SHOWING PEOPLE JESUS

Click here to listen to this sermon read by Greg McAbee.

Occasionally we sing a beautiful song entitled, "Have You Seen Jesus, My Lord?" It begins by asking a question and making a statement. "Have you seen Jesus, my Lord? He's standing here in full view." The song asks if you have seen a beautiful display in nature, or a family who loves each other, or Jesus' cross? It responds by saying if you have seen those things, you have seen Jesus my Lord.

The song says Jesus is the power behind creation, the force that makes loving relationships possible, and the one who in total self-surrender and complete love gave his life for us.

That thought is quite Biblical. When Paul expanded the awareness of Jesus among Colossian Christians, he said, (Colossians 1:16,17) "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

When Paul taught the Ephesian Christians about the kind of love and respect that should exist between Christians, he said, (Ephesians 4:24,25) "...put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another."

My point is not the suggestion that the only way one sees Jesus is through such evidences.  My point: one perceives the reality of Jesus' existence in daily terms by considering such evidences.

At this moment, people need to be shown Jesus. If you are a Christian, one of the greatest gifts you can give your community and nation is helping people see Jesus.

1. A basic understanding stressed to first century Christians: if an idolatrous world is to see Jesus, the individual Christian must show the world Jesus.
   1. Jesus must be obvious in the lives of the earliest Christians.
      
      1. When Peter and John stood on trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin, they "took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13).
         
      2. Paul, who discussed the fact that the priceless gospel was communicated through frail human beings, said in 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
         
         1. God used weak humans to declare the power was not in a person's unique ability, but in God.
         2. For that reason, they endured hardships without those hardships destroying their faith or Christian lifestyle.
            
         3. They were not ashamed to find their strength in the body of one killed in a disgraceful manner, a manner reserved for the worst criminals.
            
         4. It was their lack of shame regarding Jesus' death that showed the power of Jesus' resurrection.
            
         5. They were consciously using their lives to reveal Jesus was the Christ.
            
      3. That insight adds depth of meaning to two other statements:
         
         1. Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
            
         2. Galatians 6:17 From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.
            
   2. The Christian was to understand that being in Christ also meant Christ was in him/her.
      
      1. Galatians 3:27, For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
         
      2. Romans 8:10, If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
         
      3. Colossians 1:27, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
         
      4. 2 Corinthians 13:5, Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?
         
   3. If Christ's influence in the Christian's life is obvious, then the Christian's life should be a powerful way to teach people about Christ.
      
      1. If Christ lives in me, you should be able to know something about Christ by knowing me.
         
      2. My life should make Jesus' nature evident.
         
      3. You should see Christ in me in the way I respond to success and failure.
         
         
2. I say without hesitation that the greatest misconception in today's America is misconception about Jesus.
   
   1. Surely there are enormous misconceptions regarding Jesus' church.
      
   2. However, one of the significant misconceptions we have about people is this: "We do not need to teach about Jesus because everyone knows about Jesus."
      
      1. "We need to teach about things people do not understand."
         
      2. "People know about Jesus."
         
   3. When we are convinced that everyone knows about Jesus, one of two things is true of us.
      1. Either we misunderstand what the Bible means by 'the knowledge of Jesus.'
         
      2. Or we have such limited contact with people we do not know how extensive ignorance about Jesus is.
         
   4. Believing in a historical fact and knowing Jesus are entirely different things.
      
      1. I can know that Jesus lived, died, was resurrected, and taught some important lessons, and still know nothing about Jesus.
         
      2. For example, ask, "Do you know David Chadwell?"
         
         1. A person can say, "Yes. He lives here. He is a preacher in town." Yet, he does not know me--he just knows I live here.
            
         2. Or he can answer, "Yes. We are friends who do many things together." He knows me as a person.
            
         3. Scripture does not want us to know Jesus as a fact but as a person.
            
            
3. The greatest article of faith in Christianity is the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
   1. The greatest issue in Jesus' Lordship is his Lordship over our lives.
      
      1. If you do not know Jesus, you will not let him rule your life.
         
      2. You cannot let him be Lord of your life if you do not know him.
         
   2. A fundamental commitment to spiritual existence is showing people Jesus.
      
      1. That is one of our basic Christian purposes.
         
      2. We show people Jesus in two basic ways.
         
         1. We let them see him in our lives.
            
         2. We share him with others.
            
      3. Those two ways cannot be separated--people who do not see him in us do not want us to tell them about him.
         
   3. Your greatest task as a Christian is to show people Jesus.
      
      1. "Where?"
         
         1. In the classroom and on the job.
            
         2. In your joy, your pleasure, and your triumph.
            
         3. In your pain, grief, distress, and hardship.
            
         4. In your confidence and doubt, your good days and bad days.
            
         5. When you fail, make mistakes, sin.
            
      2. "How do I do that?"
         
         1. By making it evident the Jesus is part of all that occurs in your life.
            
         2. By demonstrating that the way you act everyday is determined by Jesus.
            
         3. By showing the way you work is determined by Jesus.
            
         4. By making it obvious that the way you find pleasure is determined by Jesus.
            
         5. By letting Jesus' values determine the way you treat all people including family, friends, boss, and enemies.
            
         6. By showing that the way you deal with personal mistakes, failures, and sins is determined by Jesus.
            
         7. Whatever happens in your life is determined by Jesus.
            
      3. There are many poor motives for doing right things.
         
         1. The basic motive of "being a member of the Church of Christ" is a poor motive.
            
         2. To say without insight, "Right is right, and wrong is wrong," is a poor motive.
            
         3. Doing something "because I do not want to go to hell" is an immature motive.
            
         4. To do something "because that is what my preacher/teacher taught me" is an inferior reason.
            
         5. To do something because "that is where my parents stood" is an immature motive.
            
   4. The ultimate, mature reason for doing anything is this: "Jesus is Lord of my life."
      
      1. Loving Jesus,
         
      2. Being committed to Jesus,
         
      3. Living in the spirit of Jesus,
         
      4. Seeing God and life through Jesus' eyes,
         
      5. Desiring to have Jesus' mind and heart,
         
      6. That is the greatest reason for doing anything we do as Christians.
         
   5. When Jesus is our reason for living, for being, for deciding, and for serving, we show people Jesus in our lives.
      
      1. I do not want anyone to think I do something because I am a preacher, or "that is my job," or I am a member of the Church of Christ.
         
      2. I want people to understand I do what I do because Jesus is my Lord.
         
      3. I want people to know that they cannot understand me without understanding that Jesus is my Lord.
         
      4. That is what I want for you in your life.

People often dismiss our words. They often dismiss our religious concerns. But they cannot dismiss a genuine, sincere life. It is in our lives they see the power of Jesus.

Will you use your life to show your community Jesus?