“Outsider” Issues

“Outsider” Issues

“Other Issues”
  1. Attempt to be Honest about how hard relationships can be.
  2. -Its not just random babbling, we are walking though Colossians.
  3. Grace, Cross, Peace.
  4. Whenever we hear a “should”, how do we respond?
  5. -Nailing it?  Pride   /    -Not? Shame

SLIDE- The truths of scripture given to us by God’s GRACE inform and motivate the commands of Scripture that lead us to God’s PEACE.

Changes the “why?” Obedience should not stop Good news from being good news. Our motivation to obey is because of good news, and stays good news because it leads to a deeper experience of the promises of the cross.

  1. -Bait and switch.  grace, grace, grace, cross, law, law, law
  2. -To the cross is good news, after the cross, bad news… again.
  3. -It’s because of this we have some “outsider issues”

“Outsider Issues”

  • unbelievers, unchurched, de-churched, heathens, sinners, those guys.
  • Christian Post wrote of a survey

“72 percent of the people interviewed said they think the church ‘is full of hypocrites,’”

“A majority of unchurched Americans (79 percent) think that Christianity today is more about organized religion than about loving God and loving people; 86 percent believe they can have a good relationship with God without being involved in church.”

“These outsiders are making a clear comment that churches are not getting through on the two greatest commandments, ’to love God and love your neighbor’”

“71 percent of the respondents said they believe Jesus ‘makes a positive difference in a person’s life’ and 78 percent said they would ‘be willing to listen’ to someone who wanted to share what they believed about Christianity.”

“We think religion is a topic that is off-limits in polite conversation, but unchurched people say they would enjoy conversations about spiritual matters”

“Other findings showed that 44 percent said Christians “get on my nerves.”

Almost 80% would be willing to have a conversation but over half of those willing think we kind of suck at talking about it and we “get on their nerves”.  We got some work to do!

Please turn to Colossians 4:2,
  • Pray, How? Continual, steadfastly, watchful, & Thankful
  • Pray for who?
    • 1. vs. 2-For the Church, written to the church in Colossai
    • 2. vs. 3-Pastors, church planters, missionaries
      • -All points to… Praying for the lost!
      • -God may open a door for the word, to declare CHrist.”
    • 3. vs. 5- Outsiders

Prayer- It is the preparation & foundation of our witness & testimony. 

Don’t stop praying!

  • “I never get the opportunity to talk about Jesus.
  • “I wouldn’t know what to say.”
  • “I don’t want to talk about Jesus…”  Prayer.
  1. Walk, (vs. 5,)  Continuity in the way you live or behave
  •  Nobody is saying perfection
  • Once we make the claim that Jesus makes you better, then we have to “be” better than others. Horrible news!
    • Keepin’ up w/ the Jones’
    • Acting, no wonder why unchurched think we are hypocrites… we are.
    • False self, leaves. “Don’t let Jesus down”
    • NOT GOOD NEWS
  • Underlying assumption that we start with faith & grace and then walk with law and rigidity.  The whole book to Galatians is addressing this! Another Gospel!!! 
How do we live? 
  • -By faith & grace!
  • -Honest
  • -Repentant
2. Wisdom:  The capacity to understand and, as a result, live wisely.
3. Toward Outsiders:
  • -Understanding assumes relationship
  • -Friend of sinners! 
  • -What if Holiness means you hang out with “outsiders” a lot?
  • -Holiness, set apart, friendship with the world means enmity against God. In the world but not of the world.
  • -Assumes separation.
  • -Crazy elitist Christianity
  • -If Jesus is the standard and example for holiness then we have taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Jesus was a friend of sinners! How?

  • -He walked in wisdom TOWARD outsiders!

SLIDE- The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” Matthew 11:19

And when they saw it, they all grumbled, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’’

‘For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’’  Luke 19:7 & 10

SLIDE- And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’’  But when he heard it, he said, ‘‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’ Matthew 9:10-13

You know who Jesus separated himself from?

  • In our context, the Christian elitist.

Here’s what it looked like in Jesus’ day. He ate and drank with outsiders- sinners, unbelievers, unchurched, de-churched, heathens. He became their ‘friend’. As he did, he walked in wisdom toward outsiders.

  • Roman culture back when Paul wrote this. (Watch your crowd)
  • -Go to dinner, purge, child male prostitutes, orgy breaks out.
  • -Why are they so different?

Making the Best use of time

  • -It’s time to get to work! Ephesians “days are evil”.

1. How many of your friends are not Christians?

2. How often do you hang out?

This is fulfilling the great commission! We live towards outsiders.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

INVITE BAND.

  • We too were once Outsiders. What does that mean? We were outside the Grace of God.
  • -If we are honest, there is no room for elitism because we are saved by Grace.

-Set up Amazing Grace

  • Please turn in your hymnals to song 187.
  • Pray!
  • -Who do you know that needs God’s grace?
  • -Just say their name. Call it out church!
  • PRAY FOR THE LOST TO BE FOUND!
  • -We know GOD IS ABLE! Let’s proclaim it!

Sermon Slides

Previous
Pray
Next
"Outsider" issues part 2