What’s the Point?

In the Spring of 1985, Coca-Cola took a big risk. At the time they were steadily loosing ground to Pepsi. So they went back to the drawing board and brought in a consultant who encouraged them to reconsider what was at the core of their mission as a company. He drew a box on a white board and asked them to come up with one word that would describe what Cocoa-Cola was all about. After a brief brainstorming time, it was clear. The one word: “Taste.”

So the team at Coca-cola figured the one way to recapture the market was to come up with a better taste. With a better taste, they would derail Pepsi and regain their place at the top of the soft drink empire. So what happened? Do you remember? They came up with a new product: New Coke.

However, the public’s reaction was not what they expected. Rather than embrace New Coke, they hated it and quickly began stockpiling old Coke in fear it was going away. Well, the leadership began to panic. This new marketing campaign was an epic failure. They went back to the drawing board, erased the word “taste” and replaced it with a new word: “tradition.” They immediately launched “Coca-Cola Classic.” Sales skyrocketed and they reclaimed their place as the king of the soft-drink world.

Now, did you know, that Churches often do the same thing as Coca-Cola did? They look at where they are at and discover that they are no longer growing, or seeing lives changed. They’re having a hard time making budget or raising up leaders. So they hire a consultant to come in and help them re-evaluate their mission, their focus and what they need to do. Essentially, they take a white board and do the same thing – asking: What’s the Church all about? What’s the point of our existence? What one word best describes our mission?  Better yet. If you took a look at your own life, what would you put in your box? What’s the point of your life? Why are you here?

Well, I believe there’s one word that fits beautifully in both boxes: in your life and our church: Jesus!  You see, from the very beginning the Christian faith has always been a movement about Jesus. Christianity didn’t begin in a church building or a Bible study. It was born in the hearts of men and women who put their trust in a man who walked out of an empty tomb after laying down His life for our sins. From the very the beginning, the Christian faith was all about Jesus – about knowing him, trusting him, following him, and proclaiming Him. That is why Rock Springs Church will always be a church about Jesus, and why our mission will never change.

For God has called us to be People who are Helping People become Friends, Family and Followers of Jesus.   Jesus is the reason we exist. And we want people to know Jesus, believe in Jesus, follow Jesus and help others do the same. So this morning, as we celebrate God’s goodness to us, I want to remind us of who we know, who we trust and who we follow: Jesus! I want to give us three pictures of why Jesus is at the heart of everything we do. Why Jesus is the point of our existence. And the first reason is this:

Jesus is Savior! Look at how Titus describes Jesus in Titus chapter 3, But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7

Jesus is our Savior. He came to us out of the kindness of God’s love for us. He saved us when we could not save ourselves.   For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of your own doing; it is a gift of God, not the result of our works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

But sometimes we need to ask: What does Jesus save us from?   Titus tells us that God saved us out of His mercy. Which means that Jesus saves us from the consequences of our sinful rebellion.   And the most telling consequence that Jesus saves us from is eternal separation from God. Without Jesus as Savior, we would be left to die in our sin, without any hope of life with God. So Jesus saved us from the grief of alienation from the very One who created us. But Jesus saves us from more than that. For when Jesus saves us, he delivers us from the realm of darkness; from the deceit of Satan, from a life of misdirection, a life of confusion and a life without purpose.  Jesus saved us from a broken and wasted life. But He also saved us for something.

What does Jesus save us for? He saves you for a relationship with God. He saves you to bring you God – so you that can know Him, treasure Him and rest in His loving and secure arms now and forever. He saves you so you can know what its like to be His beloved child. And He saves you so can enjoy a new life: a life where you can learn to live and love like Jesus; a life of freedom, a life of meaning and life of adventure, walking with Him and learning to be a blessing to others as you follow Him. That’s why Jesus is the point. He is why gather to worship and why we have Journey groups. He is why we serve others in Eloy or Ocean Beach.  He’s why we pack shoeboxes to send to children in Peru.  And He is why we seek to include anyone and love everyone. Because HE saved us for this.

