April 15, 2018
Stetson Memorial UMC
1John
3:1-7 The Voice
Luke
24:44-48 MSG
Psalm
93 NIV
“Witness
Program…”
The Lord be with you…
And also with you…
Let us pray…
Pray
that the words spoken are not my own but God’s Words…
A
reading from the gospel of according to Luke, chapter 24, verses 44-48. Listen
to and for a Word from God to His resurrected people…
Good Morning…
Jesus
had risen from the grave. His disciples were over joyed when they realized…when
they saw the Risen Lord. The men on the way to Emmaus were over joyed at seeing
Jesus alive, even I t did take them moment to see. Jesus had even shared a meal
with the 11. This was almost too hard to believe…but the truth was sitting
right across the table.
It
was almost time for Jesus to return to the Father, but He wanted to be sure
that He was not forgotten. So, He opened the eyes and the minds of the 11 so
that they would comprehend all that had taken place so that they would share
everything with all who would hear. They needed to go to everyone and
everywhere to share their first-hand experiences with the Messiah…to be
witnesses of Hid redemptive power…
Witness:
1: attestation
of a fact or event
2: one
that gives evidence; specifically: one who testifies in a
cause or before a judicial tribunal
3: one
asked to be present at a transaction so as to be able to testify to its having
taken place
4: one
who has personal knowledge of something
5a: something
serving as evidence or proof :
b: public
affirmation by word or example of usually religious faith or conviction
How many of you have ever been a witness to
something? We can witness someone’s signature. We can witness someone’s wedding
we can witness… (Fill in the blank). When we witness we give a first-hand
account, we were there so we know or fact that it happened.
In the scripture I just read, we hear Jesus
explaining what the disciples were to do next. To witness…to give first-hand account, of Jesus. It is interesting, though, that when you
have more than one-person witness something like an accident you get a
different account of what happened. Maybe that is why Jesus opened the minds of
the disciples to the scriptures, so they would understand and see in the same
way who Jesus was. They may have had different relationships and different
experiences with Jesus and see Jesus in a different light but the fact that He
was (and still is) the Messiah…that
is what they were to witness to and share…
We, being disciples of Jesus, are also called to
do the same thing…to share our conviction, our faith, with a world that is in
dire need of a Messiah. But the world may not believe. They may question
because they may feel that we have no real personal account…we can’t say that
we were there when Jesus was alive so how do we know? What is our proof?
OK…I
am going out a limb wit you all here this morning. We do have first-hand account of Jesus. It is found in our
own testimony of what Jesus has done in our own lives. We know and believe the
scriptures, but it is within our own encounters with Jesus does that scripture
come alive. As like the disciples, who had their own first-hand experience,
they put it all together when their minds were open to the scriptures and they
put two and two together and came up with a revelation of Jesus Christ. We too
have had and continue to have that same revelation of Jesus Christ… That is our
witness. That is what we share.
I love how 1 John 3:1-7 puts it…
3 Consider the kind of extravagant love the
Father has lavished on us—He calls us children of God! It’s true; we are
His beloved children.
And in the same way the world didn’t recognize Him, the world does not
recognize us either.
2 My loved ones, we have been adopted into God’s family; and we are
officially His children now. The full picture of our destiny is not yet clear,
but we know this much: when Jesus appears, we will be like Him because we will
see Him just as He is. 3 All those who focus their
hopes on Him and His coming seek
to purify themselves just as He is pure.
4 Everyone who lives a life of habitual sin
is living in moral anarchy. That’s what sin is. 5 You
realize that He came to eradicate sins, that there is not the slightest bit of
sin in Him. 6 The ones who live in an intimate relationship with Him
do not persist in sin, but anyone who persists in sin has not seen and does not
know the real Jesus.
7 Children, don’t let anyone pull one over on
you. The one doing the right thing is just imitating Jesus, the Righteous One.
This is the message of the cross. This is the
Good News. This is what our hurting world needs to hear. I love The Voice
Bible. It has these little added thoughts throughout it. Hear what it says
regarding this passage:
When we feel like we are not good enough to be loved by God, we should
remember that God’s love is greater than our doubts. We must silence the sounds
of condemnation, so we can hear the voice of God’s loving assurance and
remember that He has selected us to be part of His family.
This is what we share. This is our witness to
the truth of who Jesus is and how precious we are in the Fathers eyes. This is who we may have been until we
understood who Jesus is and the fathers love. This is our revelation of God and
his love.
We have been called…we have been commissioned to
go and make disciples of all nations… We are first-hand witnesses to Jesus and
God’s great love. We have something as evidence of proof…our lives. We have
knowledge of Jesus’ saving grace, we have and continue to receive it. But it is
a choice to share or not to share. Is there anyone out there that needs o hear
about your first-hand experience and evidence of the Messiah? We have been
called into the Witness Program…are you ready to go forth or, do you need more
facts? The proof is in our lives. Can I get a witness…?
Amen…
==============
April 19, 2018
to witness, to testify
April 19, 2018
we
are able to testify
April 16, 2018
Truth
was sitting with them – v2
edited April 16, 2018
a world in dire need of a Savior
April 16, 2018
in dire need of a Messiah
edited April 16, 2018
Finally hearing the Christ – v2
April 16, 2018
Finally
hearing the Christ
April 16, 2018
they finally understood
edited April 16,2 018
Working to Share the Gospel – v2
April 16, 2018
working to share the gospel
Pastor Ruth Foss
8AM Live
April 16, 2018
&
April 16, 2018
a witness to Christ’s power
edited April 16, 2018
Christ opened their minds – v2
April 16, 2018
Christ opened their minds
April 16, 2018
Truth was sitting with them
edited April 16, 2018
The Lord is robed in majesty – v2
April 16, 2018
Their
eyes were opened - 2
April 16, 2018
you’re
the witnesses
April 16, 2018
All
prophecy must be fulfilled
April 15, 2018
The
Lord is robed in majesty
April 15, 2018
concerns and celebrations
April 15, 2018
Third Sunday of Easter
Psalm 93
Luke 24:44-49 (The Message)
“You’re the Witnesses”
1 John 3:1-7 (The Voice)
and sermon: “Witness Program”
video
text
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
8AM Live
meditation
blog
“God’s Whisper” blog
Children’s Message
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten,
ME
April 15, 2018
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