A Message for Everyone

By Pastor Greg Byman
September 16, 2018
St Joe Community Church

His message is simple enough for a child to understand and profound enough to make a wise man marvel. His message is available and open to anyone who simply…believes. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. God offers to forgive a sinner for all his sins – the “big” ones and the “small” ones alike, if the sinner simply believes by faith that Jesus Christ was and is who he said he was – the prophesied, promised messiah. Today’s message is for everyone – Jew, gentile, male, female, dark-skinned, light-skinned, other-skinned. “A Message For Everyone” was preached by Pastor Greg Byman at St Joe Community Church on September 16, 2018.

Pastor's Notes

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Transcript

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Well it's finally time to have a message for everyone. And you know. I've been studying I've been looking on Facebook I've been figuring out what all you're doing and I got a point for everybody today and I do look at Facebook but. I usually forget most of the things I see is so much to see and some things I want to forget and I can't anyway. When we are in the book of Acts this morning Chapter ten if you have a Bible if you have a Bible app on your phone please go to that because really what the Bible says is more important what I say and I hope what I say has it matches or at least gives clarity to what the Bible has already said because God has spoken he's not speaking any more he's not speaking any less what he said has lasted this long and he said Jesus said His Word would last forever so it's not just the red letters that matter it's all the letters of the bible it's a every part of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and this is our authority for prayer them practice is what we use because it's got to be a baseline it's got to be a baseline it's got to be you've got to have a watermark that says this is where we stand when you build a foundation you've got to have a level and you've got to level it out and you've got to say this is where it's going to go and no farther if you are in a marshy bad area you've got to put pylons down and you've got to get down to bed rock you've got to get down somewhere where finally it's solid that it's not going to go any further. And you've got to have a measuring stick because this wall over here and needs to match this wall over here I always find it amazing that people can build a bridge from one side of the river to the other side of the river and they actually at the middle match. I've seen those Photoshop ones where the two bridges were like this way ever seen that and you go somebody one thing can. We know that those are probably false. We gotta have a measuring stick you gotta have a measure to say in my measuring up in mind not am I doing it right am I not in my mind moving forward in my moving backwards we all want to see the progress we all want to see where we are somehow someway and God's Word is that measuring stick it is that foundation it is that constant in a sea of change everything changes around us politics change around us. The way in which people do things change around us the carpet changes clothing changes all kinds of things change. Even traditions that are not necessarily bad traditions coming go personal preferences come and go but God's Word is that constant source that consistency that keeps us moving in the right direction and knowing that in spite of all those changes are we measuring up. This is a story that we lift out of the experience of the church beginning to grow and at this point in time for the most part the church was growing among the Jewish nation. Not only in Jerusalem but outside of Jerusalem and so Jesus said calm and died and rose again on the third day he ascended into heaven he had commissioned as his disciples to go and tell the world that he ascended into heaven and in Acts Chapter One it says that you will be my witnesses everywhere to the uttermost parts of the world it says. But at this point the Jewish nation those who are believers in Jesus Christ who were Jewish didn't really put it in their minds that it meant non Jews. Now they were willingly. Witnessing to people who were God for yours that were non jews that were practicing the Jewish faith but it did not occur to them that somebody outside of that circle of the Jewish tradition of the Israelite movement so to speak. Whatever be part of be candidates for salvation in Jesus Christ. And this story happens to be the moment that God breaks into Peter's life when the most devout they're all devout Jews but he was truly a Jews Jew I mean he was he was that blue collar plugger go after it just like Why that's just how it is and I'm one of those boisterous big mouth guys that would just tell you like it was. And God said it's time for you to know that Gentiles non Jews need Jesus too. And he had this big vision where he brought all these food all these animals down that they have previously had been able to eat in the Jewish culture it was kosher you hear the word kosher now that it wasn't kosher to eat those things the old testament rituals and the law was in place and it was the ceremonial law and it was the cleanliness clean laws and I just want to say that at this moment my life was just made wonderful because being a Christian I can eat pork. I just love pork I love love pork and how many you're going to you know GO Pig or go home is what Bob Evans now has a shirt that I'm going to have to buy and so you magine is hog came down and he said eat some of