Barefoot Ministries

Verses for June 2022

List of Bible Verses
In Order of Use

June 5, 2022 - Faith and Works

Sermon Summary

The purpose of Barefoot Ministry is to Spread the word of God to any and all that will listen. I will try very hard to plant the seed of God in your hearts, provide you with the knowledge to nurture that seed thru prayer, Bible Study and fellowship so that it can grow, so that in time that seed will mature and you will be saved and re-born so that you can have the greatest gift of God’s Love, Everlasting Life.

Let Us Pray

Dear Lord, in Heaven, The creator of all

We look forward to the joys of heaven.

Where there is no more pain, No suffering, No Sickness

God remind us that our actions matter here in this world.

Our actions here on this earth will pave our way to live in your house

Here on earth Each and every day is a struggle against sin and temptation. Give us the strength to overcome cruelty with grace

and hatred with love. Remind us Lord We do not fight a physical battle,

but a spiritual one and with each act of compassion here on earth

We build your kingdom.

Help to guide us to be kingdom builders today and every day.

As a Kingdom builder we will try to plant your seed Lord in the hearts of any and all that will listen

Then we will help nourish that seed so it can grow and they too can receive your greatest gift of Love Everlasting Life

Soon We will be done with the troubles of the world

and will be walking down the path we paved with our actions

As Kingdom Builders To live in the house of the Lord forever

Thru Jesus Christ we pray

AMEN

Todays sermon I call a Faith that Works.

We will be reading James 2:14-16, Matthew 25:14-30 & 34-46.

There are probably a few other verses I have added

Let’s start with James 2:14:

" What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?"

A lot of people might use verses such as this to support their argument that the Bible is full of contradictions. In Romans for example (and in many other places), Paul says that salvation is of faith, yet here James is talking about works.

A friend of mine is always telling me that the Bible contradicts itself and I suppose he might quote this apparent difference in opinion between James and Paul in his defense.

The Bible contains no such contradictions and the writings of James and Paul do not prove any difference of opinion or doctrine.

James also preaches justification through faith.

James 2:1 says, “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.”

and in James 2:18, " But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without ^[^a^]your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

Romans 10:17 says that " So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

So we can clearly see that both Paul and James preach salvation through faith and by hearing the word of Christ.

James says faith first and then works, not the other way around. Indeed he is saying that true faith is a faith that WORKS, it results in action, and if a man claims to have faith but his life points to the contrary then is it really true faith. People will know what kind of person we are by the fruit that is produced.

Matthew 7:16-20

¹⁶You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?

¹⁷Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.

¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

²⁰Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

True faith results in action. In 1 Thessalonians 1:3, Paul writes, "remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father.”

James 2:15-16:"¹⁵If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

Actions speak louder than words is what James is saying.

We find this same principle in James 2:17-18, " ¹⁷Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without ^[^a^]your works, and I will show you my faith by ^[^b^]my works."

Jesus loved with actions and in truth. He spent a considerable amount of time teaching and instructing the people but he didn’t stop there, he didn’t just love with words but he displayed his love by feeding the poor, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf.

He didn’t just say to people, "I’ll be going to the cross soon to die for your sins, that’s all you really need so I am not going to help you here, right now, at this very moment." No, Jesus was filled with compassion when he saw suffering and he reached out to those in need.

In the same way it’s not enough for us to point people to the cross and tell them that’s all they need. We have to reach out to them in their suffering, in their pain. We need to be filled with compassion and reach out to those in need. We’ll find that people will be much more receptive to the message of the cross when they see God’s love working in our lives.

A good example of the compassion that Jesus had can be found in the feeding of the five thousand.

We read in the gospel of Mark 6-34, "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things."

The disciples wanted to send the people away, a bit like the person in James 2:15-16, ¹⁵If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?"

Jesus however wasn’t just concerned with the people’s spiritual needs but he wanted to provide for their material needs too. This was a remote place and it was late in the day, the people were probably tired and weak, some had most likely traveled a long way to see and hear Jesus.

Jesus didn’t say, "... Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed..." He was going to help them. His divine love resulted in action.

Isn’t this exactly what James is saying in chapter 2, verse 17 as a conclusion to his argument in verses 15 and 16,

"Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."

Now Let’s quickly turn to Galatians 6:9 -10, "⁹And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Note that Paul says in verse 10, "Therefore as we have opportunity..." We have plenty here in our community, people who are crying out for help.

It’s so important that we reach out to those in our community in a practical way and there are so many different ways that we can do it.

In chapter 2, verse 18, James goes on to talk about two different kinds of people. The first has faith without works, the second has lot’s of works but no faith.

James contrasts himself with both saying, "...one of you has faith, the other works. I will show you my faith by the things I do."

When we first believed, God had already prepared good works for us to do, we can read this in Paul’s letter in Ephesians 2:8-10,

⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

⁹not of works, lest anyone should boast.

¹⁰For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

This is the starting point of our Christian lives, salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus-Christ and his finished work and not by works. However, we need to ask ourselves this question, "What was God’s purpose in saving us?" Well let’s look at Ephesians 2:10, and we find the answer, Paul says, " For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Are we seeking to do the works God has prepared for us in advance to do or are we too busy doing our own thing?

In the book of James it goes on to talk about Abraham and how he demonstrated his faith by what he did,

James 2: 20-21 ²⁰But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is ^[^a^]dead? ²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?

In Genesis 15:6, God declares Abraham as righteous because he believed God’s promise of a son. What James is saying here is that the kind of inward faith Abraham demonstrated inevitably results in an outward manifestation.

When Abraham’s faith was tested, he did not disobey God but he was prepared to offer Isaac as a sacrifice believing that God had the power to raise him up from the dead. His faith was not a dead faith but his was faith that was accompanied by action.

James says in chapter 2, verse 22, " Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made ^[^a^]perfect?"

What an amazing statement, "...his faith was made complete by what he did."

