Message: Being Part of the World
I.
Introduction
a.
We are finishing up our Welcome to the TAB
series by looking at the last reason we do things together as the TAB: Being
part of our world. We are going to look
at this over the next 4 weeks, what it actually means to be part of our world.
b.
Tonight I just want to lay the ground work for
it though. The way we are part of the
world is by bringing Christ to those who are lost, both near and far, but first
we must look at us being Christ Bearers.
II.
Body:
a.
Mary
a.
A long
time ago there was a teenage girl named Mary, she met a man named Joseph and
the decided they should get married. But
before they did an Angel appeared to Mary
b.
He told
her that, though she was a virgin, she would conceive a child, though God’s
power, and she was to name him Jesus.
c.
She
became pregnant and Joseph soon found out.
He decided he would break it off with Mary, but when he went to sleep an
angel appeared to him in a dream.
d.
Read
Matthew 1:20-23 – “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to
take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy
Spirit. She will give birth to a son and
you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their
sins.” All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and
will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God
with us.”
e.
Mary at
this point became the Christ Bearer, meaning Jesus was inside of her, she
carried him around with her wherever she went.
f.
This
child was “God with us” meaning that wherever Mary went she took God with
her. This child who had been prophesied
from old. She carried with her answers
to questions, hope for the world, a way to forgiveness, a way for healing to
occur, she was not alone, and she would no longer be the same…all because she
carried Christ with her.
b.
Us
a.
That idea of “God with us” isn’t one of, God was
only with us in the past, but after he died and rose again that ceased, but
instead it is telling us that even now he is with us. But how?
b.
2nd Corinthians 13:5 – “Examine
yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realized that Christ Jesus is in
you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”
c.
When we get saved it means that from that point
forward “God is with us.” He is in us,
we carry him, we bear him around with us, wherever we go, no matter what we are
doing, he is there with us. We have
become the Christ Bearers.
c.
Salvation
a.
It tells us that we should examine ourselves to
see if we are in the faith or not. How
many of you would say you are a Christian?
b.
The test
is as follows:
i.
Have you believed in Jesus as God?
ii.
Have you made Jesus your Savior? Asked for forgiveness
iii.
Have you made Jesus your Lord? Serving him and your lifestyle shows it
c.
If you passed then you are Christ Bearer. If not, then you are not saved.
III.
Conclusion
a.
Christ
Bearer
a.
When I
am Christ bearer, when I have Christ in me it means:
i.
I will
find answers (to life’s important questions: why am I here, what am I supposed
to do, why is the world so horrible, how can I have a better life, etc…)
ii.
I will
have forgiveness for the sins I commit
iii.
I will
have access to healing through Jesus and prayer
iv.
I will
have hope in my life, even when my whole world collapses around me
v.
I will
not be alone, no matter what happens, he stands with me
vi.
I will
be changed into looking more and more like him.
b.
Next
week we are going to look at that last part, becoming more like him, but before
I send you back into your groups I wanted to give an invitation. There may be some of you out there that have
never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, but you want to find answers,
forgiveness, healing, hope, belonging, and change. Or maybe tonight you have asked Jesus for
forgiveness or made promises to follow him as Lord, but haven’t seen the fruit
of that in your life. Either way if that
is you and you want to surrender to him, make him your God, and ask him for
forgiveness in your life, then raise your hand
c.
Pray
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