that I don't know if he had it it was cooked or whatever it was and Peter says I have a thing to do with that it's ongoing and God says I've made it clean it's OK. What he was saying was I'm breaking through from the Jewish nation and I'm bringing salvation to the whole world beyond the Jewish nation I came through the Jewish nation but now I'm coming to the whole world and Peter says yes oh yes three times this vision came down and let Peter know that it was OK And at that same moment he said there's going to be some people knocking on the door and this guy wants you to come talk to him about Jesus Christ you need to go with them and sure enough knock on the door be. Because Cornelius the guy in the story who is talking to what I'm going to read the moment he got a vision from a man in a holy dazzling robe and he says your prayers have been heard and you need to call for Peter somebody come tell you about Jesus and so he sent his messengers to go get Peter and so he's having a vision Peter's having a vision God is speaking to the world that he's about to break forth and because of this moment now how many here are blood Jews in the room anybody a blood Jew in the room you're. Nobody in the room which means how many of you are non Jews in the room. You all are the beneficiaries of the story. Yea yeah we can. Thank you God All right so now you get the picture of what's going on let me read for us this particular passage and starting in verse thirty four then Peter began to speak he gets to his house and now he's beginning to tell him the story in truth I understand that God doesn't show favoritism but in every nation the person who fears him and does righteousness is acceptable to him he sent the message to the sons of Israel put claiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ he is lord of all you know the events that took place throughout all Judea beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached how God appointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power and how he went about doing good and curing all who were under the tyranny of the devil because God was with him we ourselves are witnesses of everything he did in both the day and country and in Jerusalem yet they killed him by hanging him on a tree God raised up this man on the third day and permitted him to be seen not by all the people but. By us witnesses appointed beforehand by God who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead he commanded us to preach to the people and a solemn we testify that he is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead all the prophets testify about him that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins so what are we talking about here a message for everyone this is a message that applies to every single person in the world it applies to every single person in the room maybe you are already a follower of Jesus Christ this story has implications for how you live out your Christian life and has a way to help us maybe in our national crisis of prejudice and racism in the problems that we face and the disunity that we find all over our nation today this story gives us hope that we ought to be the light of unity in the midst of disunity in our nation today doesn't mean that we're all going to vote the same way doesn't mean we're all going to always think the same way but it is Christ that unites us in the middle of everything else that we're doing in life and that we all move forward in the name of Jesus Christ on the authority of his word how to live our life. This story has implications for us as Christians that we ought not ever think more highly of ourselves than we ought to because all of us are centers saved by grace this as a story message this is a message for everyone in this room who is thinking about following Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and that God already is speaking in your life and moving in your life and you're here today maybe you say well lodges will go to church today well that's a nice random act that you've decided to do but what do you wonder that maybe it was orchestrated you might be here for such occasion as this and that while jokingly I said I checked all your face books I don't know what's going on in this room other than the general knowledge of what I know as as what your brother in Christ but the reality and God knows what you're talking about going in on in your life and he's going to speak to you and he's going to encourage you he's going to help you to take that next right step in your life and as I speak today and as you've already seen Mikey get baptized today God's already working in your life long before you got here and people were probably even praying for you. Long before you came here today God's doing something in your life and this message is for everyone who is seeking Christ and for someone here today who's just here because they have to be here I don't know what that might be maybe their parents dragged them to church today or maybe you came because you got a grudging Lee accepted an invitation to come I don't know why you're here today maybe you're just to look good and maybe with your clothes you do but on the inside you know you're not so good and you're not following God in any way shape or form in fact he's far from you or at least you're far from him and the way you're living your life and you don't have any interest in him and the bottom passage of this says that Jesus is is the judge of both the living in the dead and so today you need to understand and know that this message is for you that someday you will give an account to Jesus Christ and someday