2018 Goals: Students on Mission

Introduction

Tonight we are going to piggy-back on what we talked about last week. Our goals we have talked about so far are:

Be a part of the multi-generational gather of believers

Students leading students to Jesus.

Students looking more like Jesus and less like the world.

Tonight we are looking a little deeper into looking like Jesus as we discuss living out His mission and purpose for our lives.

Text

Luke 24:36–49 CSB

As they were saying these things, he himself stood in their midst. He said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. “Why are you troubled?” he asked them. “And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself! Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” Having said this, he showed them his hands and feet. But while they still were amazed and in disbelief because of their joy, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” So they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. He told them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. He also said to them, “This is what is written: The Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered from on high.”

Luke 24:36-

Body

The disciples had been through a whirlwind of change and just found out that their teacher who was killed is now raised from the dead.

Even though they know He is raised from the dead, they are scared and jumpy and have no idea that it is actually Him who is bodily in front of them.

While they have experienced a lot, they still don’t really know what to do with all of it.

Some of you have experienced salvation, but you have no idea what to do with that or why it affects the rest of your life.

When Jesus appears to them, He first shows that He is who He says He is.

Jesus begins by reintroducing Himself to His disciples. He takes away their doubts of who He is or what has actually happened. He even eats with them to show that He is not a ghost.

He spends time with them by eating with them.

The beginning of our purpose doesn’t start with doing things. It starts with knowing that Jesus is real as real can be and what He says is true.

Jesus helped the disciples understand that all of the Scriptures and history itself is rooted in Him.

Jesus shows that He is the fulfillment of tons of prophecy in the old testament, and that His ministry, mission, and purpose has been in existence throughout all of history.

The next phase of knowing our mission as followers of Jesus is understanding that the Scriptures and thus history and the universe itself is all about Him. When history itself is all about Him, then He shows He has the right to determine our future because it is ALL about Him.

Jesus shows that their mission and purpose is a part of what He has done and is doing in the world.

Jesus tells them that the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins is going out to all of the nations through them. The mission starts at home and moves out.

We have to continue carrying that light where we are that Jesus started thousands of years ago. For us, it starts in Canyon Lake and moves out to places like Colorado, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.

Conclusion

There’s a process here. The disciples of purposeless, Jesus shows up as real as real can be, He shows that all of history is about Him, and He gives them purpose.

Where are you on that continuum?

Do you feel like you have no purpose at all?

Has Jesus shown you that He is who He has said that He is?

Do you see that He is the only one in all of history that gets the right to lead you where you should go?

Now that you have that mission, are you waiting on the Holy Spirit to give you the power to accomplish it? Or are you trying on your own

Tonight, I want you to figure out where you are and work to move one step further along.

Response

Have you ever struggled to know what your purpose in life is? What do you feel like your purpose in life is today?

Does the fact that the whole bible is about Jesus affect how you see Him? Does that make Him more important to you? More authoritative?

Do you struggle to do what God has called you to do in taking the message or repentance and forgiveness of sins to your friends and the ends of the earth? Do you think it might be because you are trying to do it yourself? How can you better depend on the Holy Spirit to give you the power to accomplish your purpose and mission in life?