Sermon Series: How Do I Invite Them?
Sermon Date: March 19, 2000
Title: "How Do I invite the religious?"
Text: John 3: 1-16
Introduction: Illus.: The Agony of Change
Author: Pastor Tim Krupski
Theme: Many very religious people have a need to be
reintroduced to Jesus so that they don't stay in their religious prejudice about church
and God; rather, so that they will find faith and the hope of heaven in Jesus.
1. Understanding the characteristics of a religious, disconnected person
2. Developing a grace centered witness to the religious
The Agony of
Change
For years, the opening of "The Wide World of Sports" television program
illustrated "the agony of defeat" with a painful ending to an attempted ski
jump. The skier appeared in good form as he headed down the jump, but then, for no
apparent reason, he tumbled head over heels off the side of the jump, bouncing off the
supporting structure.
What viewers didn't know was that he chose to fall rather
than finish the jump. Why? As he explained later, the jump surface had become too fast,
and midway down the ramp, he realized if he completed the jump, he would land on the level
ground, beyond the safe sloping landing area, which could have been fatal. As it was, the
skier suffered no more than a headache from the tumble. To change one's course in life can
be a dramatic and sometimes painful undertaking, but change is better than a fatal landing
at the end.
Charlie Brown and Lucy are leaning over the proverbial fence speaking to one another:
CB: All it would take to make me happy is to have
someone say he likes me
Lucy: Are you sure?
CB: Of course I'm sure!
Lucy: You mean you'd be happy if someone merely said he or she likes you? Do you
mean
to tell me that someone has it within his or her power to make you happy merely by
doing such a simple thing?
CB: Yes! That's exactly what I mean!
Lucy: Well, I don't think that's asking too much I really don't [Now standing face
to face, Lucy asks one more time] But you're sure now? All you want is to have
someone say, "I like you, Charlie Brown," and then you'll be happy?
CB: And then I'll be happy!
Lucy: [Lucy turns and walks away saying] I can't do it!
The Arrogance of Self Pride
A sightseeing bus was making the rounds through Washington,
D.C., and the driver was pointing out spots of interest. As they passed the Pentagon
building, he mentioned that it cost taxpayers millions of dollars and that it took a year
and a half to build. While everyone was looking at it, a little old woman piped up: "In
Peoria we could have built the same building for less, and it would have been completed
even sooner than that!" The next sight on the tour was the Justice
Department building. Once again the bus driver said that it cost so many millions to build
and took almost two years to complete. The woman repeated: "In Peoria we
would have done it for less money, and it would have been finished much sooner."
The tour finally came to the Washington Monument, and the driver just passed slowly by
without saying a word. The old woman was curious. "Hey," she shouted
to the driver, "what's that tall white building back there?" The
driver looked out the window, waited a minute and then said, "Search me, lady. It
wasn't there yesterday."
Focus
Golf immortal Arnold Palmer recalls a lesson about
overconfidence: It was the final hole of the 1961 Masters tournament, and I had a
one-stroke lead and had just hit a very satisfying tee shot. I felt I was in pretty good
shape. As I approached my ball, I saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery.
He motioned me over, stuck out his hand and said, "Congratulations." I took his
hand and shook it, but as soon as I did, I knew I had lost my focus. On my next two shots,
I hit the ball into a sand trop, then put it over the edge of the green. I missed a putt
and lost the Masters. You don't forget a mistake like that; you just learn from it and
become determined that you will never do that again. I haven't in the 30 years since.
Patient Expectations
A man once bought a home with a tree in the backyard. It
was winter, and nothing marked this tree as different from any other tree. When spring
came, the tree grew leaves and tiny pink buds. "How wonderful," thought the man.
"A flower tree! I will enjoy its beauty all summer." But before he had time to
enjoy the flowers, the wind began to blow and soon all the petals were strewn in the yard.
"What a mess," he thought. "This tree isn't any use after all." The
summer passed, and one day the man noticed the tree was full of green fruit the size of
large nuts. He picked one and took a bite. "Bleagh!" he cried and threw it to
the ground. "What a horrible taste! This tree is worthless. Its flowers are so
fragile the wind blows them away, and its fruit is terrible and bitter. When winter comes,
I'm cutting it down. But the tree took no notice of the man and continued to draw water
from the ground and warmth from the sun and in late fall produced crisp red apples. Some
of us see Christians with their early blossoms of happiness and think they should be that
way forever. Or we see bitterness in their lives, and we're sure they will never bear the
better fruit of joy. Could it be that we forget some of the best fruit ripens late?