you will have to face him and say What have you done with my salvation through my death on the cross for your sins have you accepted it or have you openly rejected it all your life he doesn't want to send you away from himself forever but he's never going to force you to do something you don't want to do and so we all have a choice today of whether we're going to live for Him or not live for him there's no middle road well let's rate this right this look at this a little more carefully as I've explained it first of all Jesus is the savior of everyone that's what this passage is saying it says here that he came through the nascence of Israel he sent this message to the sons of Israel verse that he six proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ. And then he died for all but he's also the judge of all and at the bottom there it says that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sin He is the forgive or of everyone see here. Jesus is the savior not just for Jewish people or white people or for or American people or Western civilization people gods not just the God of of the civil the people who colonized America he's the god of every person in the world he came through the Jewish culture Jesus was born a Jew he is fully God fully man but it says He came as Jesus of Nazareth it says here he came here is Jesus of Nazareth from Galilee scuse me and then it says. No it says He Jesus of Nazareth and then the Holy Spirit with power so it's that combination Peter is saying in this in this little short preaching message to Cornelius in and the people around him Jesus came as a man but he had power as God. And he was helping all those who were under the tyranny of the devil here's here to set us free this mess is for everyone because I don't know if there's anyone in this room that doesn't struggle with some kind of scent in their life as if that person does I'd really like to take notes on how you do that because we're all dealing with something you suggest as soon as you get over with one sin and God's given you victory over that suddenly you're all I still have a few more steps to take in my life and I'm now I'm now you start working on the thought life instead of the physical life maybe of your life your behaviors get fixed but then your mental life needs to get fast and fixed in all these different areas of your life we know that it's you know we just are continually progressing towards God and it's in heaven that we're perfect. And so we see that Jesus he came to help us get out from under the tyranny of Satan. There's a particular song that I like and says fear. Is a liar. And if you said they're living in fear and trembling as a Christian if you're sitting here thinking that that you're no good and you're worthless and you don't have any kind of hope for moving forward and you keep hitting against this one particular scent in your life and you just keep doing the things that you keep saying I don't want to do that OK no more God I'm not going to do it anymore and then one more time you go after tea and it's like it's just this never and and you just need to know that that that defeat. God has given you the victory and you do not have to live in defeat and you can move forward today whatever that is in your life that you're struggling with Jesus wants to help you if you'll just continue to you know around here we talk about putting people in our lives helping people get around us because again that's what the family of God is about it's not about saying I have my name somewhere on a role it's that I have a group of family that's cheering for me and encouraging me to live out my life the way God intended for me to live it and I got people to lean on in my time of great need and sorrow and the and the most difficult place you'll ever be is when you as a Christian are far from your church family they can help you and encourage you in your walk because we need to hear from others you're not alone. You know how to live this life by yourself Jesus lives inside of you you can get over whatever it is that's going on in your life and we are with you to walk with you through that process. So if Jesus is the savior of everyone here's some implications this morning if he's the savior of everyone. If you really is the savior of every nation and tongue of every ethnicity of every social class of every income level of every power status that means I must see everyone as equal to me that we're all equal. There's no difference between us we have different looks. We all have different ways of. Getting up in the morning some enjoy the morning some enjoy when mornings over. Some of us we have we work with our hands the Brawn some work with their brain some have musical ability some have greater abilities some have writing ability some have all math abilities some have all kinds of ability but we're all equal there's no room for racism there's no room for prejudice. Heaven's going to be multi-colored. Heaven is going to be a lot different than what we've been living like here on Earth. It's going to be different and I always think to myself. As I was reading this passage. Do I predispose myself who I talk to when I'm out and about. I just gravitate to the people that look like me talk like me act like me. Do I miss opportunities to talk to someone who is waiting to hear a good word. But because of my predisposed attitude I don't think about it. Maybe I'm not necessarily sinning but am I really on target with what God wants me to do that day if I'm not thinking about the fact that this person who is so unlike me is just like me. And is just as needy and is just as precious in