Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Transcription

1 Follow the Yellow Brick Road Meadow View Church of Christ April 1, 2012 A.M. 1 John 5:12 (adapted from a sermon by Mark Nichols) Intro. Turn with me in your bibles to the book of 1 John (the one toward the end of the bible) as we take a look chapter 5, verse 12. Richard has read that one verse earlier and it will serve as a starting point to this morning s message. But first, I want to introduce the message in this way: ILL. How many of you have seen the 1939 movie favorite, The Wizard of Oz? This was one of the first movies I can remember watching as a young child. I remember falling in love with Judy Garland as she sang, Somewhere Over the Rainbow. The characters seemed so real, the Munchkins seemed so small, and the villains were scary! Raise your hand, and be honest now. How many of you were scared of the wicked witch of the west? When I would watch the movie as a youngster, I would lay on the floor with a blanket and whenever the wicked witch of the west would come on the screen, I would pull the blanket over my head! As I think about the characters and the plot of The Wizard of Oz, there are some parallels that compare to the Christian life. Though the road to heaven that we are traveling on may not be made up of yellow bricks, we are on a life-long journey to get home! And, like Dorothy in the movie, we have an enemy who wants to prevent us from making it home (Be on the lookout, maybe not for flying monkeys, but for a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour!). We also, like Dorothy, have companions with whom we will travel until our destination is reached. I ve entitled this morning s message: Follow the Yellow Brick Road! (Discuss why my first sermon at the Lutheran Church in Roseville I was 17 and it lasted about 10 minutes. It was not very good, at least as far as being in accordance with bible teachings). So I am doing a complete remake of that sermon and I want to focus in on one command that Jesus gave to ALL of His followers. You see, there is one command of Jesus that is the most necessary for us to obey if Christianity is to continue, but sometimes I believe it can be the most neglected among those of us who claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We usually summarize this commission that Christ has given us in one word: EVANGELISM! Even though we talk about evangelism and I try to focus on it in sermons from time to time, I wonder if we discuss it enough. We NEED to be reminded that Jesus said that He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). 1

2 And then He said in John 20:21, As the Father has sent Me, I also send you. Today, I want to use one of the most watched movies of all time, The Wizard of Oz, and more importantly, the characters IN the movie to teach us about this command of the Lord. Let s look at the excuses we often use for not reaching the lost. Then we will look at the example of Dorothy to see if there are some parallels as we make our journey home. Before we do that, let s PRAY. The first excuse we will look at is what I am going to call I. The Scarecrow syndrome If I only had a brain! If I only had a brain, THEN I could reach people for Christ! A. This is the excuse that says: I DON T KNOW ENOUGH! And it is an excuse that comes up often. Well, I just don t know the Bible well enough. When we think about the bible, we often think about how complex of a book it is. There are 66 different books with 1,189 different chapters. It is nearly 3500 years old, has about 40 authors, all inspired by God, with hundreds of prophecies and thousands of characters. It s true, the Bible is complex. There are things that we will never understand nor comprehend until eternity. I have heard people say and have said it myself in years gone by, But what if someone asks me a question that I can t answer? I want you to know that if I had a dollar for every question I have been asked that I did not know the answer to, I would be a very rich man! In fact, one of the ways that I know I am going to be humbled is when I watch the TV game show called, Jeopardy. That is where contestants are given the answer to a question in a certain category and they have to respond with the question. I have watched that entire half-hour show before and not been able to come up with one single question to the answers that are given! And yes, there have been many times that I have not been able to answer a question about the bible. ILL. I read of a preacher who once wrote that somebody asked him this question, Do you believe that we as a society are returning to the antediluvian civilization that occurred during the days of Noah? What?? Be honest. If you are asked a question and you don t know the answer, just tell them, Hmmm. That s a good question that I ll have to do some thinking on. But I ll get back to you! Do not allow the excuse of not knowing enough of the Bible keep you from sharing the good news of Jesus Christ! B. Here s the TRUTH: The Good news of Jesus Christ is a simple message! It is not complicated or difficult to understand. And that message, in its simplified form, can be found in this one verse: 1 John 5:12, which says, He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. And of course, the LIFE that John was writing about is eternal life in heaven. 2

