R.E.A.C.H.

Pastor Paul has asked me to take care of this morning's message while he is speaking at a church in Redondo Beach, CA, a church that has really helped our Family Fellowship Church here in Beaumont.  I feel quite honored to be given this opportunity to address the everyone here at church today.

The title of today's message is R.E.A.C.H. Well, were does a person who is never had this experience before start?  I guess I just start with my heart.

Some of you here this morning may know me, and know my story.  A few weeks ago on our Anniversary Sunday I spoke about what God has been doing in my life.  I alluded to the fact that I felt much like the Prodigal Son in the Bible.  In hindsight I can see how much I, like the prodigal son, was on the run from my heavenly Father.  As a young child I grew up in a Baptist church in Missouri and was fortunate enough to have a mother who loved Jesus.  She was the person responsible for instilling in me the biblical values which are so important in a young person's life, not to mention, important in an adult's life.

There was also and other person in my life that had an enormous spiritual impact upon my life as I was growing up.  Although, I doubt he ever really knew it.  That person was my grandfather, Jesse Cochran.  This man was responsible for starting numerous churches throughout the Southwest.  In addition, he also played a prominent role in the formation of the Baptist Bible Fellowship as well as the formation of Baptist Bible College. The BBF is a group of independent churches that works together to help missionaries as well as start other churches.  One thing that has stood out in my mind since I was a child was a story that my mother told me about my grandfather.

You see, one Sunday while my grandfather was giving a message, he spoke about the many benefits of having faith in Jesus Christ.  Grandpa, amongst other things, spoke about the overcoming life that we have available to us through Jesus.  This overcoming victory that we all have access to can be attained through something so simple, yet so difficult sometimes to understand, as faith in the forgiveness of our sins because of the life, death, and most importantly, resurrection of Jesus.  One man in the congregation that day who was listening to my grandfather preach was touched by something that was expressed in the sermon.  That man went on to write the words of a classic hymn entitled Victory In Jesus.  I personally believe the Holy Spirit was the inspirational force behind the writing of my grandfather's message, as well as the Holy Spirit was the inspirational force behind the composition of the hymn Victory In Jesus.  Both men just had to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

All of this leads to why I stand before you here today.  I feel God, through the power of his Holy Spirit, has placed a message into my heart.  As a matter of fact, I believe God places many different messages on each of our own hearts, if only we will be willing to listen and obedient to act on and then share. We should always do it in our lives before we tell others about it.

I have been working on this sermon for a few weeks.  Wow, the word sermon seems so formal and intimidating.  I guess that is why I have been running from this privilege for so long.  I can remember in the distant and not so distant past telling God I would never be a "preacher".  Well here I am standing in front of you today.  I guess it is not so wise to tell God what we will or will not do.  Oh sure, he let me run for years, but he never gave up on loving me.  I feel honored and privileged to be able to share this message with all of you, many of you my personal friends, and some people I hope to become friends with.

Introduction:  About 15 years ago when I first moved here to Southern California from Missouri I had to take on a job as a janitor prior to the success of the window cleaning company I own, or should I say am a steward of.  Probably the least desirous part of the janitor position was the cleaning of someone's toilet.  I can remember on many early mornings, before the sun even had risen, promising myself that when the window cleaning business became successful, I would "never clean another person's toilet again!"

Well, it's been just a little more than 15 years, the window cleaning business is successful, and guess what?  I'm cleaning peoples toilets, again!  The difference is now, I want to clean peoples toilets.  You see, I helped develop a process that can transform an ordinary toilet bowl into a toilet bowl that stays cleaner for longer and is more sanitary.  Real exciting stuff, huh?

So, in the same way that I swore I would never clean toilets and now here I am excited about cleaning and transforming toilets, I swore I would never be a preacher and now here I am excited about telling you this message.  Boy, God sure works in funny ways!

My story kind of reminds me about a man in the Bible by the name of Jonah.  God had called Jonah to go to the evil city of Nineveh and transform that city.  That city was a city full of violence, bloodshed, murder and that is just the light stuff.  There is no way that Jonah felt like going to work in that toilet of a city.  But God had a different plan.  You see, God loved the inhabitants of Nineveh.  No, he did not love then because of the evil that they did.  He loved them in spite of the evil that they did.  That kind of reminds me of God's love for me.  I feel like God has loved me in spite of myself, not because of all of the righteous and holy things I did in my past.

Well, we all know the story.  Jonah bought a one-way ticket for the first boat heading to Nineveh, right?  Hardly, he bought a ticket for a boat heading in the opposite direction of Nineveh, a three-hour tour, a three hour tour.  If you didn't get that joke, ask your parents later about Gilligan, Skipper and the comedy show Gilligan's Island.  So, to make a short story long, Jonah went to his room in the boat for naptime, and the boat sailed into a raging storm.  Jonah's buddies were a little bit ticked off that he was snoozing while they were frightened for their lives.  Ultimately, Jonah admitted that the troubles that had come up on the boat and all of the other passengers was his fault, and politely suggested that they throw him overboard.  Sure, no problem buddy, whatever it takes.

