Church on Mission

Church on Mission: The Burden

Communion: We’re a week into January. Most of us have already broken some of our resolutions.

Jesus doesn’t want your resolutions; He wants your remembrance. Luke 22:19 "Do this in remembrance of me". – Commandment.

Jesus knew we need a time of communion. Because humans are incredibly forgetful. We forget who we are, and we forget whose we are. We do communion to remember our Lord and what he did on the cross for us.

The Cracker (The Body): Think about an old, master-crafted violin. I once read about a Stradivarius that was dropped and shattered into a hundred pieces. To the average eye, it was trash. It was broken. But the master builder took those pieces, used a specific kind of resin, and put it back together. Experts say the "repaired" violin actually sounded deeper and richer than it did before it broke.

Reflection: hold the cracker and break it, notice how easily it snaps. This symbolizes Jesus’ body, broken for you. He didn’t stay "whole" so He could keep us at a distance. He allowed Himself to be broken so that you could be mended into His life. Look at the pieces in your hand. That is the price of your salvation and peace. Let’s eat and remember.

The Grape (The Blood): A grape is a fascinating thing. It holds all it’s sweetness inside, protected by a thin skin. But to get the juice, to get the thing that actually provides life and joy, the grape has to be crushed. It cannot remain a grape and become a drink at the same time. It has to endure the pressure.

The Reflection: hold that grape. It represents the winepress of the cross Jesus endured. He was crushed by the weight of our sin for the forgiveness of our sin.

So, the "new wine" of the Holy Spirit could be poured into our lives. This isn't just a snack; it’s a symbol of a life poured out so yours could be filled up. As you bite into it, let the sweetness remind you that His sacrifice has removed the bitterness of your past.

Today we will share our Church’s renewed focus and Mission and Vision. A church’s vision doesn't start with a clever slogan; it starts with a burden. Church on Mission: The Burden

Today we will read about a man in the Bible named Nehemiah who was living a comfortable life. He had a great safe job in a palace. But then he gets a report from his home of Jerusalem. The walls were broken. The gates were burned. His people were in great trouble. He could have ignored it. But he didn’t. He wept, he prayed, and he took action.

If you look at the news for five minutes you’ll see it. The walls in our society are broken and falling apart. Mental health is in the basement, loneliness is an epidemic, and people are deconstructing their faith like it’s a hobby. They are lost. And the world looks at the Church and asks, ‘What are you guys actually for?’ If we can’t answer that. If we don’t have a clear vision for how Jesus finds, changes, and connects people, then we’re just another social club with better music. We need to be more than that. I believe Jesus wants Church on The Hill to get clarity, focused, and burdened for God to use us to make a huge Kingdom impact for His Glory.

Core Verses: Nehemiah 1:2–11 NIV (Bulletin)

Summary: Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians and were in exile. Forcibly removed from their homeland for 70yrs.

Nehemiah was a Jew born in Persia during the Babylonian exile.

Though a captive, he rose to the high-ranking position of cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I at his winter palace in Susa.

Cupbearer Role: This was not a menial task; he was a trusted advisor who guarded the king’s life by testing food and drink for poison. God used this role to give him the diplomatic skills and proximity to power needed for his future calling.

He will receive a burden. And a burden is an essential starting point for any true work of God.

He cared enough to ask. How are things going back home?

Nehemiah 1:2 NIV (Slides)

2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

End of exile: The exile officially ended when Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon and issued a decree in 538 B.C. allowing the Jews to return to their homeland.

Have you ever asked a question and the answer was a gut punch?

Nehemiah 1:3 NIV(Slides)

3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

The walls and gates of Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians during the siege of 586 B.C.. The city's fortifications remained in ruins, leaving the inhabitants defenseless and vulnerable to surrounding enemies. – You can see this in all over our city in ppl.

1. Don’t ignore the brokenness around you.

“The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity.” - George Bernard Shaw

Nehemiah 1:4 NIV (Slides)

4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

2. Let God burden you for what burdens Him. (v. 3-4)

Nehemiah asks about Jerusalem, and when he hears the walls are in shambles, he doesn’t say well that’s too bad. He sits down and weeps.

If we don't feel the weight of the thousands of people in our city who don't know Jesus, we will never have the energy and desire to reach them.

Ill: Think of a parent whose child is lost at Disneyland. They don’t casually eat their corndog wondering where they are. They are consumed by a singular mission: Find the child! You will see later this is the "Be Found" part of our vision. We need a consuming desperation in our hearts for the lost to be found because we know what it’s like to be found by God’s love and grace.

Some of us are on our way to heaven and are satisfied. When is the last time you wept over relatives who don’t know Christ?

Nehemiah 1:5 NIV (Slides)

5 Then I said: “LORD, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

3. Seek God on the burden before you.

Nehemiah 1:6–7 NIV (Slides)

6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

Theologically, the exile was viewed as divine judgment for Israel’s repeated disobedience and idolatry.

In his prayer, Nehemiah says, "I and my father’s house have sinned." He doesn't blame "those people" back in Jerusalem. He takes ownership. He said We.

4. Take ownership of the brokenness. (v. 5-7)

Ill: The rat that died in our living room wall. I did not put it there. Not my fault, or was it? I had ignored an opening in my roof eves for years. I had to take ownership; it was my job to take care of it.

Before we can move into a renewed mission, we have to repent of our apathy to the lost in our community. We have to own our part in the "broken walls" of the lost people all around us.

Nehemiah 1:8 NIV (Slides)

8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,

Nehemiah 1:9 NIV (Slides)

9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

Nehemiah 1:10 NIV (Slides)

10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.

Remembering God’s promises.

5. Be anchored in God’s promises. (v. 8-10)

Nehemiah reminds God of His own Word: "Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses."

Nehemiah 1:11 NIV (Slides)

11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.

6. Pray then trust.

Nehemiah ends by asking for "success today." He trusts God and now is ready to go talk to the King.

Are you ready to have God burden you and use you? Not me? Here’s the secret. Read the rest of Nehemiah. He didn't hire a construction company. He gathered a group of broken, ordinary people and gave them a trowel and a sword. Everyone had a part. You can to.

Our renewed Vision and Mission aren't just ideas we dreamed up. They are God’s instruction and plans for His church.

We aren't asking God to bless our plan. We are aligning ourselves and our church with His plan.

Mission & Vision overview: Allison work at home after Everlie’s birth.

Like Nehemiah, we’ve seen the brokenness of the walls around us. And we’ve realized that for Church on The Hill to be what God called it to be, we need a clear Mission & Vision moving forward.

Vision Statement: Church on the Hill’s vision is to be a church where people are found in Christ, changed by His grace, known in an authentic community, and sent on mission to share the gospel and love of Jesus with the world.

Mission Statement: (simple) Be Found. Be Changed. Be Known. Now Go!

Everything we do and invest in will be examined through this lens.

Over the next four weeks, we are unpacking each.

We’re going to look at what it means to Be Found: How we reach this city through outreach (Good Deeds, Good Will, Good News) and hospitality leaving every visitor feeling and experiencing God’s love.

We’re going to talk about how to Be Changed: Not just behavior modification, but 'Inner Transformation' through the Holy Spirit.

We’re going to look at how to Be Known: Moving from being a face in a crowd to being part of a 'K.N.O.W.N. Small Group' where you are supported, encouraged, and challenged to live out the life God has for you.

And finally, we’re going to talk about Now Go: How we live on mission every day, in our offices, our schools, and our neighborhoods.

This isn't just a piece of paper. This is our wall to rebuild. This is our future.

Next week, we will start with the first two words of our mission: Be Found.

We’re going to talk about why Jesus is obsessed with people who are lost, and why our church is going to become a place where anyone can encounter Him.

If you’ve ever felt like you don't belong, or if you have a friend who thinks God is finished with them, you cannot miss next week.

With our renewed burden and seeking God to give us success. The rebuilding of the spiritual walls in people’s lives are going to be rebuilt. The question is, are you going to be part of helping us build? Rebuild the spiritual lives of people. One life at a time?

Our historic riverside church of 152 years has done some incredible things in it’s past. When I first arrived over four years ago, I asked this question. Do you want our historic church to make history or become history? I love our church’s answer. Make history for the Kingdom of God again.

Ask God for a burden and pray this week.

For the next 7 days, I am asking you to pray one prayer: Lord, break my heart, break our hearts, for what breaks yours.

Remember: A burden is an essential starting point for any true work of God.