God With Us: Christ on Mission

INTRO: Most of you are pretty familiar with the Christmas story; we sing of the baby born in a manger and we wonder at the scene where the angels proclaim this good news to shepherds in a field. But the Christmas story is so much more than a feel-good narrative. In fact, I’d argue that Christmas changes everything!

Over the next few weeks, we are going to take the account of God’s incarnation- when He took on humanity, and ask the question, “How does this fact change things for me?”

Today, we begin our Advent series titled “God with Us.” I want to begin by taking you to the book of Matthew, where in the first chapter we see an Angel speaking to Joseph, Mary’s husband-to-be. This angel explains that Mary’s pregnancy is not what Joseph assumed. Listen to the words of the angel:

Matthew 1:22–23 NASB95

22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

For Joseph, this announcement changed everything. Suddenly, the wonder of God’s mercy and love shone brilliantly as the angel revealed that this baby is the promised Messiah… it was both a miracle and a mystery - this baby is “God with us”.

Over the next three Sundays, we will try to unravel this mysterious event. As we study, I pray that, like Joseph, the news of the Messiah will radically impact our lives. This morning, we are looking at the missiology of Christmas. IOW, I want to show you how the incarnation of Christ demonstrates that our God is a God on Mission - and we are the mission field.

To do this we will spend the remainder of our time today in the book of Philippians 2:5-13

(READ)

Philippians 2:5–8 NASB95

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

(PRAY)

In this passage, the apostle Paul is urging the Christians in Philippi to adopt the mindset of Christ- a mindset of humility and determination as they do life together. Now, in order to get any group of people to work together and have a similar attitude, that group needs to have a shared goal or vision.

As I look around the room this morning, I notice that you have all come from different backgrounds- you have different skills, families, personalities, etc. But we are the church that gathers here in the Little River Valley of Western NC. Thus, we have a shared goal; together we are to make mature disciples of Jesus, for His glory.

Paul is urging the church here do the same. In so doing, he gives a 30k ft overview of God’s missionary mindset. We are going to observe three keys to His mission that we can learn from and adopt. My hope today is that you and I will embrace Christ on Mission and employ His strategy as we live out our mission here and now.

The sermon is titled: God with Us: Christ on Mission. If you picked up a bulletin, I encourage you to follow along using the sermon guide provided.

The first key to Christ’s Mission is

3 Keys to Christ’s Mission:

Commitment (6-7a)

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Before that spectacular event we call Christmas, where Jesus came to earth as a baby, we understand that Jesus existed from eternity past outside of time and space. He has always been and will always be God; Our God is a triune God, which means that He is one God and at the same time, three persons.

Paul explains that before his incarnation, Jesus existed in the form of God. (6) What this means is that He too was Spirit, having no body, no limits.

But, the scripture says that “[He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself...”

Now, some folks have taken this to mean that Jesus gave up his deity, but that is not correct. Jesus did not give up His God-ness, but He did take on humanity. Paul is referring to the attitude of Jesus here and so we must understand this statement in the correct context.

Here’s what this means: The mission of God to redeem humanity required an intervention from God. God was not obligated to redeem us nor was He pressured into it or anything like that. Instead, this mission was the desire of God and thus Jesus was committed to fulfilling this mission.

He was not worried about someone robbing Him of His identity- He is God- worthy of praise and honor, though He undoubtedly knew that in taking on humanity in this mission, He would face scorn and ridicule from His very own creation. He knew that by stepping into time and space, He would experience the want of hunger, the filth of poverty, and the pain of the cross.

He knew that, by committing to this mission, He would encounter the sinfulness of humanity up close and yet He would not dole out judgment, but would take the righteous judgment for sin upon Himself.

When Paul says that Jesus emptied Himself, he is talking about the humble attitude of Jesus to consider the mission - to consider mankind (you and me) and our need for redemption above His worthiness and glory. Jesus was so committed to redeeming humankind that though He knew the cost, He willingly gave Himself for the cause.

The baby in a manger signifies God’s commitment to save you and me. Christmas changes everything!

