Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Sit with me, the invitation





Illustrate here: Sit with me video Watch video here 

Learning and engaging our target goal this month: I am asking specific people to sit with me at church because God has positioned me to play a role in bringing them to Jesus.

Continually throughout scripture Jesus gives us three invitations.

1.      Jesus invites us, sit with Me and find rest.

Matthew 11:28 "Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

1.      Since the dawn of mankinds history, when our Eden of euphoria became a desert of dysfunction, we have been creatures of restlessness.
1.      When we are deeply deprived of the peace that comes from God through the saving grace of Christ, we become fish out of water.
1.      All sin is disobedience to the will, purpose and law of God.
2.      Disobedience, immorality and rebellion are direct results of the restlessness of sin.
2.      This diabolical unrest has permeated the globe like a contagious disease and has become the underlying cause of domestic, community and social problems.
1.      Psychologists, schooled in the intricate workings of the mind, are confessing that psychology is helpless to solve all of the mental and nervous disturbances of people today.
2.      Sociologists, admitting that sociology cannot cope with the tremendous problems in human relationships.
3.      Political leaders point out the moral ills of the world, but none of them seem to have an answer to the desperate need for a new moral integrity that would reverse the ethical plunge that we are taking.
1.      This changeable, unsettled, transient, and fidgety spirit is due primarily to the restlessness of the human heart and its separation from Jesus Christ who is love and peace.
1.      People could find spiritual peace and physical rest by surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ.
The Bible says, in Isaiah 57:20 "But those who still reject Me are like the restless sea, which is never still but continually churns up mud and dirt. 21 There is no peace for the wicked," says my God."

3.      The only peace we can ever experience in this life and the eternity to come is in and through Jesus Christ, nothing else will pacify, nothing else will satisfy.
1.      Every day I come in contact with utterly mixed-up, tragically confused people: rich people who are held in the grip of insecurity; intellectual people who have lost their way; strong people who live in fear of weakness and defeat.
1.      I long to take every one of them by the hand and lead them into the presence of Jesus who said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
1.      Why die of thirst when you stand on the brink of a life giving, undrainable ocean?
2.      Why starve to death when you are within arms length of the never ending Bread of life?
3.      Why live in a cardboard shack of spiritual misery when Christ has provided a mansion of divine peace?
1.      Hear and accept the divine invitation today: “Come unto Me, and I will give you rest!”
2.      Jesus invites us, sit with Me and be discipled.

Mark 1:17 "Jesus called out to them, "Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!"
1.      We are saved to serve; we are redeemed to reproduce spiritually; we are rescued out of the foolishness, frustrations, and fear so that we will become rescuers ourselves.
1.      People want something to believe in, a cause to give themselves to, a flag to follow.
1.      The only cause big enough is the cause of Jesus Christ; and its flag is the blood stained body that was lifted up on to the cross of Golgotha for the redemption of the world.
1.      Partnered with God in the rescuing of the world!

Jesus challenged, John 12:26 "Anyone who wants to be My disciple must follow Me, because My servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves Me."
2.      Discipleship gives us the privilege of being associated with Christ intimately.
3.      And the faithful discharging of these  responsibilities invokes the approval and favor of God Himself.
2.      If we want to make an eternal difference then we have to take off our pious indifference, roll up our sleeves and get to work in the unrelenting mission field of people.
1.      Opportunities lie all around us.
2.      Our neighbors are without Christ, some of our children unsaved, uncommitted, and our colleagues still waiting to see Jesus in us.
1.      I challenge you to become an effective, efficient, evangelist.
1.      Announcing Christ's virgin birth, His perfect life, His sacrificial death and His miraculous resurrection!

Luke 9:23 "Then He said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me."

3.      Before you can follow Jesus in discipleship, the selfish, sinful “self” must be crucified, so that Christ surpasses all others in your heart and life.

John 8:31 "Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, "You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings."

1.      Disciple literally means “a learner, a student, a follower.”
1.      Salvation may be instantaneous, but discipleship must be learned from Christ Himself.
1.      We must know the Word before we can teach the Word.
2.      A true disciple of Christ will bear the fruits of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.” Galatians 5:22-23
4.      People who have contact with us daily will take note that we have been with Jesus.
1.      We will radiate Christ.
1.      The secret of the Christian life is Christ in us.
3.      Jesus invites us, sit with Me in the Kingdom, domain and realm of God.
1.      Christianity is not just a hobby; it is a lifelong, eternity-long vocation.
Psalm 91:1 "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty."