James gives another example in the person of Rahab and sums everything up by saying,

James 2: 26. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

That’s the statement to end all statements and it’s the point he’s been making throughout this passage of scripture that faith without results is dead.

Let’s turn our attention now to some verses from the Gospel of Matthew 25:14-30 and 34-46:

Matthew 25:14-30

The Parable of the Talents

¹⁴“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. ¹⁵And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. ¹⁶Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. ¹⁷And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.¹⁸But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. ¹⁹After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

²⁰“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ ²¹His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ ²²He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ ²³His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

²⁴“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

²⁶“But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. ²⁷So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.²⁸So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

²⁹‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.³⁰And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Matthew 25:34-46

³⁴Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

³⁷“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

⁴¹“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴²for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

⁴⁴“Then they also will answer ^[^a^]Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ ⁴⁵Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

This is a well known passage of scripture. Many of us will be familiar with the story, how those with 5 and 2 talents went away and invested their talents so that they would earn more.

Do you often ask yourself how they invested their talents, what they actually did to make them grow? I believe the explanation can be found in verses 35 - 40.

I believe God is calling us to open our eyes to the needs and the suffering of the people around us, to reach out in whatever way we can both materially and spiritually.

This is from the book, ’God’s Heart For The Poor’ by Philippa Stroud,

"Christians often tell me they aren’t in touch with the poor and I’ll reply, ’Think of those who haunt the fringes of our churches - the lonely, the sick, the disabled, those with hidden eating disorders, those who don’t feel loved, those who are going nowhere!’ Once your eyes are opened it’s not difficult to find damaged and hurting people.

With many we know, from single mothers to single older men, their poverty of spirit far exceeds their material poverty. Sexual abuse victims and people with eating disorders live in their own dark prisons. Addictions and sin keep men and women captive. I pray for myself, and for those working with me, that God would give us salve to put on our eyes, so that we might see with his compassion.

Having seen we can’t escape. Jesus taught his disciples to care for the poor in the same way he did....This thing is not optional. You can’t escape the fact that God tells his people throughout the Bible to help the poor. His heart for them permeates the whole of Scripture."

I challenge myself and I challenge you, ’what will we do with the talents God has given us, will we bury them or will we go out and produce more?’ Put your faith to work today!!!

Go out and be a Kingdom Builder not only by your words, but also by your works.

Now I have to ask If you have not yet repented, confessed your sins, and trusted in Christ to save you from God’s wrath, then you don’t know the full extent of Gods’ love yet. John 3:36 says that “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” because “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). I pray that is not you.

I encourage you to pray this prayer with me, but I caution you that saying words alone will not save you. Prayer alone doesn’t save. Only Christ can save. But prayer can be a means of reaching out to the Lord in true saving faith. If you pray these words in faith, Christ will save you. You can be sure of that.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door of my heart when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your word and desire the Holy Spirit to come into my heart and give me guidance to walk your path to salvation and everlasting life. In Jesus Name I Pray Amen.

June 12, 2022 - Leave the Light On

Sermon Summary

Since I have had the privilege of preaching to each and every one of you these last couple of years you have heard sermons about

Who is a disciple and what does it cost? Loving Your Neighbor, The Enemy is Real,

Marriage, 10 Verses about Love, Psalms 23 Gods how it gives us the Answer to Worry, Busyness, Disturbed Emotions, Indecision, Dark Valleys, our Hurts and the Future

How Jesus taught the Disciples how to Pray using the Lord’s Prayer as a model to show us Prayer Nots, Who’s the Boss, What I want or What I Need, Forgiveness and Last week Don’t Let Me Fail.

And there have been other topics I have preached on but these I mentioned have meant so much to me and I hope you too

Today though I am going to talk about Good Works which will also explain why and how we are to be Kingdom Builder

Today’s Sermon is Called We'll Leave The Light On

The light that a Christian shines is so that others might see good works and give God the glory.

Motel 6 has a slogan that says “We’ll leave a light on for you.” Very Clever and successful advertising.

That should be the slogan for every Christian and for every church. We should say to all of the lost and dying world in the darkness of sin, “We’ll leave a light on for you.” We will let Jesus shine. Our Christianity is of no value if it is not shining out in our daily lives.

Matthew 5:16 ¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Let’s break down this seemingly simple verse

There are three points in this verse I want to point out:

1.Leave a light on. “Let your light so shine before men”. That means that you personally have a light to shine.

That Light is YOUR INFLUENCE.

2.Leave a light on “that they may see your good works”. That means that you have a task to do.

That Light is YOUR ACTIONS.

3. Leave a light on as men are to see your “good works” and “glorify your Father in heaven”. That means that what you do has eternal consequences. That Light is YOUR MOTIVE.

In your community of influence there are many people. There are many people for whom we can leave a light on.

Today church growth analysts say that a church should be able to normally reach out about 25 miles. People will travel that far to find a church that suits and meets their needs. Over Half of those people are lost and without Christ. Many of them would find that church maybe even this church suits and meets their needs. How can a Christian effectively find them and witness to them and enlist them?

Consider these three points as you ponder that question. They are about you.

I. We‘ll leave a light on! YOUR INFLUENCE. We will let our light shine. “Let your light so shine before men”

Your light represents the presence of God within you and among those with whom you come in contact. You have something to offer, something that the world cannot offer, the Gospel. You have light to shine in the darkness of their sin. “Let your light so shine”.

Remember this is not a spotlight to reveal the sins of others it is a beacon to guide others. Rekindle the beacon of light Jesus had for His disciples and for you. Make a difference in the world in which you live. The Great Commission will be fulfilled when we light up the world with Christ, one person at a time, beginning in our Jerusalem Ingleside on the Bay and extending to the ends of the earth.

George Barna, in his book, “Grow Your Church from the Outside”, speaks of the power of influence. When Jesus spoke of the light that was to be shining he was talking about our influence.

We should make every effort to offer people the same thing that we have experienced in Jesus. We offer people a new relationship with God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ. We should be able to say to people, “follow me.” But, to do that we have to show them the way.

When was the last time you were excited about inviting someone to come and worship with you? You have something to get excited about. Are you as excited about worship in your church as you are about sports, recreation or leisure, or even your work? We need to “get all excited and tell everybody that Jesus Christ is King?” Get excited and leave a light on.

II. We‘ll leave a light on! YOUR ACTIONS. We are going to do the right thing. “That they may see your good works.“

When Jesus spoke of the light that was to shine He was talking about our good works. Doing good works is not an option. Doing what is right is not an option. You have work to do. It is to do good works. This is the way to make your light shine. This is how you make the light real in the lives of others. You are to do what is right, visibly, before others. In this way you carry Jesus into the lives of others so that they might listen.

Never hide your faith. It is to be visible for all to see. It is to work itself out in everyday life in a thousand ways. You are to walk the walk.

Several years ago there was a movement started called “Pass it On”. One person would do a random act of kindness and that was to be passed on to another. Just being kind to one another just doing something good.

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

We were created to do good works.

Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

We are to be ongoing in doing good works.

Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

We are to be a different kind of people that seek to find ways to do good things.

Good works do not earn you salvation, but it is quite evident from Scriptures that salvation should produce good works. The idea is that the person who has experienced Christ should be the initiator of those good works. There should be an active desire to seek out ways to do good works.

The ways found will be as varied as the people who make up the church. Each one is unique in giftedness and each one can find a way to do something good each day. You can share the Gospel with others. There is no other work that would glorify God more than to bring others to Christ.

Those works are the light that others see. It is not to be put under a basket but placed high for all to see.

Matthew 5:14-15 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

III. We‘ll leave a light on! YOUR MOTIVE. So that people will glorify our Father. “That they may see your good works, and glorify (PRAISE) your Father which is in heaven.”

When Jesus was talking about our light that was to shine he was referring to our motives. There are eternal consequences to doing good works. When you do things that are good and right people will praise your Father, which is in heaven. God gets the glory. There are eternal consequences to bringing Christ to people and people to Christ.

You want others to “glorify your Father, which is in heaven”. This is important. This is the motive for good works. This is what makes the Christian different from the secular world in doing good works. The glory goes to God the Father.

This may very well be why people are not coming into the church any more. We have gotten so secular in our ways that we want all the credit and people do not see God in us anymore. It is a proven fact that people today are no less spiritual then they have ever been. They are looking for God. Are we showing Him to them?

There is no room for personal agendas when your Father gets the glory. Everything relates to kingdom work. One of the great themes of the Sermon on the Mount is found in Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

You cannot take someone where you have not been. You get this light by trusting in Jesus.

In conclusion let me share some applications.

Thom S. Rainer has written a book entitled “The Unchurched Next Door”. He wants people to understand the unchurched in order to better reach them. The premise is that we do not invite our neighbors for all the wrong reasons. He encourages Christians to make the effort to invite others to church that they might hear the Gospel and be saved. The number one reason unchurched people do not come to church is because they have not been invited. Do not quit inviting people because some refused your invitation.

Before you take this sermon and run with it let me give you some suggestions. Dr. Rainer lists several tough questions that we should ask ourselves before we go out. This is not to get us to stay home, but rather to get us to prepare.

I. How is your prayer life? We will never be able to reach people seeking God or just Flat out Unbelievers unless we are a people of prayer.

II. Whom did you tell about Jesus yesterday or today? The question is not how do you share, but, did you share your faith. The best way to share your faith is to just do it!

III. How is your family life? Satan’s most effective tactic is to attack the Christian in his/her family life. Is your faith evident in and to your family life?

IV. Do you need to reconcile with someone? We are called to a ministry of reconciliation. 2 Cor 5:18 “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

” Jesus said in Matthew 6:12, And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors. We cannot worship until reconciliation Forgiveness) is made.

V. Are you committed to GOD? It is not “what can Jesus Christ do for me” but rather “what can I do for my Lord Jesus Christ?” He is the Head of the Church. Paul wrote many times thankful for the ministry and people of the churches.

VI. Do you love others unconditionally? It is easy to write off people who are not like us. Love the unlovable.

VII. Do you have an attitude of gratitude? God was gracious and extended his mercy to us. We should do the same by showing our graciousness and extend mercy to others.

Will you invite and bring someone to God? Most of the weak believers or unbelievers you know are receptive and waiting for you to ask them to follow Jesus Christ. If one does not respond do not quit asking.

Extend the circle of fellowship and thus the circle of membership in the Kingdom of God. Go and get them.

Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. (KJV)

Jesus wants His house, to be filled. Jesus is pointing out that His disciple is to be selfless in the pursuit of that goal.

Be an influence. Leave a light on!

Be active. Do good works!

Be right in your motive. Give God the glory!

The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin,

The light of the world is Jesus;

Like sunshine at noonday His glory shone in,

The light of the world is Jesus.

Come to the light, ‘tis shining for thee; Sweetly the Light has dawned upon me, Once I was blind, but now I can see: The Light of the world is Jesus.

Let’s all go out and be kingdom builders Go out into the world and talk to our friends, family, co-workers and any how will listen and spread the Good News of God with the intent of planting Gods seed in their hearts so that one day they too will become a saved Christian by repenting and confessing their sins to Jesus Christ and making you a Kingdom Builder.

Remember that the Bible says in James 5:19-20

19 Brethren if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back

20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins

Let Us Pray

Lord, In Heaven Each and every day is a struggle against sin and temptation.

Give us the strength to overcome cruelty with grace and hatred with love. God remind us that our actions matter. Our Action are what Shines Your Light. Remind us We do not fight a physical battle, but a spiritual one and with each act of compassion We build your kingdom.

Help us be kingdom builders today and every day.

