Sound the Horn

We’ve been talking about and breaking down what it means to be free in Christ for about two months now. I know that sounds like a lot, but trust me, it was a lot to unpack. However, we’ve now come to one of my favorite points in literature: the full circle moment.

In Christ, we have freedom. Freedom to know Christ, to choose Him or not choose Him. Freedom to fail and repent, return again. Freedom to lead, freedom to have a relationship with the God on High. We have the freedom to live . . . but are we living as Christ intended for us to? Are we putting our blood-bought freedom to the best possible application?

Ezekiel 33: 1-4 gives us a task. A big one, albeit a simple one. Sound the horn. Simplified to today’s terminology: share what you know. Judgement is coming. Share. What. You. Know. People you know right now are living in sin, and friend, you and I both know how that story ends when absent acceptance of the redemption Christ paid for with His life. Tell them.

We see Jesus dispel a horde of demons from the body of a man in Luke 8:26-39. And the man, reasonably so, was so overcome with gratitude that He begged Jesus to allow him to travel with Him, but our loving Savior said “No.” Instead, He commanded the man to return to his home and tell everyone how much God has done for him. The same story can be found in Mark 5:1-19.

Psalm 105:1 says to proclaim His name, make known among the nations what He has done.

Acts 1:8 calls us His witnesses. And what do witnesses do? They testify!

Perhaps my favorite reference scripture, however, to really move us from one point to the next, is this:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

– 1 Peter 2:9

Out of darkness. Sound the horn, friends, because a lost person remains a lost person in the dark.

Now the enemy, he’s prowling right now, and he’s angry. He’s attacking you and me because he feels threatened by us. We’ll converse on that another day.

But them? The lost friends, relatives, and loved ones who are left wandering aimlessly in the dark? He’s attacking them because they’re easy prey. 1 Peter 5:8 says he’s constantly on the hunt, ever searching for someone to devour.

Sound the horn.

James 4:7 says to resist the devil and he will flee from us, but how can we expect them to know how to resist him if they don’t know what we know?

And what we know is this: The dirty old devil may prowl among us, but the Spirit of the Lord is upon us (Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 4:7, Ephesians 3:20).

In John 16:7, Jesus tells His disciples that it is better for them that He go away (die) so that they may receive the Advocate (His Holy Spirit).

Well friends, message received. Literally. Because that Spirit is alive, and it’s active today in you and me.

To wrap up the sermon, Pastor Doug shared an excerpt from a book he’s reading by JD Grear titled “Jesus Continued. Why the Spirit Inside You is Better than Jesus Beside You.”

“God commissioned only one Messiah, and it’s not us. He calls us to be servants, not fellow saviors; stewards, not suppliers. He wants us not to be guilt-driven, but gift-driven; not only looking outward at the mission need, but inward at His empowering presence. The question is not just ‘How much needs to be done?’ but ‘What specifically has He empowered me to do?’"

So the bad news is that the enemy’s out there.

But the good news is that the Savior’s in here.

And the really good news? Seeing Him at work in you will lead others to His feet. People will obtain their salvation because they’ve seen mountains move on behalf of your faith.

I mentioned earlier that I love a good full-circle moment in books. The same is true in experiences. It was said before communion that “Collectively, we are all bad people (true) that sometimes do really good things.”

If the last two months have taught us anything, it’s that we are free to mess up sometimes, guys. Free, as the naturally sinful human beings that we are, to wake up and choose—every day—who we’re going to serve and how we’re going to do it.

Allow me to challenge you to do one of those “really good things.”

Sound the horn. Tell someone, in love, what He has done for you. Tell someone, in love, of His laws, His commands, and His grace. Tell someone that He may have died, but He ain’t dead. He’s not here now, but He’s coming back, and until that day, here you are carrying out His work on His behalf.

Sound the horn.