Life on Mission 1

Intro

Students!

It’s time to start a mini-series called “Life on Mission!”

For some of you, you got a little taste of this with Serve Weekend!

You got to experience what it’s like to live fully on mission by reaching out to those that are lost, hurting, scared, and in need of love

But regardless of rather you joined us for Serve Weekend or not, we all need to live a life that is on mission

I mean listen to what Jesus tells us:

God’s Mission

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus tells the disciples before He is going to go and make disciples

This isn’t just a command for the disciples that heard the message, but it is also a message for every single one of us if we name the name of Jesus:

Go and make disciples!

But here is what happens, and it used to happen to me also

You feel like you are out of place, or unable because of your age

I remember when I was 19, in Bible College and attending a church

I tried and tried and tried to serve in the church in any capacity

To work with the Youth, to serve the kids, to teach a Sunday School Class

To do anything

Yet over and over again I got shot down

They never said it — but I know the reason

They believed I was to young

This way of thinking ended up infecting my way of thinking

I believed I was to young to start serving anywhere or doing anything

I believed that it was my job to just sit and learn about God, build up my knowledge, and one day when I’m old I can then serve God

I believed this for a while

But Students — hopefully this isn’t a surprise to you — but that is a terrible take on Matthew 28

Jesus didn’t set an age limit for us

In fact listen to what Paul writes to Timothy:

Your Age Shouldn’t Stop You

1 Timothy 4:12 ESV

12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Paul write to Timothy saying don’t let them despise you because of your youth!

Now a common misconception here is that Timothy was a teenage leader a church — he wasn’t

In fact Timothy was most likely in his 20’s or potentially even 30’s when Paul is writing this to him

BUT the message Paul is telling Timothy here is true of all of us

Your Age Shouldn’t Stop You

Your age shouldn’t stop you from serving the Lord!

Timothy as a young man was leading a church — but the reality was there was a lot of shall we say “old heads” in the church

These elder statesmen wouldn’t listen to Timothy, rejected him, and refused him as pastor

That then leads Paul to tell Timothy — don’t let anyone reject/despise you for your youth

In other words — you can serve the Lord despite your age

The mission that Jesus gave in Matthew 28 doesn’t just apply once you become old

It applies to everyone!

Paul is reminding Timothy of that

But this isn’t the only place in the Bible that we see “young” people serving the Lord

Examples in the Bible

In fact the Bible is littered with young people

Samuel: Called by God as a young boy, even while serving in the temple under Eli. He faithfully listened to God's voice and became a key prophet and judge in Israel, anointing both Saul and David as kings. (1 Samuel 3)

David: As a young shepherd, likely a teenager, David displayed incredible faith and courage in facing the giant Goliath when no one else dared. He went on to become the greatest king of Israel, "a man after God's own heart." (1 Samuel 17)

Joseph: Sold into slavery by his brothers at the age of 17, Joseph remained faithful to God even through imprisonment and false accusations. God used him to rise to a position of power in Egypt, saving his family and many others from famine. (Genesis 37-50)

Miriam: As a young girl, Moses' sister Miriam bravely helped ensure her baby brother's survival by watching over him in the Nile and cleverly suggesting their mother as a nurse to Pharaoh's daughter. Her quick thinking played a vital role in God's plan for Moses. (Exodus 2)

Daniel and his three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego): Taken captive as teenagers to Babylon, they refused to compromise their faith, even facing a fiery furnace (for the three friends) and a lion's den (for Daniel). God miraculously protected them and used them to display His power to pagan kings. (Daniel 1-3, 6)

Esther: A young Jewish orphan, she became Queen of Persia and, with great courage, risked her life to intercede for her people, saving them from a plot to destroy them. (Book of Esther)

The Boy with the Loaves and Fishes: While unnamed, this young boy willingly offered his meager lunch of five barley loaves and two small fish to Jesus, which Jesus then miraculously multiplied to feed thousands. This highlights that even a small offering, given in faith, can be used mightily by God. (John 6:9-13)

Mary: A young virgin, likely a teenager, she humbly accepted the incredible and challenging call to be the mother of Jesus, demonstrating immense faith and obedience. (Luke 1:26-38)

Timothy: As we have already talked about, Timothy was a young man (likely in his late 20s or early 30s) when Paul wrote to him. Paul specifically encouraged him not to let anyone look down on his youth but to be an example to believers. Timothy was a crucial companion and fellow worker with Paul in spreading the Gospel. (1 Timothy 4:12)

All of these people made a big impact on the Kingdom!

All of these people served the Lord, and did what God called them to do AND didn’t wait until they got old to do it!

They faithfully served the Lord!

God uses everyone

God uses everyone for His kingdom and mission

No matter how old, or young, you may be God is calling you to move forward and serve Him!