But the Bible says that God had prepared some way to save Jonah from the raging sea.  A fish.  Okay, a really big fish.  So Jonah spent three days in the stomach, or belly, of the whale; so much for naptime.  If you think about all of the gastrointestinal fluids present in the body of any animal or mammal, you could imagine that it was not a very pleasant place to be.  Jonah had some time to reconsider what God had asked him to do.  I don't know if Jonah debated with God for days while he was in the belly of that whale or if the fish just had a large distance of ocean to cover since Jonah had sailed in the opposite direction of God's planned destination, but in the end guess where that whale spit Jonah up at?  You guess it.  On the beach of good old Nineveh.

Nineveh needed to hear the message about God's justice and punishment as well as hear about the opportunity to avoid the justice and punishment that the inhabitants of Nineveh so rightfully deserved.

At this point, I think Jonah was happy to be on the sea shore of Nineva.  Now it was time for him to get busy and do what God had called him to do.  Quite simply, Jonah needed to be obedient.  So Jonah went about telling the inhabitants of Nineva that they were going to fry if they did not turn from their wicked and evil ways and turn to a loving God who wanted to forgive them. 

You see, I think we all, in some way or another, have lived like Jonah did.  Who knows, maybe some of us have even lived like the inhabitants of Nineva.  Whether we have been disobedient to God's call in our life like Joanna or if we have violated God's laws like the Ninevites did, we are all, myself especially, guilty of sin.

Now that we are out of the belly of the whale, what do we do?  Cut out of church early and grab lunch since Pastor Paul is not here?  Hardly.  We have something great to share and we need to REACH IN and then REACH OUT.

R.E.A.C.H.

Realize that I need God's love and forgiveness.  (Psalms 32: 1-2)

Express my need for forgiveness.  I am a sinner. (I John 1:9)

Allow God to show me His will.  God is willing that none should perish. (Romans 12:1-2)

Commit to do something about what He has revealed to me.  Don't harden your heart, receive Jesus into my mind, will and heart.  (Hebrews 3:15)

Help others.  Take the message of justice and forgiveness to a lost and dying world who doesn't know Jesus.  (Acts 1:8)

First you have to let God REACH IN. That's the message of the first four points:

R-Realize that I need God's love and forgiveness.

E-Express my need for forgiveness. I am a sinner.

A-Allow God to show me his will.

C-Committ to do something about waht he has revealed to me.

Okay. Let's say that you are confident that you have surrendured your life to Jesus Christ. Now What?

Secondly, you now need to REACH OUT. That's the message of the fifth point:

H-Help others. Take the message of justice and forgiveness to a lost and dying world who doesn't have a personal relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let's say you are not so sure about your personal relationship with Jesus.  Whether one time in the past you asked for Jesus forgiveness of your sins and then walked away from your spiritual obligations as a Christian, or, if you have never even began a personal relationship with Jesus, you can do something about that.  Today.  You don't have to wonder whether or not God is going to judge you for any of the 10 Commandments you may have broken in your past.  The Bible says that the 10 Commandments or the Law is a schoolmaster meant to show all of us that we have violated God's moral law.  The 10 Commandments speak to our conscience.  And our conscience is very powerful.  So are you going to ignore that feeling that you feel inside right now to get things right with your God, or, are you going to respond to God's mercy and grace that he offers to anyone who acknowledges their need for forgiveness and accepts the free gift of forgiveness that was purchased for us by Jesus Christ as he was crucified upon the cross for my sins, your sins and the sins of the entire world.  God sent Jesus to take our punishment.  I really do care about everyone in this room, and don't want anyone to end up in hell, which by the way is a very real place.  Jesus has to cure to a deadly disease called sin and spiritual death.  Will you receive that free gift?  And if so, are you willing to share that gift with others?

REACH OUT--Share the message of God's justice and mercy to a lost world that is on its way to hell.  This may include, but is not limited to: family, friends and even strangers.  Don't forget to maintain contact with people who are not believers.  This does not mean you have to engage in the same sinful behaviors as they do, just earn the right to be heard by living a godly lifestyle and then be obedient when you hear the Holy Spirit prompt you to share your hope you have in Jesus, REACH OUT.

