Auburn SDA Church
Operation Andrew
  • Rescue the Perishing
  • Redeemed!
  • The Savior Is Waiting
  • I Will Sing of My Redeemer

      • John 1.40-41NKJV

      • John 1.42NKJV

  • This sermon is
    continuation of series
    “Each One Win One.”
    Each of us are called
    to be soul-winners
    for Kingdom of Heaven.
    This sermon is
    focused on the idea
    that God is a
    God of invitations.

    Invitations - Why?

    Why are invitations
    important to God?

    General Invitations from Jesus

    Jesus was well know
    for open invitations
    to all who would listen.
    The open proclamations
    are some of the most
    quoted and cherished
    words of Christ.
    For example:
    Matthew 11:28 ESV
    Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
    Jesus wanted everyone,
    the broken and hurting
    the apparently
    composed and “put together”
    everyone who needs rest
    from sin and sadness.
    This is the central
    core of the gospel
    core of the cross.
    Jesus said:
    John 12:32 ESV
    And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
    Why did Jesus
    leave His throne?
    To draw everyone to Himself!!!
    Jesus said:
    Luke 19:10 ESV
    For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
    As Christians,
    our role is
    to be like Christ.
    Christ was all about
    giving these invitations.
    While getting to know Raluca
    I thought dating must be 4+ years
    She thought different.
    I had to adjust my
    thinking about this invite.
    Americans have strict
    social norms in society.
    One of our social norms
    don’t offer people anything
    unless they asked first.
    The truth is...
    Jesus was very taboo
    in His society.
    And if we are going
    to be His followers
    we too must stick out sometimes.
    Look at Jesus:
    John 7:37 ESV
    On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
    Do you think
    this appeared normal?
    Was it usual to go
    around say things like this?
    NOOO!!!
    Jesus was willing
    to be uncomfortable
    even a little weird
    for salvation’s sake.

    Invitations - Why Not?

    We covered why God
    is passionate about invitations.
    But why do we
    seem to hate them?
    It all comes down to:

    Fear

    Why don’t we
    offer more invitations?
    Simple:
    We are afraid
    of rejections.
    We don’t want to look:
    weird
    out of place
    unusual
    peculiar.
    What if they say no???
    Remember,
    Christians are like Christ.
    Did Jesus get rejected?
    Jesus is the best
    soul-winner in world!
    But he did not bat 1000.
    Many,
    Nay, MOST
    rejected Him!
    John 1:11 ESV
    He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
    Most of the Jews
    rejected Him.
    May I ask,
    who do we think
    that we are?
    If we only give invitations
    when certain of acceptance
    we are not Christians!
    That is not Christ’s example!!
    What time will never come...

    Invitations - Who?

    We covered the why
    and the why not
    of invitations.
    Now,
    we come to the who...
    Who should give them?
    To whom should they be given?

    Andrew

    The title of the sermon
    is operation Andrew.
    Andrew did not
    let his fear of rejection
    keep him from
    being a soul-winner.
    Andrew was know as
    someone who brought
    others to meet Jesus.
    What type of people
    did Andrew invite?
    Family and Friends
    John 1:40–42 ESV
    One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus...
    When Andrew found the Messiah
    what was his first reaction?
    He didn’t want to
    hoard the best gift
    he had experienced in
    his entire life.
    His first invitation went
    to his own flesh and blood
    - his family!
    Andrew went to those
    he loved most,
    wanted them to have
    gift of Jesus in their lives.
    Acquaintances
    After close friends and family,
    the next group is acquaintances.
    These are people
    you don’t plan to be around
    you cross paths,
    often for short time.
    John 6:8–9 ESV
    One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”
    The context of the story
    is the feeding of the 5000.
    Jesus suggested to
    get food for entire crowd.
    The bewildered disciples
    had no idea what to do.
    Andrew found a boy
    with a lunch.
    He seemed to be
    holding faith
    and doubt
    simultaneously.
    But he decided to
    do as usual.
    Bring him to Jesus.
    Let Jesus decide next move.
    story of someone
    being won by a track.
    Andrew brought
    family
    close friends
    acquaintances
    who next?
    Unlikely Seekers
    Seekers come in many
    shapes and sizes.
    Frequently, in packages
    you would not expect.
    This was the case
    in our next Andrew story:
    John 12:20–22 ESV
    Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
    They were gentiles,
    Jesus was the Messiah.
    In the mind of the disciples,
    Jesus came for Jews only!
    There are many today
    who we will be surprised
    to learn they are seeking Jesus.
    Many have shocked me:
    rough bikers,
    covered in tats
    people in jail
    criminals
    drug addicts
    prostitutes
    many are seeking.
    I told you
    jail is a great place
    for bible study interests.
    Jesus himself said:
    Matthew 21:31–32 ESV
    ... Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
    God is working on hearts.
    Many hearts,
    that we may not guess.
    We must be like Andrew,
    ready to invite anyone
    who may be willing to listen

    Invitations - What?

    We covered
    Why we should give invitations.
    Whom to give invitations to.
    Next question...
    What invitation
    should I give???

