Spread the Good News

GOD WANTS US TO SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS LIKE CONFETTI. CAST YOUR MIND BACK TO WHEN YOU FIRST SAID YES TO JESUS. TO FOLLOW HIM. THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO SPOKE ABOUT JESUS TO YOU. MIGHT BE YOUNG, MIGHT BE OLDER WHEN IT HAPPENED. • IT’S A BEAUTIFUL THING TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS. • A BEAUTIFUL THING TO SAY YES TO JESUS. SO THAT’S THE TITLE OF THE MESSAGE TODAY: SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS… IT’S A BEAUTIFUL THING. Talk today about one particular place in the Bible and two people in the Bible. PLACE NAMES are IMPORTANT. SOME NAMES APPEALING. OTHERS MAYBE NOT. CRADLE MOUNTAIN. MARGARET RIVER. “HELLS GATE”. SOUTH-WEST NEW SOUTH WALES. THE NAME ALONE! BIBLE TALKS ABOUT A TOWN CALLED JOPPA, WHICH MEANS ‘BEAUTIFUL’. GREAT NAME! INTO THIS TOWN – AT VERY DIFFERENT TIMES – CAME TWO PEOPLE: JONAH … GOD’S RELUCTANT MESSENGER. PETER … GOD’S WILLING MESSENGER. THEY NEVER MET. WHAT THEY HAD IN COMMON. BOTH MEN HAD DECIDED IN THEIR HEARTS THAT GOD ONLY WANTS TO SHARE HIS MESSAGE TO SOME PEOPLE. CONFETTI ONLY FOR PEOPLE OVER HERE. BUT WHO KNOWS, GOD WANTS TO SHARE HIS MESSAGE WITH ALL PEOPLE. WANTS TO SPREAD THAT MESSAGE LIKE CONFETTI WITH EVERYONE. HE TELLS JONAH AND PETER MY MESSAGE IS FOR ALL PEOPLE. JONAH’S STORY BEGINS WHEN… GOD TOLD HIM TO GO TO NINEVEH, TELL THE PEOPLE TO TURN THEIR LIVES AROUND OR GOD WOULD JUDGE THE CITY. BUT JONAH DIDN’T WANT TO TELL THEM. WENT TO JOPPA TO RUN AWAY. GETS ON A SHIP AND TRIES TO GET AS FAR AWAY AS HE CAN. BUT GOD SENDS STORM – AND BIG FISH – TO GET HIM BACK ON TRACK. FINALLY OBEYS. PEOPLE OF NINEVEH LISTEN AND TURN THEIR LIVES AROUND. GOD DECIDES NOT TO DESTROY THE CITY. JONAH’S RESPONSE? THROWS A PARTY? Jonah 4:1-2. But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the LORD. “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? This is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” GOD’S PATIENT WITH HIS MESSENGER JONAH. TEACHES HIM. Jonah 4:11 Nineveh has more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city? God was concerned for the people of Nineveh and he is concerned for the people of Geraldton. Wants us to share his concern. Has a call on His people to reach Geraldton (in our schools, workplaces, etc). We’re his messengers. Jonah was reluctant messenger for a few reasons: • Lack of care • Hard-hearted • Unyielded – wanted God to do things his way If not careful, we can be the same. Go through motions of obedience, but inwardly unsurrendered. God is patient. Will try to turn our heart attitude around. GOD WANTS HIS MESSENGERS TO CARRY NOT JUST HIS WORDS… BUT CARRY HIS HEART. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE SEE IN THESE VERSES OF THE HEART OF GOD FOR PEOPLE. gracious and compassionate … slow to anger and abounding in love. REPEATED AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. Exodus 34:6. Numbers 14:18. Psalm 86:15; 103:8, 145:8. Joel 2:13. Neh 9:17. WORTH PARKING ON THAT FOR A MOMENT. God Is holy and just. Will punish evil – will never excuse it - but would rather give mercy than justice. Gives people time to repent. Heart is that none should perish. VERSES ABOVE SPEAK TO THE INCREDIBLE PATIENCE OF GOD. Patient with the lost and he’s patient with us as believers too. Isn’t that a breath of fresh air? Joyce Meyer quote: “I may not be where I want to be, but thank God I’m not where I used to be.” WE COULD LEARN SOMETHING FROM THE PATIENCE OF GOD – GROWING IN PATIENCE WITH OTHERS AND OURSELVES. Not saying excuse ourselves, but cut ourselves a bit of slack. God plays the long game – with us and others! Praise God. So focussed on instant results. Want an instant answer. Go to Google. EXPECT God to work the same way. Expecting instant Christian growth and maturity. Instant breakthrough. GOD IS THE ONE WHO INVENTED SEASONS. Spring Summer Autumn Winter. He waits for sun and rain to cause the seed to grow. He builds slowly but surely. FOR SOME OF US (SPEAKING TO MYSELF HERE), NEED TO LET GOD’S PERSPECTIVE CHANGE