Sermon Vacation Bible School Week at Grace
July 28th, 2008 Posted in Sermons+ In Nomine Jesu +
The Rev. Evan Gaertner
July 27, 2008
Vacation Bible School vbs.cph.org
This sermon is based on the materials for Vacation Bible School from Concordia Publishing House.
Sermon Outline
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are My friends.” John 15:14-14
1. Jesus, our friend, ___________ ________
Raya Raccoon.
Raccoons reach out with their hands to do tasks or get food. Jesus reached out to Matthew and asked Matthew to follow Him and be His friend. Jesus, our friend, reaches out to make us His friends too. Raya, means “friend.”
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Timothy 1:15
I want you know that all people sin and need a savior. Lost and cast out we are not forgotten. Jesus saw Matthew, the tax collector, and said, “Come, follow me.” Matthew got up and followed Jesus. Matthew invited Jesus to dinner and also invited his friends, other tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees were astonished and told Jesus disciples, “Do you know what he is doing.”
We know what Jesus was doing. Jesus was opening the kingdom of God for the lost and forgotten reaching out to us. Given tax collectors’ reputations, choosing Matthew as a disciple may be surprising, but Jesus came to help sinners. Matthew left everything to follow Jesus, then reached out and invited his sinner friends to dinner with Jesus.
Sin makes us out too, but Jesus, our friend, reaches out. Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sin and rose from the dead to give us new life in Him. Jesus gives us the faith to follow him. As we grow in faith in Jesus, who reaches out to forgive sin and make us His friends we find the strength to reach out to others with Jesus’ love.
I give you a Good Friend Challenge: Ask Jesus to help you make a new friend this week.
2. Jesus, our friend, ____________ ________
Bears love sweet foods like honey. Friends show love in sweet ways! There’s nothing better than getting a big bear hug from a friend. Jesus, our friend, loves us and showed it when He healed the centurion’s servant and became our Savior.
“We love Him because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 NKJV
The leader of 100 Romans Soldiers, a Roman Centurion, had a servant he deeply cared about who was ill. This man was well supported by the Jewish people of Capernaum because he had built the community synagogue, so he sent the Jewish community leaders to Jesus. These leaders earnestly pleaded with Jesus because they considered this many worthy of Jesus’ consideration.
Jesus began to move toward the home of the centurion, but the centurion sent some of his friends. The friends explained that the centurion understand power and authority and humbly says that he does not deserve Jesus to come under his roof. Jesus marveled as the centurion’s faith and said, “Not even in Israel have I found such faith.” Jesus showed he came to give forgiveness of sins and eternal life to anyone who believes in him, Jew or Gentile.
The friends of the centurion were an advocate for the centurion. They stepped into Jesus path and pleaded for the mercy of Jesus. Jesus, our friend, loves us and shows it by giving His life for His friends and serving as our advocate too. “Christ Jesus is the one who died-more than that, who was raised-who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). What a wonderful Forever Friend.
I give you a Good Friend Challenge: Be an advocate for someone today.
3. Jesus, our friend, ____________ ________
Eagles have excellent eyesight. Jesus gave eyesight and faith to a blind man, two great gifts. Jesus, our friend, gives gifts to us too.
“The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:23
Jesus was asked by his disciples, “Who sinned this man or this his parents.” The man was blind and they wanted an explanation. Jesus said, “Neither, this man was born blind so that the Glory of God might be revealed.” Jesus spit into the ground and made mud. He placed the mud onto the man’s eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man’s eyes were opened. The blind man was severely questioned by the Pharisees and was then driven out. The dilemma for the Pharisees was that only someone with God’s power could make a man born blind see, but healing on the Sabbath was a sin, so Jesus couldn’t be from God. They could not figure out how their humanly devised rules of God could be wrong.
Jesus found the man and gave him also the gift of faith. Giving sight was amazing, but it’s even more amazing that Jesus searched this man out and made sure he was a part of the kingdom.
A recent survey said that a typical Lutheran invites someone to worship and to know Jesus once every seventeen years. I give you a challenge to start changing this dreadful statistic today.
I give you a Good Friend Challenge: Tell someone about the gifts Jesus gives His friends.
4. Jesus, our friend, ____________
A porcupine’s quills can be very sticky. Friends stick together too! Jesus stuck with His friends and showed He cared by raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus, our friend, cares for us too.
“Perfect love casts out fear.” 1 John 4:18
A few months after healing the blind man, Jesus returned to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Dedication (Hanukkah). The religious leaders tried to arrest him, but Jesus withdrew across the Jordan River near the same wilderness that John the Baptist had baptized. Many people came out to him and believed in him.
While he is out there in the middle of no where word is sent that the brother of Mary and Martha, Lazarus is seriously ill. Jesus remains for two more days in the wilderness and then travels to Bethany. When they get to Bethany Lazarus has been dead for four days. Jesus, our friend, cares, he shares in the suffering of all those gathered to grieve the death of Lazarus. Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Jesus care was more than just as a friend gathered to grieve along with everyone else. Jesus cares for us in ways that brings life. He does not just commiserate in our suffering he transforms us. Death does not defeat Jesus because Jesus is life. Jesus is our forever friend.
I give you a Good Friend Challenge: Do something kind for a friend today.
5. Jesus, our friend, ____________
Bighorn sheep share food and protection with their friends. Jesus died and rose again to share forgiveness and new life with those who believe in Him. Because Jesus, our friend, shares we can share this good news with our friends too!
“Jesus loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, many people believed in Him. Because of the miracle, they welcomed him in Jerusalem with a parade of palm branches.
The religious authorities arrested him and had the Romans crucify him. His frightened friends deserted him, hid, and denied knowing him. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, two Pharisee friends who believed in Jesus, asked for His body and quickly buried him before the Sabbath began. The women witnessed the burial. No doubt Jesus was dead.
But on the third day when the women went to the tomb they found the rock rolled away. Angels told them Jesus had risen.
Later that day Jesus appeared to two men on the road to Emmaus. Their eyes were opened in the breaking of the bread. They ran back to the disciples in Jerusalem and shared what they had experienced.
What had they experienced? They experienced that Jesus, our forever friend, shares with us his victory over death. In his death and resurrection, Jesus paid for the sin of the world and opened the door to eternal life with God. Jesus shares the benefits of His work with all who believe in him as their savior-forgiveness of sins, eternal life, friendship, and many more spiritual blessings.
Considering all the things you’ve learned about Jesus as your forever friend.
I give you a Good Friend Challenge: Think of a friend who does not know Jesus. Ask God to help you share Jesus with him or her.
