What’s my Mission?

Made for Mission: Week 2

What’s my Mission?

I’ve been following Jesus for over a year now and I still don’t get him. I remember when he walked by where I had just been fishing and told me and a few of my buddies to follow him. No one was more surprised than me when we all just got, left everything behind and followed him. I can look back now and totally see that this was the best decision I’ve ever made. Every day is a new adventure. We walk into towns and immediately crowds develop and Jesus starts and talking and it leads to miraculous healings and before you know it people are dancing in the streets.

Like there was this one time when Jesus had been preaching for a long time and a couple of us disciples casually approached him to mention that the people were probably hungry and they still had a long walk back to their villages. Jesus turns to us and says, “You give them something to eat.” Long story short we bring this kid up to Jesus who’s mom packed him a lunchable for the trip. Jesus takes it and turns it into enough food to feed the fifteen thousand people there. You should have seen that place—people were in awe. Anything Jesus would have said at that point the people would have done. He had them eating out of the palm of his hands…literally.

As we got on the move again a bunch of people approach Jesus saying that they want to join our group. Great!...right? The more the merrier is what I’ve always said. Instead Jesus comes back at them with some pretty harsh responses. He tells one guy that if he comes he will be homeless. He tells someone else that if they need to go back and say bye to their family then don’t even bother. Talk about strict right? This mission that we are on is not for the faint of heart.

Illustration: Have a strong box you can stand on with the word “Mission” written on it in bold print. Place it right in front of where you are speaking.

Good morning everybody. We are in week 2 of our Made for Mission series. We said last week that every person has been called by God for a mission. You are not an accident or fluke but instead God’s masterpiece created for a purpose. With this mission you’ve got some options. Some people completely ignore their mission in life or never seek to answer what it might be. (walk to the other side of the stage away from the box) Other’s kind of flirt with their mission. (casually bump into the box) Every once in a while they accidently live out part of their purpose but only for a short time. Their heart beats fast and they think to themselves, “I really love _______.” Then life gets busy and they fall back into the daily grind of everyday life.

Some people actively purpose the mission God made them for. They find it because God’s not hiding it from them. He’s more excited than we are in seeing us use our gifts and live out the reasons he made us in the first place. (Stand on the box) That’s the goal of these six weeks, that we would literally live our lives ON the mission we were made for.

Our big point for last we is that “We are all called.” Ministry is not for a select few but for all Jesus followers. If that’s the case than the obvious next question should be, “So, what am I called to?” or “What is my mission?” That’s what we are going to talk about today. If you have a bible turn to Luke 9.

Read Luke 9:51

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

Jesus was a man on a mission. He resolutely set out to lay down his life to for the sake of others salvation. With great intentionality and courage he knew where he was going and that his life was bigger than himself. It’s interesting earlier in the chapter he shared point blank what that meant for anyone that would follow him.

Read Luke 9:23

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Jesus made it clear that the mission of those who would follow him was the same as His. Followers must lay down their lives on a daily basis for the sake of others being saved. This isn’t just a one time event, this is the mission of our lives on a daily basis from now till Jesus returns. Our mission is way bigger than ourselves or even the people we serve, it’s part of a worldwide movement that Jesus started.

I know that we have lots of people here in the room today. For those of you who are brand new to this God/Church/Jesus thing and you’re just checking it out you might be thinking, “Well that might be your mission, but that’s sure not mine.” Let me just say, totally cool. Today is still huge for you today because as you’re trying to figure all this God stuff out just know this is a huge part of it. God’s not just inviting you to come to church on Sundays and to give part of your hard earned paycheck to him each week. He’s actually inviting you to join Him in His massive mission where He is already at work all over the world.

If you’ve been following Jesus for a while and would consider yourself a Christian you might be nodding your head thinking, “God’s mission is my mission. Got it. What’s next?” If you’re anything like me this is much easier to nod along to but much harder to live out. You may intellectually believe your primary mission is to join God in what He’s up to but practically your life would say something totally different. Let me warn you that today could get a bit uncomfortable but just remember I didn’t start it…Jesus did.

I think one of Satan’s most powerful tool to get Jesus follower’s off mission is the weapon of DISTRACTION.

If you have a cell phone would you pull it out for a moment.

-The average person checks their cellphone 110 times a day. That works out to 9 times an hour.

-55% of phone users text while driving; which is 6 times more dangerous than driving drunk.

-84% of world wide cell users report not being able to go a single day without their phone in their hand.

-50% of teens admit to being addicted to their cell phones. It is something that they could not live without.

-Here is the ultimate test to see if your cell phone might be a distraction or even an addiction for you: Did you check your phone when I told you to pull it out and have now missed part of what I just said? Be honest, raise your hands.

Can we all agree, we live in a distracted culture? If Satan can’t make you bad he will make you busy. However he can get you off the mission that you were made for, he’s winning.

In a recent survey but out by Lifeway, 80% of church-goers said they believe they have a personal responsibility in sharing their faith BUT 61% say that they haven’t in the past six months. So the majority of us know what the mission is and the importance of it but somehow it doesn’t impact the way we live. That’s what we are going to talk about today.

Read Luke 9:57-62

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

From this passage, Jesus identifies and calls out 3 Distraction Missions that will pull you away from the mission Jesus has made you for.