Let me tell you a story about a stranger I met.  No, I did not take a moment to share about Jesus' justice and mercy with this individual in the middle of an intersection, but what I watched him do and what happened after that you may find encouraging.  You see, there was a landscaping truck stalled in the middle of an intersection where I was driving recently.  As I drove past, I saw an individual in a black truck that was trying to help the other person who had been driving the landscaping truck which was now stalled in the intersection.  The driver of the black truck had an easily recognizable haircut of that of a Marine.  As I drove through the intersection, I felt a sense of gratitude for the service this Marine was providing to a stranger in a stalled truck.  I turned around and went back to help direct traffic around the vehicles.  As the Marine secured a towline to the strangers truck, and walked toward his driver side door, I said to him "hey, thank you for your service to our country," as I extended my right hand to shake his hand.  To my surprise, this tough looking, muscular warrior who obviously provided security at a foreign embassy (his license plate frame attested to that fact), pulled me toward him with his right hand and give me a hug.  Or at least as much of a hug as us guys give to each other.  This Marine was showing mercy to a perfect stranger by towing his stalled truck out of an intersection.  I was simply showing my thankfulness to that Marine, who by all accounts, was a perfect stranger.  I really wished later that I had taken the time to share with him about spiritual matters and especially about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Statistics show that of all Christians, only an average of 5% of us actually take the time to share our faith with others. I'll bet that pastors and preachers make up a part of that 5% average. But this is the real kicker: Statistics show that of people who do come to a life changing faith and relationship with Jesus Christ, 15% of those responed during a church service or a large public meeting like a Billy Graham crusade or a Harvest crusade. Think about this, that means nearly 85% of ALL believers came to a life changing, hell escaping personal relationship with Christ through a PERSONAL, ONE-ON-ONE contact with another believer who had the love and courage enough to tell a hellbound someone about their need of God's forgivness of their sins and the free gift of grace available through Jesus Christ.

If you are afraid to tell your friends, family or even strangers about their need for forgivness of their sins because you love them and don't really want to offend them, think about this: If you don't REACH out to them and share about Jesus, you may be loving your friends and family into an eterinity in hell! We have to share the truth with love, but we have to REACH OUT, even at the risk of offending them.

Witnessing tracts are available on the back table, FREE of charge, to help make this easier. As well, the card included in today's discovery pack have two different approaches that have proven themselves effective. They are not even my own ideas!

Just be obedient to live the credible lifestyle of a Christian and then share God's word. I promise you, the Holy Spirit will do the rest and convict the unsaved. Jesus has promised us in the Scriptures that "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men (and women) unto Me!" Statistics show that it takes an average of 7.6 times of someone hearing the Gospel message before they resond to Jesus' invitation to forgive them and give eternal life. Don't get discouraged if someone doesn't respond to your REACHing out to them. Who knows, it may have only been the 5th time they have heard the Gospel presented to them. But who knows, you may be the 7.6th time they heard it and respond without you even finishing the whole story of the Gospel!

About a month ago I was visiting a youth service at a church in Riverside, CA.  Being unfamiliar with that church building, I had to ask a stranger, who appeared to be an usher, where the restrooms were located.  As I headed in the direction which the young man had pointed me, I walked past a water fountain and noticed a small girl out of the corner of my eye.  For some reason, I felt compelled to slow down and looked over at the young girl.  I perceived that she was emotionally distraught.  So, I turned around and walked back over and knelt by the young girl who was by this time beginning to cry.  I asked her if she was okay to which she responded that she had lost her daddy.  I asked her where she last saw her daddy and she said while she motioned towards the men's restroom door that the last time she saw her daddy was when he went into the bathroom.  Well, I believed that even though I had never been into this restroom at this church, it most likely had only one door going in and out.  So, with confidence I told the young girl I would help her find her daddy.  And, to help her believe that I was coming back, I gave her my bottle of water and told her to hold this, and that I was coming back to get the bottle of water from her.  Upon entering into the bathroom, I began to ask the men inside if they had a daughter.  It took only a few moments to find that little girls daddy.

I see a parallel between that lost little girl and a lost and dying world on its way to hell.  So many of us Christians, myself especially, are in such a big hurry that we miss opportunities to bring the Father to the lost or as some might say, bring the lost to the Father.  In the same way that the young girl could not enter into the men's restroom, a spiritually blind world cannot enter into the presence of God the Father.  The lost need us to find the Father and bring Him to them. 

Let’s REACH.

If today you made a first time commitment to invite Jesus into your heart, please share it with me or someone you trust, but especially make a note of it on the response card. If you have made a recommitment of your life today, share that with me, someone you trust or write it on the response card.  If you are willing, mark on your commitment card that I commit to REACH to at least one person this week. Place it in the offering basket with your tithes. You don't even have to write your name on the card. On the back you can even write the names of anyone you would like Pastor Paul to pray for.

(c) Paul Newell 2004

FamilyFellowship Church

P.O.  Box 465, Beaumont, CA 92223

churchforfamily.com