Thru Jesus Christ we pray

AMEN

Verse List

Matthew 5:16
Eph 2:10

Titus 3:8

Titus 2:14

Matthew 5:14-15

Matthew 6:33

2 Cor 5:18

Matthew 6:12

Luke 14:23

James 5:19-20

June 19, 2022 - Getting Serious with God

Sermon Summary

The purpose of Barefoot Ministry is to Spread the word of God to all that will listen. I will try very hard to plant the seed of God in your hearts, provide you with the knowledge to nurture that seed thru prayer, Bible Study and fellowship so that it can grow, so that in time that seed will mature and you will be saved and re-born so that you can have the greatest gift of God’s Love, Everlasting Life.

Let Us Pray

Dear Lord, in Heaven, The creator of all

We look forward to the joys of heaven.

Where there is no more pain, No suffering, No Sickness

God remind us that our actions matter here in this world.

Our actions here on this earth will pave our way to live in your house

Here on earth Each and every day is a struggle against sin and temptation. Give us the strength to overcome cruelty with grace

and hatred with love. Remind us Lord We do not fight a physical battle,

but a spiritual one and with each act of compassion here on earth

We build your kingdom.

Help to guide us to be kingdom builders today and every day.

As a Kingdom builder we will try to plant your seed Lord in the hearts of any and all that will listen

Then we will help nourish that seed so it can grow and they too can receive your greatest gift of Love Everlasting Life

Soon We will be done with the troubles of the world

and will be walking down the path we paved with our actions

As Kingdom Builders To live in the house of the Lord forever

Thru Jesus Christ we pray

AMEN

As I put this weeks sermon together I got more and more excited about God. My purpose this week is to grab you by the shoulders and shake you to emphasis that time is running out on us each and every passing day to become true followers, believers in GOD and real Kingdom Builders.

I hope this message touches you as it has me.

America is in the midst of a spiritual famine today, and, unless our country turns back to God soon, and experiences a great spiritual revival in our nation, it is just a matter of time before God pours out His anger and wrath on our nation.

Todays sermon is called Getting Serious With God

We will be looking at the book of Jeremiah 14:1-12

1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts.

²“Judah mourns, And her gates languish; They mourn for the land,

And the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.

³Their nobles have sent their lads for water; They went to the cisterns and found no water. They returned with their vessels empty; They were ashamed and confounded And covered their heads.

⁴Because the ground is parched, For there was no rain in the land, The plowmen were ashamed; They covered their heads.

⁵Yes, the deer also gave birth in the field, But ^[^a^]left because there was no grass.

⁶And the wild donkeys stood in the desolate heights; They sniffed at the wind like jackals; Their eyes failed because there was no grass.”

⁷O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, Do it for Your name’s sake; For our backslidings are many, We have sinned against You.

⁸O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble, Why should You be like a stranger in the land, And like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?

⁹Why should You be like a man astonished, Like a mighty one who cannot save?

Yet You, O Lord, are in our midst, And we are called by Your name; Do not leave us!

¹⁰Thus says the Lord to this people: “Thus they have loved to wander; They have not restrained their feet. Therefore the Lord does not accept them;

He will remember their iniquity now, And punish their sins.”

¹¹Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for this people, for their good.

¹²When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.”

Several years ago, in an effort to earn some extra Christmas money, I worked a temporary job at the airport in Nashville Tennessee over the Christmas holidays. It was a manual labor job where several us would unload tractor-trailers full of Christmas mail.

We’d take it off the 18-wheeler, separate it by destination, and reload it into large bins that would be taken to the different airlines and loaded as cargo onto the appropriate planes.

Many of the packages were quite heavy, and in order to work this job a person had to be able to lift over their heads up to 70 pounds. Another requirement of the position was that you had to wear steel-toed boots.

If a package fell or dropped on your feet, the pain was intense and would severely bruise your toes. I said all that just to say this – I hope that you wore your steel-toed boots this morning because God’s going to step all over your toes!

The land of Judah was in the midst of a great famine, and the scripture we read this morning gave us a description of what life was like during this terrible time.

The prophet Jeremiah described the city and its inhabitants as though they were in mourning. The people had been put to shame and were humiliated, and the country was languishing in sorrow. Conditions in the land of Judah were so bad that even the animals were suffering.

In verses 7 and 8 we are given the reason for this suffering:

⁷O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, Do it for Your name’s sake; For our backslidings are many, We have sinned against You.

⁸O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble, Why should You be like a stranger in the land, And like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?

God had turned his back on the land of Judah because of the sin of its people. Their sin as a country had become so great that God had become a stranger in their land. It was as if He had turned his back on them.

I sent this to you to deliver God’s message to you, the message that God is fast becoming a stranger in the land of America. We have yet to experience a famine of the scale that Judah was going through, but I do believe with all my heart that if things do not change in this country, it is coming. We are in for severe problems in America.

America is in the midst of a spiritual famine today, and, unless our country turns back to God and experiences a great spiritual revival in our nation, it is just a matter of time before God pours out His anger and wrath on our nation.

Our country has fallen to the lowest depths of immorality. Make no mistake about it, we cannot continue down this road of perdition without provoking the wrath and judgment of God!

Destruction and death have become the norm for our everyday lives. Very few people in this country today are truly spiritual in nature, and when I say spiritual I mean the things of God.

Yes, there are countless numbers of people in America today who consider themselves spiritual. Unfortunately, these people are talking about the occult, the new age movement, or scientology just to name a few.

Too many people today think that they are spiritual just because their name appears on a church roll, even though they never seem to be found sitting on the church pew.

God’s message to us today is simple – His patience with America is running out! When that happens it will include the churches in America too!

You see, when God becomes a stranger in the land, four things begin to happen. First and foremost, the churches grow cold and indifferent. Second, the preachers become silent. Third, homes are divided, and fourth, the future becomes uncertain.

Let’s take a few moments and think about these things and see if they are happening in America today.

