“Jesus Freak”

September 22, 2013

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

“Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”

Sermon 10 of Summer Series

Worship Theme: Ambassadorship

2 Corinthians 5:17-20 NLT

Matthew 5:13-16 MSG

Good Morning… I have just begun working with the kids in Kids Life and they just amaze me. I get the fun of giving them a bible message each week and they really are on the ball. Have you ever noticed how kids now a day seem so smart? I mean I love to talk with them and ask them questions…ask them what THEIR opinion is on things. They have such a simple way about them and the answers…the solutions I hear… really would work if we adults would just take their advice. In talking with these kids I think I finally get it. If we just trust in God and do all that He asks…If we would follow Jesus no matter what…the world would be a better place…be on fire with Jesus…do what Jesus did for and to others…be a mirror image of Christ to the world. It’s just that simple. Just be a “freak for Jesus”.

This summer we are on a cruise together on the SS Stetson Memorial.  We are “Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”. Last week we stopped at the port called “Sonship” and talked about how humanity has been invited to be adopted into the family of God…we talked about how Jesus signed the adoption process with His blood on the cross. So now we that we have been adopted what are we supposed to do? That is what this week’s port is all about. Welcome to the port of Ambassadorship. This port tells us that we are to become Ambassadors for and of Christ.

So…what is the purpose of an ambassador? I really never understood what an ambassador is so of course I looked up the definition. What I read really gave me food for thought. The word has two definitions:

1®a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment

2® an authorized representative or messenger

The reading from 2 Corinthians this morning tells us that this is what we become as we accept Christ in our lives. We are not of this world…our home country is heaven. We have the diplomatic assignment to share the good news of Christ and to help others find their way back to their home country. We are the messengers of Christ authorized by His seal…the blood of the Cross.

We may not be called as ambassadors by this world’s standard but we are not of this world. Our true world, our true citizenship is in heaven. We live by the rules of our host country…the rules of God and how we are to live with each other. We live so that God is honored through our lives so that others may see the goodness of our “home country” and want to become representatives of our country as well.

So…how do we go about being an Ambassador? There is a piece of scripture found in Matthew that tells us how we go about the call in our lives. It is found in chapter 5 verses 13-16. Let me read it and you tell me if it helps you discover how to be an Ambassador for Christ…I am reading from the MSG this morning…”Salt and Light”

13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

When we accept the position of being and Ambassador for and of Christ, we become light bearers in and to the world. We need to be Jesus freaks that stand out in the world because we shine bright with the glow of Christ in our lives. We need to stand out with that special flavor of Christ…we have a different essence about us that draws people to the aroma…the fragrance of Christ. As we shine…as we show the colors of God…we may be seen as a Jesus freak…but is that really a bad thing…to show the joy of our salvation to the world?

When we become friends of Jesus, when we begin to be that Jesus freak…our whole life changes. No longer do we think the same as we did before…no longer do we act in ways that we did before we became new. We become a new creation and have a new “job description” in our lives. We need to be Jesus freaks in the world. We need to be that ambassador…that representative for the kingdom of God. If we don’t, how will there be a great light in the world? How can people come out of darkness into the great light of our God and King?

We have an important call…it is even more important than an earthly ambassador. We are ambassadors of the eternal not the temporal. In being so we need to let our light shine and give the flavor of God to the world. It’s not easy in a world that has become used the flavorless way that has been prepared for it but we need to get into the kitchen and start sharing the spice of life, our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ in ways that the world has never tasted. We need to be contagious Jesus Freaks...we need to spread our joy and our story and infect the world with the love of Jesus.

How will you use your spiciness to change your world? How will you use the flavor of God to cook up a new thing for the kingdom of God? How will you let your life shine before the world…to be that city on a hill?

We need to become that “Iron Chef” for the world we live in and the world to come. We need to shine like a beacon in the dark showing other the way to safety. We need to be Super-Freaks for Jesus and not care what the temporal world thinks…we don’t belong to that world but to a world that is bright with the colors of God’s grace and love…an eternal world with our God and creator. Are you ready to be different? Are you ready to get your “freak on” for Christ?

Amen