the vine and you are the branches.
23:19If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.
23:22And apart from me, you can do nothing.
23:24We abide in the vine of Jesus Christ.
23:27And his fruit will be evident in our lives.
23:29It's plain and simple.
23:31Joe Aldridge said in his book, Lifestyle Evangelism, that Christians are to be good news before they can share the
23:37good news.
23:38We are to be good news before we can share the good news.
23:42Second element of effective evangelism, we are natural.
23:47Instead of trying to be something we're not, relational evangelism says that we want to be who we are, the
23:53gifts that God gave us, what we're hardwired with.
23:56God put gifts in each one of us.
23:58He granted us these things.
24:00He blessed us with abilities.
24:02And we're to use those.
24:03Psalm 139, 13 through 16 reflects our design that God's purpose.
24:08It says,
24:29The third element.
24:32We are personal.
24:35When it comes to reaching people for Jesus Christ, there's two different methods.
24:39There's an impersonal method and a personal method.
24:42Impersonal method, you've probably seen these.
24:43Bumper stickers, religious tracks, radio advertisements, television advertisements, billboards.
24:49They're impersonal methods and there is a person that will respond to those.
24:53But the personal method is getting to know people and interacting with them, developing a relationship with them.
25:01They're called Matthew parties.
25:02I don't know if you've ever been to one of those.
25:04Matthew party, it came from the phrase where Jesus went to the home of the Pharisees or the tax collectors
25:11and the Pharisees said,
25:12What is he doing?
25:13You know, in this party with these tax collectors and sinners.
25:17And Jesus said, I didn't come to save the sheep.
25:20I came to save the lost.
25:22And so, you know, this life that we have, it's about developing personal relationships with people who maybe aren't Christians.
25:30You know, maybe we start developing friendships with a person across the street that is against Christianity.
25:37Maybe we just develop a trusting relationship with that person on a personal level.
25:42So we are personal.
25:44Think about when you have troubles or trials.
25:46Who do you go to?
25:47You go to those people who you can trust.
25:48Who have you developed a personal relationship with?
25:51The fourth element, we're verbal.
25:54It's not enough to just live Christianity and have people say, hey, what's different about you?
25:59Oh, that's the way I like to evangelize.
26:01I like to have people come up to me.
26:02I like to have them say, what's different about you?
26:05Well, you know, they're not always going to do that.
26:07Paul says in Romans 10, 14, and how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard?
26:13And how can they hear without somebody preaching it to them?
26:16So how are they going to hear if we don't tell them?
26:18So it's not enough to live a life.
26:20We have to talk.
26:22For people to really get the message, somebody has to explain it to them.
26:27Fifth element, we're process-oriented.
26:31You know, we want this kind of immediate gratification.
26:35We want to be able to teach somebody the gospel and have them make that instantaneous decision to follow Jesus
26:41Christ.
26:42It's a process.
26:44You know, we may talk to them.
26:45We may be the ones that plant the seed.
26:48But somebody else may harvest it down the road.
26:51When I was in high school, I had a friend, and I was going to go on a two-week
26:56trip, and then we were taking a walk in the park, and the talk centered around Christianity and faith.
27:02And I began to share the gospel with her, and she wasn't a Christian.
27:06And we sat down on a park bench, and we talked for probably two hours.
27:11At the end of that two hours, I had never led anybody to the Lord, and I so wanted somebody.
27:15I wanted to lead somebody to the Lord.
27:16I'm a high school senior.
27:17I want it to happen.
27:19So I said, do you want to pray?
27:20You know, do you want to become a Christian?
27:22She says, I don't think I'm ready.
27:24I was devastated.
27:25I said, God, I did everything.
27:27I taught.
27:28I was anointed.
27:28I just, I followed what you wanted me to say.
27:31Felt like you were giving me the words, and it's not happening.
27:33I was so bummed.
27:35Well, I went on my trip, and I got back, and the first phone call was from Gina Wakeham.
27:41She calls me up, and she said, I want you to know that I went to your church.
27:44And I went forward to an altar call, and I gave my life to Jesus Christ.
27:48It was awesome, and it made me think, you know, it's not all about me.
27:53It's God's Spirit doing the work.
27:55So we might be the ones that plant the seed.
27:57We might just be that, you know, an Awanas program or a vacation Bible school.
28:01There's a number of ways that we reach out and have that message delivered for the first time.
28:05It may be five years, ten years, fifteen years later before that message sinks home.
28:10My brother one time was witnessing to a friend of his in a logging camp,
28:15and he was just sharing the gospel, and they began arguing quite vehemently over it.
28:20And about three years later, Mark Petticord calls my brother and said,
28:24You know, I couldn't get that conversation out of my mind.
28:27Kept thinking about it and thinking about it.
28:29Finally went to a church and became a Christian.
28:31Three years down the road after sharing the gospel, he couldn't get that conversation out of his mind.
28:35That's God's Holy Spirit working on somebody.
28:38So we're process-oriented.
28:40You know, this Christian evangelism can be designed or described as a chain-link fence.
28:48Sometimes we're that first link, right?
28:50We're that first link that reaches out, and we're able to attach to somebody.
28:54We're able to share a message.
28:56Sometimes we're the middle link that expands on that conversation that you've had.