I mean listen to what Jesus said:

Mark 10:13–16 ESV

13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

The people all around were bringing children to Jesus

The disciples tried to stop them — believing that Jesus didn’t have time for them, or that He didn’t care for them

YET

Notice what happened — the Bible says Jesus became indignant

Indignant can also be translated as angry here

Jesus got angry that they were trying to stop kids, those that were young from coming to Him

Instead he tells them to let the kids come, and that we must accept and trust the Lord like a Kid

Let that truth set in for a minute

Ever felt like you were less than? Like you were unworthy or weren’t enough?

Jesus quite literally said — I am doing this, all of this, for you!

For the kids!

Ever felt disqualified because of your age?

Jesus rebukes those who do!

We are all called to live our life on mission despite our age!

How to be on Mission

So how do we live life on mission?

I mean Jesus gave the command:

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

But how do we live that out regardless of our age?

Well there is three things we need to do!

Go, Baptize, Teach

The first thing we need to do is this:

Go, Baptize, and Teach

We need to go, baptize, and teach

Regardless of your age, you can do these three things easily!

You can GO to those that are lost are hurting

School is starting back and no matter what school you go to I promise you you’ll see people that are lost hurting and in need

So GO to them! Don’t stop but go!

You can also BAPTIZE!

The phrase baptize here has the idea of bringing them into community

For you that means the people you are GOing to needs to be brought into community!

Very simply — invite them to Students, to the rGroup, to church

Bring them into your friend group so they can see Christ!

Don’t let them stay on the outside!

Then Jesus told us to TEACH

We are called to TEACH those that we went to and brought into community

This doesn’t mean we go and try to teach everyone — thats how you end up with people not listening to you

Instead it means you teach the truths of the Gospel with those you already went to

No matter your age this is something that you can do!

There isn’t an age limit on going to those around you!

In fact the beauty of this is that you’ll be able to reach those that the rest of us can’t

Me, Kasey, Kaymarie, Aydan, Nikki, John — we can’t go and reach the people at your school

Why?

We don’t know them

We don’t relate to them

We don’t know the lingo

We aren’t cool

BUT

You can!

Don’t let your youth stop you!

Go, baptize, and teach!

Trust the Lord is with You

If we want to live a life that is on mission, the second thing is this:

Trust the Lord is with you

Trust that the Lord is with you!

When Jesus gives us the Great Commission, He made sure to remind us two times that He will be with us!

All authority is given to Jesus

I will be with you always

Jesus has all power and He promises to be with us always!

When I was younger the hardest thing for me was feeling rejected and alone

I even now struggle with being alone. The fear of rejection is heavy

BUT

Look at what Jesus promises us!

He said all authority is given to Him

AKA HE is in control of everything! Nothing on earth happens without Him!

Then He doubles down on the encourage by telling us that He is with us always!

So if we want to live a life on mission we must trust that the Lord is with you!

Trust the truth that Jesus is teaching!

Let the truth that Jesus is with you fuel you live a life that is on mission for the Lord!

Be THE example

The final thing for us to live a life on mission comes from the end of what Paul told Timothy

1 Timothy 4:12 ESV

12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Here’s the last thing:

Be THE Example

We must be THE example!

No matter your age, you must be THE example!

In speech you must set the example — how you talk to people and the words you use matter

In conduct you must set the example — your actions toward people matter more than you may want to realize

In love set the example — you must show love for all people regardless of who they are

In faith set the example — trust in the Lord regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in!

In purity set the example — be the example of Christ even in your personal life

Paul told Timothy to instead of shrink from the pressure of others to rise and be the leader!

The same is true for you!

Don’t let others look down on you, instead set the example!

There’s a leadership principle that I think more students need to adopt!

We need to be the thermostat not the thermometer

Here’s the difference:

A thermometer tells the temperate — if something is hot it’ll be hot, if somethings cold it’ll be cold

A thermostat on the other hand sets the temperature — is something to hot, it cools it down. Something to cool, it heats it up

If you start to live a life like a thermostat you’ll live a life that is on mission! When your friends, culture, music, family, or even people in the church try to stop you from serving the Lord, pull you away from Christ, or just simply lead you in a bad way

As a Thermostat you’ll continue living the life that Paul told Timothy to live — you set the pace, not let it be set for you!

Conclusion

Students its time we live life on mission!

It’s time we don’t stop but instead continue to push for the Lord!

Let us go and live on mission regardless of our age!

Discussion Questions:

How does the example of Jesus welcoming children shape our understanding of who can engage in ministry?

How do the examples of young biblical figures like David and Esther inspire us to trust in our own calling regardless of age?

What does it mean to set an example in faith and purity for those around us, especially in today’s world?

How can trusting in Jesus’ presence help combat feelings of fear or rejection as you seek to serve?

What would it look like for you to go, baptize, and teach your peers in a way that feels authentic to you?

How can you be a 'thermostat' in your friend group, setting a positive example rather than just reflecting the environment?