Foundational Function-Evangelism Part 2

The Foundational Functions of the Church

Part 2

Introduction

Review from last week

· Matthew 28:18-20

· This was the central text we looked at that establishes the 1st foundational function of the church and why it exists in the world, to “Go and make disciples.”

· Share the Gospel with unbelievers that they too would come to a saving faith in Jesus.

Lost it’s priority

· For many believers and for many churches, evangelism has lost its priority.

· The result is that unbelievers are not hearing Gospel of Jesus Christ.

· Evangelism becomes secondary, I’ll share my faith with others if I have time.

· I expressed my opinion last week as to why its lost priority.

· It’s due to the obstacles we establish based on our fears and anxieties.

· It’s also due to spiritual warfare, believing the lies of satan that keep us from evangelizing.

· During Christ’s time on earth, He saw that this was a problem.

· Jesus also knew it would be a problem, even in our churches today. So, He gives us the reality and the state of evangelism in His day as well as in our world today in:

Matthew 9:35-38

35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Well, regardless of the reality and state of evangelism in our world today:

Thunder Basin Community Church is committed to “Sharing Jesus as we engage our community one relationship at a time”

Today I want to start the building blocks of what is required if we are going to make evangelism a priority for us. Establishing a solid foundation and then building upon it.

· It may sound obvious, but the 1stprerequisite and foundation of Christian life and ministry for the Body of Christ, the church, is coming to faith in Jesus, having a saving relationship with Him.

· Because believing the Gospel message radically transforms us in a way that we no longer live for ourselves but make Jesus the King of our life.

· We have new priorities and purpose in our life, to love God and love others above all else.

· The 2nd prerequisite as we build on the foundation of saving faith is to know that God calls every believer to a specific ministry in the Church based on the gifts He gives us.

· Evangelism is one of these ministries.

· However, God’s call to evangelism differs since it is a foundational function of why the church exists.

· It isn’t a specific call to individual believers.

· All disciples of Jesus are called to “Go and make disciples.

Well, because God calls everyone to ministry, I believe it is imperative to know all the aspects of God’s Divine Calling if we are to be obedient to fulfill His Purposes and Plans for our lives.

Prayer

· Living the Christian life and ministry is not an easy task.

· The Bible informs us that we will experience suffering and persecution.

· In fact, because of this, Jesus tells us that if we are to follow Him, we need to count the costs and the sacrifices we must make to be His disciple.

· Loving and serving God and others comes with a price.

· There are many sacrifices we make.

· Many ups and downs.

· We’ll experience success and failure.

· We’ll have times of strength and weakness.

· We will experience times of boldness and courage but also times of fear and anxiety.

· Being a disciple of Jesus and being obedient to God’s calling in our life is a rollercoaster.

The good news

· But thankfully, being a disciple of Jesus and God’s Divine calling in our lives come with never failing promises God gives us.

· Promises that give us peace and comfort.

· To empower us in our weakness.

· Promises that can give us confidence, boldness, and courage to be obedient, especially when it’s hard and full of challenges.

· Promises that help us persevere during the times when we just want to give up.

· The promises God gives us in calling disciples is the 2ndstep in the building blocks to make evangelism a priority for us.

· So, let’s take an in depth look at all the aspects of God’s divine calling.

We’re going to camp in the book of Jeremiah 1:4-12, and 17-19 to reveal the truths and promises of God’s Divine calling and commissioning of believers.

· Jeremiah was a faithful servant for 40 years as God’s prophet.

· And it all started with God calling and commissioning him to ministry.

· During those 40 years, he faced many difficult and painful experiences, even times in which he wanted to give up.

· However, God’s truths and promises in His diving calling helped Jeremiah to endure and persevere in his ministry.

Jeremiah 1:4-12, 17-19

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;

for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,

and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

8 Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

declares the Lord.”

9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lordsaid to me,

“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.

10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,

to pluck up and to break down,

to destroy and to overthrow,

to build and to plant.”

11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”

17 But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”

Exegesis

From a bird’s eye perspective, the text teaches us that God:

· Called Jeremiah to service.

· Assured Jeremiah of His support.

· Confirmed Jeremiah’s calling and ministry.

· And exhorted him to action.

