 Friday, February 25, 2011 
It would have to be near the top of the list of one of the most memorable commercials of all times. It actually goes back to the 1980s. Anybody who was around then remembers the commercial. See, there are men who sit in ad offices all day long, struggling to come up with that million dollar slogan that will impress the nation. Well, there was one that was on everyone's lips back then...three haunting words: Where's the beef? There was this outspoken little old lady who walked into a hamburger restaurant and she wasn't impressed by the surroundings; she wasn't impressed by the name of the hamburger. She wasn't impressed by the size of the bun. She got right down to the real issue when it comes to choosing a hamburger and to a lot of other choices too. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about (yeah, you guessed it) "Where's the Beef?" Well, our word for today from the Word of God comes from John chapter 9. I'm going to be reading from verses 24 and 25. Jesus has just healed the man who was blind from birth. The Pharisees and the Jewish leaders don't like it, because it happened on the Sabbath Day. They're asking questions about the Sabbath. They have totally missed the point that a blind man is suddenly able to see again, and they're hassling him. We pick up the story, "A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. 'Give glory to God,' they said, 'We know this man is a sinner.' He replied, 'Whether he's a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!'" You know, we all have a lot to learn from this man's very simple testimony. See, he refused to get trapped into discussing theology or some deep analysis. He wouldn't get into any religious arguments. It was a simple word: "All I know is I was blind and now I see." People really aren't interested in asking you what you believe. They want to ask you, "What's the difference Jesus makes?" Or, "Where's the beef?" "What really happened here to you?" See, someone can give you a great pitch about, let's say, their weight loss plan. But you don't want to hear the details of the weight loss plan. You want to say, "Well, what difference did it make? That's what I need to know." Maybe you've gotten off in a detour in your sincere desire to share Christ with people close to you. See, it's easy to go from communicating the difference Christ is making and wander into religious arguments with people, or words that only church people understand, or theology, or Adam and Eve, or what certain entertainments are sinful, trying to clean people up on the outside before they know Christ on the inside - none of which will attract people to your Jesus. What will? "I was, but now I am." What difference is Jesus making in how you cope with stress, with depression? What difference is Jesus making in how you handle financial pressure, how you set your sexual standards? What difference is Jesus making in the unemployment line, in your relationship with your parents, when the money's run out, in your marriage, your relationship with your kids? How about in your bitterness, your temper, your tendency to worry? If you have a Christ who just makes rules, or even just makes sense, that probably won't be enough to attract the people you care about. People will notice a Christ who makes a difference. Well, is He? There are a lot of hungry people out there asking, "Where's the beef?" They want a life-changer.  Show them a life-changing Jesus.
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