Pastor Dave Martin ~ Cross Creek Community Church ~ Sept 24, 2006
“Impact your World”
Personal Impact Daniel 6:25-28
Part 4 of 4
Key thoughts from the past three weeks...
· Personal Responsibility is a choice we must make – self-discipline
· Personal Pressures allowed thru God’s Filtering Hands – spiritual maturity
· Personal Victory = Be still, serious, sensitive, surrendered – crucified life
Recap the story of Daniel and the lions den...
Daniel 6:25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land: "May you prosper greatly!
To Make Personal Impact...
1. Be Burdened for the Lost around you.
· As King Darius was so moved to proclaim the glory of the Lord throughout his kingdom... we too
· Must be the salt and light in this dark world in which we live. Seeing the lost as Jesus would...
· Consumed with winning the world for Christ... endeavoring to reach one more for Jesus
· Are you saved? What’s salvation worth? As Jesus, we must seek and save the lost...
· What’s the value of a soul? God help us to see the awful realities of sin and hell... IMPACT !!
· Unashamed – knowing the task rests upon me. What am I doing for the cause of Christ?
· Praying? Giving? Serving? Helping? Making an effort to reach my world for Jesus Christ
Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
· Earning the right to share your faith by coming along side of lost, hurting & dying souls
1 Corinthians 9:22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
· Using all possible means to win the souls of men... Not participating in their sin but salt/light
· Gideon’s Bibles (Word of God)... missionaries, evangelists, preachers, teachers... go out
·
· I’m not burdened... How do I get a burden for the lost around me?
· OBEY the command Jesus left us before He ascended to heaven – GO MAKE DISCIPLES (Mt 28:19)
Daniel 6:26 "I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. "For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.
2. Be Choosing to Fear God...
· Fearing God does not mean being terrified of Him but to recognize, respect Him and His authority & righteous demands... producing God likeness, genuine worship, servant’s heart, obedience
· King Darius said people MUST fear & reverence God... what happens when we really fear God?
Isaiah 33:6 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.
· Carefully look at this verse... are you in need of a “sure foundation” in your life?
· Are you in need of inner security and peace? An anchor, a Rock in the storms of life?
· A “Rich Store” of salvation, wisdom, knowledge... cool to go to a store to buy these treasures?
· What’s the key that opens the gate to these treasures in your life? The key is to “Fear God”.
· Don’t tell me you fear God as you continue to live in sin... anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, drunkenness, gossip, laziness, procrastination, lack of prayer & Bible study, etc, etc...
· Many of our lives are so shattered... so built upon sand... so lacking in wise decisions – few treasures
· Fear of the Lord is a choice you and I make everyday, every moment of our lives. Choose wisely!
Proverbs 1:29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD,
· We are so bombarded with choices today... press phone option #1,2,3,4,5..., soda, food, stores, clothes, shoes, eye glasses, vehicle, jobs, education, churches, even the color of your hair
· So many choices we often opt out in choosing to fear God... we’ll take our chances later with Him!
Why Fear God? (John 16:8)
Ø We are Sinners – Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
· Sin is to “miss the mark” – everyone in this room has missed God’s mark...
· All have sinned – God Almighty declares the entire human race has fallen into sin... He alone has the remedy... Jesus, sinless, sacrificial Son of God Almighty came to earth to die for sin in your place.
How does a worm get inside an apple? Perhaps you think the worm burrows in from the outside. No, scientists have discovered that the worm comes from inside. But how does he get in there? Simple! An insect lays an egg in the apple blossom. Sometime later, the worm hatches in the heart of the apple, then eats his way out. Sin, like the worn, begins in the heart and works out through a person’s thoughts, words, and actions.
Ø God is Righteous – 2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
· Righteousness is a term used in the Bible about 230 times. What does it mean?
· “Righteous” means literally “move in a straight line” or in the straight (right) way. Morally it means “acting” in the right way.
· Today – what is the “right” way? Society says to leave it up to the individual – moral relativism, situation ethics... if it feels good – do it mindset... man’s own set of right & wrongs... BUT
· God is righteous AND He sets the standard – His character reveals what is absolutely right –
· The “True Measure” or standard we MUST meet in order to be with Him throughout eternity.
· He also is the true source of right living... its not what you “think or feel” but what God’s SAYS.
· Fact is – NO ONE can live up to God’s standard except Jesus Christ! (Rom 3:23; 5:18-21)
· We all stand guilty and unrighteous before a HOLY RIGHTEOUS God – Now look at this verse again.
Ø All face future Judgment – Hebrews 9:27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment
· More than four out of every five Americans agree that “we all will be called before God at judgment day to answer for our sins,” says a poll conducted for the Times Mirror company.
· Our world says, “eat, drink & be merry for tomorrow we die” – that’s it, there is nothing beyond.
· There is a heaven to gain and a hell to flee, there is a future judgment for all men
· To the Christian it’s the “judgment seat of Christ”; to the unsaved lost it’s the “Great white Judgment throne”
Hebrews 10:31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Daniel 6:26 "I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.
3. Be Communicating Eternal Truth...
· God is Alive! – He is not dead
· God is Eternal! – He is the forever present I AM
· God is Almighty! – He is the Great Creator
· The message of hope has been given to every believer... we must be a witness for Christ.
· Sharing your faith with those around you AND Impacting your world.
· Taking the Gospel message into your world... the message of Christ’s death, burial, resurrection
· There is a lover of your soul, and His name is Jesus... who gave His life for you.
· Jesus reconciles us back to God through His precious blood... He is the ONLY WAY to God.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Come to Jesus... Be guarded on all sides by the Lord.
· We have God before us - Is 48:17
· God behind us - Is 30:21
· God on our right - Ps. 16:8
· God to our left - Job 23:9
· God above us - Ps. 36:7
· God’s arms underneath us - Dt. 33:27
· His Spirit lives within us - 1Cor. 3:16
What protection! What a sure foundation! What treasures! God is our true environment.
Daniel 6:27-28 27 He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions." 28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Make a Personal Impact
4. Proclaim to the World, Jesus is the Way...
Ø He Rescues! – from lions
Ø He Saves! – from sin
Ø He Transforms! – our lives into trophies of His grace
Make a Personal Impact in your world...
If not here, where?
If not now, when?
If not you, who?
Fall Festival Oct 13th ~ Friend Day Oct 15th ~ Spiritual Renewal Nov 4-5
“Impact your World”
What an opportunity to reach people – be praying, be inviting, be telling the Good News!