God's eyes as I am. Now I don't want to put a guilt trip on I mean there's ever a mistress as well I don't think I don't like anybody. Peter never got it in his mind that Cornelius needed Jesus it just didn't occur to him he'd think about it it was just a kneejerk reaction what and we had that same problem in our lives as as as a human being on this earth we're still working we're still working to get over our predisposed notions of people in our lives and this story tells us we need to break through that. The second implication is that we must implication is that I must ask God to help me believe in Jesus. See here can hear us was praying to God and God heard his prayer I must seek God. So why don't I don't know who Jesus is but I want to know Him Yeah a you're on the path and even as you are asking questions God is preparing a messenger to come talk to you about Jesus Christ. Even the small in your heart is warm to thinking about following Jesus and the message is that Jesus came he died he rose again and why did he die he died to save us from our sins we deserved to die and be separated from God forever in eternity a place called Hell God never sends us there he willingly lets us go there by our own choice when we refuse to trust in Jesus as their Savior. This message is for everyone this morning it's a message for us who remember when it was that Jesus came into our life this wasn't something we did all by ourselves it's something that helped that other people helped us find and follow Him For me it was my pastor when I was a young grade schooler about the age of Micah actually when I became a Christian it was my son his school teacher before that that began to tell me Mrs Plunket she would tell me about Jesus Christ yes her name was Plunkett and these people invested in me it was my mom and dad who brought me to a church family week in and week out and involve me in the life of the church and in children's ministry and later in youth ministry it was the people in my life that brought to me that message of Jesus Christ not all at once not just a moment and move on but a life of investment Peter was being prepared to talk to Cornelius but Cornelius had to cry out and say God I want to know you. And God said I've heard your prayers and I'm sending someone to you go get him to tell you about Jesus Christ I must seek God to help me believe in Jesus are you doing that today some is say well I don't know if I believe this Bible or this G.'s I want you to just I guarantee you I double dog dare you. To start praying God if you're real make yourself known in my life I dare you because I believe that is the best dare and the best result that could ever happen if you're serious about wanting God in your life and your wanting to trust in Jesus says I don't know if I want to trust in Jesus but God give me a want to just just start praying that and let's just see what happens I'll be waiting to hear from you OK or talk to somebody in a small group talk to somebody talk to me. God is pursuing you right now. He's looking for you. You're not far from him he's always been right there waiting for you in your breath to say God. I need you. And you and I as believers in Jesus Christ have an opportunity to change the story of people in our lives to change the story of people in this church family that come here week in and week out and we don't really know him that well but maybe we ought to. And maybe a week in and week out you're being served by somebody. That you don't even realize is going through a tough time or maybe. Maybe you've got a friend that you have not reached out to in a while and it's time for you to change the story and help them to move forward let's watch this video illustration of what I'm talking about. I don't know where you're at this morning I have never had a blanket come down with all kinds of things that I didn't think I should eat and God said eat it it's clean go after somebody else that you're not on after but I'll tell you it's a video like that it's a reminder from the scripture. That God says let's go make a difference let's open our eyes and let's see who God wants us to encourage in ways that we never thought we could before or never thought to do in our own selfish little world that we live in. Point number two and we're going to be done. Everyone is accountable to Jesus. In the beginning here in this passage it says. Jesus is Lord of all. Verse thirty six at the end he is lord of all. This is a man that is lord of some. This doesn't mean that this means he's lord of everybody. He's lord of every single person in the world. Lord means boss in charge authority over he's in authority over our government he's an authority over whatever mysterious government you might think actually exists out there that's controlling the world of our government how many Illuminati is out there. He's in control of that he's a control of all of it. And if he is the highest authority. Then he deserves and demands our respect period. And it says at the bottom of that passage he says he's lord of all but at the bottom of that passage he says that God has appointed him to be judge of the living in the dead verse forty two. Some day we're going to stand before God and Jesus and want to died for our sins the one who paid our price our debt that we could not pay off that Jesus who came as the suffering servant. Who loved us when we were unlovely. Who cared for us we could care less who brought us cleanliness when we were super unclean. Who looks in the muck in the mire and he wipes away the mud and he says I love you you're my child I made you in my image and I want you to live that way