First, the churches grow cold and become filled with scandal. The busier people get the less we see them in church. The wealthier they get the less they seem to find need for God. The doctrines upon which the churches were founded get changed. There becomes a new acceptance of sin. The rules get changed so as to not offend the minorities. Old rules are considered no longer appropriate for the church. A blind eye is turned away from the sins being committed.

All across the nation churches have split over changes in doctrine and in acceptance. Well, make no mistake about it; this is God’s message to all churches about doctrinal issues. God has not changed! God’s Word, the Bible, has not changed! The same rules and the same doctrine that applied 50 years ago, 100 years ago and 2000 years ago still apply today! Yesterday, today, forever, Jesus is the same! All else may change, but Jesus will never change, glory to His name!

In recent years we have learned that the Catholic Church has covered up sexual abuse of children for years. Those in the highest positions of leadership – those given the greatest opportunity to positively affect the lives of the youth of America, have taken advantage of their positions, and they are just as guilty as the very priests that have defiled their religion and preyed on young children.

Scandal is not unique to only the Catholic Church. It is everywhere! Satan has infiltrated some of the best, God-loving churches in all of America. We must always be on guard against the forces of Satan.

Secondly I said that preachers are silent. You say, now wait just a minute there Bobby, there are preachers all over the place running their mouths everywhere, in local churches, on the radio and on tv.

Well I’ll tell you what – they may be running their mouths but that’s all that’s happening. Very few who are supposed to be about proclaiming God’s Word tell it like it is. I mean if they did, most congregations in America today would run them off.

There are way too many preachers in the pulpits today preaching goody goody messages, messages that are pleasing to their congregations. You know Feel Good Messages. You know feel good psychology. What happens when a preacher stands in the pulpit and preaches a nice, warm message to his congregation telling them how good they are doing?

The congregation leaves the church smiling and happy, content that their lives are in tip top shape and that all is well with their soul. Preachers need to preach the Word of God, as written. Sometimes we just have to step on people’s toes to get God’s message across, and don’t you doubt for one minute that I’m also stepping on my own toes too! For I’m not perfect and other preachers aren’t perfect and none of us are without sin in their lives.

If the preacher happens to preach a message that step all over your toes, then you have to be like Cinderella – if the shoe fits, wear it! Then, realize the error of your ways and ask God to help you overcome the shortcomings in your life, for God still answers prayer.

How many TV evangelists do you see today that still preach it like it is? I watched TBN the other night and at times I wanted to throw my shoe through the TV set. They preach a prosperity gospel, that all God’s children should be prosperous, and never have a need of any kind. They preach a feel good gospel with messages filled with what the people in the pews want to hear.

That kind of gospel is caffeine free. They need to preach it like it is! Let me tell you here right now that a caffeine free gospel won’t wake you up! It won’t shake you up! And it won’t take you up either!!! Heaven is very real folks, but so is hell. When our days here on earth are over, we are all going to one or the other. There is no in-between place. There is no other option. There are no do-overs.

Then these goody two shoes preachers always close their services asking you for your money, and you look at them in their thousand dollar suits, with rings on many fingers and expensive jewelry being worn and you wonder – is this where the money goes? They fly all over the world in their private jets and live luxuriously. Be on guard people, for God has warned us in His Word, beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.

We need less of these false prophets and more Billy Grahams in this world. Billy and his wife lived in the same North Carolina home they lived in when he first began his evangelistic ministry. His salary did not change in 40 years. I was watching the Billy Graham Network and saw him interviewed on TV and he was asked, “What do you hope to get when you get to Heaven?” His answer was quick, simple and humble. “I hope to hear the words, well done thou good and faithful servant.” We need more people of God like Billy.

I don’t know of anyone that truly got saved after listening to what they wanted to hear, do you? A person gets saved by hearing the complete and unaltered Word of God.

A person gets saved by realizing that they are lost without God, and doomed to spend an eternity in hell.

A person doesn’t get saved by listening to someone tell them that the Christian life is just peachy, and that everything is going to fall into place and that they’ll never want for anything again.

The Christian life is not an easy life. Satan will do everything he can to humiliate you, bring down your spirits and to steal your joy. He will wreak all the havoc he can on your life and on your family, and on your job. But Satan’s days are numbered. The good news for us is if we keep to the things of God and stay on that straight and narrow path, we will spend eternity with our Creator.

What a day that will be, when we all see Jesus – when we look upon His face, the one who saved us by His grace, and He takes us by the hand and leads you and me to the promised land, – what a day, a glorious day, that shall be.

When God is a stranger in the land, its homes are divided. Close to Fifty percent of all marriages in the United States end in divorce, both Christian and non-Christian.

Too many children are living in single parent homes, and it’s all the result of sin and Satan’s attack on God’s institution of the family and marriage that was created some 6000 years ago in the Garden of Eden.

Teenage crime and pregnancy rates have skyrocketed as a result of so many homes being divided. Children need a mother and a father in the home if they are to receive the upbringing that they need to become successful adults in today’s society.

And yes, I know that there are times when circumstances in people’s lives are unavoidable, but that is the time that the church has to step up to the plate and help those parents in need of support, to help raise those children. And the church can help in many ways, and through this type of ministry, reach many people for the cause of Christ.

When God is a stranger in the land, the future is uncertain. Who knows what the future holds for America, only God does, but for us the future becomes more uncertain all the time.

The possibility of war looms over our heads more and more each and every day. The distant drums can be heard all over the world

I want you to listen very closely to what I am about to say: The only way to be certain of anything is to know Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. This is the only way to know for sure that you will make it no matter what happens.

We all are in a spiritual famine in this country right now. If Christians do not take a stand for what is right, if we do not get down on our knees and pray for revival in our land, America stands on the brink of God becoming a stranger in our land.

Today You need to pray for a spiritual revival in your home and in our land for a turning back to God. If we think things are bad now, just wait and see what will happen without a spiritual revival in America.