3 Colossians 3:11 tells us that Jesus Christ is for everyone! there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. The message of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ is intended for EVERY person, regardless of race, culture, I.Q. or social skills! The message of Jesus Christ is simple! It is as simple as this: God hates sin. You are a sinner who deserves to die (be separated from God). But God loves you. He sent His Son Jesus, to die to pay the penalty for your sins. Those who respond by faith and accept the sacrifice of Jesus will go to heaven! Praise God! If you feel you don t know enough about the Bible, that s an easy fix STUDY THE BIBLE! There are so many tools that you have at your disposal! There are books, study guides, commentaries, the internet, other Christian friends and teachers, etc. not to mention the most important way to gain knowledge and that is to pray and ask for God s wisdom as you study. But in the mean time, as you are learning the Word, share YOUR story! Testify to what Jesus has done for YOU! The second excuse people use in regard to evangelism is what might be called II. The Tin Man syndrome If I only had a heart. A. This is the excuse that says, There are SOME people that deserve to be punished! Oh, now I know that most Christians wouldn t actually say that, but it is true. ILL. Jonah could relate to this excuse of not having a heart for people! Jonah had a large dislike for the people of Nineveh! He wanted God to punish them for their horrible sins. When God called Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh, he ran the other way! In the movie, Dorothy comes across this odd looking fellow made of tin. He has but one request: OIL CAN. Once Dorothy understands what he is saying, she grabs the oil can and begins using it on the rusty joints of the tin man. And it was his rust that prevented him from moving! Can you relate? Is your desire to tell others the life saving message of Christ rusted tight? What s your heart condition? What is your rust? What keeps us from moving to the ends of the earth with the message of Christ? Is it procrastination? I ll get to it eventually. Is it apathy? I just don t care. Or maybe it is busyness? The church has concerned herself with a lot of other things that are really not that important! We have become self-centered instead of soul centered! We care more about maintaining our programs and schedules and budgets than reaching the lost! B. But here s the TRUTH: Salvation is a limited time offer! Our heart s DESIRE should be for ALL to repent! And we ALL can be a part of doing that right here at Meadow View! ILL. I heard about a tourist going through NASA. As he came across different people, he would ask each one what their jobs were. Then he came across a janitor who was sweeping the floor and asked him what his job was. 3

4 The janitor said (and I LOVE his answer), I m helping to put a man in outer space. He understood that he was a part of a wonderful mission at NASA! Whether you hand out a bulletin, sit with a child in the nursery, help prepare communion, plant flowers, or do some of the cleaning (as many of you did yesterday), you are a part of saving lives here! And we must remember that there will come a day when the choice to accept Jesus will come to an end! 2 Peter 3:9 says, The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. There WILL come a day, when God has waited long enough. Only GOD knows the hour at which Jesus will come! What is the oil can that will re-lube the calloused heart? There may be many things, but I want to mention just one. It SHOULD the realization of hell! Hell is a real place that won t be a lot of fun! Hell is a place where many of my friends and some of my family will end up if I don t do something about it! We must understand that time is limited. We do not know when Jesus is going to return. ILL. Back in 1928, a man was walking on the boat dock and saw a school of fish below. He leaned over to get a closer look and fell in. He started screaming at the top of his lungs that he couldn t swim and less than 100 yards away sat a man in a lounge chair reading his morning newspaper. He heard the commotion, lowered his paper and saw what was happening, but just went back to reading his paper. By the time the man s family heard him from over the hill and got to him, he was already drowned. The family sued the man in the lawn chair for just sitting there and watching. A Massachusetts court ruled that the man didn t have to get involved if he didn t want to. Well, it may not be against man s laws, but you need to know, that kind of apathy is against God s laws! Ezekiel 33:7-9 says, Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. 8 When I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you will surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. 9 But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life. I don t know how anyone can hear that and NOT realize that God desires and demands that we GO and share God s truth with as many people as we can. The third excuse in regards to evangelism is what I am calling 4