Pay attention to

· As we look at these versus, pay attention to Jeremiah’s fears and weaknesses and then contrast them with God’s promises, empowerment, and protection.

· Also, as we look at the text, apply what we learn to our own ministry of evangelism.

Vs 4-5: God calls Jeremiah to service.

· “The word of the Lord came to me”

· The call to ministry always comes from God, not from ourselves.

Hebrews 5:4-5

4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by Him (God) who said to Jesus,

“You are my Son,

today I have begotten you”

Immediate context of the text is referring to God’s calling of priesthood in the Old Testament.

But with what we know from the whole of Scripture, it applies to all calls to ministry.

· Let’s go beyond the simplicity of just God calling a person to ministry.

These versus detail the calling showing us God’s character of a personal loving Father

· Before Jeremiah was even born, God had a appointed him to be a prophet.

· We learn that God “formed”Jeremiah in his mother’s womb.

· The word “formed” in Hebrew means to squeeze into shape or mold into form.

· Think of a potter sculpting and molding the clay into their own specific design.

· Well, God personally molded Jeremiah into a unique person and equipped him with gifts and qualities to accomplish all God called him for.

· God also says He “knew” him before he was even born.

· Far different from what we think of knowing someone.

· Not like me saying I know Denise.

· It means that God knows every fiber of our being.

· He knows our strengths and weaknesses, our passions, our fears. The list could go on and on.

· Bottom line is that God knows us better than we know ourselves.

· What’s surprising is that it is in spite of all He knows about us, that He chooses and calls us to ministry.

· An important truth that we must know is that we have not done a thing that would qualify us for the call to ministry.

· This truth should keep us humble rather than being prideful, boasting about ourselves based on our own skills.

· I can personally verify this truth.

· I still am amazed the God would call and purpose me to be a pastor and shepherd of His church before I was even born.

· Knowing myself in my earlier years, I wouldn’t have even chosen myself for anything.

· On a side note, it’s great that the notable people in the Bible are all unqualified, undeserving, and sinful people. But God called them regardless.

· But that’s a whole other sermon in itself.

· At the end of verse 5, we see God “consecrated” Jeremiah, or, set him apart from all others to fulfill a specific ministry.

· God’s calling us is no different from Jeremiahs we see in versus 4-5

· As I said earlier, God calls and appoints all of us to specific ministries in the church based on the Spiritual gifts He’s given us.

Vs 6: Jeremiah’s Objection

· His response to the role God has called him to, seems to intimidate him.

· Jeremiah had witnessed other prophets so he knew how difficult this ministry is so it probably frightened him.

· He probably also felt unworthy to be called to such a task.

· Jeremiah says he doesn’t know how to speak and that he was just a youth.

· Jeremiah most likely uses the phrase, “Don’t know how to speak” to mean he lacks knowledge and the words to be God’s spokesman.

· We can infer this from vs 9, that God knows this so He will put His words into Jeremiah’s mouth.

· Now, when Jeremiah says he is only a youth, he could be referring to a lack of knowledge and experience.

· Or he could be referring to his age since he was young.

· It is my interpretation that Jeremiah has both of these in mind as he describes himself as a youth.

· Last week we mentioned that one obstacle to evangelism is feeling inadequate, not knowing how to share the Gospel, not knowing what to say, and lack of Biblical knowledge.

· Look’s like were not alone. Jeremiah had these same thoughts.

· So, what’s the answer for this obstacle? We find it in vs 7-10.

Vs 7-10: In these versus, God assures Jeremiah of His support through Divine assistance

· God is turning Jeremiah’s focus and attention from his own weaknesses to focus on the strength God provides.

Now, God promises His power and support in 4 areas.

Vs 7

1st, God is the captain and navigator of the ship.

· God promises to direct where Jeremiah was to go and speak what God reveals to him.

· This means that Jeremiah doesn’t have to guess as to where he should go and what he should say.

Vs 8

2nd, God’s promise of deliverance.

· God encourages Jeremiah to not be afraid and promises that He will be with him.

· Now catch this: He promises to protect Jeremiah and deliver him from harm, not fromthe persecution or difficult circumstances, but through those circumstances.

· Persecution and hardships are a given.

· Remember what Jesus said in the Great Commission from Matthew, “I will be with you always.”

