Pastor Bernie Federman
February 24, 2008 - W0808

During my visit here, I met a couple in the lobby of the hotel.  They told me that during their many trips to Hawaii, they always attend New Hope just to hear Pastor Wayne.  I didn’t have the heart to tell them they would have to settle for me instead.   

But seriously, I want to talk about how your life can bring hope to others and how you can become a hero for God.  With over 6 billion people in the world, a lot of noise exists.  There are sounds from cars, cell phones, and people.  Each of us makes a certain sound, depending on our state of mind.  When people tell us that they get our vibe, it’s because every emotion evokes a sound.  People will even hear the sound of a heart filled with the love of the Holy Spirit. 

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-2)

Paul is saying that our lives have a sound.  It can be positive or it can be negative.  Love has a positive, powerful sound that God uses.  Without love we just add more noise among six billion people.  To become a positive sound, know that:

1.      THE SOURCE OF OUR SOUND BEGINS IN THE LOVING HEART OF GOD.

Since God is Love, everything about Him is loving.  In stands to reason that the closer you get to God, the more you will love Him and the more you will love others. 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27)

Loving your Lord with reckless abandon is how you should love your neighbor.  Love them with all your heart and without reservation.  Love being saved because of how God loves you and how you love Him.  It is that kind of love that will penetrate your neighbor’s heart.  Serve and love in such a way as Mark 16:15 tells us.

“Go into the world.  Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all.”  (Mark 16:15 The Message)

The way you announce the message is your unique sound.  The good news is that Jesus Christ loves and cares for all people.  1 John 3 shows how great His love is for us.

“How great is the love the father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”  (1 John 3:1)

The best way to kill a party is to talk about politics or religion, because many of us believe our religion is private.  However, the Bible never says our religion is private.  In fact, your:

·        FAITH IS PERSONAL BUT IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE PRIVATE.

Your faith should be lived out loud since Jesus was made real to you in order that you will make Him visible to others. 

Your faith needs to be public because that is the only way we can amplify the sound of our love for God.  People can hear our love for Christ and how it lives in us, to us and through us.  Take a few minutes and enter three names of people who don’t know Jesus.  They could be co-workers, family, friends or neighbors.  As you write those names down, I will pray this prayer for them:  “Lord, I pray right now in Your Mighty Name for these people because each name represents a soul.  And, each soul needs a savior named Jesus Christ.  And, I pray right now by the power of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit that You will bring these people one step closer to You.  I pray this in Jesus’ name.  Amen.” 

·        FAMILY/FRIENDS WHO HAVE YET TO SAY “YES!” TO JESUS:

1.      ____________________

2.      ____________________

3.      ____________________

Say this prayer for them everyday because:

·        THE WAY WE LOVE PEOPLE REFLECTS HOW WELL WE KNOW GOD.

There’s a song that says, “They will know we are Christians by our love.”  It would be great when people just like you and the members of New Hope Christian Fellowship bring more souls to Jesus Christ because: 

2.      WHEN WE LOVE OUT LOUD WE BECOME A CLEAR SOUND IN A NOISY, LOST AND UNBELIEVING WORLD.

Our world is truly in a mess and is in need of the love and heart of God. 

“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.”  (1 John 3:18 NLT)

Actions do speak louder than words, because:

·        WHEN WE LOVE OUT LOUD OUR LIVES BECOME A SIGNAL POINTING THE WAY TO THE SAVIOR.

It’s a signal that points to the way in which we all should live.  You may be the only sermon some people will ever listen to.  You may be the only Bible some people will ever read.  You may be the only Jesus Christ that some people will ever see.  When you live out loud, turn up the volume and become a hero that brings hope to a lost and dying world. 

There was a man who fell into a very deep pit.  A subjective person came around and just said, “Oh my, I feel for you down there.”  Then, an objective person came by and said, “It’s logical that someone would fall into that pit.”  A Christian scientist said to the man, “You only think you’re in a pit.”  A judgmental person said, “You deserve to end up in a pit.”  Confucius said, “If you had listened to me, you would not be in a pit.”  Buddha said, “Your pit is only a state-of-mind.”  A geologist said, “Appreciate the rock strata of the pit.”  An evolutionist said, “You are a rejected mutant destined to be removed from the evolutionary cycle, which means you will die in that pit without producing any pit falling offspring.”  A construction inspector came by and said, “Brother, you got a permit for that pit?”  A self-pitying person said, “You haven’t seen anything ‘til you’ve seen my pit.”  A positive confessor said, “Just say this over and over again:  ‘I am not in a pit.  I am not in a pit.’”  An optimist said, “Things could be worse.”  A pessimist said, “Things will get worse.”  When Jesus Christ came by, He said, “I have come to give you life and life more abundant.  I have come to reach down and pull you out of the pit to dust you off and hug you and show you how deep, how wide, and how vast my love for you is. 

A family who was a neighbor of ours committed to praying for me on the day I was born.  They prayed everyday and at every Sunday service when the Pastor asked for prayer requests, they would say, “Pray for the Federmann family.”  They visited us often and whenever one of us kids fell ill, they would bring a little something to cheer us up.  They truly loved out loud and showed me that:    

·        PEOPLE DON’T CARE HOW MUCH YOU KNOW UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE.

It’s wonderful to tell people that Jesus Christ is the answer and hope for the world and that saying ‘yes’ to Jesus is the most eternal decision you will ever make.  But, until they realize how much you love them, your message will not penetrate their hearts.  Why?  Because there is too much information overload in the world. 

“But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”  (2 Timothy 4:5 NIV)

The beautifully sounding Greek word for evangelist is ‘euangelion’ and the word ‘angels’ come from it.  Become a messenger of the Lord by living out your faith through sharing the passion and love of God everywhere you go. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living.  It doesn’t even matter if you are incarcerated.  We are all God’s evangelists disguised and the world doesn’t know that we are undercover agents filled with God’s Spirit to share the love of Christ. 

