Sermons
We the Bridge
Well, it’s great to be back here in Miami. Tallahassee is a fun and exciting place to be, but there’s nothing like being home with family and friends. I missed sharing Easter with you, but I heard you all had a wonderful Easter service, ushering in God’s presence and sharing a meal in fellowship. You sure don’t want to pass that up…
But, you know, this year, I spent my Holy week really studying the procedure that Jesus went through –from the time He was betrayed by Judas all the way up to the cross. Understand that Jesus went through the most inhumane method of torture during the last 24 hours of His life…
Just a little history lesson: Crucifixion was started by the Persians and literally perfected by the Romans. The word excruciation, its original definition means pain on the cross. Crucifixion was so violent and bloody and gory, they had to invent a word to describe it. How many of us have seen the Passion of the Christ? If you’ve seen the Passion of the Christ, you can testify… you can’t walk away from that movie without saying “Thank you, Jesus. Hallelujah.” I mean, it was a powerful illustration of what Jesus did –all of mankind’s deserved punishment and discipline from God rested on this one Man, and Christ took it! He took the sins that you and I would ever commit and placed it on Himself at that moment.
You know, many people died on a cross, but we only celebrate one. Many people rose from the dead, but there’s only one resurrection that we commemorate, and that’s Jesus Christ, because He was God’s perfect sacrifice. Often times people ask me, “If you could sum up the Gospel in just a few words, what would it be?” and I’d answer: became and become. Jesus became, so we can become. I love the scripture, 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For God made Him who was without sin become sin for us, so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God.” Galatians 3:13 tells us: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree”. And, because Christ was temporarily separated from God on that cross to experience God’s wrath for us, and to became a curse for us –you, me and everyone thereafter were granted FULL access to the Father through Him… if we just trust and believe in Him.
You see, I’m an elitist when it comes to Jesus. He is the ONLY way to Heaven. The ONLY way… In John 14:6, Jesus says “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by Me.” Jesus was an elitist in that sense. And, unfortunately, anyone who falls short of that statement will spend the rest of eternity separate from God, which is a tough reality for many of us to grip sometimes. Often times we wonder, “Will my best friend ever accept Christ for what He did for him/her?” For some people, we just don’t know… but, what we do know is: tomorrow’s not promised, and eternity is an awfully long time to be wrong…
But, you know, the most incredible part about it is: this Savior rose from the dead on the third day! No other leader of religion can make that claim! Jesus is unique in that position! Literally, this Kat went and borrowed a tomb… we don’t borrow tombs here. We buy them because we expect to use them, one day…. but, He knew that He would only need one for just a few days. I tell you what: You go to Muhammad’s, Buddha’s… whoever, you got a name: If you go to their tombs, you’ll find bones in there… Jesus, “uhp, sorry, bye, see you later, I’ll be back…” I mean, if there was text message back in the day, Jesus would’ve hit them with the “brb” Be Right Back… That’s a big deal! That’s incredible! And it should just stir up passion in you!
—-Anyway, everything else pales in comparison to this Savior… ummm…
So, the title of my message today… I tried to come up with the best scholarly title I could… so get your note pad out… Statistics show that people who take notes in church have a less chance of going to hell. Soo, I recommend it… haha, kidding.
The title of my message today is called “We the Bridge”. A bridge –as I’m sure you know– is a structure spanning and providing passage over a gap or barrier. It helps us get from point A to point B. Pretty simple, right? Well, I want to talk about what Christ has called us to do/be after we accept Him into our lives… But let’s pray to kick this thing off, and we’ll start with some scripture: PRAY
Just a little application here: When we’re hired into a new job, naturally, we understand that we have certain responsibilities that we have to carry out. When you get a job, you’re not just going to sit around and say “Well, the time is young…” No! You’re hired to perform specific tasks. That’s common sense. For example, I worked at the Florida Capital Building in Tallahassee and I went in with the expectation that I HAD WORK TO DO. I had to answer phones, run arrons for Senators, make copies of important documents, sit in committee meetings for 7 stinkin’ hours a day… I mean, I committed myself to this joint, right? And so, naturally, I wanted to do my job with EXCELLENCE.
Now, in the context of Christianity: How many of you know that following Jesus comes with a responsibility, too? Yeah, yeah, yeah… But let’s look at it… Turn with me to Matthew Chapter 28, starting at verse 16. Here, we’re going to look at The Great commission, which, nowadays, is sort of glossed over as “The Great Suggestion”. A commission is a command, a mandate, a charge, an authorization given by our Savior to His representatives (His followers). Many followers of Christ will say, “Oh, well, I’ve done my part by accepting Christ in my life, so what else is there to do?” or “God’s in it to win it, we’re in a fixed fight –on the wining team, so I’m just gonna sit back and watch the Big Man go!” Or, one of my favorites: “Well, you know, sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you, and sometimes you’re just what the bear leaves behind in the woods.” —–No, wrong attitude! Understand that God is on a mission. And so should you be. So should WE be.