29:01And then sometimes we have the privilege of being the final link where we can lead somebody to Jesus Christ.
29:07We can pick the fruit that somebody else has planted and nurtured and cultivated, and then we're able to harvest
29:15that.
29:16And that's an exciting experience for us.
29:18But we're team players.
29:19You know, we have a chance in an event a couple weeks from now, on July 8th.
29:22We're going to get together in an evening service, and we're going to watch a video called Indescribable.
29:27I've got some tickets here, and I want you to take a couple before you leave tonight,
29:30because we want to invite people who do not know Jesus Christ to this event.
29:35This will be an evangelistic event.
29:37We're excited about it.
29:38We're going to reach out to the lost.
29:40If you know somebody, you've been praying for somebody, this is an awesome event,
29:43because we're going to see God in nature.
29:45Describes video that describes video that describes God in the cosmos, and it's unbelievable.
29:49In fact, it's indescribable.
29:51I can't even describe it.
29:52That's the title of it.
29:53It's awesome.
29:54So remember that date, July the 8th.
29:57You know, Luke 15, 7, and verse 10, it talks about a party in heaven when souls come to Jesus
30:03Christ.
30:04I went to a service in a big church here in Spokane, and they had an altar call at the
30:11end,
30:12and I counted 15 people that raised their hands, saying they wanted to make a commitment to Jesus Christ.
30:17I wanted to jump up and dance down the aisles.
30:19That was exciting, 15 people.
30:21That was such an exciting experience.
30:23Shirley, I remember one time, I think it was Awanas, a child gave her heart to the Lord.
30:26Shirley came out, and she was excited.
30:28I was excited, and I looked around, and I thought, angels are worshiping in heaven,
30:35and we're exiting this place, and nobody's singing, nobody's shouting, and nobody's dancing.
30:40Where's the hugs?
30:41Where's the enjoyment?
30:42Where's the party?
30:43So we need to get a sense of urgency about this, about the lost out there, their ability
30:49to come to Jesus Christ through a simple message that he's laid out for us.
30:53Not a simple act, but a simple message.
30:56And the last one is that we put others first.
31:00You know, so often we get together with people, and we want to talk about ourselves.
31:04We want to share our faith because we're excited about it.
31:07Well, have you thought about seeking to understand first, listening to somebody, listening to their
31:12stories, to their desires, their wants, their hurts, and just being a friend and putting
31:19them first and putting their needs first?
31:20There's something to that.
31:23Paul speaks to this in his letter to the Galatians in chapter 5, verses 13 and 14.
31:27He says,
31:28You, my brothers, are called to be free, but do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful
31:32nature.
31:33Rather, serve one another in love.
31:35The entire law is summed up in a single command, love your neighbor as yourself.
31:39So how are we doing at loving our neighbor?
31:41How are we doing at seeking others and providing others and putting others first in our life?
31:48So I've given you a lot to think about tonight.
31:50And I want to conclude with three main thoughts to take away.
31:54The first is we need to remember the death and the resurrection of Christ.
31:58I went through that for a reason tonight.
32:00I went through the history for a reason tonight.
32:02We need to express our gratitude to God every single day for the gift we've been given.
32:08Thessalonians 5.18 says,
32:10Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
32:15So give thanks.
32:17Secondly, we need to repent of our complacency and ask God to give us his heart for souls.
32:22We need to regain our sense of urgency for the lost.
32:26Not only that, but we need to regain the first love, that excitement of being a Christian.
32:34Matthew 15.4-7, one of the verses says,
32:37There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do
32:42not need to repent.
32:44Third thing, we need to renew our commitment to offer ourself as a sacrifice for God's kingdom,
32:49as Jesus sacrificed himself for us.
32:521 Corinthians 3.8 and 9 tells us that we're God's fellow workers, and we each have our own purpose.
32:57It says,
32:57The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his
33:01own labor.
33:02For we are God's fellow workers, you are God's field, and God's building.
33:07So how do we respond?
33:09Do we want the zeal of God evident in our life and how we do our daily work?
33:15Do we want others to see Jesus in us?
33:17Are we tired of the complacency that we see in ourself?
33:21Do we want the physical sacrifice that we read of Jesus tonight to be in vain?
33:27I started tonight with a brief history lesson.
33:30It's been said that those who do not remember the past will be doomed to repeat it.
33:34Well, I have some things I don't want us to forget about what we've heard tonight.
33:38Let's not forget a sacrifice.
33:41Let's not forget our role in God's plan.
33:43We are to be active participants.
33:46Let's not forget about the souls who are dying every day,
33:49who have not heard the message of salvation.
33:51Let's not forget to be thankful every moment of every day for the incredible gift we've been given.
33:57And let's not forget ever to praise Jesus in our words and our actions.
34:02I don't know where you're at with your life or your soul or your heart.
34:08But, you know, we've been presented an incredible opportunity to share in a life that goes on for eternity.
34:14He loves us more than anybody who cared enough about us that He allowed Himself to die an extremely painful
34:20death
34:21so that we wouldn't have to endure the same fate.
34:24He loves us more than anybody can or ever will.
34:26And as we sing this first song, I want us to think about our sense of urgency and regaining that,
34:32regaining our first love that we have,
34:34and that first love that should compel us to share this gospel message.
34:38So, let's take a look at this gospel message.
Comments