Vision Sunday

Materials:

Vision print out

Graphic/name for vision

Matthew 18:12-14 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Intro: Vision Sunday

Good morning Living Stones. And Happy New Year!! It’s great to be together again. You all look great.

What are your New Years traditions? Other than watching the fireworks, staying up late, or dropping in bed the same time the ball in NYC does. How do you personally start off the year?

-a toast (brindis) to celebrate all the good things

-Resolutions are common.

-Or Goals. you take an inventory of how the last year went and some things you want to change for the next. maybe about your health, your marriage, your happiness, your wallet. Caroline and I do this.

When i look at you all and I look back at 2023 there is so much to celebrate:

-You. Each of you here as members or guests. We celebrate you being here.

-We celebrate all the people we got to host on Christmas.

-We celebrate having 7 Community Groups! so many meals being shared and deep friendships forged.

-We celebrate how loving, welcoming and servant-minded our church is.

Where we are today is a result of us capturing a piece of God’s vision for us. As a whole church. Many of us come from Living Stones Sparks, some from South Reno and Reno. We are here because together, we saw God doing something, wanting to do something and including us in that. in 2023 His vision became ours, together and individually.

Today I want to talk about our vision for this next year. 2024.

-As a church, what should our goals be? It’s our first year together, it’s our first year establishing ourselves in these neighborhoods. What should our plan for this year be? What does Downtown Sparks need right now?

Our over-arching vision for church planting and for existing as a church will not waiver and I hope that eventually every member has it memorized:

We exist to help everyone find everything in Jesus.

while that is a very cool vision, it is not specific to how we will do that. which is okay, there are lots of ways to go about it, like planting a church!

Being more specific to this year, How can we help a piece of everyone find everything in Jesus in 2024?

Pastor Mat and I have prayed a lot and asked, God, what do you want for us and from us this year? What do our church, our city and it’s people need right now? How should we disciple every member and what should each member be shooting for right now?

The purpose of today is to clarify how we as the Living Stones of Downtown Sparks will help everyone find everything in Jesus.

this is our vision: Go for the 1.

[READ vv10-14]

What do you think?

Pt 1: Think like Jesus thinks

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?

1) What do you think?

-imagine, You are a shepherd surrounded by 99 sheep. You’ve done head counts a dozen times and you’re sure 1 is missing. What do you do? Jesus asks this like the answer is obvious. To us it might not be.

You are probably asking yourself some questions:

-Is anyone else with me? I can’t just leave these kids at the playground all by themselves to find the other kid.

-are they my sheep? Or are they someone else’s? Jesus links these sheep to the shepherd saying “a man has.” Not “A man is looking after.” A man has. They are yours. or the shepherd’s in this scenario. What do you think?

-what is the loss? is this a financial loss that means i just need to do a little math, or is this an emotional and personal loss that i cannot count? Like a child who has wondered off from a playground?

Bingo. Jesus is tying these sheep to beloved children. (v2,10) There is a connection and care between the shepherd and his sheep. this is a personal loss not a financial one.

What do you think?

2) What does Jesus think? Go for the 1.

- To him, It’s obvious. There is no other option than to go rescue that sheep that has gone astray.

-Finding that sheep is his greatest joy and priority.

[READ v13] And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.

- That does not mean that Jesus does not rejoice exceedingly for his 99.

He calls the church his inheritance, he calls the church his bride and his prized possession. God rejoices greatly in you right now. And he will always be with you.

- He does not literally leave 99 of us behind each time he goes in search of one of his lost sheep.

The imagery and the math (99+1=100) communicates the idea that Jesus is not satisfied, his kingdom is not complete. It is not at 100% while some of his children are missing. Even 1%. Even 1.

- This parable, this imagery explains Jesus ministry. This parable is Jesus Vision for his ministry. Maybe we wonder:

Why did God come to Earth? Why did he go out of his way to touch the Leper? Dine with sinners? to heal the blind man, talk with the samaritan woman, feed the thousands of hungry? to know you? To carry our cross?

Mark 6:34 tells us why: he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

John 10:14-16 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.”

Jesus is the shepherd here. Now, he asks us what we think, because he knows that we won’t find his answer as obvious.

We might think, stay with the sheep. Don’t take more risk. be happy with 99. I would be.

Jesus wants us to think like he thinks.

when i think that, to Jesus it was an obvious decision to come and die to be in my life and to have me. When i think of that I am really blown away and filled with wonder. I can just barely understand it. And what little i do sets me on fire.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who found it obvious to leave everything behind to seek us out, to lay down his life to save us. He called out to us, found us and brought us home.

Jesus sought us out. Not because we are impressive, but because we are precious.

-Application

1) as followers of Jesus, the application is not simply to be a sheep. one of the 99. but to also be a shepherd.

Jesus said to his followers “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

2) Each of you has left behind a beautiful church to start this one. We have a beautiful church now. Each of you is surrounded by 99 beautiful sheep.

Yet each of us is sent to find 1 more. (hopefully even more than that! but you get the idea.) There are missing children in God’s kingdom. And he is sending each of us out to find those children.

Just like our Good Shepherd, we love the 99, we are family. we are friends and you are amazing. Still, we cannot be content with the 99 when we have 1 that is lost. Go for the 1.

3) that’s our vision for this year: Go for the 1.

We exist to help everyone find everything is Jesus. This year, we “Go For The 1.”

If you aren’t a member here or even a christian. I want to say 3 things real quick before we go further,

our heart is for you to find and know God, your creator and your loving savior.

we also want you to be at home here, regardless of if you agree with us on everything or most things. It’s great having you and being a part of your journey.