· God’s promise to Jeremiah is the same promise Jesus gives us as we share the Gospel.

Vs 9

3rd, God’s surplus of power.

9 “Then the Lordput out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lordsaid to me,

“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.”

· As we studied the passage from Isaiah last week, we saw an angel touched Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal taking away his guilt and forgiving his sin.

· In this passage, God touches Jeremiah’s lips to empower him with the very words of God so he can preach with courage and boldness.

· God’s Word is powerful, no matter how weak His messenger.

Vs 10

4th, Power with authority

· God gives Jeremiah authority to carry out a 2-fold ministry as God’s prophet.

· The authority to pronounce judgement and the authority to proclaim hope.

· When God says he has authority “To pluck up, break down, destroy and overthrow” He’s refering to Jeremiah preaching God’s word of judgment.

· “To build up and plant” is Jeremiah’s preaching of hope.

· In the Great Commission in Matthew, Jesus has all power and authority to commission us to the ministry of evangelism.

· Jesus gives us the authority to proclaim both judgement and hope as we “Go and Make Disciples”

· Sharing the Gospel message of Jesus consists of both Judgement and hope.

· The message of judgment is that we are sinners, eternally separated from God, with no hope in the world. Repeat:

Luke 24:47.

47 And that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations.

· The message of hope is that when we come to faith in Jesus we receive redemption from our sins and receive eternal life with God.

· Sharing the Gospel must include both judgement and hope. You can’t have one without the other to proclaim the whole Gospel message.

Vs 11-12: God’s Word never fails

· Last week I shared with you a Biblical truth that God is responsible for the results when we share the Gospel, not us.

· We see this truth in these 2 versus.

· And they are a play on words.

· The almond tree was the first to bloom which meant the Jewish people would then be watching for spring which will surely come.

· God too is watching over His Word and He will perform it.

· All of God’s Word will come to fruition.

· Jeremiah can speak the divine Words given to him with the assurance that God’s Word would not fail.

Versus 17-19: God’s call to action.

· God’s 4 commands to Jeremiah

· As we go through these commands, put them in the context of our call to evangelism. Think of God saying these words to you.

· 1 – Gear Up: Like football players putting on their gear ready for the game.

o “Dress yourself with My strength and My words. Be ready to speak and ready to face hostility and adversity.”

· 2 – Stand Up:

o “Jeremiah, get on your feet, it’s time for action.”

o “Go where I tell you to go.”

o “And stand firm in the face of persecution.”

· 3 – Speak Up:

o “Do not be afraid or dismayed to speak judgement and hope.”

o “I will give you My words, say what I command you to say.”

· 4 – Bear Up:

o “Jeremiah, you are going into enemy territory, know you will experience persecution because of My words.”

o “But be bold, be courageous for I am with you and will deliver you.”

o “I am making you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. No one can prevail against you.”

Application

· So, from the text, what does this mean for us today as we “Go and make disciples?”

· As I said earlier, I believe it’s imperative to know all aspects and all the promises of the calling of God to make evangelism a priority in our life.

· All of what we have learned from God’s calling of Jeremiah, apply to our call in ministry and evangelism.

· God has called, consecrated (set us apart), and equipped us with His strength and words so we can carry out our unique role of ministry and evangelism.

· When we become fearful and anxious to share the Gospel, turn away from these feelings and turn to God. Turn to the power and support He provides.

· Expect hostility and persecution from the world.

· But take comfort, be bold and courageous because God is with us. Be assured of His Divine protection and support.

Here is the short version

a. Listen when God speaks.

b. Obey when God commands.

c. Trust when God promises.

I bet many of you wished I had just said that in the first place.

Prayer

Grant, Almighty God, that as You have not only provided for Your ancient church, by choosing Jeremiah as Your servant, but has also designed that the fruit of his labors should continue to our age, - Oh grant that we may not be unthankful to You, but that we may so avail ourselves of so great a benefit, that the fruit of it may appear in us to the glory of Your Name; may we learn so entirely to devote ourselves to Your service, and each of us be so attentive to the work of our calling, that we may strive with united hearts to promote the honor of Your Name, and also the Kingdom of Your only begotten Son, until we finish our warfare, and come at length into that Heavenly rest, which has been obtained for us by the blood of Your only Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen