Week 4: The miracle of sharing the Gospel

This five-week series addresses what Jesus says to Christians who want to stand firm in their convictions and engage both with people outside the church and people inside the church who are in need of repentance.

When trying to persuade others, we should be motivated by Christ’s love, expect hostility, act with gentleness and respect, and model our approach after biblical examples.

Read Pastor Tito’s Sermon Summary below

https://medium.com/@titosotolongo/

UNBELIEVABLE

The miracle of sharing our faith

God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, “I love you.” – Billy Graham

Who doesn’t love a good comeback story?  We enjoy movies and stories where the main character seems defeated, or all hope is exhausted, only for to see circumstances shift in the last moment, giving the audience that breath of relief and the surge of joy.  We remember those sporting events when the outcome of the game seems to be determined, only to see an incredible rally or an unbelievable play turn the tables at the last possible moment.  If we can pause for just a moment, we should be able to examine similar miracle moments that have happened in our own lives too.  Out of any unbelievable comeback we could imagine, there is no greater moment than experiencing the miracle of God raising people to new life in Him through Jesus Christ.

Christian should consider their conversion nothing short of a miracle because God is the one who instigates it, facilitates it, and finalizes it.  When it comes to salvation, we need to understand that God is always the one at work.  Knowing this allows us as Christians to share their faith without fear because we understand our doing is God’s doing.  He bears the full weight and responsibility for the results.  When it comes to saving a soul, Jesus followers can’t do everything, but there is something that we can do and follow through on.  That is to reflect Jesus love for us towards others.

God saves people when we serve people.  As children of God who confess that Christ is both Savior and Lord, we need to know that we are both created in the image of God and through the Holy Spirit are being made into the likeness of Christ.  Because God is the Creator, that means so are we.  We are all creatives.  We might express this creativity in many ways outside of the arts, but what is undeniable is that we all are artists in our own right.  Because of this, we should look for ways to serve others creatively and personally so that God can save then supernaturally.

There is an account of the prophet Nathan in the Hebrew Bible found in 2 Samuel 12:1-3 that gives us a great example of how God used creativity to save King David.

To get the full effect of this conversation between the prophet and the king, we must understand the backstory.  In 2 Samuel 11, we see a scandalous story of adultery, murder, and a coordinated cover-up.  King David was supposed to be leading his army in battle, but instead, we find him at home.  We don’t know why he neglected his duties.  All we know is that he is in the wrong place at the wrong time.  From his royal residence, David was able to have a great vantage point over the city of Jerusalem.  As he went for a walk on the roof of his palace, he notices a beautiful woman bathing.  Remember, by this point, David is married to at least two different women.  Being a married man, he shouldn’t turn away at the naked women bathing.  Instead, he invites her to his quarters, and he sleeps with her and impregnates her.

This woman wasn’t just anyone.  She was the wife of one of David’s most trusted and honorable soldiers, Uriah the Hittite.  He has been with David before he was ever king as the former king, Saul, was trying to hunt down and kill David.  Uriah’s character was on full display as David calls him back from battle.  He was hoping that Uriah would sleep with his wife and then assume that the baby was his, but Uriah refused, saying, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” (2 Samuel 11:11 ESV).  With no other option, David sends Uriah back to the battle with a note.  In that note is an order to have Uriah lead a charge against the enemy where the battle is the more dangerous, and then call back his support.  Uriah died.  Really, he was murdered.  David then comforts and marries Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, and marries her.  David thought that he dodged a bullet.  But we see in the last verse of chapter 11, “But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.”

When you read chapter 11 and then chapter 12, we assume that the events happened back to back.  In fact, a whole year passes between these two chapters!  God gave David time to confess.  He didn’t.  So, God sends the prophet Nathan to tell David a story.

And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.  2 Samuel 12:1-13 (ESV)

Nathan doesn’t directly confront David.  Probably because he might’ve gotten defensive or even might have denied the whole thing.  Twelve months had passed.  No one could prove anything.  David rightly judged that what had happened in Nathan’s account was wrong and that the guilty party should be punished.  Back then, stealing a lamb was a very big deal.  King David wanted the law to apply to this individual without mercy.  With those words, David condemned himself, and God revealed that he was that guilty person when Nathan declared, “You are that man!”.  The law of Moses required the death penalty for adulterers and murders.  Where David was ready to ruthlessly dish out justice, God chose to extend mercy.  You can read how David felt during those twelve months and after hearing God’s condemning words of his actions in Psalms 32 and 51.

This account is a great inspiration for us today.  First, it shows us that God knows our sins, yet desires to give us opportunities to be saved.  Second, we can see how God used Nathan as His ambassador to make peace between God and David (2 Corinthians 5:20).  King David could’ve killed the prophet for his accusation.  Without hesitation, we see Nathan model Jesus’ command in Matthew 16 as he boldly spoke truth to David (serpent) in love (doves) in order to save him.

The account of Jesus dying on the cross for us has the same effect on us as Nathan’s story did to David.  Theologian Karl Bath believed that the cross is both “for us” and “against us”.  Even though Jesus died in our place for us in order that we might be forgiven and saved for our sins, the cross is a testament against us openly declaring our sins before God.  When the Gospel is proclaimed, that Christ died for sinners and all who call on the name of Jesus will be saved, a miracle happens.  The Spirit of God opens our eyes and helps the unbeliever to believe and receive eternal life!  This event isn’t just an ignorant person becoming informed.  It’s a miracle because a dead person is raised to life!  You can’t have a greater comeback than that.  God alone instigates this, facilitates this, and secures this.  Even the ability to have faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:5-8).

Like Nathan, we are to be ambassadors of peace who share the Gospel like serpents and doves.  We can do this as we serve others creatively and personally.  Those who have received this life are called to live and give life to others.  What if we as believers prioritized looking for ways to giving to others over getting from God?  Many Christians simplify their faith in coming to God with open hands, looking for a blessing.  What if we came to God blessing Him for all He’s done, asking Him to show us who we can be a blessing to others?  The Lord desires to empower us to give life to others.  It’s our responsibility to serve.  It’s God’s responsibility to save.  Others will come to faith the more we live out our faith and share the reason for our faith.  We can do this in creative ways or in simple ways.  The results are the same when we understand it is God at work in us.

It’s like a batting glove on a baseball player.  The glove doesn’t hit the home-run.  The player does.  We are that glove, and the Holy Spirit is that hand that dwells in all believers.  There is nothing impossible for those who are in Christ and for those who are filled with the Spirit of God.  Never underestimate what God can do through you!

I would like to finish with one last baseball analogy.  There is a term called a sacrifice.  This is when a player willingly hits the ball in a way that advances the runners on base, bringing them closer to home plate, at the expense of the batter getting out.  On the cross, Jesus became our sacrifice.  He gave up His life so that we can find life.  Jesus hit the ball on the cross, the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to turn third base, where we see our Heavenly Father waving us home!  All that is left for us who have crossed home plate by receiving what Jesus did for you on the cross is to serve others who are still on base.  Like Christ, serve and be a sacrifice, and wave home all of those that God is saving.  Never underestimate what God can do through you!