ILL: Today, we are called to the Great Commission. You know what? Making disciples is messy- it means that you will have to set aside your wants and comforts in order to accomplish this goal… Church, because Jesus Christ demonstrated this commitment for you and me, we too should commit to making disciples, no matter the cost.

This commitment was key to Christ’s mission, and if the church hopes to reach the next generation, it will be key for us too. The next key to His mission is:

Contextualization (7b)

Contextualization simply means to enter into a certain context in order to bring understanding and clarity. For missionaries, this means that they study the culture of the people that they seek to serve and enter into their world so that they can convey the truth of the Gospel.

Let’s look here at God’s Mission to redeem humanity and how Jesus contextualized this in His incarnation.

(READ)

In order to bring hope, Jesus had to step into His creation. Christ took on the likeness of man so that we could be restored in the image of God.

ILL: Have you ever seen the TV show, undercover boss? This is where the CEO or owner of a company dresses up and works as a low-level employee to gain insight or relate to employees in ways that were not possible otherwise. In the incarnation, the King of Creation is shrouded in humanity- born to a humble Jewish couple and even shared space with barnyard animals.

Think about this: the living God took the form of a bond-servant; He allowed His infinite nature to be contained in a fleshly body. In the incarnation, Jesus would be limited to a specific geographical area in contrast to the omnipresence He had always known. In the incarnation, Jesus would speak the language of the people and would walk around with His true glory veiled by the flesh.

The mission of God is so important that Jesus willingly and humbly came to us, like us - so that we could know Him. He met us where we were- at our point of greatest need. He sat at the table with sinners, he humbly taught the truth in love- not simply condemning, but restoring mankind.

Christmas changes everything. Had God not taken on humanity and become man, He could not be the substitute sacrifice that we need for redemption. Jesus brought the Good News to us so we could accept it and be transformed by it.

Paul encourages us to take this attitude as well. What does it mean to contextualize for the sake of our neighbors right here? Allow me to give a few suggestions:

Listen to them. Ask questions and see what they believe, what is important to them, and why.

Set aside judgments. Jesus came to seek and save the lost! (Thank God! That was me!!)

Connect with them. See what their values are and connect them to Scripture. Meet them where they are in knowledge, understanding, and application.

Remember, God’s mission is so important that Jesus committed to it and willingly came into our context in order to deliver us to redemption. Commitment & Contextualization are two keys to Christ’s mission and folks, if they were keys for Christ, they are keys for the church.

The final key in our passage today is:

Completion (8)

(READ v.8)

Look here- Jesus saw the mission through. He did not quit- He did not give up.

He could have called ten thousand angels to deliver Him from the cross, but praise be to God that He believed in the mission so much that He was faithful through it all.

The incarnation of Jesus was for a purpose- to fulfill God’s mission. Let’s look back to the words spoken to Mary and Joseph as they presented Jesus at the temple:

Luke 2:25–38 NASB95

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” 33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. 38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

His purpose was not just to be born, but to give His life as a ransom. He did not simply come to declare a message of hope, but to deliver hope through His sacrifice… a sacrifice that could only happen in the flesh and could only accomplish its feat because of Jesus’ deity.

You know, it so easy for us these days to just fall short of our mission. We tell ourselves that we’ve ‘served our time’ or that we are too busy and someone else will do it. Folks, what if you are the only person that God has put into the lives of your neighbor or family member who can tell them of the good news of Jesus? What if you are the key to reaching a group of people for the Kingdom?

Maybe God is calling you to the mission in your school, your neighborhood, or even to the nations.

Each year at Christmas, you and I should be reminded that our God is a God on mission. Christmas changes everything.

And, as recipients of His grace, we are enlisted into the ongoing mission of making disciples of Jesus.

I want to encourage you (5) to have the attitude in yourself that was in our Lord.

Be committed to the mission. Don’t worry about what it will cost you- it’s worth it!

Contextualize for the mission. Meet your neighbors where they are and bring them to know Christ.

Complete the mission. Don’t give up. Keep going, sharing, praying. Run the race, finish well.

[Pray]

Discuss: What is your level of commitment to the mission God has given us?

Discuss: We contextualize our mission when we go overseas. How can we do this in our community?

Discuss: What goals can we establish as a church to help us complete our mission?