Embrace Your Role

[Jesus] said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” (John 20:21)

The Holy Spirit was given so that we might have power—power to go and make disciples.

Some go to the farthest corners of the globe.

Some only cross the street in front of their house.

Still, God’s people always go. They go to work, school, grocery stores, kids’ soccer games, and family reunions.

And wherever they go, they take their witness of Jesus with them. True believers live going and carrying out His mission.

It takes everyone doing their part to make certain things work.

Some jobs are more glamorous, get more attention, and are more highly celebrated.

Other jobs are obscure, less appreciated, or even barely noticed.

But all of these jobs matter in our world.

Tell story of butterfly effect

Without the right people doing their part, things like the electrical system, waste disposal, or the Internet would just stop working.

Similarly, in God’s kingdom, we each have an important role to play, too.

The exciting thing is that in God’s eyes there are no obscure, unappreciated, or barely noticed roles.

Knowing and embracing your role is important in life and in Jesus’ mission.

Like in our relay, each of us has a part to play in Jesus’ mission.

When we serve Him together, we have the best chance of completing our part of His mission.

Today we’re going to learn more about this from someone who knew and embraced his role in Jesus’ mission.

Let’s find out more about John.

He had a title that went with his name: John the Baptist. That’s because God chose an interesting role for John to play in Jesus’ mission.

John’s role was to help point people to Jesus. That included baptizing people as they turned back to God.

After today, you may want to think about the unique role God has for you. Perhaps we can learn something about that from this interesting person. Let’s take a look.

John Knew His Role

John 1:19–23 NIV

Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ”

These leaders had likely not encountered anyone quite like John before.

They knew that there were prophecies about a coming Messiah (which means “anointed one”) who would have a special job from God. That coming Messiah was Jesus.

So, John made it clear right away to the Jewish leaders that he was not the Messiah.

John told them who he was and, more importantly, who he wasn’t. He knew his role and wasn’t about to claim another.

John’s role was to prepare the way for Jesus’ arrival.

It was his job to get people ready to meet the Messiah.

So John spent his days helping people get right with God.

He was doing this even before he knew exactly who the Messiah would be.

Knowing our role is important. There are so many things Christians can do to serve God. But He’s not calling us to do all of them.

We might not be a very good fit in many of them.

But when we pray and ask Him to help us know what we can do for Him, He can help make clear the best place of service for us.

Explain how we do all have 1 common role

great commission

John Embraced His Role

John 1:24–28 NIV

Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John seemed to have humility and boldness.

He boldly replied to the question about what he had been doing, but he also humbly redirected the focus to the coming Messiah.

Up to this point, John had been preaching and baptizing people in and around the Jordan River.

That was key in getting people ready for the coming Messiah. John could have made this conversation all about what he had been doing and how his ministry started first.

Instead, he made the focus the One he was preparing others to meet.

He embraced his call from God and pointed people to the Messiah.

It’s okay if you aren’t sure what your role is yet. Maybe God has only shown you a piece of what He’s calling you to do.

Sometimes He directs us to act and tells us only a small part of His plan.

Embracing our role means sticking with it as long as God directs. And as we obey Him, we often get to see and understand more of His plan.

If John had not been faithful, he might never have gotten to help introduce the Messiah to the world.

But because he stuck it out, we’re still talking about him over two thousand years later!

John Pointed People to Jesus

In the verses you’re about to read, it’s the next day.

John had another encounter with Jesus and told the crowd a little more of this backstory.

Pay attention to what God had promised John and how John saw it become reality.

John 1:29–34 NIV

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

There are many reasons why God doesn’t show us everything right away.

We may question His plan if we knew the entire plan. Sometimes God tells only a part of the plan to test our obedience.

Story of Abraham

We may not follow what He wants us to do if we knew everything about it.

Regardless of the reason, our job is to trust and obey Him.

The role He has for us in His plan is the perfect fit for our life.

Regardless of what our specific role is as we follow Jesus, the shared role of all Christians is to point people to Jesus.

So, whether you know your role, are moving into a new one, or are between roles, know that at every moment of your life God has a task for you.

And your participation is vital.

Embrace your role in Jesus’ mission.

We saw how God called John the Baptist to make a way for people to come to Jesus.

John preached a message of repentance. Many people thought he was the Messiah because of his message.

But John knew his role was to point others to Jesus. He was where he was supposed to be, doing what he was supposed to do with a right heart.

As his role was needed, he was ready and available to God.

One of our roles in life is much like John’s.

We’re called to help others see the real Jesus.

Our message is to tell others how Jesus is the real Savior.

God created you with the necessary talent, passion, personality, and experiences to fulfill the role He has planned for you.

You may or may not know the details of your individual role in Jesus’ mission yet, but now is the time to be available and embrace what God directs you to do in and through your life.

Conclusion - Call Josh

Jesus has a role for you to play in His mission of changing the world.

It’s possible that your role may be connected to the talents you have. Recognizing them can be useful.

It’s also wise to listen to those who know us best and may be able to help us discover our role.

Embracing a role is not something we should do casually or half-heartedly.

John the Baptist showed us that having the right heart and being faithful to our role is key to fulfilling the reason for being in that role.

And rather than getting wrapped up in ego about your role, keep your eyes focused on Jesus.

This requires humility, confidence, sacrifice, and so much more.

Salvation Opportunity

John the Baptist wanted everyone to see Jesus for who He really was.

He declared that Jesus is “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Jesus didn’t just do that for the people in Bible times.

He does the very same thing for any person who chooses to follow Him.

He is available and willing to forgive our sins and bring us into His family.

Is anyone here that we can pray for who doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus or wants to renew their relationship with Him?

Prayer

Jesus, we know we have a role to play in carrying out Your mission. Help us to identify our role. Send people into our life who can help us figure it out. Give us the strength and courage to embrace our role. Help us to have the right heart for the role You have planned for us, too. Amen.