Series: Come, Follow me! #6. WE ARE THE PLAN!

The Priority of the Christ-follower is? (following)

The Costs of following are? (dying to self – saying no to anything that hinders following)

(giving up everything)

The Marks of a Christ-follower are? (New Kind of love / Bearing fruit)

Last week we looked at the God of the Christ-follower…

-we said that he was the? (Creator / created everything / wants to & can meet all needs)

-we said that says something about kind of God he is? (powerful / in control / Good)

-found out that through all history God’s had one desire/purpose, everyone/everywhere to..

-seek/look for him, find him and enter into relationship w/him

Why do you think God wants so badly for us to seek/find/relationship w/him?

-it’s what we were created for / it’s where we’ll find true meaning/purpose/joy

-we got so used to sin and living in a sinful world Jesus said…

-you’re in complete darkness but you think it’s light/good

-we have no idea how bad things really are or how good they’re supposed to be

The Scriptures say that until Jesus Christ, God overlooked this ignorance…

-that is, God didn’t give us what we deserved (he didn’t strike us dead in our sin)

-but at Jesus’ coming he makes things completely clear, he says to all people/everywhere

-I want all people everywhere to? (Repent – turn from their ways and follow God’s)

-also said a day has been set when he will? (judge world /all will be made right)

And here’s the point, there’s only one way to come away clear on that day

-if you and I have sought him/found him/entered into relationship with him

-and the way to do that is…

-trust that through X’s life/death/resurrection (did everything needed for righteousness)

-trust = means we accept the forgiveness he offers in exchange for our sin

-and surrender our lives to him (become Christ-followers)

-and Christ followers are people who make their first priority (following)

-people who embrace the costs of following which are (death/giving him all)

-people who bear the marks of Jesus, which are (new love/bearing fruit)

Next week we’ll talk about the rewards of being a Christ-follower

-but before we get to the rewards, there’s a question worth asking/answering

If God’s desire throughout all history, today and into future is…

-that all people everywhere would seek him/find him/enter into relationship w/him

-so that they could know him/ be set free from sin/ live how they were created to live

here’s the question…

WHAT IS HIS PLAN TO HELP PEOPLE GET THERE?

-we know Jesus gives access, but what’s God’s plan to get people to Jesus

-and let me just answer the question right away, ready? WE ARE THE PLAN!

God has had one desire ever since the beginning of time…

-to have a people of his own (he could love abundantly and lavishly)

-a people who love him back (completely and wholeheartedly)

-who would love others (because of how they’ve been loved & other’s value to God)

And so God creates millions of galaxies & in this galaxy he creates a beautiful planet

-and in this planet he creates us, and all of it to what?

-I love you, want to know you, want you to know me

-want you to love me back & I want you to love all others I have created

-and I want you to care for all of the creation I’ve created for your enjoyment

Only one problem we said, “THANKS, BUT NO THANKS!”

-adam and eve and you and I chose to go our own way (sin)

-& what happens to our relationship with God? (create own gods/religion/spirituality)

-“ our relationship with each other? (instead of being about us = me)

-“ our relationship with creation? (instead of being stewards/users of caring/destroy)

But Bible says that not even our sin can keep God’s love away…

-so he carries right on with his original plan

-he wants a people of his own

-a people he could bless / a people who would be a blessing to others

So, thousands of years ago, man named Abraham hears from God (GENESIS 12:2-4)

God’s plan to draw all people to himself was to take one nation (Israel) & bless them

-and Israel once they experienced community & love from God would be so moved

-they would become vessels that God would use to bless all other nations and people’s

-other words, because they recognized how blessed they were / be a blessing to others

-although it’s true that everyone’s been blessed through Israel in Jesus Christ

-Israel received the blessings from God, but when it came to being a blessing

-just like Adam/us, over and over again, Israel said what? (“thanks, but not thanks”)

But God doesn’t give up easy….so the scriptures say…

-one day (bible says, when the time was right) Jesus was born

-he lived a perfect life (was the image of the invisible God) – told/showed us who God is

-a God who loves to love lavishly, a God who hates injustice

-who hates religion that binds people to rules instead of freeing them to love & bless

-who is pure, makes us pure and helps us to live in purity

-is for us, not when we finally get it all right, but in the midst of our sin and darkness

-willing to die and pay the price for all our sin (every wrong though, word, action)

-a God who promises we’ll be accepted in his Kingdom now and forever (if we follow)

Okay let’s do this once more/ last time today, I promise…

-and to follow him means to make our first priority…

-to follow him means to embrace the costs of following which are?

-to follow him means to bear the marks of his followers, which are?

And this is where you and I come in to God’s plan…

-just like God had blessed Adam & Eve so they’d be a blessing

-just like Israel was blessed so all nations would be blessed through them

-Jesus blesses another group of people so that everyone would be blessed through them

-except this time the group of people is not divided by nation/gender/colour/status

-they are a group of people united by Christ and a cause – to be the light of the world

-to be visual aids of who God is and what he is like

-so all people will be drawn to God through X, and become who they were create to be

That is why you and I exist – we are part of the church & WE ARE THE PLAN!

-c’mon, say that again, WE ARE THE PLAN!

-to help people find God by being a blessing to them as followers of Jesus Christ

Apostle Peter writing to the Church says this (READ 1PETER 2:9A,10)

-two things that Peter wants us to get…

-1. In Jesus Christ we have been blessed

-2. We have been blessed (not just for our sake/freedom/ for rewards

-main reason we have been blessed is to be what? a blessing!

1. Apostle Peter says, We have been blessed! How?

-we are a chosen people (God chose us, loved us first, died for us while we were sinners)

-a people belonging to God (as Christ-followers we don’t belong to ourselves anymore)

-loving father who paid with his own blood to break the power of sin over us

-to destroy our slavery to sin

-to draw us back into relationship with himself

-to bring us back to the life we were created to live

And because you belong to this Good God

-not only has he done a bunch of good things to change our past

-he wants to do a whole bunch of good things to change our future, like what?

-we have been blessed!

Only one problem, many people stop there! I am blessed as if that was God’s only point

2. But God’s blessed us so we would be “THE PLAN / A BLESSING” (so Peter says…)

-we are a holy nation – what do you think that means?

-(set apart for God’s Kingdom & mission in this world until he comes again)

-we are a royal priesthood

-(if we are Christ-followers we are priests of the King of kings (I’m no priest???)

-forget what you think a priest is/does for a second

-we are to be people who point people to God by the way we live

-we are to be people who intercede for the people God brings into our lives

-do that and you’ll be a priest for the King of kings

So, how can we be a blessing to others? Peter says…(READ 1PETER 2:11,12)

This world’s not your home…

-you are a citizen of God’s Kingdom, live like it! - what does that look like?

-abstain from sinful desires / Be an example (fruit of H.S.)

-and what’s the result? if you do others will come to know and follow God!

Peter says one more thing…(READ 1PETER 3:14-18)

Let me hit on an important point Peter makes first / I said this last week…

-when you open your mouth to talk about Jesus, when you stand as Jesus’ representative

-please, please - do it in a gentle and respectful way (bullhorn – you’ll burn in hell)

-don’t demean people / don’t demean their religion / or even their life-choices

-just point them to Jesus, respectfully (don’t water down the truth, but don’t disrespect..)

-anything else, hurts the cause of Jesus!

Okay, back to Peter’s main point…

-“if you are asked, always be ready to explain the reason for your Christian hope”

-here’s point, doesn’t mean you’re never supposed to talk about X unless you’re asked

-however, God’s desire is that we live Christ, before we talk Christ – why?

-don’t miss this, before people ever consider the message, they look @ messenger

Goes back to what Peter already said – You are a citizen of God’s Kingdom, live like it!

-and if we do then following Christ has become our first priority

-and if we do we die to ourselves daily & we’ve given ourselves wholeheartedly to God

-and if we do we bear the marks of a follower – new love / bearing fruit

-again don’t mishear me / I’m not saying we’re perfect, but we are clearly on the way

-and if we are, our lives make people curious & eventually they ask us why

-& when we tell them there’s a God (they should already have seen it in our lives)

-& when we tell them God has the power to forgive their sins (our life shows it)

-when we tell them God has the power to give them victory… (our life shows it)

-when we tell them eternity is coming and there’s only one way towards God

-our lives are the greatest evidence available to them of whether it’s true or not

-& H.S. will use our lives as his tool to open their hearts/eyes/minds

Consider the flipside, if our lives don’t show the truth of God’s message?

-why should people believe the message we bring?

Application ? - Is your life making the people around you curious about God/Jesus?

WE ARE THE PLAN!

-we have been blessed by God!

-so that we would be a blessing to the people God puts in our lives!

-our lives are to give witness to the message

-& when they do, our message will carry weight & will make them curious & they’ll ask

-and the scriptures say this will cause people to believe and honor God!

So, before we get to the rewards next week, let me say again…

-we are God’s plan to bless the world and draw all people/everywhere to himself

-but here’s the important question

-knowing what Jesus is calling us to be when he calls us to be his followers

-will you join me in following Christ, the way he’s asked us to follow?