You Can Change the World
Steve W. Reeves
INTRODUCTION:
A. May
I ask you several questions?
1. Is there anything in the world you would
like to change?
a. International tensions?
b. Lack of respect for humanity – human
trafficking – racial hatred?
c. Declining moral standards?
2. Is there anything in our community you
would like to change?
a. Problems with drugs and substance
abuse?
b. Violence? Just two weeks ago a man
was shot and killed only a few blocks
away.
3. Is there anything in your family you
would like to change?
a. Less stress?
b. More money?
4. Is there anything in your personal life
you would like to change?
a. A habit or a reoccurring sin you need
to give up?
b. A closer relationship with your
family? A better marriage? Better friendships?
B. I
want to share with you a strategy with which you can change your world. You may
not single-handedly change international
relationships or eliminate hatred, crime and
violence from the earth but you can change
your world. I can change my world. Just
imagine what could happen if each of us
influenced change in our sphere of
influence.
I. CARING
A. In Luke 10:25 Jesus was approached by a
teacher of the law who asked,
“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit
eternal life?”
1. Jesus responded (vs. 26), “What is
written in the law, how do you read it?”
2. The lawyer said, “You shall 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 your neighbor
as yourself.”
a. The man’s response was a
combination of two Old Testament
commandments. The first was the
“Shema” of Deuteronomy 6:4-5, “Hear, O
Israel! The Lord is our God, the
Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your might.” The
second was Leviticus 19:18, “You
shall not take vengeance, nor bear any
grudge against the sons of your
people, but you shall love your neighbor as
yourself; I am the Lord.”
b. This was an answer Jesus
certainly agreed with. He said, “You
have answered correctly, do this and you
will live (vs. 28).
c. For the lawyer there was a
problem with this answer. There were some people
he didn’t want to love. There
was a great deal of conflict among the Jews of
Jesus’ day about the parameter of your
association. Some felt you could only
associate with other Jews. Some
went further and said you should only
associate with those of your
particular sect of Judaism. One particular group,
called the Essenes, built their
own community. This prompted the lawyer’s
question, “Who is my neighbor?
3. Jesus responded with one of the most
familiar parables in the New Testament.
Perhaps it is so familiar that we
sometimes overlook its message. The parable is
found in verses 30-35.
a. A man was going from Jerusalem to
Jericho. This was a treacherous road. In
this seventeen mile stretch
there is a drop of 3000 feet. The road was narrow
and crooked. Thieves inhabited
caves and hiding places along the way. The
Roman historian, Jerome, called
it the “Bloody way.”
b. This man was attacked, robbed,
stripped, beaten and left for dead.
c. A priest passed by, saw the man
and kept going. Perhaps he thought the man
was dead. For a priest to touch
a dead body would make him unclean and
unable to serve in the temple.
It was easier to pass by. The Levites were
temple servants. When the Levite
saw the man he passed by as well. Do you
see where Jesus was going with
this parable? He was telling this parable to
the Pharisees who were strict
law keepers. Here were men who kept the rules
and regulations but overlooked a
need before their eyes.
d. A Samaritan came along. This
immediately got the attention of these
Pharisees. There was bitter
animosity between the Jews and the Pharisees.
When the Israelites were carried
off by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. the
Assyrians repopulated the land
with pagans. These pagans began to
intermarry with the Jews that
remained in the land creating a new race known
as Samaritans. When the Jews
returned from exile in the 5th century they
found these half-relatives who
wanted to help rebuild the temple. The Jews
rejected them. The animosity was
so bitter that Samaritans would kill Jews on
their way to Jerusalem. If a Jew
dared walk through Samaria he would kick the
dust off of his feet. Most of
the time they would go out of their way to keep
from passing through Samaria
(consider the significance of Jesus’
conversation with the Samaritan
woman in John 4).This Samaritan had
compassion on the man who had
been robbed. He bound up his wounds, put
him on his animal (meaning he
had to walk) and carried him to an inn where
he made provision for his care.
e. Notice Jesus’ question in vs. 36,
“Which of the three was a neighbor?” The
lawyer had to answer, “the one
who showed compassion.” Jesus said, “Go
and do the same.”
B. We often think that changing the world
can only happen if we do something
spectacular and achieve notoriety. Jesus
said the way to affect change in the world
is to begin with a heart of compassion
towards those you see every day.
