BLOG #3
PREACH AND TEACH TO CHANGE LIVES
In the previous blog posting we talked about the four elements of effective communication: HEY! YOU… SEE? SO. We saw that (very abbreviated though it may look) Paul’s sermon in Acts 17:22-31 utilized these four elements. In the model sermon below we will see how these four elements are used.
SAMPLE SERMON #1:
SERMON TITLE: "BITING" THE HAND THE FEEDS US?
SERMON TEXT: JOHN 1:1-13
HEY!
Are you familiar with the saying, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you?”
This saying came alive vividly to me with the help of our Pekingese dog named Woofy. One day we cooked some beef bones as a surprise treat for Woofy. When I gave him one bone, he immediately started chewing on it furiously, it looked like he was wrestling with it. It was such fun to watch Woofy so I approached him to get a better view. Woofy’s reaction took me by surprise. He stopped chewing and holding down the bone with his forepaws, he growled loudly at me with bared teeth. My response probably surprised him too. I shouted at him something like the following: “You, fool, I gave you that bone, what are you attacking me for? And I’ve got more bones in the pot for you!”
YOU…
Did you know that many times we often act towards God like Woofy did? God’s hand is continually feeding us and providing for us and caring for us, but when He comes near to us we fight Him and get ready to bite His hand that is feeding us.
Today I want to show you from John 1:1-14 two ways that we can treat God. One way is “biting” His hand that feeds us; another way is receiving His hand. At the end of this study we will have the opportunity to decide which way we will choose to treat God.
SEE?
1. “BITING” THE HAND
John chapter 1 tells us about the coming of God into the world in the person of His Son Jesus. In this chapter Jesus is introduced to us as the Word (John 1:1); He is also described as the Light (John 1:8). Now, let’s read John 1:9-11:
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
Can anything be more sad about the coming of Jesus into the world? Note verse 11: “He (Jesus) came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” He first came to the Jews. Now, who were the Jews? They were God’s own chosen people, the descendants of Abraham, to whom God promised that the Messiah would come someday. But how did majority of the Jews treat Jesus? They did not receive Him; they rejected Him. And their rejection was shown in the most cruel form: they crucified Him on the cross for claiming that He was the Son of God, the Messiah, promised by God.
This rejection was very tragic. Why was it very tragic? It was very tragic because they did not realize the full identity of the Person they were rejecting. Exactly who was He?
John 1:1-5 lists for us several things about the One they were rejecting. Before coming into the world, Jesus was called the Word, and as the Word He had the following attributes or characteristics:
(a) Jesus the Word already existed in the beginning of creation. He did not begin to exist at the beginning of creation, as if He was the first one created by God. In the beginning WAS the Word; in other words, in the beginning the Word already was there.
(b) Jesus the Word was with God.
(c) Jesus the Word was God; He Himself possessed the same God-nature as God the Father.
(d) Through Jesus the Word, God created ALL things. Without Jesus the Word, not one thing could have been created.
(e) Life was located in Jesus the Word; this Life served as the Light of people. The enemy Darkness threatened to swallow up everything and everybody, but the Light stood up against the Darkness and said, “Stop! Thus far and no farther.” Not only did the Light stop the darkness; the Light pushed back the darkness and defeated it.
(f) And because Jesus the Word created everything, therefore He owned everything and everyone including the Chosen People the Jews (John 1:10-11).
This was the Person who approached the Jews. But how did the Jews treat Him? They rejected Him and killed Him. This Person’s Hand was the Hand that fed them; He created them, He gave them life and light; He provided for them and protected them. But what did the Jews do? When Jesus came to their door, they turned Him away, drove Him out of the city, and nailed Him to a tree.
If you were there at that time, what would you have said to the Jews? What would I have said? I would have said to them, “You’re making the biggest mistake of your life! You’re rejecting the very Person to whom you owe everything! You are biting the very Hand that’s feeding you!”
But wait a minute. We do not need to have been there when the Jews rejected Jesus. Jesus is with us today and He is knocking at our door today. What will you do with Jesus today?
Aren’t you in danger of making the same tragic mistake that the Jews made two thousand years ago when Jesus came to them?
2. RECEIVING THE HAND
But the story of the first coming of Jesus was not all tragic. Not everyone rejected Jesus. Some believed in Him and received Him. John 1:12 tells us:
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
This is a very significant statement. These people did two actions: they believed and received; they not only believed in Jesus, they also received Him. Why is this statement significant? It is significant because it tells us about the nature of true belief or genuine faith. Genuine faith both believes in and receives Jesus.
There are people who claim to believe in Jesus. But they are not willing to receive Him into their lives. Their belief, their faith, is merely in the mind, merely intellectual, merely theoretical. Their faith is merely head knowledge that doesn’t affect the way they live.