God’s patience with us will soon be exhausted, the same as it was with the people of Judah. Every day, America gets a day closer to the point of no return.

There will come a day when we He will no longer hear our prayers, hear our cries or accept our offerings. Barring a spiritual revival in the hearts of our people, God will one day say enough is enough.

Out of all the history of God’s chosen people. He had always heard the prayers of His people, or at least the prophet of the times.

He heard Abraham’s prayer for Lot before destroying Sodom and Gomorrah; he kept Joseph’s family alive during the famine in Egypt. He kept 8 people as a remnant during the great flood of Noah’s time.

Nowhere in the Bible did God refuse to listen to the prayers of His prophet, or even instruct him not to pray for his people.

Listen again to verses 11 and 12:

¹¹Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for this people, for their good.

God was done with them! He was no longer going to listen to their prayers or accept their offerings. So what makes us think that God won’t get tired of our immorality as a nation?

Look at the signs, they are all around us, we could be on the verge of a situation just like this in our country. We Christians need to come out of the pews and stand firm and pray like we’ve never prayed before, and we need to do so before God becomes a stranger in our land.

Things were so bad that God told Jeremiah that it would not matter if Samuel and Moses stood before Him and pleaded on behalf of the people of Judah. He was done with them and He would not change His mind.

Jeremiah 15:1 Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth.

Read that again and take a minute to really think about what God is saying.

Things are getting worse in our country every day. Our country needs to repent and to repent quickly. It is up to we Christians to pray for revival of the church and for the repentance of our nation.

It is up to us to get God’s message out to the people of our land, no matter what the cost, because the cost of not delivering God’s message is even higher.

WE MUST ALL get serious about God! we must be about God’s business instead of our own. We need to be watchmen for our country and not fall asleep and become stumbling blocks.

We need to pray without ceasing that God will send revival instead of becoming a stranger in our land. We need to pray that progress towards Him becoming a stranger in our land will stop where it is and turn around.

Folks, we need to get on fire for Jesus, right here, right NOW. We need to live what we believe and spread the word while there is still time, because time is running out.

This country needs to stop publishing the slogan “God Bless America.” We need to change it to “America Bless God!”

God gave us our freedom and He can take it away.

God gave us our prosperity and He can take it away.

God gave us our power and He can take it away.

God gave us His presence and He can take it away.

Dwight L. Moody once said, “We ought to see the face of God every morning before we see the face of man.”

What is your ambition in life today? Is it to get rich? Is it to make a name for ourself? The highest desire that can possess any human heart is a longing to see God.

Don’t quit praying just because the answer hasn’t come yet. Keep on praying until God hears your prayer and speaks to you.

We treat God like we’re going thru the drive-thru at Burger King. They say, “Have it your way” and that’s how we seem to want it with God. But God says to us, “Have it my way.”

I don’t want to meddle in people’s lives, but how can folks be renewed on a daily basis without picking up God’s Word and reading it on a daily basis, and praying on a daily basis?

What I am going to say next is to you, to YOU not the church down the street or the one across town.

I send these sermons out each week in an effort to get you excited about hearing the word of God. Is it that we only need an hour a week of God? Are our lives in such good shape that we don’t need a daily dose of God?

I know for me this is not enough. We all need to her the word of God not just on Sunday when we read these sermons. We need to hear the word of God each and everyday.

I ask that we all examine our own hearts and lives. It’s time to get serious about God. It’s time to pray for the fires of revival in our lives and for a spiritual awakening in our country.

At the end of each sermon I call any and all who have not been saved to pray with me for their salvation. This week I want to ask each and every one of you to pray your own prayer for not only your salvation, your families salvation, the wellbeing for your family and friends, but pray for the all those people I just mentioned and add to your prayer the salvation of our country.

Remember to tell God not to bless our nation but we as a nation bless God.

June 26, 2022 - Looking For A Place to Find Peace in a Crazy World

Sermon Summary

How do we get people who are unbelievers or are on the fence about confessing their sins and asking for forgiveness from God? A couple of weeks age the sermon was about Faith and Works. I think that sermon was more about setting the example for others to see and follow. Todays sermon expands further on this subject of how do we be a Kingdom Builder for God. How do I get people to listen and follow God.

The only way I know is To Set the Example by our Faith and Good Works and the hard part, Share With Others how God has effected you, how God has helped you.

Let Us Pray

Dear Lord, in Heaven, The creator of all

We look forward to the joys of heaven.

Where there is no more pain, No suffering, No Sickness

God remind us that our actions matter here in this world.

Our actions here on this earth will pave our way to live in your house

Here on earth Each and every day is a struggle against sin and temptation. Give us the strength to overcome cruelty with grace

and hatred with love. Remind us Lord We do not fight a physical battle,

but a spiritual one and with each act of compassion here on earth

We build your kingdom.

Help to guide us to be kingdom builders today and everyday.

As a Kingdom builder we will try to plant your seed Lord in the hearts of any and all that will listen

Then we will help nourish that seed so it can grow and they too can receive your greatest gift of Love Everlasting Life

Soon We will be done with the troubles of the world

and will be walking down the path we paved with our actions

As Kingdom Builders To live in the house of the Lord forever

Thru Jesus Christ we pray

AMEN

Now for todays Sermon, Now is the Time To Share

Do you know how to scare a Christians? Tell them one of their purposes in life is to become evangelists!!

Todays sermon will be based on Acts 1:1-9

1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, ²until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, ³to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many ^[^b^]infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.⁴And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; ⁵for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” ⁶Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.⁸But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be ^[^c^]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ⁹Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

When you were a child, your mother or father probably told you more than once to SHARE!

You may remember playing in the park with your favorite toys – your best friend would come up and want to play with your toys, but you wanted to keep those toys to yourself. After all, those were your favorite toys.

And more than likely your mother or father would intervene with the very clear instruction – “Share your toys!”

Hopefully, you grew up with a sharing attitude.