C. In the days following World War II an
American soldier was walking through the
bombed out streets of a European city. As
he walked past the charred remains of
building he sudden smelled the aroma of
fresh baked bread. He saw a small
bakery. Outside the bakery was a boy
wearing dirty, tattered clothes. His nose was
pressed against the window of the
bakery. The soldier walked into the bakery and
bought a loaf of bread which he gave to
the little boy. The little boy looked up and
said, “Mister, are you God?” “No,”
smiled the soldier. “I’m just one of His children.”
II. BEARING
A. You do not have to look far in this
world to find people who are hurting.
1. The hurt of loneliness and isolation.
2. The hurt of pain, disease and death.
3. The hurt of prejudice, anger and
family problems.
B. When Paul wrote to the Galatians he
said, “Bear one another’s burdens, and
thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”
C. In 2005 a summer thunderstorm occurred
in the Memphis area causing a flash
flood in a neighborhood. Houses were
inundated by four or five feet of water.
1. Most people did not carry flood
insurance.
2. I am so thankful for Christians who
immediately rushed to the aid of these
people. We moved furniture, pulled
wet carpet and padding to the street, cut out
sheetrock and pulled out wet
insulation. We had several ladies in the
congregation who were excellent
organizers. We set up an office in the
neighborhood and they worked with
local contractors and businesses who
donated services to rebuild these
homes. Members of our congregation
volunteered to paint, to hang doors,
install hardware on cabinets and move
people back into their homes. The
local paper ran an editorial thanking the
members of the church for all they
had done.
D. What are we doing to bear the burdens of
others in our community?
1. A few weeks ago a man was murdered
just a few blocks from our church
building.
2. There are all types of needs in the
lives of people nearby. Paul would later add in
Galatians 6:10, “Do good unto all,
especially those of the household of faith.”
3.
In Yell county there is a rural church known as the Mount George church of
Christ. It’s located in one of the
poorest areas of our state. Several years ago the
people of that small church decided
to help people in their community. They
began a program called “Food on the
Mount.” Every August before school starts
they have a food drive and provide
groceries to people. They collect school
supplies and distribute them to
people. They have local barbers come in and
provide haircuts. They set up a tent
where people can stop by to talk and request
prayer. Every year this rural church
serves over 1000 people in one day!
4. Near Newport there is a small
community called Remmel. Several years ago
when Lou Butterfield was preaching
there the Remmel church decided it would
start a ministry to help people in
Jackson county who are caught in addicition.
They began a program to reach out to
people. That small, rural church is bursting
at the seams because they are
reaching out and bearing people’s burdens.
4. “Somebody ought to do that!” I have
checked our church directory. We do not
have “somebody” on our roll. We do
have you!
III. SHARING
A. Do you want to change your world? Share
what you have!
1. In Mark 5 Jesus went to the eastern
shore of the Sea of Galilee, a place known
as the land of the Gergesenes (Mark
5:1. Matthew 8:28 calls it the land of the
Gadarenes).
2. This is the place where Jesus
encountered a demon possessed man who lived
among the tombs, cut himself,
screamed and scared everyone. Jesus cast the
demons out of the man into a herd of
pigs. Afterwards, the man wanted to
accompany Jesus as he traveled.
Notice what Jesus told him in vs. 19, “Go
home to your people and report to
them what great things the Lord has done for
you, and how He had mercy on you.”
3. I applaud our mission efforts. You do
not have to go around the world to tell
people what the Lord has done for
you.
B. I met a man named Chuck Lester shortly
after his release from prison. He had
been convicted on a methamphetamine
charge. While he was in prison he began
studying the Bible through World Bible
School and was baptized. When he got out
he started coming to church. He’s not an
educated man but he has a story that he
shares as often as he can. I spoke with
him just a month ago and he’s still sharing
his story, has a steady job, and is
making a difference in his world. I know another
man named John Coleman. He is an
alcoholic. Years ago he realized his problem
and and turned to the Lord. Today he is
a faithful Christian and helps scores of
people by sharing his story.
C. What is your story? Are you willing to
share it with others?
CONCLUSION:
A. Here
is another question. Are you changing the world or is the world changing
you?
1. The church should be changing the world.
We should be salt that savors and light
that illuminates.
2. That is not happening. Instead of
changing the world the world is changing the
church. It’s causing our salt to lose
its savor and our lights to be hidden. If we want
to change the world we must first change
ourselves.
B. God
cares for each of us. His Son was willing to bear our sins on the cross. He
asks
us to share His message with others. Can He
count on us?
