Sermons in Rosedale Network of Churches
Continuing a multi-year theme of hearing how God is at work in our churches, the 2025 Feature Beacon articles will focus on preaching within Rosedale Network. Each article will feature a recent sermon by a Rosedale Network pastor. May we all be encouraged by the faithful teaching of God’s Word.
When I began working as a nurse’s aide, I was warned that there would be a lot of cleaning up unpleasant messes, and to make sure my vaccinations were up to date. The message was clear; caring for people will be messy and dangerous. This is also the case in taking the good news of Jesus to people who don’t know Him, especially to those in dark and uncomfortable places.
In the church, we typically don’t like these words—messy and dangerous—and like to live cleaner and safer lives, like respectable hobbits who “never had any adventures or did anything unexpected” (Tolkien, The Hobbit).
Church, it’s time to wake up and think about what could happen if we get messy and dangerous for the gospel.
However, reaching our communities with the good news of Jesus will be messy and possibly dangerous. If we avoid this truth, we can be lulled into a sleep that will keep us from fulfilling our God-given commission to make disciples.
Church, it’s time to wake up and think about what could happen if we get messy and dangerous for the gospel.
2 Peter 3:9 is likely a familiar verse; God does not desire anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance. He loves each and every person on the face of this planet and designed each of us intimately because He wanted the world—at this time in history—to have each one of us. He has work for us to do in His redemption plan for the whole world!
Verse 10 may be a little less familiar, and certainly less comforting: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare” (2 Peter 3:10 NIV). Jesus will come back without warning—things will be in tumult, there will be destruction, and the earth will be laid bare and all that was done in it revealed.
And the time for repentance will be over.
Church, there is an urgency! People are going to spend eternity in Hell away from Jesus unless someone like you and me will wake up, get uncomfortable, and go out of our way to tell this news to all the world, starting right where we’re at.
We need to shift our thinking to that of C.T. Studd: “Some want to live within the sound of church and chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop, within a yard of hell!” When the church lives like this, transformation happens: “Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas” (Acts 19:18-19).
Because of the good news being shared in dark places—places where sorcery was being practiced—those who needed the light the most found it! They were so convinced of the good news of Jesus that they burned their livelihood and wealth, which had been invested in their books of sorcery.
We may read this passage and think “Okay, but none of that stuff goes on in my quiet community.” However, I wouldn’t be so sure. In the rural area of Canton, Pennsylvania, there are mediums, many of whom use Ouija boards and the like. While these are extreme cases, there are many people affected by the darkness and lies of the enemy all around us. Because of Jesus, we don’t have to be afraid of these dark powers, but can shine a light into those places, pointing people to Jesus for light, freedom, forgiveness, and salvation!
Will you join me in asking Jesus what first step He would call us to take to interact with our neighbors caught in darkness, shining a light for Him?
Church, it’s time to get messy and dangerous for the gospel!
Photo credit: Greg Rosenke: “Yellow and Black Caution Sign”