OUR PERSPECTIVE of ourselves and others. GOD WANTING TO BRING HIS MESSENGERS – YOU AND ME – TO PLACE OF HEART OBEDIENCE – where we obey God not just because it’s good and right, but because we love to. THE MESSAGE WE CARRY IS NOT JUST GOD’S WORDS BUT GOD’S HEART. Q: WHO WERE THE REBELS IN THIS STORY? WAS IT THE NINEVITES, OR JONAH? GOD IS PATIENT WITH PEOPLE. WANTS US TO HAVE SAME HEART. LESSON FROM JONAH IS THIS: God’s not after reluctant outward obedience, but willing obedience from the heart. Where hHeart AND actions aligned in His purposes. If we obey God out of duty we only make ourselves miserable. Like the older brother syndrome in Prodigal Son parable. WHAT DO WE DO WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS US THAT OUR OBEDIENCE IS OUTWARD ONLY? WE SIMPLY REPENT – ADMIT AND TURN AROUND - (LORD I’M SORRY – GIVE ME YOUR HEART FOR THIS PERSON/LOST, ETC). Like Jonah, God can use a storm and a fish as part of our testimony. You are uniquely shaped to reach people in your world. Your personality. Your past experiences. Your interests. Everything that makes up you. God has placed you in this world to reach people others can never reach. GOD IS LOOKING FOR A HEART THAT WILLINGLY OBEYS, CARRIES HIS HEART, AND REACHES OUT TO OTHERS. A HEART LIKE PETER’S…. ABOUT 900 YEARS LATER, APOSTLE PETER IS IN JOPPA (ACTS 10). (JONAH WRITTEN 785-760 BC. ACTS WRITTEN AD 63-70) GOD SPEAKS TO HIM IN A DREAM. WRESTLES WITH WHAT GOD IS ASKING HIM TO DO, BUT RESPONDS WILLINGLY AND OBEDIENTLY – FROM THE HEART. ROMAN SOLDIER. (PETER… HAS BEEN ON A JOURNEY OF LEARNING ABOUT FORGIVENESS. HOW MANY TIMES SHALL I FORGIVE, SEVEN TIMES?) LOOKS AT SOLDIER – MIND MAYBE GOES BACK TO THE CRUCIFIXION. But he goes to the soldier’s home, shares the message and Cornelius and his household believe in Jesus. Acts 10:34-35. NLT. Then Peter replied: “I SEE VERY CLEARLY that God does not show favoritism. In EVERY NATION he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.” Years later, in hindsight, Peter writes this… 2 Peter 3:9 NIV. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. LESSON FROM PETER IS THIS: SEE PEOPLE THE WAY GOD SEES THEM. PEOPLE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD. IN NEED OF A SAVIOUR JUST LIKE YOU AND ME. (AREN’T YOU GLAD THAT SOMEBODY WAS OBEDIENT TO GOD AND SHARED THE GOSPEL WITH YOU? WE CAN BE THAT FOR OTHERS TOO. ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS CAN EVER GIVE TO PEOPLE). I’M GRATEFUL CHRISTIANS DIDN’T GIVE UP ON ME – CONTINUED TO PRAY FOR ME AND SHARE THE GOSPEL, EVEN WHEN IT SEEMED LIKE I WASN’T INTERESTED. As an aside: Key to forgiveness here too – seeing people as God sees them. Imperfect but loved. FINAL THOUGHTS. SPREADING THE GOOD NEWS … BEAUTIFUL IN GOD’S EYES: TWO MEN. CARRYING GOD’S MESSAGE. SAME CITY. CITY CALLED BEAUTIFUL. Isaiah 52:7. “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’.” GOD SEES HIS CHURCH AS BEAUTIFUL. SEES HIS CHURCH – YOU AND ME - AS HIS MESSENGERS. CHURCH WITH A MESSAGE. CHURCH WITH FEET TO TAKE THAT MESSAGE. CHURCH THAT CARRIES THE HEART OF GOD IN THE MESSAGE. ESPECIALLY BEAUTIFUL TO HIM, THOSE WHO TAKE HIS MESSAGE TO OTHERS. HIS VISION: HIS CHURCH – BOLDLY, WILLINGLY, LOVINGLY – TAKING THE MESSAGE OF JESUS TO A LOST AND DYING WORLD. SEES GERALDTON AS BEAUTIFUL. SEES THE PEOPLE OF THIS CITY THROUGH EYES OF LOVE – PEOPLE IN NEED OF A SAVIOUR. TRUSTS MESSAGE TO HIS CHURCH. RECAP 1. How we spread the message of Jesus: To all people; With a willing, loving and obedient heart. 2. God’s “beautiful” vision for His Church: Spreading the good news of Jesus to others wherever we go. QUESTION: WILL WE TAKE THE MESSAGE OF JESUS TO THEM? OR WILL WE KEEP IT OURSELVES. SOME THINGS ARE TOO GREAT, TOO WONDERFUL, TOO GOOD TO NOT SHARE. WILL YOU PUT UP YOUR HAND AND SAY YES GOD, HERE I AM, USE ME. NOT LOOKING FOR PERFECT. LOOKING FOR WILLING AND OBEDIENT HEART. NOT SAYING WAIT UNTIL YOU’RE OLDER. SAYING WILL YOU BE A WILLING MESSENGER NOW? NO AGE LIMITS ON THIS. KIDS TOO. GOD ASKING YOU TODAY – WILL YOU TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS?