Vision: Who Do We Want to Become?

Announcements:

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Beach Baptisms

In two Sundays

1pm, right after Church

Corona Del Mar / Pirates Cove

Talk to me if you have questions!

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Fall Retreat

October 24th-26th (Fri-Sun)

Palm Springs

Registrations Live

$200

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Wednesday Nights starting up

6:30pm in the HSM Room

New space tbd — demo starts Friday

Fire Pit//Bride’s Room

Introduction:

This month the Church is going through a vision series—and we are following them by doing a vision series of our own

Since I’ve been here, It hasn’t been something we have explicitly took time to talk about but I hope that this month grounds us as we enter this new school year

So we have 4 weeks to talk about who we are and why we are here—

We’ll be talking about our vision, mission, and values

And I know these are terms that are abstract

So I turned them into four questions that we are going to be answering each week as we make our way through September

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1. Who do we want to become?

(where are we going)

2. How do we get there?

3. What is our purpose?

4. What is important to us?

And my aim is to cast vision not just for my sake, but for you all to walk into

So at any time please ask questions

Stop me

After

Individually

But today our question at hand is:

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What is our vision?—Where are we going?

~Who do we want to become~

While the question of mission (we’ll talk about next week) is about our purpose—what we are doing

Vision is about who we are becoming

And not just as individuals but as a community

So what is the vision for HSM at Calvary?

We’ll spend this week and the next looking answering this question

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“A family of brothers and sisters committed to: Jesus, each other, and loving our neighbors in high school and beyond”

And I know that is a mouthful—and I’m not expecting you to memorize it

But we will be breaking this down over the next two weeks

We are brought into the family of God as a result of the gospel

We each start with a commitment to Jesus, and it spreads to each other, and eventually our neighbors—concentric circles

And it isn’t just about your time in high school—but setting you up with the relationships and skills for life as you all grow into adults

This week we’ll be looking at the first half:

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“A family of brothers and sisters committed to: Jesus”

And this vision doesn’t just come from what I think would be cool — it is grounded in Scripture

So today we are going to break down this statement, while looking at its basis in the Bible

The next several weeks we will be in the book of Ephesians

Scripture Reading:

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Ephesians 2:17–22 CSB

17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

Outline:

A Family of Brothers and Sisters

Committed to Jesus

A Family of Brothers and Sisters

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It may not seem like it—but if you are a follower of Jesus—the people sitting next to you are your family

Not just your friends or the people you are sitting next to

But everyone in this room—even the person you’ve never talked to before

In the Scripture, Pauls says:

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Ephesians 2:17–19 CSB

17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household,

We are one family

Some of us were far away, some of us were near

Some of us grew up in Christian households (even pastors kids)

Some of you, might be the only serious Christians in your family

We all come from different walks of life

We all have different upbringings, different hobbies and likes, different struggles

But the good news is what unites us

Right, Jesus says we must be born again

And we are born into a new family

The Bible uses ‘family’ language over and over

We aren’t just people with shared beliefs—we are family

So let’s look at some aspects of family and how they apply to us:

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You don’t get to choose them

We are on a level playing field

We live life together

So we are a family—and this is what we are called to

But we must live it out—it doesn’t just happen without effort

This is why it is apart of our vision

~Who do we want to become?~

The vision we are called to walk in is that of a family

And I’ve experienced the blessing of this vision, and I pray you are able to experience it as well

I have a new family in Christ

Mothers and Fathers

Brothers and Sisters

Sons and Daughters

A family isn’t just about relating to your parents

But your siblings—your peers

Think of a perfect family

All relationships are healthy

So look at the people around you

This isn’t just a glorified day-care while your parents sit in Church

This is family—these are your brothers and sisters in Christ

And you are both needy and needed here in HSM

And everything we do is to support this vision

At the core of our family identity is our family name:

Committed to Jesus

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We aren’t just some arbitrary group of people who want to make a new family

We are bound together by Jesus

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Ephesians 2:19–22 CSB

19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

If we were a building (which is used at other places in the Bible) Jesus is the foundation stone

Everything builds off of him

Jenga tower with one block on bottom

He is the center of our family

He is the reason we are all here

This is the gospel: We have been adopted

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1 John 3:1 CSB

See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are!

Gracious generous Father adopting orphans

Although we share an identity as children of God

We each have a unique relationship and commitment to Jesus

Together and individually—we are committed to Jesus

It’s like being an athlete on a sports team

We practice and train together

You train and care for yourself as an individual

A win for me is a win for us

Harder: A win for you is a win for me

Lets take a quick look at a verse that is key to discipleship:

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Mark 8:34 CSB

34 Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

I think we often imagine ourselves alone, on a road—bearing our cross

But the reality is we are on this road with each other

Each with our own cross to carry, but all of us are heading in the same direction—following Jesus

We are all (myself included) following Jesus together

Conclusion

So as we wrap up, what does this mean for us?

I think there are a couple of applications

Identity

Part that is true // part that must be lived out

True — Resting in Identity

Lived Out — You’re in the family: Act like it

Mission

Family Business

The Family of God is an identity—but it is attached to a mission

Reflection Questions

Why do you come to church?

How do you see the people in this room?

Who can you welcome into the family of God?