You share your income with the church and with charities.

You share books with friends who enjoy the same sort of literature as you enjoy.

You share your home with family and friends who come to visit.

You share your political opinions.

Big things – small things – you share with others.

Today we are going to talk about our purpose in life, today we will discover that sharing is one of our purposes.

Our purpose is to Worship – or to give pleasure to God.

Our purpose is to Fellowship – we were formed for God’s family.

Our purpose is Discipleship – we were created to be like Christ.

Our purpose is Ministry – we were shaped to serve God.

As Christians sharing mean Evangelism!

Evangelism is our mission!!

If you want to scare a Christian you don’t have to say “boo.” Say “Evangelism”.

I don’t know why, but the word “evangelism” is a scary word to many.

But the word “sharing” is a good word – a comforting word. We like to share with others and we love it when people share with us!

Evangelism is nothing more than sharing!

Specifically, we need to share the love and salvation of Jesus Christ!

Now, where am I supposed to share it? Well, let’s look at Acts 1:8:

⁸But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be ^[^c^]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Now, when Jesus told this to his followers, do you know where they were? They were in Jerusalem. So here’s the point. He is saying, first, I want you to start at home. I want you to start with the people closest to you, right there in your own city, your own community, your own neighbor and with any and all you meet.

Then he says I want you to go to Judea and Samaria, that’s like the county next door, and Samaritans happen to be different culturally and different racially. So He said, “I want you to go to people nearby, but they are different from you.”

Then He says, “I want you to go to the ends of the earth. I want you to go reach everybody.”

Imagine this verse saying, “You will be my witnesses in Ingleside on the Bay, and in all of Texas with all of the Hispanics, Immigrants, and people of other races, and even to the ends of the earth.”

Also notice not only where you are to do this mission, but notice specifically what Jesus calls you to be in this mission.

He does not say, “You will be my defense attorney.”

He doesn’t say, “You will be my prosecutor.”

He didn’t say, “You will be my salesman.”

You don’t have to defend God. You don’t have to be a salesman for God. All God wants you to do is to be a witness for God.

What is a witness?

Have you ever seen an episode of Law and Order?

In a courtroom, a witness is called to take the stand. Then they put their hand on a Bible and they have to take an oath to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

And then they say what they saw.

If they say something like, “Fred told me he saw an accident and Fred said, ‘the blue car hit the red car,” then the defense attorney will stand up and say, “Objection – your honor, that’s heresay,”

The judge and jury don’t want to hear gossip, they want the witness to give first hand testimony.

A good witness will say, “I was at the corner. I saw the blue car. I saw the red car. I saw the blue car hit the red car.”

A witness is somebody who just tells what they have seen.

I saw this, and then I saw this; and this is what happened.

And a witness tells what happened to them.

You see, you are the expert on your life. Nobody can be a better witness on your life than you. Nobody can be a better witness of what God has done in your life than you, because you are the expert on your life, not some pastor, not some priest, not anybody else.

So God says, “I just want you to tell other people what’s happened to you, what’s happened in your life.” And He says, “I want you to go all over; the people close to you, the people who are near, but also go to those who are different, and then to everybody else.

Why does He say this?

Because God is building a family. God is building a family of people who love and trust Him, that are going to spend eternity with Him. So how does God build this family? God builds this family by using us to share with others how God has helped us in our daily lives. How God has helped to prosper and also helped us in our times of need. The whole point of God having us share our experiences of God is help build a family that’s going to live with Him forever and love Him just as much as we do.

God says I want family members from every nation, of every race, of every color. I want them from all over. And one day all believers are going to be gathered together in heaven. This is not Mission Impossible. This is Mission Inevitable. It is going to happen. And it has been God’s plan all along.

Here’s the amazing part: God has chosen you, us to complete the mission. The mission that Jesus Christ started when He came to earth, He says, “I want you guys to finish it.” God puts the future of his Kingdom in our hands.

So how do you become a history maker? How do you get on God’s agenda and how do you let God use you and bless you so that you can be completing your mission? Well, you do three things.

One: Share with those in your own world.

That’s the starting point. I must share with those in my world.

In Luke Chapter 8, Jesus healed A Demon-Possessed Man , and after Jesus healed him, the man wanted to travel with Jesus and Jesus said In Luke 8:39 “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Jesus says the same thing to you.

You know where your mission starts?

Right at home, starts in your own neighborhood, in your own community. With your family, your friends, your coworkers, your neighbors, anybody who crosses your path, the person who delivers the paper, helps you at the grocery store. God says, "I want you to share the Good News with the people first in your Jerusalem, with the people in your home.”

Are we doing this?

Probably not.

Why not? Why don’t we do this?

Well, a couple reasons.

One reason is because we believe the myth that people aren’t interested in spiritual issues. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every single poll and every single survey says Americans are more interested in spiritual things now than they were ten years ago. Not less, but more interested in spiritual issues.

I read that George Gallup did a survey and discovered that 65 million Americans have no church home, but 34 million of them said they would attend if somebody would just invite them. 34 million just waiting for an invitation!

You see, opportunities to share the Good News really are all around you.

They are staring us in the face every single day. You just have to be ready for them.

Here in Texas, we strike up conversations with strangers we meet in the check out line of Wal Mart. We have never met these people before, and we will never meet them again. But there we are. Life has thrown us together and for 10 minutes we find ourselves telling one another about what a horrible job we have – or what a wonderful one we have. We tell that person about our child’s report card. We tell that person about who we are voting for in the next election.

We are witnesses about what is happening to us and God wants us to also be a witness about our relationship with him!

Whenever I tell people that we need to share the news of Jesus Christ, many times people will say to me, “You know preacher, I’m no evangelist. I just don’t like talking about God to strangers.”

But we will talk to friends about our job. We talk to our family about our feelings. We talk to people we just naturally strike up conversations with in the check out line of the grocery stores about our political leaning.

