Part 4 - Jesus and His Hometown

SCRIPTURE READING

Luke 4:14 – 31

“14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.

23 Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.' "

24 "I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian."

28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”

INTRODUCTION

I. Jesus returned to Galilee being led by the Holy Spirit

a. He taught in the Synagogues

b. Fame spread because of His teachings and Miracles

c. He was praised by all!

II. He was back in Nazareth

a. Where He was brought up (Shows His humanity)

b. He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day as was the custom (means He was faithful…slang)

c. He stood to read (Jesus read the Word!!! So should we!)

d. He read a passage from Isaiah;

Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Rolling it back up He gave it to the attendant, and sat down. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Jesus!

III. Jesus said “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing…”

• The spirit of the Lord is upon me –
• He speaks of the Holy Spirit
• Received BEFORE His ministry began
• Jesus followed the leading of the Spirit!
• Followed Him back to Nazareth
• Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary!
• Because He has anointed me –
• Jesus was the ultimate anointed one
• Because of the Cross, all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Him
• The anointing of the Holy Spirit we receive is by Christ alone!
• To preach the Gospel to the poor –
• Poor in Spirit
• KJV – He sent Me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners –
• Prisoners of SIN
• Freedom from eternal damnation
• Freedom from the penalties of sin
• Freedom through Christ – Salvation
• PROCLAIM – Jesus preached the Gospel but the Cross was where the freedom was fulfilled
• Recovery of sight for the blind –
• Sight for the Spiritually blind
• RECOVERY (they could once see) speaking of the Jews
• To release the oppressed
• Who is oppressed? A lot of us…
• Many are imprisoned mentally or spiritually
• Jesus Christ alone, through what He did at the Cross, can open that prison door!
• To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor –
• Many scholars believe that this message was given by Jesus on the first day of the year of Jubilee.
• Every 50 years, according to the book of Leviticus, on Jubilee year, the slaves and prisoners were released, debts were forgiven, & the miracles of God manifested.
• Catholics in 1300 (Pope Boniface 8^th) evoked the “Holy Year”, and added a required pilgrimage to a sacred site of your choice, usually the City of Rome, and in 1450 the Catholics decided every 50 years was not enough, and started celebrating every 25 years.

By Jesus saying, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing…” He is saying “I am the messiah.”

22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.

23 Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.' "

24 "I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown.

25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years (also the length of Jesus’ Earthly ministry) and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.

Many were in need in Elijah’s time, but God sent him to another land.

27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian."

Again, many in Israel were in need of God, but God sent His prophet to another land where He would be received.

And we see it was the same in Jesus’ time, Israel, the Jews, did not accept Him, and God’s Holy Spirit sent Him to other lands, the Gentiles.

28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.

29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”

CONCLUSION

Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s Word.

Jesus came so that you could be freed from your captivity.

That freedom is by Christ alone.

And the Holy Spirit is given by Christ alone.

When the Word is proclaimed, and the Spirit of God comes to your heart, will you receive Him, or turn Him away as so many have done?

The Heavens were opened up on the day Jesus received the Holy Spirit, and they will also be closed as in the days of Noah when the ark was closed by God, and no more was there salvation for those from the coming floods.

The Rapture is going to be that day, and we do not know when it will come, but once it does, as in the days of Noah, the doors to Salvation will be closed, and the time of tribulation and Jacobs’s trouble will begin.

Don’t wait, receive Jesus now into your heart and allow His Holy Spirit to descend upon you.

Altar Call

Part 3 - Jesus and the Sameritan Woman

SCRIPTURE READING

John 4:5 – 26

“5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

16 He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."

17 "I have no husband," she replied.

Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

25 The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

26 Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

INTRODUCTION

I. Jesus as a man (His humanity)

a. He was tired and had to rest at the well.

b. Showing He was truly the Word made Flesh!

c. The sixth hour is noon, by the Jewish clock.