Turn to your neighbor and say, “The tomb is empty, and there’s a story to tell.”
Matthew Chapter 28 verse 16 says this:
16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
If you want to sum up everything that Jesus just said here in one word, it’s DISCIPLESHIP. It’s discipleship. Discipleship is the intensely personal activity of two or more persons helping each other experience a growing relationship with God. Gotquestions.org writes about discipleship: A Christian disciple is a person who accepts and assists in the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ. Tell your neighbor “The tomb is empty, and there’s a story to tell.”
Rowland Croucher, Professor at Reformed Theological Seminary, says —“Every Christian, including you, is a disciple. You have the awesome privilege and responsibility to be a teacher of what it means to be in Christ, walk in the spirit and live by faith… You have the opportunity to help believers AND non-believers grow in Christ through your caring and committed relationship with them.”
Do we hear the responsibility we have been given, church? This is who we’re called to be as followers of Jesus. DISCIPLES! We have been placed on an assignment… appointed on behalf of the Almighty God to preach and teach His Gospel to the end of the age! With biblical truth. No interruption. No fear. No mixed-up, backwards Yoda speaking… 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” This should be our declaration! We’re the ambassadors of Jesus Christ! We don’t have to be designated by man to represent the glory of God! We’re representatives of Goodwill by faith, and that should fire us up this morning! How you doin’ this morning?!
You know, I find it interesting how the God of the universe… He who was not created but is the Creator, there’s never been a time when God has never existed. God is eternal, yet, He chose to use such imperfect, broken, sinful people like us to carry out His PERFECT will…
I tell you a secret: if I were God, I wouldn’t choose you… I mean, seriously. I’m just being honest and transparent… I wouldn’t! And, I’m pretty sure you would feel the same way, too! Come on, it took mankind 3 chapters to ruin everything…Why have someone do something for me when I know that I am SOOO perfect that I can do it myself and guarantee it will get done the way that I want it to get done? God has that miraculous ability to do so. But the fact that He chose us… You see, in short, God is bigger than you (me). And the world doesn’t spin on the decisions that you make whether or not to be involved… In fact, I often see the way that God allows us to be involved in His plan much like a parent letting a toddler help clean up. It really would be a lot easier for you to do it by yourself. I mean, don’t you think it would be easier for God if He didn’t have to bother with us…? Things get complicated when humans are involved…
But, in His love for us, and His compassion for us, and His desire to involve us, He allows us to be involved in His Kingdom work. The simple fact that He chose US to carry out the name of Jesus, to be a BRIDGE that this world needs… is absolutely amazing…
So, here we are! 2000 years later… with the message God wants to tell us today: Jesus is the bridge to God. But we are a bridge to Jesus. (repeat)
We know that NO man comes to the Father unless they’ve acknowledged Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior over their life –Jesus is the ONLY bridge to the other side. Not your works or certain practices you do alone. God even says in Isaiah 64:6: “your works are like filthy rags before Me.” You can’t earn Grace! You see, that’s why religions have it wrong. You can’t! I love how Elijah Smith put it: “Grace is not man coming to God; Grace is God coming to man.” Jesus is the ONLY Bridge to God!… But, do we must understand that WE—- are a bridge to Jesus? No one will know and see the freedom and beauty of having an intimate relationship with God if those who commit their life to following Jesus are being silent, and keeping to themselves.
Take a left-hand turn to Matthew 4:19. Here, Jesus calls His first Disciples: It says, “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” There’s that responsibility again, discipleship, even before His crucifixion. But, you know what I’ve learned? So many Christians are spending so much time complaining, but not enough time fishing. So many Christians have gotten self-righteous that their quick to point out all of the faults in humanity, but slow to make any impact in the world for Christ Jesus. You see, that’s why I only like about 30% of Christians… really… and that’s a lot when you think about it, ok?
But, Discipleship is a call to fish! It’s a call to fish!
It reminds me of a movie I was watching on HBO a few weeks ago. A father took a day to bond with his son, and their favorite pastime was fishing! They loved fishing! So here the father is catching one big fish after another, while the son stands on the dock complaining because he wasn’t catching anything… giving all the reasons why the fish were working against him, plotting revenge, getting stronger… But, guess where his line was? Yeah, yeah, yeah… his line was reeled up to the tip of his fishing pole. I wanted to scream into the television: “Hey, little kid! Of course you’re not catching any fish! You’re not seeking out to get one! Slap a worm on that hook and put it in the water already!”
