I remember when I was I was in high school at Mulberry High School, the Harvard of Polk County, and I played soccer. I was one of those guys who could play any sport ok, but no sports really well. However, I was technically on the soccer team.
I remember once before a game, everyone was invited to a popular player’s house before the game, and I got invited. It felt special to receive that invitation and be part of what was happening.
There’s something that makes you feel good when you’re invited to something special.
Now, the older I get, the less I want to be invited to things. I like being at home. However, there are still some things that get me excited when I’m invited to them. The same is probably true of you.
There’s something special about “The Power of an Invitation.”
Today, we’re going to talk about three invitations that have been extended to you, and really to all of us in this room.
Before we do, let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.
(prayer)
Ok, let’s learn that to which we’ve been invited.
First, . . .
I. You were invited here today.
Today is Invite Your One Sunday! You have been invited here today.
Now, some of you might say, “Pastor Matt, I come here every week!” Well, we keep inviting you back every week, don’t we?
However, many of you were specifically invited by someone to be here today.
You were invited because someone cares about you. They want you to experience the love of God and the love of God’s people.
Some of you have a background in churches, and some of you do not.
However, I’m here to tell you that there is something special about the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The church is not a building; it’s a people; a people united as the family of God.
Listen to how a man named Paul speaks of the church in the Bible. He wrote in Galatians 3:28, “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Think about how amazing it is that the church is one in Jesus.
All different backgrounds, all different nationalities, all different ethnicities, all different economic make ups, all different political affiliations, all different ages, all different college football fans, all united together under the name of Jesus Christ! That is what the church is. Isn’t that incredible?
Also, the church is called a body. The church is a collection of individuals who make up a body.
Paul speaks about this truth in 1 Corinthians 12:27. He says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.”
There’s something special about the church, in that we are a body; we are a unity; we are an organism that works together as one.
The world has lots of division, lots of dysfunction, lots of difficulty. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ is intended to be a place where individuals come together as one.
Now, I’ll be honest with you: most churches, including ours, have not quite figured out how to do this perfectly well.
But you know what? God is working on our church and He is blessing our church. We’re working towards the design that God has for our church.
You were invited here today because you were loved by someone. You were invited here today because you are loved by this church. You matter and you are loved.
Second, . . .
II. You are invited to a new way.
God made everything in this world to work properly and to be blessed. In fact, after God originally made everything in this world, He was pretty pleased with how it came out.
Genesis 1:31 says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed.”
Everything was very good indeed.
However, everything didn’t stay good, did it? We have a messed up world. That’s because sin came into the world and messed up everything.
Do you know who brought sin into the world? Humans did. We did. It started with Adam and Eve (the first humans), and it continued through all of us.
Our world has problems, doesn’t it? We have some problems, don’t we?
We have weather problems. We have political problems. We have family problems. We have friend problems. We have economic problems. We have race problems. We have terrorist problems. We have dictator problems. We have school problems. We have work problems. We have retirement problems. We have health problems.
We need a new way, don’t we?
We try to fix everything that’s messed up, but we can’t.
We might be able to fix one problem, but then another comes.
Sometimes, we don’t even fix things correctly.
We take one pill to fix a problem, and then we find out that pill causes another problem. We try to protect our kids from the harm that caused outside our homes, then we find out that their being damaged from spending too much time indoors. I’ve even heard more and more recently about how some recycling may actually be harmful to our environment.
We can’t fix things ourselves. We need a new way.
The Bible says in Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.”
We can’t fix our problems. We need a new way.
Jesus said this in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus is the new way. He can fix our problems. He is the truth. He is the life. He is the path to God. He’s the new way for us.
Not only is Jesus the way to God, but He’ll give us a new way on this earth.
I don’t know about you, but I want a new way on this earth. I don’t want to live like I lived without Jesus. I don’t want to live the way of the world.
Sometimes, I go back to the old way, and I hate it when I do.
I got home from work the other day, and I was tired and I was grumpy. I had dealt with some challenging people over the last few days, and it was catching up with me (none of y’all of course). My wife was taking care of our three sick kids all day, then she cooked dinner. Then she said she had to go upstairs to help clean the boys’ room. I said to her, “Well, I don’t want to clean up the kitchen and dining room all by myself!” I was grumpy. I was going back to the old way, like I was without Jesus. I told her a little later, “I’m sorry I was grumpy.”
The truth is, I don’t want to be like that. You probably don’t want to be grumpy, either. You probably don’t want to be selfish, greedy, hateful, arrogant, rude, confused, confounded, or conflicted, either.
You and I need a new way!
The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”
In Jesus, there is a new way. You are invited into that new way.
Have you gone the new way? Have you accepted that invitation?
Finally, . . .
III. You are invited into new life.
We not only need a new way, we need a whole new life.
The Apostle John recorded a lot about what Jesus said about Himself about how He changes lives.
Jesus said in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
Jesus said in John 10:9: “I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.”
Jesus said in John 10:10: “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”
Jesus said in John 11:25: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live.”
You see, this world has nothing for us. This world brings hardship, trouble, and death.
There are good things in this world, but all those good things are signs of God’s love for us. They are gifts that God has given to His creation.
This world will one day end; it will experience death. With this world, all those who are without Jesus will also experience death.
We need life; we need new life; we need Jesus.
You are invited to new life. Will you accept the invitation. Will you find new life in Jesus?
Let this bottom line summarize all that we are learning today.
Bottom Line: You are invited to something special.
Listen to what Jesus says in Revelation 3:20: “See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
You are invited to have Jesus come into your life. You are invited to a new way and new life.
Jesus is knocking. Will you hear his voice? Will you open the door and allow him to come in?
Will you accept the invitation of Jesus to be made new, and will you invite Him to come into your life?
Here’s one way you can challenge yourself to live out this passage this week:
Weekly Challenge: RSVP to your invitation.
Do you know what RSVP means? It means Répondez s’il vous plaît (you didn’t know you were going to learn French today, did you?). That means, “Respond, if you please.”
So, this week, respond, if you please, to the invitation that Jesus is extending for you to be made new.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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