II. Jacobs Well

a. It is still there today, nearly 4000 years after Jacob.

b. Jesus asked the Woman for a drink.

c. She was surprised because most Jews do not speak to Samaritans, let alone ask for a favor because He had nothing to draw water from the well with.

d. Animosity was high between the Jews and the Samaritans

e. Jesus took this opportunity to witness…Jesus (God) is isolated by holiness, and the woman (man) is isolated by sin, yet Jesus brings the two together.

III. Living Water

a. A comparison between water from the well and living water is a comparison between religion and relationship with God.

b. Drink from one and you will only become thirsty again as if you never drank, but from the other your soul will be satisfied, because you will then have a living well spring up within you that will lead to everlasting life.

c. This Holy Spirit indwelling is a MUST for worshipping God, serving the Lord, and everlasting life in heaven.

IV. Her focus was on Jacob and worship as her fathers did

a. She begins to have some understanding of this Living Water

b. BUT, there needs to be shown a NEED of pardon from sin and the need for a savior, because the profession of faith without pardon is worthless.

c. Sin stood between her and receiving the Holy Spirit, the living water.

d. Jesus points out her sin by asking a simple question, and the Holy Spirit convicts her conscience.

e. Our lifestyle stands in the way of our relationship with God.

V. A time is coming

a. She asked Jesus about worshipping as her fathers did, or if she had to worship as the Jews say

b. Jesus says, NEITHER!

21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

25 The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

26 Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

God is not looking for Holy Worship, but Holly Worshippers.

ALTAR CALL

Have you been introduced to the Savior?

Have you received the promise of the Father, this living water to spring up inside of you so that your soul can be satisfied and you too can receive and everlasting life with the Father in heaven?

Or, is there something in this world keeping you from a relationship with God?

Is the lust of your flesh causing you to live in sin?

Is your love of THINGS or money keeping you from the Lord?

The Holy Spirit wants to reveal these things to you, so that you will allow Him to work in your life, and remove the things of this world so that you can focus on the things in heaven.

Jesus said, heaven and earth WILL pass away, but my words are eternal.

Our treasures are supposed to be in heaven, not here on earth.

Put your focus on heavenly things, make the Lord first in your life, and live for the one who died for you.

Part 2 - Jesus and Nicodemus

SCRIPTURE READING

John 3:1 – 21

“1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

INTRODUCTION

I. Who was Nicodemus?

a. A Pharisee & Ruler of the Jews

b. One of the three richest men in Jerusalem

c. A member of the Sanhedrin

II. He came to Jesus by night.

a. We don’t know why.

b. “We know you are a teacher who has come from God.”

c. Because, no man could do what Jesus did, except God be with him, and He was in the form of the Holy Spirit.

III. Jesus answers Nicodemus.

a. You must be born again, or you cannot see the Kingdom of God.

b. Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand…

c. The Kingdom of God is here and now! Only the saved are part of the Kingdom, and only the saved can see and understand the Kingdom because it is spiritual.

d. People today don’t see it…they miss out on the benefits and blessings as well as the protection, peace and more that come within the Kingdom of God. To SEE it, you have to be part of it.

e. You MUST be born again, Jesus says…

IV. How can a man be born again?

a. This statement shows two things, first Nicodemus did not understand the Kingdom because he was not saved, and second he was not saved!

b. He was a leader of Jews, a Pharisee, one of the three richest men in the land, and he had no hope! Salvation is hope, being born again is where our hope is, and Jesus Christ is our hope!

c. He did not understand the teachings of the prophets, and what it meant to have a right spirit.

5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

V. Born of water (natural birth) and born of Spirit (comes by God alone)

a. Neither is reference to water baptism.

b. Why must you be born of water to enter the Kingdom of God?

c. BECAUSE being born again---Salvation---is ONLY for mankind!

d. Angels cannot be redeemed. There is no salvation for the fallen.

e. Jesus is saying you must be mankind AND born of the Spirit which only comes by God.

f. Jesus likens the “born-again” experience to wind, which comes and goes, but is impossible to tell exactly how. Try…It’s hard to!

g. It is a spiritual birth, so can not be explained intellectually.