    Stages of Spirituality

    Repeat
    Stages of Spirituality
    Your invitation is simple.
    The next step...
    Unless they
    life changing experience.
    Under deep conviction.
    Then invite few steps ahead.

    Invitations - When?

    We covered:
    Why to give invitations
    Whom to give them to.
    What invitation to give.
    Now we discuss when
    to give an invitations.
    I’m going to review
    another concept
    from a previous sermon.
    Christ’s Method
    Don’t skip steps
    Mingle with them.
    Showed Sympathy
    Ministered to Needs
    Won Their Confidence.
    Invitation to Follow Jesus.
    They must either
    somewhat trust you.
    be very open person.
    desperate situations.
    Cultivate relationships
    with people who need
    spiritual growth.
    Remember my story
    neighbor who’s husband died.
    Be with them in the pain.

    Invitations - How?

    We covered:
    Why to invite
    Who to invite
    What invitation to give
    When to give an invitations
    now...
    How to give an invitation

    The Parable of the Great Banquet

    Jesus repeatedly preached
    about the concept on invitations.
    Many of His sermons on
    on this topic but
    Parable of Great Banquet
    is most profound.
    I’ve preached about
    this parable before
    so I’ll summarize it.
    Matthew 22:2–3 ESV
    “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.
    Invitations gone out
    people RSVP’ed.
    People are told,
    banquet is ready
    come!
    People who banquet
    was prepared for
    no longer wanted to come.
    Who had the banquet
    been prepared for?
    The Jews.
    They rejected God’s call.
    Matthew 22:5–7 ESV
    But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
    They rejected God
    God rejected the Jews.
    This applies to all...
    Matthew 22:8–10 ESV
    Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.
    What is the lesson?
    everyone is invited!
    We are the servants.
    WE give the invitation.
    Must give to everyone!
    “Bad or Good”.
    Whom should we invite?
    “as many as you find.”
    Don’t focus
    on the religious only.
    Remember,
    the seemingly religious
    rejected the invitation last time.
    Remember Jesus’ favorite invite?

    Follow Me

    Jesus said this phrase 21 times
    in the gospels.
    And he said it
    different people
    different place
    different scenarios.
    To the disciples:
    Matthew 4:19 ESV
    And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
    To the tax collector:
    Matthew 9:9 ESV
    As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
    To Phillip (disciple of John):
    John 1:43 ESV
    The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
    To the crowds:
    Luke 14:25–27 ESV
    Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, ... Whoever does not bear his own cross and [follow] me cannot be my disciple.
    Jesus did not
    over complicated
    the invitation.
    He offered,
    then offered again
    then offered again.
    Last week I mentioned,
    you can give an invitation
    3 different ways.
    Invite in Morning
    Invite in Afternoon
    Invite in the Evening.
    Just give an invitation!
    Pray.
    Leave rest with God.
    He followed 5 steps.
    Mingle with them.
    Showed Sympathy
    Ministered to Needs
    Won Their Confidence.
    Invitation to Follow Jesus.
    He understood
    stage of spirituality
    to give proper invitation.

    Invitation - Where?

    We covered:
    Why to invite
    Who to invite
    What invitation to give
    When to give an invitations
    How to give an invitation
    now
    Where.
    The where refers to
    knowing where
    we stand in time.
    We must give
    present truth.
    Our time here is limited.
    Time is running out.
    Our invitations should be
    passionate,
    persuasive,
    personal
    persistent.
    God’s invitations
    are time limited.
    Noah preached
    for 120 years...
    But the flood did come.
    Lot’s family
    was only given a few hours
    to get out of Sodom.
    We have to realize
    in the invitations of God
    there is some finality!!!
    Speaking of the Final Invitation:

    Marriage Supper of the Lamb

    Revelation 19:9 ESV
    And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
    There is one invitation
    that has eternal value...
    This is it.
    Everyone will get invite.
    Everyone will decide.
    Then it is final.
    Some will accept.
    Some will reject.
    Won’t you be part
    of giving that invitation?

    Appeal

    Will you make list
    with 5 names?
    pray each day?
    evaluate spiritual stage
    be ready for life changes
    Take steps:
    Mingle with them.
    Showed Sympathy
    Ministered to Needs
    Won Their Confidence
    Give an Invitation
    Will you find someone
    to give an invitation
    appropriate for them?
    Will you do it this week?

      • Matthew 11:28NKJV

      • John 12:32NKJV

      • Luke 19:10NKJV

      • John 7:37NKJV

      • John 1:11NKJV

      • John 1:40–42NKJV

      • John 6:8–9NKJV

      • John 12:20–22NKJV

      • Matthew 21:31–32NKJV

      • Matthew 22:2–3NKJV

      • Matthew 22:5–7NKJV

      • Matthew 22:8–10NKJV

      • Matthew 4:19NKJV

      • Matthew 9:9NKJV

      • John 1:43NKJV

      • Luke 14:25–27NKJV

      • Revelation 19:9NKJV

  • I Love to Tell the Story
  • The Nativity Song
  • Away in a Manger
  • Sing for the King
  • Starlight - Children's Christmas Song
  • If I Were There
  • Prince of Peace Song
  • Let There Be Peace On Earth
Auburn SDA Church
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