2.      In Him we have a permanent residence, and that all of the peace, security and affection that the human heart craves is found in Him.
1.      Modern psychiatrists say that one of the basic needs of mankind is security.

Psalm 91:9 "If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, 10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. 11 For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go."

1.      In the midst of a thousand dangers you can sense the all-protecting presence of God Himself.
2.      Another basic need is affection.
1.      Those who “abide in Him” are the objects of Gods affection and love.

Psalm 91:14 "The LORD says, "I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My Name."

2.      No greater demonstration of love has ever been witnessed by the world than Gods love given through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:8 "But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

3.      He loved you enough to lay down His life for you.
1.      By Christ's sacrifice upon the cross He purchased the favor of God on your behalf, now through Him you are the recipient of the grace, mercy and love of God without measure.
3.      Another basic need that will be fulfilled by our dwelling and abiding in God is the need to belong.
1.      In all three invitations we find God inviting sinful men and women to be identified with Him in His great redemptive and creative work.
3.      To the multitudes of distressed, troubled and weary He beckons, “Come unto Me … and I will give you rest.”
1.      Its simple. Its personal. Its inspiring.
2.      Our church has been issued a charge to offer these three words to anyone who needs what God has to offer them.
1.      Who are you asking, believing to sit with you at church?
4.      An invitation can change someone's destination.
1.      A guy I know was going to the church where we pastored and was going through a terribly difficult time. His wife had left him, took their daughter with her and disappeared.
2.      Refused to connect with him, refused to call him, refused to sit with him and have conversation about what was going on. He lost 3 jobs was on the verge of losing another and landed in desperation one morning at the church. I made connection with him that day not realizing all that was transpiring.
3.      We exchanged phone numbers because he wanted to get a coffee, told me that this was his second time at the church and said I need to talk to some one, any one. I had no idea of the importance of the days to come.
4.      We got together to connect over lunch, he explained all that he was dealing with and going through and I assured him that I was committed to help.
1.      One evening the Spirit of God prompted me to drop by and see him. Before we did I called him, he answered but little did I realize what was going on. He was panicked, frantic and intensely emotional, I told him I was right around the corner of being at his place I told him that we could talk it out. He let me know he had a loaded gun in his hand and was getting ready to use it on himself when I called.
2.      He was asking God a thousand questions when the phone rang. To my horror he explained what was happening, I asked him to put the gun down, allow me to come in so we could talk, I'm now in your driveway.
3.      I stayed with him, I sat with him, I cried with him, I encouraged him, I ministered to him, I prayed with him, he committed his life to Christ and God began to perform miracles in his life. He started attending church regularly, his wife finally after 2 years called and connected and he was able to see his daughter again, even getting weekend visits which she started coming to church with him and as she "sat with him" God began to minister to her life.
1.      I'm trying to explain to you that when you'll commit to sit with someone, commit to pray for someone, commit to be available and present in some ones life, God will use you to do the miraculous and you'll experience the impossible.
5.      Jesus loves to run to people that take one step towards Him.
1.      God uses imperfect people in an imperfect situation to accomplish His perfect will.
1.      Bring your burdens to God and leave them there, heaven will take care of the rest!

John 1:40 "Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. 41 Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means "Christ"). 42 Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, "Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas" (or Peter which means "stone"). 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Come, follow me." 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter's hometown. 45 Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, "We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth." 46 "Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael. "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" "Come and see for yourself," Philip replied."
6.      Come and see for your self.
1.      Jesus works in us to work through us.
1.      Andrew brought Peter, Phillip brought Nathanael.
1.      We magnify the message, because we have experienced Christ for our selves.
1.      You may be one invite away from sparking a movement.
2.      You may be one invite away from sparking a revival!
3.      You may be one invite away from saving someones life.
2.      Sit with me, Christ's presence changes everything.
1.      His resurrection changed everything.
7.      The Bible is a book of invitations from God to mankind, urging us to become His partners in redeeming the world.
1.      I invite you to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God's Son; that He came to earth to live the sinless life that we cannot live; that He died in our place, so that we would not have to pay the penalty we deserve.
2.      I invite you to confess your past life of sin, living for ourselves and not obeying God.
3.      I invite you to admit that you are ready to trust Jesus Christ to save you.
4.      Invite Him to come into your heart, take up residence, and begin living through you.

1.      Come see for your self, Christ will give you rest, peace, forgiveness and strength.



What do you hear the Holy Spirit saying to you? 


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