Jesus explains to Nicodemus that He had already told him earthly things, and Nicodemus did not believe, how could He explain heavenly things to him?

Moses lifted up a snake, as a symbolic representation of what Christ was going to do to remove the sin from those who looked upon Him, just as that snake had removed the poison from those in the desert.

Jesus then explains exactly why God sent Him.

“God so loved the world that He sent His only Son;

Whoever believes in Him will have everlasting life.”

God did not send Him to condemn the world…it’s already condemned.

This is why we are not supposed to judge those outside of the Body of Christ.

We are supposed to be saving them from everlasting hell, not pushing them away from the church because they are living like they are lost…they are lost!

The scripture says they are already condemned!

Like a house before it’s tore down…

God sent Jesus so the world would have an escape from that destruction.

Then before Jesus ascended, He sent us through the great commission to continue this work of rescuing the lost.

He who believes will not be condemned along with the world; he who does not believe is already condemned.

ALTAR CALL

Part 1 - The First Cleansing of the Temple

SCRIPTURE READING

John 2:13 – 22

“And the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 14 And found in the Temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the Temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them who sold doves, Take these things hence; make not My Father’s House a house of merchandise. 17 And His Disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of Your House has eaten me up.”

INTRODUCTION

I. Jesus’ ministry began on the Passover

† He shows us HE is the Passover, and will do away with sacrifice because sacrifice was given to teach of Him.

† His ministry also ends on Passover, for the same reason.

† The Temple (as many at that time) had fallen for the love of money, they were using the Temple for a store front to gain profit for themselves, not raising money for the operation of the Temple.

† It WAS the Lord’s Passover, but it had become the Jews Passover.

II. The Temple was cleaned before He began preaching

† Jesus symbolically removed the authority of the Priests through the cleansing of the Temple, and replaced it with Himself and His teachings.

† This shows us our state, and that we too must be cleansed by Jesus before He can fill us with what is Good.

† Jesus displayed His Zeal for His Father’s House, and was not in kind in defending the Temple. This also shows us, that when Jesus cleans us out, and resides there, He will defend us with that very same zeal, for WE are the Temple of God and the Holy Spirit.

† He drove all those out with their SHEEP, and OXEN, yet spoke to the one selling Doves.

† Sheep are symbolic of sacrifice, which is no more because of Christ.

† Oxen are symbolic of Christ being the “beast of burden” and taking all of our sins once for all!

† Doves are symbolic of the Holy Spirit, and to the one selling Doves, Jesus said, “Take these things (doves) from here!” This is to show us, the Holy Spirit no longer resides in the Temple walls, for He is now available to all who receive Christ Jesus.

† Jesus also says, “…make not my Father’s House a House of Merchandise.”

† These sacrificial animals were being sold by those to make personal profit. And the money changers (who converted coin from around the world into Temple money) were cheating people in the conversion for personal profit. They turned the Temple into a department store.

† The leaders of the Temple had allowed this because of their love for money.

1 Timothy 6:10

“10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s.”

Matthew 6:24

“24 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Hebrews 13:5

“5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you."

The Priests love for money allowed merchants who cheated for gain into the Temple.

The Priests love of money caused them to not believe Jesus, because they would lose their stature and people would stop giving to the Temple.

Judas’ love for money led him to be the Disciples treasurer.

Judas’ love of money caused him to sell out Jesus for a few thousand dollars (30 sheckles = 120 Danarii, which equals approx. 3 months wages.)

III. Yard Sales, Bake Sales & Raising Money

† Why was Jesus upset with the people in the Temple?

o They were using the Temple for personal profit

o They were stealing from those trying to meet with God

o The Priests had become lovers of money

† Should we have yard sales, bake sales, and fund raisers?

o We shouldn’t have to! If everyone tithes what God wants them to tithe, the church will operate as it is supposed to. Rent will be paid, lights will be paid, gas will be paid, taxes will be paid, etc…

o Churches usually do these things because bills need to be paid.

o Is it wrong for us? If we are making profit…if we are stealing from those who come to meet with God…yes. But to pay what we owe, to Caesar, we have to have finances.