And so many of us (me included) are at a point in our lives where we recognize that someone’s looking for something new: their searching for answers, but can’t quite figure it out. Someone may be struggling financially or socially and they’ve given up on God as a result of their condition –so now, they’ve begun searching for answers in all the wrong places, calling out for someone to rescue them. But, they just don’t understand that their rescue is just one prayer and decision away. We have so many people in our lives like this. People who NEED to know Jesus, some even in a brand new way… You know, you want to make an impact in that person’s life… You want to lead this person to Jesus, but… you know what? It’s easy not to. Not that you’re not capable –come on, Discipleship’s suppose to be so easy even a caveman can do it. But life gets in the way sometimes, or you hold back because you’re not quite sure how this person will respond… or, you feel like the message is going to go in one ear and out the other… so what’s the point? What’s the point?
The point is this: Just when you don’t step in and trust that God will supply the proper words, the proper emotions, the necessary time… just when you don’t step in… you lose them. You lose them.
Turn with me to Matthew 18:12-14. I love this! Here, Jesus tells a parable to His disciples, and He illustrates the immediate response they should have with people who are lost. He says:
12“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”
The Sheppard in this parable possessed something valuable and did not want to lose it.
Let me ask you something: when you lose your wallet or purse, what do you do? What do you do? You get up and go look for it, right? You know you have money in there, your ID card, maybe even your insurance card, your license… all of that stuff. You’d be foolish to not be concerned and go look for it. I heard it explained best this way: “When something valuable is lost, finding it becomes a top priority. Same thing with God.” When His children are lost in sin, lost in the behaviors of the world, lost in finding a relationship with Him, His number one priority is them!
GOD VALUES HIS CHILDREN!!! He shows it each and every single day:
(1) God made us in his image and likeness
(2) He made us with great skills, and crafted us with loving care.
(3) He looks inside of us and sees our real value and potential.
(4) He allows our bodies to become temples in which He lives.
(5) And, He loved us so much that He thought we were to die for.
God values His children. And we don’t want to lose people in the gap, because we’re not being the bridge we’re called to be.
Every step someone takes away from God, they’ll find someone there waiting to tell them they’re doing the right thing… (repeat). Whether it’s an act/lifestyle of sin or a form of religion… you name it.
Discipleship is a call to fish… to be a bridge…
You know, for the last couple of months, God has given me the opportunity to disciple my best friend… to show him something new, which is why I’m speaking on this subject today. In fact, my original sermon wasn’t even on discipleship. But, it’s weird how discipling Roger came about. In middle and high school, he would literally refuse to listen to anything I had to say that involved Jesus. He just didn’t want to hear it! Yet, one Saturday, three months ago, I wrote a facebook status about Jesus and strangely enough, Roger “liked” it and wrote “we need to talk”. So, he called me and explained “Marc, I’m ready to listen. Tell me about Jesus.”, and from then on, every Saturday he calls and asks me questions. And, throughout the week, I prepare/educate myself and ask God for guidance and knowledge and wisdom to best articulate His heart, not my opinions.
So, I purchased him a student Bible and discipleship application book. And… what I’ve learned over this experience: in regards to being a bridge for someone else, how to bridge the gap is:
1 – You have to trust your value
God has a zealous, relentless, scandalous, crazy love for you! Your value has already been declared. Jesus nailed it down on the cross 2000 years ago. The message that your neighbor, your co-worker, and all of humanity needs to read is written on your heart and outlined in this book (bible).
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that Christianity is just “your perspective.” We serve the living Creator of the universe… who meets with us in love and intimacy and speaks more clearly than any human voice ever has. And He is praised and glorified from before the beginning of TIME to long after this earth fades away. Nobody else has our message. Trust your value.
2 – Do life together
You know, if there’s one thing the enemy hates, it’s unity. So, his top priority will be what? To destroy that unity. The enemy is at work to destroy our every effort to be a bridge. So, as you can imagine, it’s important that we see conflict not as an inconvenience, but as an opportunity to glorify God. As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another…
You know what I’ve learned? You can run from one life group to another when times get difficult, conflict arises, and disagreements outweigh harmony… but, how many of you know that often times your problems travel and catch up with you? Because often times, you’re part of the problem. Working though our humanity—our imperfection—and dealing with our issues together in the Body of Christ is essential to being the bridge this world so desperately needs.
Lastly, you have to be willing to give yourself away, intentionally
Jason C Dukes writes in His book Live Sent, “Jesus gave Himself away.” You know, we know what love is in that Jesus gave up His life for us, and so we should give up our lives for others.” Maybe someone needs your time. Maybe someone needs your knowledge of scripture, or your wisdom to apply scripture to life, or even your talent of praying, or your talent to encourage… Maybe someone needs that. Give yourself away.
You are the salt of the earth O people…. And, I hope this message today has brought to reality that… in order to follow Jesus, you have to be available. James reminds us that true, genuine faith manifests itself through our actions.
Jesus is the bridge to God. But WE are a bridge to Jesus.
LET’S PRAY