Unhindered Gospel
Good morning everyone! I am Kelsie/ Welcome back tp New Hope Church; and if you are a visitor, we are glad you came. Today we are wrapping up our Unhindered sermon series with our final sermon, "Unhindered Gospel." Over the past few weeks we've looked at how the final word of Acts leaves us with the greatest clue for how to live as followers of Christ in the modern world. "Unhindered" may be the last word of Acts, but it's the first word for those who put their hope, faith, and trust in the risen King Jesus.
Through Him we experience:
The Unhindered Kingdom
Unhindered Forgiveness
Unhindered Power
And as we'll see today, an unhindered gospel.
I want you tp turn on your bibles tp Acts 28:30-31
"Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!" For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him." He proclaimed the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ---with all boldness and without hindrance!
Paul ends the book of Acts under house arrest. His life is restricted, his future is uncertain, but the Gospel os still moving. Paul was hindered, but the Gospel was not. People could restrict the messenger, but they could not stop the message. The fact that we are gathered om Moville, Iowa, talking about Jesus proves that the Gospel kept moving. God does not need perfect circumstances to keep His work moving.
Who would be the easiest to invite?
The gospel kept moving until it reached us. But it was never supposed to stop with us. Jesus has now entrusted that same good news to ordinary people like you an me. The question is: Who are we willing to share it with? I am going to do a little activity here, with a show of hands from you guys. I am going to name different people. Raise your hand if you would feel comfortable inviting that person to church.
A close friend
A family member
A friendly neighbor
A coworker you get along with
Okay, keep being honest. Now it is going to get a little more uncomfortable.
Someone you barely know
Someone who has turned you down before
Someone with a rough reputation
Someone who disagrees with you about everything
Someone who has been hurt by a church
Someone who makes you feel uncomfortable
Someone everyone thinks is "too far gone"
Your annoying neighbor down the street
The List could on on on
Did you noticed that fewer hands went up as the people more difficult? We say tje gospel is for everyone, but sometimes we only want to share it with the people who feel safe.
Being a light to all nations is a phrase found in the Old Testament, particularly in Isaiah 49:6 where God says to His servant, "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."
Hundreds of years before Jesus came, God said through Isaiah that His salvation would reach to the ends of the earth. This was never going to be good news for only one group of people. Jesus came for the Jewish People and the Gentiles---for every nation, every culture, every background, and every kind of person.
And now, as followers of Jesus, we carry that light. We do that through the words we speak, the way we live, the way we serve, and the way we treat tje people around us.
The gospel is not only for people who grew up om church, know the right words, have a clean past, look like us, or already seem interested. The gospel is for everyone.
In a small town, we know people's history.
We know their mistakes
We know their family
We know their reputation
Sometimes we quietly decide who would never come to church or never respond to Jesus. Sound familiar?
The gospel is for everyone, and our job is is not to decide who deserves it. Our job is to live it, share it, and not get in the way.
My mom grew up in a time and a church culture where tattoos were not okay. Extra piercings were not okay. And I think, without even realizing it, she sometimes made assumptions about people based on ho many tattoos or piercings they had. Then she had me for a daughter. I got tattoos, I got extra piercings. I started driving a motorcycle. Suddenly, the person who fit the image in her mind was not a stranger anymore. It was her daughter. She knew my heart. She knew my faith. She knew that having tattoos did not suddenly change who I was or how much I loved Jesus. And I think that forced her to reconsider some of the assumptions she had carried for years. Sometimes that's what it takes.We have a category in our minds about "hose kinds of people"---until someone we loves becomes one of "those people." Then we begin to realize that outside of a person tells us very little about what God is doing inside them.
We can look at tattoos, piercings, clothing, politics, reputation, or someone's past and believe we already know their story. But Jesus never reduced people to what others could see. Apparently, God can even use a tattooed, pierced, motorcycle-riding pastor's kid. And if God can use me, we need to be very careful about deciding who He cannot use. We may know someone's past, but we do not know what God is doing in their heart right now.
So what stops us?
I spent most of last week with my family in Branson, Missouri, and at Silver Dollar City. On the last day we were there, I finally got the chance to ride WildFire. Wildfire is not a calm little ride. It climbs high above the Ozark hills, drops fifteen stories, reaches around sixty-six miles per hour, and turns you upside down five different times. There was no line, so naturally, I took advantage ofi t and rode it four times in a row. Afterward, I met back up with with Alex and the kids. Jordan asked me. "If you're afraid of heights, how can you have so much fun on that roller coaster?" Then he asked me how he could learn not to be afraid like that. I explained that I really am afraid of heights. THe difference is that when I get on that roller coaster, I trust the ride. O trust that it has been designed and inspected. I trust the restraints holding me in place. I trust the park and the people operating it. The ride feels scary, but it was not created to hurt me. My fear does not automatically disappear. I still have to make the choice to sit down, pu;; tje restraint over me, and let the ride leave the station. I cannot expereince the excitement on the ride while standing safely outside the gate. At some point, I have to decide whether my trust is greater than my fear. That conversation made me think about how often fear holds us back from doing what Jesus asks us to do.
We are afraid someone will reject us. We are afraid we will say the wrong thing. We are afraid they will ask a question we cannot answer. We are afraid the conversation will become uncomfortable.
Following Jesus does not mean we never feel afraid. Trusting God does not mean every part of the journey will feel safe, easy, or comfortable. It means we believe the One holding us is stronger that the fear trying to stop us. At some point, we have to decide whether we trust God enough to take the next step---even while we are still afraid.
So I will ask gain: What stops us? What makes it hard to talk to someone about Jesus?