1) The Mission of Comfort

A man walks up ready to follow and Jesus just simply says that this mission may lead to homelessness. We don’t hear how the person responds but it’s heavily implied that this was a game stopper for him. He was totally into following Jesus as long as it didn’t take him out of his comfort zone. The only problem is that Jesus doesn’t just pull His followers out of their comfort zones, he obliterates them. Just think about all the things Jesus had his disciples do. He sent them out for weeks at a time with no cash, extra clothes or fall back plan. Ultimately Jesus would model this “comfortzoneless” life by dying on the cross through six hours of excruciating pain and torture.

Before many of our family trips we will pray before we head out. The most popular prayer is “Lord keep us safe.” Anybody ever done that before? I think that’s probably a good prayer but what if Jesus is more about making us a dangerous followers of him and less about keeping us safe all the time. Haven’t you found in your own life that the times you grow the most is when you’re uncomfortable and needing to trust Jesus.

Our world is obsessed with safety and comfort. Check out some popular items that are being sold today.

📷📷📷📷

A hoodie that inflates into a pillow Alarm clock makes coffee

Go to Walmart tomorrow and see how many items you can find that simply exist to make your life more comfortable. What happens when the Mission of Comfort comes in conflict with the Mission of Jesus? What happens when comfort becomes a bigger deal in your life than Christ? We learn here that Jesus says it would be better to count the cost before following him. Here is the second distraction Jesus responds to.

2) The Mission of Commitments

Jesus turns to another person and initiates the conversation. He says “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus says back to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

At first this seems like a pretty harsh response from Jesus. Don’t you picture a dad on his death bed and Jesus tells the son to leave him there alone and follow me? Who would say that to someone? Think about this for a moment, if his father had already died, the man would have been occupied with the burial. But evidently he wanted to wait until after his father’s death, which might have been years away. Jesus clearly conveys that there is an urgency to the mission that he’s called us to. It’s not something we pick up when our schedule finally has some breathing room but instead becomes our first priority immediately.

There are two words that the man says out of order and they make all the difference. “Lord, first let me…” There wasn’t anything wrong with wanting to take care of His father but that he made that a priority over following Jesus was. Instead he needed to say, “First Lord!” Whatever you are calling me to do Jesus, I’ll do that first.”

This is not just for the sake of being obedient, it’s also for our own blessing. In the sermon on the mount at one point Jesus says the famous words, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteous and ALL THESE THINGS will be given to you as well.” Jesus promises that if we place his Kingdom first in our lives then He will take care of all the other things we love to stress about.

So are there anythings you have told Jesus “yes, but first…” I’ll serve but first let me get through this busy season. I’ll give but first let me get this promotion. I’ll share my faith but first let me get more comfortable in my own walk with God. I’ll spend time reading my Bible in the morning but first let me push the snooze button a few times. While many of the commitments you’ve made may be really good and honorable, Jesus still tells us that His mission must come first. Check out the third distraction.

3) The Mission of Competition

As Jesus continues to walk along another man approaches. “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus turns to him and replies, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Once again a seemingly harsh response from Jesus, right? I can’t imagine dropping everything to go on a mission trip with a man I just met without letting the people in my family at least know. That sure seems like it would be incredibly irresponsible. This was a world before cell phones or social media so he can’t text or even post a message from the road.

Notice once again that this man has some of the same disorganized words. “Lord; but first…” There is absolutely nothing wrong with telling your family where you are going but notice in the same sentence that he is informing Jesus that he will follow him, he’s also giving Jesus a command. Jesus, you let me go do this or I won’t follow you. What if this was simply just a matter of humility? What if he responded, “Jesus, I will follow you! Would it be all right if I went and said goodbye to my family and told them where I was going? Instead he tries to make a deal with Jesus and places a condition on his willingness to follow him.

I’ve heard that the word but completely impacts whatever was said just before. Think about it…

I’m pregnant…but….

It’s a boy… but…

I love you…but…

I’m all in…but…

I’ll follow you…but…

The mission that God has called us to must be seen as a reward and not a regret. He wants to step forward into his calling his confidence and joy not be looking back in uncertainty and anxiety. At one point Paul is speaking to the church in Philipi and he says,

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 3:13-14

There are lots of things in our lives that are competing with God’s mission. Making money, appearing successful in the world’s eyes, having everything you want, staying healthy, having your kids turn out perfectly. Many of these things are great but do they ever compete with what God’s mission of resolutely walking with him no matter the cost.

Check out this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srZN4_thzh8

Last week we learned that if you are a follower of Jesus then you are called by him. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll actually live out your calling. Just like Jesus resolutely walked towards Jerusalem even though he knew what lay ahead there, so we must too intentionally and resolutely follow Jesus in his mission above all else.

Jesus is not about creating a following, he is about making followers.

Simply saying that you will follow him is not enough. The primary characteristic he is looking for in His followers is Humility. Will I lay down my own comforts, other commitments and things that compete for my time, treasure and talents to resolutely follow Jesus?

We are going to close today by simply giving you some silence to ask the question, “God, I have any distracting missions in my life that I need to die to today?” If you do I want to encourage you to take the blank piece of paper from your program we placed in your program and write it down.

Are there any comforts that you have made more important than Christ?

Are there any other commitments that you’ve been saying, “but first,” before you can fully follow Christ’s call on your life?

Are there any competing missions that might be good but have become more important than your calling to know Christ and make him known?

Let’s pray

Sing closing song and give people the opportunity to place their paper at the foot of a cross somewhere in the room.