Being here today gives you an insider view into how we function as a church, not just on Sundays, but as people during the week. So, thats good for you as you explore things.

Pt 2: Go for the 1

Go for the 1.

the 1, is the lost sheep, the lost child. La oveja descarriada.

Go for the 1.

Imagine the impact if every member felt inspired and empowered to seek out 1 lost person over the year- to bring them on Sundays, to pray for them every day, to spend intentional time with them in hope of showing 1 lost person the love of Jesus.

And imagine, if we all did that together. Encouraging each other, praying for each other, being prayed for, sharing stories of what God is doing because we are all in it together.

Or when someone brings a friend, they know- my church is going to love and engage and make a place for my friend.

Imagine if everyone here had 1 common goal for 2024. And it was to bring someone to Jesus?

What do you think? Go for the 1? each of us individually and together?

Let’s do it! thats what we are here for!

Okay, how?

I want to give us a little idea of how you can absorb this vision into your personal life,

and how we envision it to be something we do as a church together.

To Seek and to Share. We want to equip (disciple) everyone to seek the lost and to share about Jesus.

We can go and seek them out, but only Jesus can bring them home so we must share.

seek and share. that’s how we gather lost sheep.

Individually

Seek. I think of Harry Potter and the broomstick sport, Quiditch. There is a position called a seeker, who would hunt the golden snitch. Seekers first spot the golden snitch, and then they fly after it to catch it.

1) we identify someone. or someones.

Who has God put in your life that is close to you but far from Him?

Where even should i look?

they might be at your work on Monday.

They will be watching the Superbowl in February. maybe not.

They live next door to you or down the street from you.

maybe they go to school with you

Some of them are our siblings, our sons and daughters, our parents. they are our friends and our co-workers. Our classmates and our teachers.

What i’m saying, is they are probably already in your life. We each need to identify someone or someones.

Who has God put in your life that is close to you but far from Him?

2) we pray for them. the more the better.

God will act in their life, (only he is The Good Shepherd) Pray they hear his voice and come home.

God will act in our life. He will stir in us to be more proactive and intentional. He will grow our heart for the lost through prayer.

Seek, Share.

3) Share: we share intentional time and conversation with these people.

a. Time:

You and they (hopefully) eat around 21 meals a week. (a lot of math in this sermon) Thats around 90-100meals / month! Share 1 of those 90 with that person. be intentional. Invite them over. Have you ever had people over to your house for dinner with the purpose of bringing them closer to Jesus? It’s amazing what the dinner table will do.

The dinner table was Jesus first choice place to do ministry. Why do you think he was called a glutton and drunkard? He had a reputation to sit down and share a meal with sinners. He wasn’t just a preacher. Follow his example and invite people to your table.

We go out with friends, go to the gym, watch movies, the superbowl and already have things going on in our life. Invite them in. Fold them in to what is already happening. Just be intentional and inclusive.

You come to church and you go to a community group. Let them know how much you love it and that they are welcome to be a part and check it out. remind them often.

Serve them. Bring a meal when they are sick. or be more creative. but be there.

Share intentional time. We don’t have a lot, but we can share what we have.

b. Share Conversation:

It’s not enough to just show the love of Jesus and not share it. but before we share, we need to

Listen. Sometimes we forget about this when we think of conversation. But listening is the most important. Listen closely.

Ask questions.

Ask about their life, know their story, their hang ups with people and God.

Bring them to church and then talk with them about things after. Find out what their experience is and how they are digesting the message.

Share your story. after you listen and ask questions. Share your story.

you don’t need to be a theologian or a pastor, a good public speaker or know your bible front to back to share about Jesus.

You just need to be prepared to share your reason for hope.

1 Peter 3:15 “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect”

nobody can discount your experience.

Simply share who you were before Jesus, how you came to him. What you experienced. Why you follow him now.

Be authentic and don’t be weird about telling people about Jesus in your life! it doesn’t have to be weird. It can be authentic. And people respect that.

Together

Go for the 1.

Imagine the impact if every member felt inspired and empowered to seek out 1 lost person over the year- to bring them on Sundays, to pray for them every day, to share meals and times and stories in the hope of seeing them come to Jesus.

Individually and together. seeking and sharing.

How we hope to do these things together:

1) Sharing time and Stories on Sundays.

We will be intentional to Share stories from stage 1x/mo. Video testimonies of different individuals in our church. We will announce this and those may be a cool Sunday to invite that person or people you are praying for.

Host 4 Summer BBQs (May, June, July, August). These are Sundays that would be great to invite a friend to! WE will meet right across the parking lot in the park.

intentional time for others in the church to connect with someone you may be bringing, or with any new faces.

2) Prayer Rallies

Gathering to seek the lost through prayer together.

3) Serve the school and city

We will announce those opportunities as they come up

4) Community Group Seek and Share nights

-Social nights, with meals designed to fold our friends outside the church in with our friends in the church.

Conclusion:

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.

This year, let Jesus’ vision be ours. for ministry, for life, for our lost friends, family members, coworkers and classmates. There is nothing to rejoice in more than Jesus’ lost sheep coming home. We are going to have our first baptisms on the 28th and it will be a party!

Let’s continue to rejoice in the people God brings, the lives he changes and let’s all have the same goal for this year. Let’s bring some the lost home.

For God found it obvious to seek you out.

He found it obvious to lay his life down to save you. He found it obvious to die to have you rather than cut his losses.

Is it not obvious? He has sent you. He is sending us.

Let’s Go for the 1 this year.

what do you think?

Pray.