There was a story of a famous acrobat who had the great ability to walk on a tightrope successfully. One time a tightrope was installed from one side of the Niagara Falls to the other. The acrobat asked the crowd: “How many believe I can cross the Niagara Falls by walking on this tightrope?” Everybody shouted, “We believe!” And that’s what the acrobat went on to do successfully. Next, he asked the crowd, “How many believe I can cross the Niagara Falls by walking on this tightrope with a chair balanced on my shoulders?” Again the crowd shouted, “We believe!” And once again the acrobat successfully demonstrated to the crowd his great ability by walking across to the other side with a chair balanced on his shoulders. Finally, he asked the crowd, “How many believe that I can cross the Niagara Falls by walking this tightrope with a chair balanced on my should with a man sitting on the chair?” And the crowd roared with their greatest approval and said, “We believe!” Then the acrobat asked, “Who wants to volunteer to sit on the chair?” And a hushed silence fell on the crowd. Yes, they all believed; but nobody wanted to act on their belief.
In our relationship to Jesus, the twin actions of believing and receiving are very important. The person who truly believes in Jesus will receive Him; only the person who receives Jesus truly believes in Him.
Why is that?
Because the heart of every person is like a kingdom; and in our heart there is a throne. Because of sin, guess who is sitting as king or queen on that throne? The big, proud “I” – ME, MYSELF, MY SHADOW AND I – sits as the king/queen on the throne. In fact, do you know what is the root meaning of SIN? How do you spell SIN – S – I – N – right? What letter is in the middle? The letter “I”!
Do you know why most of the Jews rejected Jesus? They realized that if they truly believed in Jesus, they must also receive Him as their Lord. And they were not willing to do that. They were not willing to get off the throne of their life and surrender the throne to Jesus. This was the real issue: Who will continue to sit on the throne of my life?
How about you? Do you claim to believe in Jesus? But are you ready and willing to receive Him as Lord and Master and King of your life? Jesus came to the world to be our Savior and Lord. As Savior He saves us from sin; as Lord He will lead us and empower us to live a life of holiness and love and service to God.
Let’s note what Jesus gives to you when you believe in Him and receive Him. Let’s please read John 1:12-13:
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
(a) First of all, Jesus gives you the RIGHT to become a child of God. Many people have the mistaken idea that every human being is a child of God and they have a right to call God their Father. This was true in the beginning. But when our first parents sinned, they and all their children after them (that includes you and me and everybody in the world today) lost that right. That’s why when Jesus came into the world He told people their real condition. He said in John 8:44: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” But the moment a person believes in Jesus and receives Him into their life, that right is restored.
(b) Secondly, Jesus gives you the POWER to live as a child of God. Some translations translate the phrase “the right to become children of God” as “the power to become children of God”. This is because the same word does have this double meaning: Jesus gives you both the right and the power to become a child of God. Jesus gives you both the position and the ability of being a child of God. You see, to have the position without the corresponding ability is useless. What good is your position when you don’t have the ability to enjoy it? It requires power to live as a child of God. Jesus gives you this power. How does Jesus give this power?
(c) Thirdly, Jesus gives you a new NATURE through a new spiritual rebirth. When you believe in Jesus and receive Him in your life, God gives you a spiritual rebirth. In John 3:3 Jesus emphasized the absolute need for spiritual rebirth: In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." And this is how Jesus gives you the power to live as a child of God. When you are born again spiritually, you receive a new nature from God with new desires and new motivations and new goals. Not only that, God’s own life will come to live in your heart through the Holy Spirit coming to indwell your new nature. This is what Jesus meant in John 3:5: Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Romans 8:15-16 also tells us about the indwelling Holy Spirit: For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. and by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
SO.
We are talking about biting the hand that feeds you.
Majority of the Jewish people did not realize that in rejecting Jesus they were biting the hand that fed them. But what a tragic loss for them! They did not know that in rejecting Jesus they also forfeited the great gifts He came to give them.
However, praise God, a minority made the right decision. They believed in Jesus and received Him. And what great blessings they received! They received the right to become children of God. They received the power to live as children of God. And they received a new spiritual nature that was indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God.
Today, you and I face the same decision. Jesus is standing in front of us right now. This Jesus is our Creator. He is the Giver and Sustainer of our life; every breath we take and every beat of our heart, the air and the sunshine and the rain and everything all around us that make this world a beautiful place to live… everything comes from Him. Jesus’ Hand is the Hand that feeds us.
The challenge for you and me is this: Will we reject Him, will we bite the Hand that feeds us? Or will we believe in Him and receive Him in our hearts?
Remember, to reject Jesus will mean the loss of the great gifts He comes to give.
To believe in Jesus and receive Him will mean that we will enjoy all that He came to give.
What is your decision today?
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