Over the past 6 weeks, it has
been my joy to research, compose and proclaim God’s Word on “The Incomparable
Jesus.” During these sermons we have
heard
· How Jesus has reached out to us with His compassion,
His calls for mercy & justice, His sacrifice, and through the New Covenant.
We now conclude this sermon series
by reflecting upon the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, who is the King of all the
saints.
· All Saints Day celebrates the big “S” saints,
including Jesus’ parents, John the Baptist, & Matthew, Mark & Luke
& John, and the like.
· But even more importantly, we also commemorate the
little “s” saints, of whom I have a picture to show you. Little “s” saints look like-----
· Little “s” saints, according to the Bible, are believers
just like you and me, who have chosen to make a life transforming commitment to
Jesus Christ, accepting him as our Leader & Savior.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus
discusses the need for a spiritual rebirth, or a spiritual change or
transformation, which is necessary to enter God’s kingdom. Christianity is all about commitment, change,
and transformation. We make the commitment. God changes and transforms us.
Today, I want to show you how
this works by reviewing a booklet called, “The Big Story”. This booklet is a
brand - new fresh, presentation of the Good News of Jesus. For some of us, we
will read this and it will be eye opening, if we take it to heart. Others of
you may initially look down your nose at this, because you feel like you know
this already. But actually you have not mastered this material until you can
share it with others. People in your
world need to hear this; and maybe this morning, God is calling you to share
this with someone who is clueless? God’s
Word says, ”Always be prepared to give an account for the hope that is within
you.”
Before we open the booklet, let
us begin by reflecting the real world in which we live... When you turn on the news, or read it, most
of the time you rarely hear good news. It is mostly bad.
· Open warfare and genocide in the Middle East.
· The # of homicides surging in urban areas.
· Hit & run drivers
· Sexual abuse by pubic officials, including teachers
& clergy.
· Political corruption at all levels of government.
· Nuclear threats from terrorists & rogue nations
And our reaction? I believe
that most of us ACHE FOR A BETTER WORLD.
Pls open your booklet to the
page where it reads # 1 Designed for Good.
I am not going to read this booklet word for word; rather, I am just
going to take you quickly through it; and you can read more of it on your own.
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To read this part of the sermon, pls go to http://evangelism.intervarsity.org/how/gospel-outline/big-story-gospel-presentation
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A.
Would you
like to become a saint, a follower of Jesus, and to engage in His mission of
help heal our world with the support of His community, the church, and with the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit? You can
do that. Pls turn to the prayer on the
back cover.
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B.
This a one
prayer response that Jesus invites us to pray, which if taken seriously, it
will change our lives forever…but it will change it for the good!!!
· We know that, because there are many in this room who
have been changed by praying a prayer similar to this.
· There are other people who prayed this prayer, but
never thought about it again; and for them, this prayer means virtually nothing
now.
· And then there are those of us who are interested in
this. You folks may join us, right now
as we pray this prayer; or take this home
· So if you would like to join me as I pray this prayer,
please feel free to do so.
· _______________________________________________________________
C.
Now, what happens? Well, you need to this life change within you. Open you bulletins to page 10, you will see
some steps you can take to nurture your personal faith in Christ. Then as you continue your spiritual growth,
God will reveal to you your exciting role in helping to heal the world! Amen. Alleluia!
Now that we have affirmed our
faith in Christ, let us turn to the Prayers of the People, found on page 389 of
your Red prayer Book.
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