Church on Purpose- TEACH- Listen Up!

 Sermon: FCC Afton January 8, 2023 Church on Purpose Series Teach: "Listen Up" Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:13-14; 2:2 Explanation of our Church on Purpose series: When we look at the mission statement of FCC Afton: to make mature Followers of Jesus, how do we develop a church that lines up with Jesus' mission statement for the Church: to go unto the world and make disciples and to His witnesses to the entire world? How do we effectively and tangibly influence the world? How do we follow Christ's commission for our lives? How do we get beyond church as something we were simply raised to do on Sundays and focus on looking outward at how we can change the world? This Church on Purpose series is going to take a deeper look at what it really means to be the Church: to be disciples of Jesus, how we make/ craft others into disciples, what it means for us to go into the world for Jesus, and how we send readied, disciple-making disciples out to grow the Kingdom of God. Read 2 Timothy 1:13-14; 2:2 Pray here! -In Matthew 16:18, Jesus says this: "I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." The Church is not our doing; this model of fellowship is part of God's plan and design- part of His gift to us, His Followers. No matter what the building looks like, what amenities are offered or how the programs are designed, the Church was established by God for us, to give us a place of support and fellowship, where we could focus on surrendering in worship and to be prepared and equipped for the work that He has us to do. If we are going to be effective in teaching the world the things that Jesus has taught us, we must be committed to what God wants His body of Believers to be. God has ordained His Church, a fellowship of terribly flawed, immature sinners, to carry out His purpose and will in the world. Yet, we act like this is simply an optional extracurricular, one of many things that we can choose to fill our Sunday mornings [Sermon illustration: Man tells his pastor that he can't remember a single sermon and asks why it is important to come to Church. The pastor replies that he can't remember a lifetime of meals that his wife had made him, but every one of them fed and nourished him and prepared him to go out to do his work.] In Matthew 28 and Acts 1, Jesus shares with us His vision for our action in this world: to proclaim the Good News of God's grace and the free gift of salvation, to make disciples of all people by teaching them what He taught us, to be His witnesses to the entire world, and to grow the Kingdom of God in a foundation of mature disciples for that which will be established after Christ's return. But how can we teach others if we do not know Christ's teaching? How can we inspire others to listen to God's direction and vision if we do not know how to listen to God's voice ourselves? I know this is probably going to step on some toes, but the purpose of the Church (our purpose as the Church) is not to make people feel good about themselves, not to entertain people, or even to give you a safe, comfortable place to rest, worship, and have your needs met. Now, hopefully, of course, we can be an encouragement to others- but we are here to make disciples- to show others how they need to completely surrender their lives to Jesus- and oftentimes that means stepping on toes and making people feel uncomfortable. We are called to actively be Christ's witnesses to the earth. In 2 Corinthians 5:20, Paul reaffirms this message, calling us Christ's ambassadors and stating that "God is appealing through us" and that "we plead on Christ's behalf" for others to 'Be reconciled to God.' (Read this not as begging others to come to Jesus, but as being a lighthouse, warning others of the rocks ahead, or being a jungle guide, warning others not to go that dangerous route but to follow me along this trusted way.) Main Idea: Listen up! How can you effectively be a witness to the world, how can you teach the world, if you are not listening to what God has to say to you? Are you open and willing to listen to God's instruction? Are you making yourself available to be taught? 2 Timothy 1:13 - "Hold to the example of sound teaching that you have heard from me." Timothy was given the sound teaching of the mysteries of the Gospel- and was expected to hold it well [think: keep it safe and secure or maintain it to keep it in excellent condition]. Timothy was instructed to keep hold of the truth that he had heard from the Apostle Paul- this wasn't just hearing something in passing or hearing a good sermon and then going on his way to go fishing- this was Timothy walking beside Paul, doing life together with Paul, watching Paul doing ministry, living as a disciple of Paul and of Jesus. In the same way that Paul was given the mysteries of the Gospel and then sent out to spread it and make disciples, Timothy is also now given stewardship of the Gospel. It's this idea of "You've watched me doing this Gospel work, telling people about Jesus; you've heard all these things and you believe it, as well, so now it is your turn. I'm passing the baton to you." Part of being a Disciple of Jesus is being a good steward of the truths of the Gospel. Timothy, along with each subsequent Follower of Jesus, including you and me, was tasked with making sure that the sound teaching was preserved from becoming corrupted through distortion, dilution, addition, or deletion and protected from the constant threat of heretical teachings. And he was entrusted with the responsibility of taking what he had heard and passing it along to other faithful believers. Question: Are you a disciple of Jesus? Are you walking daily with Him, listening to His teaching, listening to how He does things, following along, and studying intently? Maybe your answer to that question is a solid "yes!' Maybe it's an offended, "Well, of course! I study the Word every day!" But are you open and willing to listen to what God wants you to do- even if it is contrary to your will and outside of your comfort zone? Are you being a good steward of the Gospel- protecting it from corruption and the heresy of false teachings and cultural pressures? In James 1:22-25, we read this: "Be doers of the Word and not hearers only, thus deceiving yourselves. But if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at His own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works- this person will be blessed." This requires more than a quick, cursory glance- more than just an hour on Sundays, Christians! To look into the mirror of the Word of God and walk away having heard what God wants you to hear and to know what God wants you to do involves an obligation to give an intense, sustained look with a ready response. This intense, sustained look is the key to spiritual strength and growing spiritual maturity. The Greek word here is "parakypsas," referring to the act of looking intensely at something, to "stoop down" or to "draw something close" in order to examine it (think of someone leaning in close to a mirror to try to make out some small detail or someone examining something with a magnifying glass). When you hear the truth of God's Word, of God's commands, what are you doing with it? Is it a quick glance and then forgetting what you just heard, forgetting who you are as a disciple of Jesus? Or are you leaning in, examining everything that you've heard, intently and intensely pouring through it, taking it to heart and applying it to your life? Question: Are you listening to what God has to say to you? Are you opening Scripture and reading the divinely inspired Words of God, consuming the very Bread of Life that God has given? Are you maintaining a healthy diet of listening to God? Are you listening, really intently listening? Because you will struggle to be effective in the purpose of the Church, the work you're called to do, if you don't get listening correctly? Are you making yourself available in a way that God can communicate with you? Consider this passage in Romans 10:13-15 "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on Him in whom they have not believed in? And how can they believe in Him without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach without being sent? How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim the Good News of the Gospel!" Closing: Today, we set the foundation for this entire series: as we seek to teach the world the things that Jesus taught us, are you listening? Are you available to be taught? Can you hear God's voice and direction this morning? Are you ready to respond when you hear God say "Go!"?