When I turned fourteen, that same family was still praying for us daily. At that time, my brother was seventeen and had gone out drinking with his friends one night.  As they were running across the highway, he misjudged the timing and was hit by a car.  He was in a coma for three weeks before he died.  During that time, this family came over every night and ministered to us.   This was the first time I had experienced the love of God.   I asked if my brother had gone to see God and wanted to know what happened when people died.  I wanted them to show me the truth about God from the scriptures.  Because they loved us out loud, their love penetrated my heart in such a way that I was able to receive the love of God in my life.  Eventually, nine others from our neighborhood also came to Christ.  I found out later that this same family had been praying for those nine people for the past fourteen years.  When you pray with love for someone to come to God, He will always answer you, because:

3.      WHEN WE LOVE OUT LOUD, WE ARE SHOWING GOD THAT WE DESIRE TO BE HIS WITNESSES.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  (Acts 1:8 NIV)

Witnesses tell what they saw.  Every one of you who knows and loves Jesus Christ has a great story to tell and people should hear it. 

“If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation.  The old things have gone; everything is made new.  All this is from God.  Through Christ, God made peace between us and Himself, and God gave us the work of telling everyone about the peace we can have with him.  God was in Christ, making peace between the world and Himself.  In Christ, God did not hold the world guilty of its sins.  And He gave us this message of peace.  So we have been sent to speak for Christ.  It is as if God is calling to you through us.  We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17-20 NCV)

Would you:

·        LOVE OTHERS SO LOUDLY THAT THEY ASK YOU WHY.

Love people and serve them by laying your life down for them.  Begin at home.  Love your spouse so well that your neighbors will ask you why you are so happy.  Love your children in the ways of God rather than anticipating the day they move out.  Children should love their parents by obeying them.  Love each other well. 

I decided at age seventeen that I was going to serve the Lord.  At age twenty-two, I graduated from our foursquare Bible College and pastored a church of thirty-one people.  To me, that was huge and I was in awe.  I was invited to a pastor’s luncheon and, when I introduced myself as Bernie Federmann, they began to cry because they were from that church that prayed for me and my family for fourteen years every Sunday night.  I owe an incredible debt to Christ.  Do you owe an incredible debt to Jesus Christ?  You and I have been loved into the kingdom of God through Jesus and people like my neighbors.  Love is one of the best ways to preach the gospel.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)      

When you amplify the sound of God’s love, remember that:

4.      WHEN WE LOVE OUT LOUD, WE BECOME WORKERS IN THE LORD’S HARVEST AND AMPLIFY HIS HEART.

If you have the ability to listen with spiritual ears, you will hear the voice of Christ.  It is so wonderful that Jesus always prays and intercedes for us.  But, Jesus also weeps for those names you’ve written down and others who do not yet know His love and His grace.  He cries over the helpless and hopeless.

“When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples,” The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” (Matthew 9:36-38 NIV)  

Life always works best when you let God take control.  Be the sheep and let Him lead.  Sheep who follow the shepherd never perish.  Let Him be the creator and you be the creature.  I once saw a bumper sticker that said, “Let God be the co-pilot.”  It makes more sense for God to be the driver and we be His co-pilot.  He sees us all and weeps for those do not follow His ways; no matter the wealth or poverty they live in.  The loudest days in history occurred when Jesus lay upon that Cross.  His death was silent, as He uttered to His father, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.”  But, His death screamed out loud with love for mankind.  This is why Jesus asks that we pray for workers for the harvest.  And, who knows, you may be the very one that reaches them. 

In John 4:28-35, a woman leaves her jar full of water from the well because she has found Jesus, the living water, and goes into the town to tell everyone that Jesus has told her everything she ever did and wondered if He could be the Christ.  People started following her because she is like an evangelist and as the people move towards Jesus, He tells His disciples:

“Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’?  I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest.”  (John 4:35)

There are people around you that desperately need to know the love of God.  Jesus wanted His disciples to see this, but:

·        THE DISCIPLES MAY HAVE MISSED THEIR HARVEST OPPORTUNITY DUE TO:

o       Prejudice- it wasn’t politically correct for Jesus, a Jew, to talk to a Samaritan. 

Challenge yourselves to reach out to those you wouldn’t normally be with.

o       Preoccupation- they were too busy doing good things, but not the best thing.

As Pastor Wayne eloquently said, “We don’t measure New Hope by how many come, but by how many are outside the walls yet to hear the message of Jesus Christ.

o       Pride and resistance- being self-righteous.

Instead, remember where you came from and what you came out of. 

o       Procrastination- waiting to do the harvest is procrastination. 

Love out loud now!  Mother Teresa put it wisely, “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into our giving.”

For the person who knows Jesus Christ, this is the only hell you will ever experience because this is as bad as it gets.  But, for the person who doesn’t know Jesus Christ, this is the only heaven they will ever get.  There is a better paradise than this and it is with Jesus Christ.  I pray that you give your heart to Jesus, so He will be the Lord of your life.  And, if you have given your life to Jesus, live it in such a way that your good works will love out loud as a hero who brings hope to others so they can know our Savior. 

DISCUSSION ITEMS

1.      Share a time when you prayed for someone to know the love and grace of God and how it felt when your prayers were finally answered.

2.      Name one way you can reach out to someone on your list to bring him or her to know God.

3.      What is one act of love that can reflect the knowledge of Jesus without preaching?

4.      Have you ever missed an opportunity to work in God’s harvest and why?

5.      Has someone asked you why you were always so happy or why you keep forgiving someone over and over again?  What was your explanation?

6.      What is your story that witnesses to the miraculous love of God in your life?