And those are the same people, the same strangers we need to be telling, “I want to tell you about what a the great God I serve!”

And there are so many ways you can share this news.

Invite people to come to church. Invite a someone to join you in your small group bible study. Have you all seen the original TV show Mission Impossible? Each show opened with Mr Phelps listening to a tape recording in a secret place. The message would begin with Your mission if you accept it is, I am hear today telling you need to accept this mission, your mission is to share the Good News of God with the people in your corner of the world.

But that’s not enough.

It is not enough to just care about the people who are around you.

Step Two! Reach just beyond your corner of the world.

Love demands I move beyond my comfort zone to people with different background, different education, different language, different economics and different colors.

You see, our mission has such eternal consequences, eternal life in heaven or eternal suffering in hell, that we must be willing to risk anything to get the message out. If I had the cure for COVID, believe me, I’d be shouting it on the streets. It would be criminal to keep it a secret. But I have something even more important than that to share, and that is the way to eternal life. It has been given. Somebody cared enough to tell me, I’ve got to be caring enough to tell others.

Time and again we are told in the Bible to reach out to others.

Galatians 6:2 tells us, ^“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Another version of this verse says "Stoop down and reach out to those who were oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s commandment."

What is Christ’s commandment? Love your neighbor as yourself. He says, “Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed.”

You know, when you read the Bible and you read about Jesus, you read that Jesus always rooted for the underdog that people in that society wanted to ignore; the powerless, the poor, the left behind, the imprisoned, the orphaned, the widowed, the aged, the mentally ill, the social outcasts, the sick, the lepers. If Jesus were alive today, do you know who He would be hanging out with -- AIDS patients, Drug addicts, Prostitutes, The Mentally Challenged, the Covid victums. He’d probably be walking down the streets of our cities talking to the drug addicts, the homeless, the very poor and the disenfranchised people of our socity. You know the people we all seem to turn our backs on.

You always have the opportunity to be witnesses for the Lord, and to share the Good News with those who are in your corner of the world, and with those who are just beyond your world.

The Bible says in Matthew 25:32-36

³²All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

God loves us and we are to share that news with others.

Here in your neighborhood, and on to the people who are just beyond your little corner of the world – and even to the entire world.

So how can we share with others?

Step one – share with our neighbors

Step two – share with those just beyond your neighborhood, Strangers

Step three – share with the entire world!!!! Any and all that will listen

We don’t ever say, “Well, I’m not going to share the news of God’s love with others because they are a different race, or they are from a different country, or they dress differently.” Nor can you ever say, “I’m not going to share the news of God’s love with people who live too far away.”

And I know that sometimes we wonder if we are doing any good

But the work of God is never done in vain.

God’s Word tells us in I Corinthians 15:58

⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

A lady name Marge Carpenter used to work in the Christian Church’s office for World Wide Ministries. She recalls that she often runs into people who talk about how much money has been wasted on missions.

China is a prefect example.

For years they were sending missionaries to China.

They poured thousands of dollars into the work in China.

They built homes for children, hospitals, churches.

And one day China threw out all of the missionaries. The hospitals were taken over by the Communist government. The homes for children were closed. The churches were bulldozed.

And people in America grieved – all that money wasted. All that effort for nothing.

Years later China began to relax its stand against the Christian Churches and Marge Carpenter said she and several other Christians went to China. During their visit, they were able to worship with Chinese Christians. They had been there all along. They had been meeting in homes. Marge picked up one of the ragged old hymnals the Chinese were using. She said she couldn’t make out anything in the hymnal. It was all in Chinese. But she could make out one little line of English on the front page. It read, “Printed by the Church Mission Board, 1928.”

Our work is never in vain.

If I am going to be like Jesus Christ, I must care about the whole world. I share with my world. I dare to reach beyond my world. And then I care about the whole world. And we have to care because God cares about the whole world. This is going to take you to a new level of spiritual maturity.

Jesus said in Mark 16:15, “¹⁵And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Now, I want you to notice a couple things about that verse. Look at the verse. Was Jesus talking to pastors there? No.

Was he talking to missionaries there? No.

He’s talking to just normal followers.

If you’re a Christian, Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I’ll make you a fisher of men.” If you’re not fishing, you’re not following. He says to His followers, go everywhere, because everybody deserves to hear the Good News of God.

Is anybody going to be in heaven because of you? When you get to heaven, is anybody going to say thank you, thank you for telling me the Good News of God? You knew it and you didn’t keep it a secret. You made the effort to passed it on to me.

In the next 365 days, 2.4 million Americans will die, and most of them will go into eternity without knowing Jesus Christ. In the next 365 days, 54 million people in the world will die; most of them will go into eternity without knowing Jesus Christ. Those numbers are staggering, almost too difficult for me to comprehend, for me to bare.

If we care, we must share.

God calls us to a mission – a mission of sharing his love and forgiveness with others. A mission of being his witnesses in the courtroom of life.

How do you respond to that call to a mission?

I think there are only four choices you have.

You can be like Moses.

When God called him, Moses didn’t say, “Yes, send me!” He looked at the burning bush and said, “Who, me?” Then he pointed to his brother and suggested that God should send him.

Or you can say like Jonah.

When God called Jonah to go to the Ninevites and share the Gospel, Jonah didn’t jump up and say, “Yes, Lord I’m on my way !” No. Instead he said, "Not me." Then he got in a boat and headed in the opposite direction that God wanted Jonah to go to.

Or you can say it like Habakkuk.

When God called the Old Testament prophet, his response was “Lord, why me?"

And the only other response is to be like Isaiah.

Isiah 6:8 "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then I said, here am I, send me."

Are you going to be like Moses, like Jonah or like Isaiah?

If you have not yet repented, confessed your sins, and trusted in Christ to save you from God’s wrath, then you don’t know the full extent of Gods’ love yet. John 3:36 says that “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” because “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). I pray that is not you.