Your Jesus Story

Transcript

Rob McFarlane: 0:59

The title of my sermon today is Your Jesus Story. I'm going to look at three main points, then we will pray together. So three things about your Jesus story. First, let's talk about the power of a testimony. One of the most powerful things that you can share with others is how Jesus has changed your life. People can argue with your theology, but they cannot deny what Jesus has done for you. We call this our personal testimony. It enables us to overcome the enemy, and it's a prophetic declaration of what Jesus has done for us and what he can do for others. In Revelation chapter 12, verse 11, reading from the New King James Version, and they overcame him, the enemy, by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives unto death. Our testimony is a spiritual weapon. As we share our testimony with others, it has the potential to be used by God to set them free and to help them see that what Jesus has done for you, He can do for them too. Revelation 19, verse 10 in the New King James Version tells us that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. I believe that one of the applications of this verse is that when we share a testimony of what Jesus has done for us, it's a prophetic word for someone else. When we share our testimony, we're saying, if God can do it for me, He can do it for you. A mistake we make is only celebrating spectacular testimonies. And if we do this, we can often miss out on the supernatural power of a simple testimony. I think the most powerful testimony is one that people can relate to. For example, I cannot relate to a testimony of someone who was a murderer or a gangster. I may be impressed by their testimony and say, Wow, look what God has done in that person's life. Some people may even think to themselves, gosh, that person really needed God, but I don't really need God myself because I'm not as bad as that person was. We need to understand the most powerful testimony is one that when you hear it, you say to yourself, Yeah, I can relate to that. For example, many people can relate to having an emptiness on the inside that could only be filled by a relationship with Jesus Christ. Personally, when I encountered Jesus for the first time, he gave me peace, joy, and purpose. Next, let's talk about how to share your testimony. Your testimony can be told in three parts, and they are before, now and how. First, before I met Jesus, second, how I met Jesus, and third, now that I follow Jesus. We see many examples of testimonies in the Bible, and I'd like to share two of these with you. The first is the woman at the well that we read about in John chapter 4. By sharing her testimony of her encounter with Jesus, she became a catalyst for change in her town. John chapter 4, verse 39 tells us, and many of the Samaritans of that city or that town believed in him because of the word of the woman who testified. Can you imagine the power that would be unleashed in the villages, towns, and cities that we live in if we all as Christians started to share our Jesus story with others? The second example we see is a man born blind who was healed by Jesus in John chapter 9. In John 9, verse 25, he says to the Pharisees who are quizzing him and trying to put him under pressure. But one thing I do know, I was blind, but now I see. And follow up. Invite them to River Church or give them a copy of the booklet, What is Salvation? Let's pray together. Let's pray for opportunities and boldness to share our Jesus story with others this week. I encourage you, be ready and willing and step out in faith as Jesus opens the door. Let's pray. Father God, thank you for everything that you've done in our lives. Thank you that you've changed us. We were once blind, but now we can see. We were lost, but now we found. We had no purpose, but you've given us peace and joy and purpose. And I ask for you to give us opportunities to share the good news with others in Jesus' name. Amen.