Sharing The Hope Of Jesus
I have a friend I’ve known for over 20 years who asked me why I was always in a good mood. He said I always come to work with a smile. No matter what life threw at me, I always seemed to take it in stride. I responded with, “I don’t know. I guess I’m just getting older and discovering things aren’t always as bad as they appear. No matter how upset I get, the problem is still there to deal with, so what’s the point in getting all worked up?” Now that wasn’t a terrible response, but I failed to see the sharing opportunity that God presented. I didn’t take time to explain that the change in me is the work of Jesus. I didn’t explain that despite my best efforts at a young age to screw my life up, God had forgiven me of all my shortcomings and helped put my life back together. Simply put, I wasn’t prepared to answer the question. Prepare How do you respond when someone asks you about the hope you have? What do you tell someone when they are picking up the pieces to their broken marriage? How do you encourage that friend that just lost a loved one? Sharing the hope of Jesus starts with being prepared. Our key text today is found in 1 Peter 3:15, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” The first question to ask yourself is, do I have hope? This is important because it determines your next step. The Next Step If you don’t know what it is to have hope in Jesus, then your next step is to start by building your life on a solid foundation by placing your faith and trust in Jesus. If you do have hope in Jesus, then your next step is to share that hope. The final commandment that Jesus gave before He ascended into Heaven is found in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” What Holds You Back From Sharing Fear… of what will others think? Rejection…What if others don’t like me? What if I’m laughed at or called a Jesus freak? You’re afraid you will lose friends or business opportunities. I know that’s scary, but look at what Jesus had to say about this… “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven,” – Matthew 5:11-12 Lack of Knowledge…None of us feel like we are equipped to answer the tough questions. But, if you’re a Christian, you’ve probably heard the gospel many times. Yet, many of us still struggle to articulate it in a memorable and understandable way. Apathy…Some of us just don’t care much for lost people. We wouldn’t ever say it out loud, but our priorities and lives reveal it. Our schedules are too busy to interact and engage with those who don’t know Christ. We rarely pray for lost people in our neighborhoods and workplaces. Lost people are a low priority. We have been commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of God Almighty, to go and make disciples. So why would we allow these things to keep us from doing what Jesus has commissioned, empowered, and commanded us to do? How Do I Share? The best way to share the gospel is to ensure you are living a Godly life. Non-Christians often view Christians as hypocritical because we say one thing and do another. It’s important that we live a life above reproach and one that is honoring and pleasing to God. At the same time, we must do more than live Godly lives. People need to hear about a God that loves them, they need to know that Christ died for them. Oftentimes, when I ask someone about sharing the gospel, they immediately want to charge in with, “Christ died for your sins. You need to accept Him as your Lord and Savior,” and you wouldn’t be wrong if this is your approach. People certainly need to place their faith and trust in the Lord. But if they don’t understand the need for it or the value of it, they may tend to procrastinate or not do it at all. If I came up to you and said, “Hi, I’m Charlie and I want to tell you about this awesome doctor I know. He has one degree from the University of Washington and another from Harvard Medical School and you should go see him right away.” You’d probably look at me like I have two heads and think, that’s great, but why do I need a doctor? My point here is that when sharing the hope of Jesus, we should start at the beginning, so people will see the full picture. This will help them to better understand their need for a Savior. Four Simple Steps To Sharing The first step is to start with the story of creation found in Genesis… Perfect Creation – God created a perfect paradise and at the center of this perfect creation, He made humans. God’s plan from the beginning was for us to live in perfect harmony with Him, with each other, and with the Earth. So what happened?! Terrible Fall – Instead of living happily ever after, in the perfect garden God created, Adam and Eve decided to break the one boundary God had given them. He told them they could eat from any tree but one. He wanted them to have a choice in their obedience so they could freely choose to follow. But instead, they chose to rebel against God’s commands. The real rebellion was not that they ate a
Judgments Based on Appearances
Have you ever looked at someone or something and made judgments based on appearance? It’s easy to do based on what we think something or someone should look like. Society, our friends, and our experiences may shape those judgments. You know, when I was a kid, I made judgments about bikers. I thought bikers were rough people; maybe even bad people. Most of society probably had an opinion that bikers weren’t the best people to hang out with. I mean, think about it. They usually had long hair, long beards, tattoos, wore leather jackets, and often smelled like smoke. And they all rode loud motorcycles that typically sounded pretty scary. Later in life, after I graduated from high school and went into the service, I purchased my first motorcycle overseas. I had the opportunity to hang out with some bikers and you know what I discovered? Surprisingly they were a lot like me in many ways. They had hopes and dreams, just like I had; they had families and bills and carried worries just like I did. I discovered my judgments based on appearances were wrong. What The Bible Says About Judgments Based On Appearances This reminds me of a story in the Bible when the Lord sent Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be King. Samuel was instructed to sacrifice a heifer and invite Jesse and his sons. When they arrived, Samuel saw Jesse’s firstborn son, Eliab, and thought “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” Why did Samuel think this? Probably because Eliab looked very “kingly”. We know he was tall and had fair features according to the Bible. He probably looked like a leader, like he wouldn’t have any problem convincing people to follow him. But the Lord said to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Isn’t it wonderful that the Lord doesn’t judge us by our outward appearance, but by the condition of our heart? What Does The Condition Of Your Heart Look Like Today? I’m just a man myself and there is no way for me to know the condition of your heart. I can’t tell if you have a relationship with the Lord or you don’t. Only you and the Lord know that… But what I do know, is that God’s word tells us, no matter your appearance, no matter what baggage you carry from your past, no matter how much wrong you’ve done in your past, you can be saved and have the assurance of knowing that when you die, you will live for eternity with God. His word says it like this… “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9 Take some time to assess the condition of your own heart today and if you know you need Jesus, don’t delay!