Jesus is the Savior: He is the only One who can forgive you; the only One who can bring you to God; the only One who can give you a new life with Him. So let me ask you: Is Jesus your Savior? Have you put your trust in Him? Have you found the new life He gives? Jesus is God’s gift of love to you. If you’ve never put your trust in Him, let me encourage you to do so, even today.

The Second reason why Jesus is the point, is simple: Jesus is Lord! In Romans 14, Paul declares this truth about Jesus: If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or we die, we belong to the Lord. Romans 14:8 This is as clear a life mission statement as they come. As great as it is to know Jesus as Savior, its even better when you realize that He is Lord.

When Jesus is Lord He gives life purpose.  When Jesus is Lord He gives the church passion. But for Jesus to be Lord means you must want to follow. You must want to submit your ways to His ways, to surrender your life to His. This is at the core of our mission as a church, and what we were created for. Not just to be saved by Jesus, but to be surrendered to Jesus because we belong to Jesus.

But this is not always easy for us to do. We’ve been taught all our lives to follow our dreams, listen to our hearts, have it your way, and go your own way. But there has never been a Lord like Jesus. He is a kind master who says,  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

This is who we want to help people follow: Jesus, who gently instructs, who graciously leads and who ultimately transforms us so He can begin living His life through us.   Jesus is a leader who loves you too much to leave you the way you are. Jesus is the loving master you can trust with all of your life because He gave His life for you.  Jesus is Lord.  He is the only one with all authority, with all power, and is the only Lord worthy of ruling our lives.  That’s why we follow Him!

That’s why Jesus is the point, why we are never satisfied with just worshiping Him. We want to follow Him and help others know Him too. Jesus didn’t die for you just to get you into heaven. Jesus gave His all for you so you might go all in with Him.

Jesus is Savior, Jesus is Lord, and finally, Jesus is Life! It was Jesus who said: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. John 10:10 If there is one universal truth that captures us all – is that we love life. We don’t want to simply exist, just get by, eat, breath and sleep and then do it again. No we want our lives to mean something. We want to know and be known. We want to love and be loved. But even more than that, we have a craving for life that’s characterized by kindness, mercy, goodness and peace. We’ve grown weary of our increasingly jaded and angry culture, so that when we hear Jesus say, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, it seems like that’s all we hear or see in the news anymore…  But when Jesus says, I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. John 10:10 that’s the kind of good news that give us hope. Because that’s the kind of life we long for.

You see, Jesus is life. And the Bible tells us that Jesus is the Creator of life, Jesus is the sustainer of life and Jesus is the giver of life – all life comes from Him, is held together by Him and is found in Him. Jesus couldn’t have said it any clearer when he said: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3 Eternal life isn’t just life in the here after – its life where you can know and be known, by the very One who gave you all your longings for life. In Him is life.

He is the bread of life, the light of life, the resurrection and the life. And because He walked out of that tomb 2000 years ago, He lives today and wants to give you this life: this eternal life, abundant and satisfying life that’s found in Him.

That is why beginning next week we are going to start a new message series about Jesus, entitled “The Life.” But the good news is that you don’t have to wait until next week to get in on this life. Because the Bible tells us that this life is found in Jesus. Listen to how John puts in his gospel: Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. John 20:30-31

And that is why Jesus will always be the core of our life together as Rock Springs Church. Jesus has come that you may have life and have it to the full. And all it takes for you to receive this life is to believe in His name. Jesus is Savior. Jesus is Lord and Jesus is Life.

And now, because Jesus lives you can have this life: a forgiven life, a meaningful life and eternal life if you trust in Him. This is the Jesus we want to help you know. This is the Jesus we want to help you follow. For this is the Jesus we believe in and who gives us life. May you come to know and believe in His name with us.

Let’s pray.