Video
Common Sense – Aaron Viscichini
Sermon Preached on October 27, 2013
Notes & Scriptures
COMMON SENSE: “LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY”
POINTS
(1) LEAD PEOPLE TO HEAVEN – OR GO TO HELL
(2) FOLLOW GOD – OR FOLLOW SATAN
(3) MOVE FORWARD – OR FALL AWAY
INTRODUCTION
A. “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” – Thomas Paine
1. Thomas Paine was a famous author and revolutionary who wrote a pro-independence pamphlet in the 18th century entitled, Common Sense
2. It was the best-selling American book during the time because it was easy-to-understand, straight-forward, and passionately asserted universal values of freedom from oppression and the tyranny of men
B. God published a similar message in the 1st century, entitled – The Good News!
1. In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
2. The message of the cross was a message of liberation, and in just 3 years Jesus ignited a movement for God that preached to every creature under heaven in a single generation!
3. Now, because of Christ, the Bible isn’t just the best-selling American book of a particular time period. It is the best-selling book of all time – most sold, most bought, even the most stolen book ever published!
C. If that is the power of Jesus’ message and mission, you better believe that is the power of his modern-day movement!
#1 – LEAD PEOPLE TO HEAVEN – OR GO TO HELL
Who goes to Heaven?
Read. John 14:6
Answer. Those who follow Jesus go to Heaven.
How do you follow Jesus?
Read. Mark 1:14-18
- From the very beginning, Jesus preached, “Follow me”
- To follow Jesus was to become a fisher of men
- Those who accepted the message were Jesus’ disciples
Answer.
- To follow Jesus, you must do what he does.
- Jesus made disciples!
Notes.
- If you’re not fishing for men, you’re not following Jesus
- If you’re not following Jesus, you can’t go to heaven!
Read. Matthew 28:18-20
- Even at the end of his ministry, Jesus preached the same exact message!
- Go! Make disciples of all nations!
- Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you!
Questions.
- Who are you leading to God?
- Who are you teaching and helping to obey God?
- Are you more worried about your own life?
- Or the lives of the people in the cave?
- Maybe you miss the ease and comfort of the cave?
- Or you miss the fellowship of those who are still in the darkness?
- Do you love the light more than the darkness?
- Or do you hate the pain that it puts in your eyes?
- Are you sick of adjusting to a totally new life?
- Are you afraid because now people you know who you really are?
- OR, Are you happy and fired up to know the truth and can’t wait to share it with others?
- Where are you leading the people who follow you?
- Are you leading people out of the cave?
- Or, are you leading people back into the cave because you’re too stubborn to change?
#2 – FOLLOW GOD – OR FOLLOW SATAN
“A good leader knows how to follow.”
Read. Luke 11:23
- If you are not with Jesus, you are against him
How do you know if you are with Jesus?
Read. John 10:37-38
- Even Jesus said, do not believe him unless he does what his father does
- Because Jesus imitated God, he was with God and God was with him
- To follow Jesus, you must be unified in heart, mind, and deed with him
- If you are following Jesus, you will do the things that Jesus did, and people will believe that you are his disciple
What if you are not doing the things that Jesus did? Who are you following?
Read. John 8:39-44
- You’re spiritual identity is completed determined by your deeds!
- Jesus says if you follow God, then you do the things that God does!
- If you do not do follow God, then you do the deeds of Satan!
- It is either one or the other
- Every action you take is either following God or Satan
- Who you follow determines who your father will be!
- In other words, whatever or whoever you are following – that is your God!
Illustrate: Things We Follow.
- Our family and friends
- Our emotions
- Our intellect and reasoning
- Our teachers and employers
- Religious leaders and traditions
- Popular opinion and the media
| Things That Jesus Does | Things That Satan Does |
| Serves others | Serves himself |
| Loves others | Hates others |
| Encourages | Criticizes |
| Trusts others | Distrusts others |
| Unifies | Divides |
| Keeps his integrity | Gives up, gives in |
#3 –MOVE FORWARD – OR FALL AWAY
Read. 2 Peter 1:1-11
- Once you become a disciple the journey is not over
- We think that because we’ve been saved – the hard part is over!
- We’ve literally just begun
- FAITH > GOODNESS > KNOWLEDGE > SELF-CONTROL > PERSEVERANCE > GODLINESS > KINDNESS > LOVE
- We must possess these qualities in increasing measure!
- If we fail to do this, we are blind to the grace God has given us and lack gratitude for our salvation!
- Eventually, we will fall away
Notes.
- Where are you in your walk with God?
- Identify your weakness and persevere in building them up
- Be humble!
- Ask for help!
- Share your weaknesses with other disciples and SEEK DISCIPLING
- God is the foundation, the church is the support
- If we do not value growth in the core of who we are – in the core of our character – we will eventually leave God and the Kingdom
CLOSE
To inspire his soldiers in late 1776, George Washington read the following excerpt from The American Crisis which was written by Thomas Paine during the revolution:
