Gtcotr/ss010520
A
few years ago I read a book that followed a kind of a sci-fi, apocalyptic storyline.
Some of you may have read it. I’m not a natural reader and it was on of those
thick books like War and Peace. It looked a little intimidating to me but once
I started it, it kept my interest and several times since then I’ve thought it
would make a great movie.
It
was about a visitor living in the future who developed a cure for a plague that
had been unleashed by a terrorist group in a past timeline. The visitor had
only a short window of time to deliver the formula to stop the plague and save
billions of lives. When the visitor showed up people thought he was crazy. He met
with government officials and national leaders and tried to tell them about the
future and how the plague was going to kill everyone and destroy everything on
the planet, but they wouldn’t listen. Some members of the terrorists group knew
who he was and tried to kill him.
The
visitor kept on the move and finally he got a few citizens who had been
affected by the plague to try the cure and immediately they saw it worked. Before
the time window closed, the visitor gave these citizens the formula which he
said would be enough to cure every person. He told them to make sure it got to
everyone quickly. The plague had already killed millions on every continent.
In
one chapter the writer talked about the people who had taken the cure, they
called themselves “The Family.” Some of the leaders of the family wanted to
charge for the cure but not everyone could afford to pay. Others wanted to keep
it from getting to the undesirables and certain people groups. The family was
quite divided but while the leaders made up rules as to who did and did not
deserve to be cured, other members just started giving it out free to anyone
willing to try it.
It
was really a great book with a great ending, and I recommend it as a read for
everyone. The name of the book is the Bible. It’s based on a true story. Don’t
let it intimidate you. If you don’t have a copy let me know and I’ll get you
one.
And
by the way … Happy New Year!
Before
we begin our message today, allow me to share a few quotes I have found
inspirational.
“The light which shines the farthest,
shines the brightest at home.” (Oswald Chambers, 1874 - 1917)
“Christ alone can save the world, but Christ
cannot save the world alone.” (David Livingstone) “God had an only Son and He made Him a missionary.”
“Why should anyone hear the Gospel twice, before everyone has heard it
once?” (Oswald J. Smith) “You must go or send a substitute.”
“The mark of a great church is not its seating capacity, but its
sending capacity.” (C. T. Studd)
“Sympathy is no substitute for action. Only this generation can
reach this generation.” (David Livingstone)
“There is no second chance to
harvest a ripe crop.” (Kurt von Schleicher)
“The gospel is only good news if it gets
there in time.” (Carl F. H. Henry)
“You can give without loving. But you
cannot love without giving.” (Amy Carmichael)
"Not how much of my money will I give to God, but how much of
God's money will I keep for myself.” (John Wesley)
“You cannot take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.” (Oswald
J. Smith)
“If the Great Commission is true, our
plans are not too big; they are too small.” (Pat Morley)
Now,
on to our message for today.
You
know, life is filled with discoveries. All we know now was at one time a new
discovery and all we will yet learn in the future are but discoveries waiting
to be made.
To
discover is to uncover what was already there. For example:
Christopher
Columbus did not invent the Americas, nor did he create them any more than
Benjamin Franklin invented or created electricity or Sir Isaac Newton invented
or created gravity. No … rather Christopher Columbus is credited with the discovery
of this wonderful land which is now home to the United States of America.
This
brings up an important point: Some say that Columbus discovered America but to
the people who were already living in the Americas in the late 1400‘s,
Christopher Columbus did not discover anything. They already knew they and
their native lands existed. The Americas were only a discovery for those who
were not yet enlightened to the fact of its existence.
So,
what has been called the greatest discovery of the 15th Century which
was embraced by so many important and well-educated people, was already known
and being enjoyed by what seemed to be some of the poorest and most illiterate
people in the world. However, it was not the indigenous Native Americans who
were poor and stupid – rather, it was those who had lived their whole lives not
knowing the wealth, peace, joy and beauty this land affords. The Native
American Indians had been enjoying the Americas for ages.
This
stresses an important principle:
Others may be experiencing bountiful blessings we are yet to
discover.
With that thought in mind, I would like to share the 3 greatest discoveries a
person can make.
The
first greatest discovery a person can ever make is Salvation
… the salvation that comes from knowing Christ.
1 John 5:20 And we know that
the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him
who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is
the true God and eternal life.
The
Greek word translated “know” means “learning to know” or “to come to
know” or in essence, “to make a discovery”.
The
second greatest discovery any Born-Again Believer can make is the enjoyment
that comes from having A Living Relationship With
Jesus.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and
said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love
him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
The
third greatest discovery any follower of Jesus can make is the joy and
fulfillment that comes from Leading Others to Christ.
Luke 15:10 “Likewise, I say
to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who
repents.”
How
would it make you feel if you were plagued with some great problem in life and
someone you knew owned the cure but didn’t share it with you?
When
things get bad, God gets good. It is the goodness of God that leads men to
repentance. When the world was dark and in chaos, God sent the light. When I
was lost, God sent someone to witness to me and I discovered Jesus. Others
already knew Him … I finally discovered what others already knew. He loves me
and has a wonderful plan for my life.
2020
can be an awesome year of discovery for you, your family and your friends.
Decide right now that this new year is going to be a year of growing in Christ
and a year of freely offering the cure for sin to every person who is willing
to accept it.
I
have the cure for the curse of sin … would you like to have it? It’s free … and
you can have enough to give to everyone who is dying from the plagues of sin.
Altar
call for salvation and rededication …