if only your trust in me. Will someday stand before him. Says in another passage in the New Testament that EVERY me is going to bow. And every time is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father we are all going to give an account to Jesus Christ some will give it all I have already given him to be a natural response for all those of us who are believers in this room we will humbly balun say thank you that we know you and your our Savior and your lord we are brothers we are your children in Christ we are we are yours and we're yours forever and others are going to gnash their teeth and they're going to grind and they're going to remember all the times they could have trusted in Jesus Christ and yet they refused to put their faith in him because of something going on in the world that they thought was more important than eternity. And he will judge them and say there's nothing I can do but to sing you wait for me forever. And ever knew you get away from me. You didn't want me on this earth why would you ever want to spend eternity with me in heaven he's the judge of the living in the dead I don't say this in an enjoyable way and I'll say this in a way that makes you go yeah it's going to get those people that didn't trust him him that bothers me I get wrecked when I think about it I it wrecked when I think about someone who is rebellious against God And right now they're standing in judgment and there's no way out of it except by turning to him it bothers me that someone somewhere else in this world is not hearing about Jesus because we have not being careful enough to raise up people to go and tell the good news to Jesus of Jesus Christ of those people. That someone here is not receiving the call they've got that call but we as a church maybe haven't fostered that call in their life maybe we haven't given enough financial aid to invest in people to go and tell someone about Jesus somewhere else and it wrecks me to think that this church sitting on this corner living out our life only fifteen years young and yet are we willing to sacrifice all we've already been received all we have already received is a church family that someone else might know about Jesus Christ always willing to to give up the intimacy of the Fellowship to invite other people in in relationship so that they could know him and grow in him. It wrecks me to think that maybe someone in this city and I can do something about it. And have I. Or will I he's the judge he's the Lord. Do we really but here's the implication. The implication is I must believe in Jesus to be forgiven of my sins that's the first one that's the only one really is I've got to trust in Him to forgive me it says at the very end there yes he is the judge but all the prophets testify about him that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins. I must believe in Jesus to be forgiven. I've got to trust in Him I can't trust in anybody else I can't trust in myself I can't trust in other people don't even trust in church membership or don't trust in baptism you trust in Jesus don't trust in religion religion a ritual I had one family have told you this before I was going to do their funeral that's the word is not religious people and I said that is wonderful because I'm not a religious pastor I believe in having a relationship with Jesus Christ religion I understand religion and its and its original connotation but it's gotten a bad rap these days it's about ritual it's about self-righteousness it's about hypocrisy at its finest. Glorified and when I want to talk about his relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ not someone I have to fear someone who is my friend forever and that starts by just simply saying Jesus I know I'm a sinner. And I know you died on the cross to save me from my sins to forgive me of my sins to pay the penalty that I deserved and Jesus I ask you to forgive me I believe in you I believe you died and rose again I believe you came back to life I believe that you are the lord of all and I put my life in your hands to do with as you please. It's a simple as that this morning. It's as simple as turning away from where I'm living and turning towards the living God who wants to save me from my sins. So as a recap this morning. This is a message for everyone we believe that Jesus is the savior of everyone in the world not just a few people not just Western Civilization everybody needs Jesus he came and died for me and he rose three days later from the dead. The second implication is believe in Jesus as my Savior. Because he's seeking me out right now he's seeking you out you seeking all of us out for those of us and know Him He wants a deeper relationship in a walk with us for those of you that Gnome and he wants to start that walk right now. Jesus forgives my sins if only I will believe in Him I got to put my trust in him this message just for everyone so that means we've got to tell everyone. We've got to tell you one because everyone is just like me I'm a sinner they're a center and Jesus died for centers everyone needs Jesus not just our family but every family that's on the earth who will know about Jesus because I told them about Jesus it's almost like if you figured out how to feed your family. And you figured out how to kill the ground and make it work. And then the family in here didn't figure it out and they starved to death. Because you didn't show them how to feed their family. We call that a crime of humanity. I think it's a crime of eternity if we don't willing to tell people we're not willing to bend our lives around what it means to help others find and follow Jesus Christ.