Tithing is something that we do because God requires it.

10% is an amount most of us have come accustomed to, but that is from the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament, 10% belonged to the Lord, but in the New, ALL belongs to the Lord.

It’s not a question of “How much of my money am I going to give to the Lord?, the real question each week is “How much of the Lord’s money am I going to keep?”

Some of you may not think you can give much, but as with the Widow, she gave all she had, which is more than those who give a little of what they have.

It’s about obedience, and it’s about serving the Lord and not money.

There was a rich man, who was a lover of money,

And He asked Jesus in Luke 18:18b; 21-23,

“18b …Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Calling Jesus Master shows he was a follower.

“21 And he said (to Jesus), All these have I kept from my youth up (speaking of the commandments).

22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet you lack one thing:

Sell all that you have, and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.”

He loved his money more than the Lord, and the only way he could ever serve Jesus, was to stop serving his money, for the scriptures say, “You can not serve two masters…”

CONCLUSION

So I ask you today, is your body the Temple of the living God?

Have you made Jesus Christ your Lord and savior?

Have you let Jesus clean out your Temple?

Have you allowed the Holy Spirit to dwell within you?

Knowing the Word of God and serving Jesus is two different things.

Salvation is FREE.

To follow Jesus costs little.

To serve Him costs EVERYTHING.

Today I ask you, which master do you serve?

ALTAR CALL

Part 12 - The Rest of the Disciples called

SCRIPTURE READING

Luke 6:12-16

“12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.”

INTRODUCTION

I. The Rest of the Disciples are called

† Jesus sought the Will of the Father first

The scriptures record that Jesus prayed constantly, among other things, He was seeking the Will of the Father.

Specifically in regards to the choice of the twelve disciples; because by this time scholars believe that Jesus had quite a following.

They believe He had about 100 or so followers.

† Jesus chose 12 from among all that followed Him

We have already read the accounts of how Jesus had called some of those to follow Him, with the stories of Peter, and Matthew and others.

But the specific accounts of Jesus calling some of the Disciples are not recorded.

So why did Jesus feel the Father wanted Him to call twelve from among the followers?

Twelve who would be especially close to Jesus and preach and teach His gospel as He did?

† Twelve is the number of God’s government, leadership of the Church.

12 tribes of Israel.

24 Elders before God’s throne represent 12 Tribes of the Old Testament and the 12 Apostles of the New Testament.

12 precious stones on Aaron’s breastplate.

12 Spies led the way to the Promised Land.

12 gates and 12 foundations to the New Holy City.

12 different fruits on the tree of life.

The 12 apostles were a type of special-forces unit during the time of Jesus' first coming. After three and one-half years of intensive personal training with Jesus, God was able to use them to achieve great victories. They were able to penetrate Satan's dominion and spearhead a great revival.

II. Instruction and Authority is given to them

† Given power & Authority Matthew 10:1

“He (Jesus) called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”

† Ordained by God Mark 3:13-15

“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve—designating them apostles —that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons.”

† Jesus rejected by family immediately after this Mark 3:20 - 30

“20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."

23 So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house. 28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."

30 He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit."

Jesus’ own family didn’t believe who He was, and thought Jesus was mad.

† Jesus’ family come to see Him immediately after that Mark 3:31-35

“Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."

33 "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.

34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

III. Have you been called?

Have you made Jesus Christ first in your life?

Do you measure all things against His Word?

God has 3 Will’s for you in your life;

† God’s first Will for you in your life – Being saved

Acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior

Confessing to Him you are sinful

Believing He died and rose again for the payment of your sins

Repent from the sins you have been forgiven of (go and sin no more)

† God’s second Will for you in your life – The great commission

Share with others how to be saved

Lead them to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Bring them to church so that they may learn the Word of God

† God’s third Will for you in your life – Discover the Gifts He has given you, and use them to Build (through the great commission) & Edify (through the gifts) the Body of Christ

ALTAR CALL