Let’s Lose Some Weight – 8

                                                             Let’s Lose Some Weight – 8

Subject – What You Looking At

By Rick Welborne

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NKJV)                                                                                                                                                                                                                ¹  Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
²  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
³  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 

--Last week we looked at the Four cylinders of Life Church in my humble opinion.

1. Our first cylinder is the Word of God. The Scriptures Inspired – The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct. 

--We must obey the Word of God!

2. Our second cylinder is welcoming Holy Spirit. Baptism of Holy Spirit – All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the Promise of the Father, the baptism of Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

--We must be filled with Holy Spirit power!

3. Our third cylinder is home and foreign missions. 

Matthew 24:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 

--We must be a church dedicated to the Great Commission at home and to the nations!

4. Our fourth cylinder is generosity. God so loved the world that He gave…Jesus so loved the Father and the world that He gave…Holy Spirit so loves the Father, the Son, and the world that He gives us power to be witnesses.

--Everything about God has giving and generosity all over it. Don’t tell me you are Christ-like (Christian) if you do not have a heart to be generous. Generosity has blessed Life Church and sustained us through difficult times. 

--We must be a church of extreme generosity!

--Today I want to talk to you about the thought…What you looking at?

1. Look at the Fields

John 4:31-38 (NLT2)
³¹  Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.”
³²  But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”
³³  “Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other.
³⁴  Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.
³⁵  You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.
³⁶  The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!
³⁷  You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true.
³⁸  I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.” 

--The disciple were trying to get Jesus to eat and Jesus said to “Listen guys, I have food that you know nothing about…My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 

--Jesus was saying nothing satisfies me more than doing God’s will. What was He talking about? He was talking about bringing people to eternal life. Winning the lost. Missions!

--What is our nourishment, what stirs us to action, what is our motivation in the Kingdom of God, what do we perceive to be the will of God? I hope it is the Great Commission.

--For weeks I have desperately tried to communicate with you the passion of God the Father and Jesus Christ is reaching this lost world with the good news that Jesus saves. 

--What are you looking at? Jesus said “Wake up and lift up your eyes to the fields”. Have you ever heard of mission fields? 

--Even Jesus then was saying to His followers “Wake up and look.” I wonder if we truly get what it means for people to be lost. If people do not receive Christ, they will spend eternity in Hell.

--Do we even weep over lost family members and pray every day several times a day for their salvation. People are hurting and they are lost.

--Yes, they may say, “I don’t want to hear it.” But they may not be what is in their hearts. My dad was so mean and vile when I would share Christ with Him.

--When he would hit me and spit on me and cuss me out, through tears I would tell him that I am going to love you into the Kingdom of God.

--Listen to what my dad told me after he gave his heart to Jesus. Every time you shared with me about Jesus and me needing to be saved, it was just like a spear through my heart.

--Don’t give up on the prodigals…love them, share with them through the brokenness of your heart and let Holy Spirit do His work. Always be trying to lead someone to Jesus.

--Ever heard of sowing and reaping. You lead someone to Christ and help us reach the lost through missions, God will make sure someone is reaching out to your lost loved ones.  

--Look at the fields, Church! They are ready for harvest. So much fear, anxiety, uncertainty, anger, questions. Jesus is still the answer for a lost world. 

--All of us should be so thankful that we are a part of a church with a godly worldview. Instead of looking inward we are looking at the fields that are ready to be harvested.

John 4:36-38 (NLT2)
³⁶  The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!
³⁷  You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true.
³⁸  I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”

--We should not care who gets the credit for people being won into the Kingdom of God as long as God gets all the glory. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! What joy for the missionary and the sender.

2. Look out for the Good of Others.

Philippians 2:1-11 (NIV)
¹  If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
²  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
³  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
⁴  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
⁵  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
⁶  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷  but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
⁸  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
⁹  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

--Paul is exhorting the church that if you are truly united with Christ and are really thankful for that, then stop thinking just about yourselves and look at others.

--Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Stop being self-centered. Your relationship with Jesus was never meant to be a private thing. Should be shared. Dr. Smith:

Dr. Smith – What did you want from me? How many times have you heard the gospel? How many church services have you attended? Were you expecting something new from me? What right do you have to hear the gospel over and over when so many have never heard it for the first time? What makes you so special?

--Every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord…not because they are forced to on judgment day but because we have reached out to them personally and thru missions.

3. Look to Jesus

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)                                                                                                                                                                                                                ¹  Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
²  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

--You will never get missions or evangelism on your own. Look to Jesus. Since people are watching and because people are lost, we should lay aside anything that keeps us from being like Jesus.

--For the joy set before Him He endured the cross despising its shame…He went thru torture, crucifixion, humiliation, shame, and pain for joy. What Joy?

--Jesus went thru all that for us so He could do the will of the Father and so that He could win the lost (to finish His work). Paul:

1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV) ¹⁵  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.