5 III. The Lion Syndrome If I only had some courage! In the Wizard of Oz, the character that needs courage is the lion! How ironic. They are supposed to be the KING of the jungle, afraid of nothing; brave and courageous. Today, A. This is the excuse that says, I m afraid of what people might think if I share Jesus with them. What are you afraid will happen if you bring God up to your friends? Are you afraid they will be angry, afraid they will laugh, or afraid they will stop being your friend? I don t want to discourage you, but they just might become angry, laugh, or even stop being your friend. B. But here s the TRUTH: CHRISTIAN, you have the power of God in your life! 2 Tim. 1:7 says, For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. God will help us overcome our fears. We have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to provide the power we need to witness! Do you remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33? Therefore whoever confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven. Let me encourage you to do what s right. Do the right thing! The right thing includes telling your friends, family, neighbors about Jesus and the salvation that He alone offers! ILL. Play the Casting Crowns video, Here I go again! I want to end on the most important character in the Wizard of Oz and challenge you to... IV. Be like Dorothy: Go home and take as many with you as you can! Here s what I find amazing about Dorothy: A. She loved her friends in spite of their differences! She could have very easily been annoyed with the faults and deficiencies of her friends. Instead, she looked past their faults and accepted them for who they were. Prov. 17:17 says that A friend loves at all times and Dorothy was showing that she loved her newfound friends. She helped them where she could! Dorothy could have very easily been self centered enough to only care about getting herself back to Kansas! But she didn t. Why? Because she cared about them! Each one of her friends lacked something. They all had needs, just like Dorothy did. And B. she was committed to taking them to one who could give them what they needed! THIS is our mission! We have people that we know that are desperately lacking something in their lives and we know the One who can make them complete! Let s point them in the right direction! You could say that Dorothy was similar to the apostle Paul in that she became all things to all men! Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:20-22, To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; 5

6 21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. Paul is saying that we must be willing to make some sacrifices on behalf of others in order to have the opportunity to share Christ with them. Even though Dorothy s friends were missing such things as a brain, a heart, and some courage, she possessed all three. She obeyed the instructions she was given, to follow the yellow brick road. She had the heart, the desire to get to her destination; to that Land of Oz! And she had the courage, not only to go herself, but to take her friends with her. This is our goal; to take our friends and family where we are going to be! Conclusion: When you became a Christian, your focus was supposed to be changed from inward to outward. Jesus said, You are the light of the world You are the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13-14). He was telling you and me and every other disciple of His that we really are the only hope of the world because we are the ones who have the saving message that the world needs to hear! Sometimes we preachers tend to get caught up in numbers, whether it is how many are in attendance each week or what the offerings are, but more than anything else, we should just want to know how many people have made a decision to follow Jesus. We should want to take as many people as possible to heaven with us! ILL. A Gallop poll was taken recently that revealed 65 million Americans do NOT have a church home. But 34 million of them a ratio of better than half, said they are just waiting for someone to invite them. The lost are just waiting for us to get busy doing what we have been created to do, called to do, commissioned to do, and that it to evangelize to share the good news about Jesus with others! ILL. Bill Meaige told me a great story about something that happened a few years ago. A soldier by the name of David Kearns was serving his mission in the desert of Iraq when a fellow soldier took on a more important mission to tell him about the good news of Jesus Christ. David Kearns accepted the Lord and wanted to be baptized for the forgiveness of his sins, but there was a problem. There was no place to be baptized out in the middle of this barren desert. So David s battalion buddies decided to use some good old American ingenuity. They dug a pit in the sand and then lined it with some Vis-Queen plastic. Then the soldiers poured their precious drinking water in that pit, just to make a baptistery for David, who was then baptized by a lieutenant for the forgiveness of his sins. But that was not the end of the story. 6

7 The very next day, David Kearns was missing in action, and found dead in the sand. Someday, if you get to heaven before I do, you look up David Kearns and ask him how important it is no matter where we are or what we are doing to take our mission of evangelism seriously. Who do you know that may be here today and gone tomorrow? Did you know that 3 people die every 2 seconds? What excuses are keeping you from sharing the saving message of Jesus Christ? Are you without a brain? NO! Are you without a heart? NO! Are you without some courage? NO! God will provide what we are lacking so that we can do what He has commanded share the good news about Jesus with others! Let us set aside our sin and press on toward our goal of heaven! (Have the invitation) 7