Refocusing wk 4
Notes
Transcript
Church on Mission
Church on Mission
This morning we are going to look at what it is to be a church on mission.
We are going to be looking at the most memorized verse in the Bible.
God created the church to be a mission organization.
Every aspect of the Gospel communicates a mission message.
The first century church modeled a missions approach.
The New Testament letters are all about being on mission.
After its birth the church spread very quickly.
Even the Roman government’s demand that the church disperse was used by God to expand the outreach of the church.
What the enemy meant for evil, God used for good.
Being on mission can bring new life to a church.
Many churches have signs over their doors leading out that say, “You are now entering your mission field.”
Which is true, but I wonder how many people really get the message.
It is easy to leave church, drive through our mission field, pull into the garage at home, let down the door and never think about the mission field that exists all around us.
Then we head back to church the next Sunday to sing our songs, hear sermons, and fellowship with people who are already part of God’s family.
Ed Stetzer says, the healthiest churches are those who are actively seeking to understand and invest in their communities.
A church that is not on mission is not being obedient to the God who created it.
Why did the first century church experience exponential growth?
It grew because it was unapologetically responded to the mandate Christ had given it, the mandate to make disciples of all nations.
Stetzer points out that being on mission is not about size, it is about engaging the lost community around the church.
What will motivate an individual or a church to be on mission?
There are many places in Scripture we could look for that answer.
But, I believe the greatest motivation is a verse that is very popular.
This one verse summarizes the Bible.
All eternity rests upon its truth.
Look with me at our text verse John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Pray
Pray
I. Scope of His love.
I. Scope of His love.
We should be motivated by the Scope of God’s love.
For God so loved the world.
Why is it imperative that we be on missions?
We must be on mission because of the vastness of God’s love.
King David writes in Psalm 36:5
5 Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
The population of the world is just over 8 billion people, the US is 334.9 Million, the state of Florida is 22.61 Million and Flagler county is 131,439.
God loves each and every one of those 8 billion people as if they are the only one He has to love.
Can you fathom that?
He loves the people around the world, He loves the people right here around this church.
No matter the color of their skin, their history, their likes or dislikes, or anything else; God simply loves them.
There is no one God does not love!
We must love the people that God loves.
Our problem is, if we are not careful, we will only love the people who are just like us.
Jesus said in Luke 6: 32-35
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
33 “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34 “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.
35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
It is easy to love those that love us, to be there and reach out to those who are like us, but Jesus has called us to reach all people, to love all people.
See not only does John 3:16 tell us we are loved, Jesus demonstrated it in the way He treated people.
For example the story of Zacchaeus, in Luke 19.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector, that is he was employed by the Roman government to collect funds from the Jewish people.
The Roman tax system encouraged corruption.
Zacchaeus was no different than most of the people who worked for the Roman government.
He was dishonest, but he was also curious about this person name Jesus.
Due to not being a tall man he climbed into a tree to watch Jesus pass by.
How shocked he must have been when Jesus looked up into the tree and addressed him.
He must have been really shocked when Jesus told him he was going to his house to share a meal.
Zacchaeus knew how the Jewish leaders felt about him, but here was a Jewish man desiring to spend time at his house.
This encounter led to a changed man and a new disciple of Christ.
He, whom the religious leaders considered unworthy, Jesus demonstrated love to, and, as a result, brought him in to God’s family.
Jesus concluded his conversation with this transformed man by telling people this is the very purpose for which He came into the world.
10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
We must take seriously “For God so loved the world.
The love of God compels us to be on mission.
It compels us to lay aside every argument, every distraction, and every resistance in order to show people God’s love.
II. Supremacy of His love.
II. Supremacy of His love.
We must be motivated by the supremacy of His love.
John 3:16 continues that He gave His only begotten Son.
Being on mission is all about Jesus.
Jesus is the one universal need in the world.
God loved enough to send Jesus to die for the sins of the world.
No one else has done that.
17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
The cross must be more than a church decoration or casual acknowledgment.
It must be central to all that we do.
The Cross must be the number one priority!
That is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ must be more important than the programs, activities, and traditions that we hold to.
The cross of Christ must be reflected in the budget, the ministries, and that attitude of the church.
If Christ really died for the world, which He did, then the church must be willing to die to anything that stands in the way of taking the message of the cross to the world.
Paul states it this way in Galatians 2:20
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Listen to what Paul says there, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
We must understand as Christians it is no longer our will and our wants, but the will and plans of God.
How can we be content to do church as usual when we understand the meaning and scope of Jesus’ death?
III. Sincerity of His love.
III. Sincerity of His love.
We must also be motivated by the sincerity of His love.
As our text continues “That whoever believes in Him should not perish , but have eternal life.
This is all about the need of man and God’s response to that need.
God is so sincere in His love; He gives eternal life to all who repent of their sin and place their faith in His Son.
The mission of the church is extremely important.
We have good news in a world accustomed to bad news.
That is the essence of the meaning of the word gospel.
It is good news!
Often the meaning conveyed is “to announce good news.
Now announcement is a word we understand in most churches.
We do announcements at the beginning of the service.
We must understand we have a very important announcement to make to the world beginning right here and extending to the whole world.
It is the best news a person can ever receive.
Jesus tells us
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
What are we witnesses to as the church?
We are witnesses to the Gospel, to the good news.
John 3:16 compels us.
We must not ignore the scope, supremacy, or sincerity of God’s love.
We must announce to the world, “God loves you enough to send a Savior who will give to you eternal life.”
Let me ask you, “Have you received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior that you may have eternal life?
