Vision 2020 - Part 2

Big Idea:

Motivation to GROW is found in Jesus!

Intro:

Good morning! Welcome to TRC.

It’s good to be back. As most of you know, Janelle and I just got back from Florida. My dad treated our family to Disney World. It was awesome. Also, shout out to all of you, and to Tim, for a job well done last week! It was a big growth step in the life of our church!

Speaking of growing, this morning we will continue taking about our Vision for 2020 (where we are going this year as a church). If you remember from two weeks ago, I mentioned our focus for 2020 is on one main theme: GROWING IN CHRIST.

And so, we started off looking at . Again, this will be our foundational verse for the year. And, I believe it has a lot to say about “growing in Christ.” For example, in the first few verses, Peter tells us that if we want to grow, we must...

Get rid of the old stuff (things that don’t belong in our lives as Christians).

Add new stuff (specifically the Word of God - the spiritual milk we need to grow strong).

And we need to make Jesus our “direction” and “destination.” We’re always move towards Jesus. And we’re becoming more like Him every day.

And that’s pretty simple stuff. 3 easy steps to grow. Hey, for real, following Jesus isn’t complicated. It’s simply obeying Him and radically depending on Him (putting our faith in Him for everything). That’s it! But then again, from personal experience, we know it isn’t always easy!

Now, there are a lot of reasons why GROWING in Christ isn’t always easy - and we’re going to discuss them throughout 2020 - but let’s just focus on one this morning - one that our passage actually talks about… If you have your Bible/app, you can open up to .

One of the challenges of GROWING in Christ is it’s a lifelong journey. I didn’t start college until I was 30 years old. And I remember thinking, “Wow. It’s going to take me 4 years to get my degree. And 7 if I want my Masters!” I knew God was calling me to seminary so that I could GROW. And while I did finish my Masters degree in 7 years, I’m not going to lie… it was hard to stay motivated. 7 years is a long time! Now, think about GROWING in Christ. That’s not a 7 year process. That’s a whole-life process!

And as you can imagine, or even experienced, it’s hard to stay motivated to GROW in Christ everyday! But MOTIVATION is super important to the growth process. And it’s going to be super important to us in 2020! If we want to run towards Jesus in 2020, we’re going to need to stay motivated!

So, how do that? Well, let’s start with a definition… What is motivation?

Motivation: Something (such as a need or desire) that causes a person to act.

Okay, how do we get that… “thing”… that MOTIVATION… that causes us to act? Well, there are a few theories on motivation, but let me share this one; it’s called the “Expectancy Theory of Motivation.” It says...

The expectancy theory of motivation suggests that when we are thinking about the future, we formulate different expectations about what we think will happen. When we predict that there will most likely be a positive outcome, we believe that we are able to make that possible future a reality. This leads people to feel more motivated to pursue those likely outcome.

Now, there are three key elements to this theory:

Valence: Refers to the value people place on the potential outcome. When we don’t value something, it has a low valence. On the other hand, outcomes of high value, have a high valence.

Instrumentality: Refers to whether people believe that they have a role to play in the predicted outcome. If people feel like they don’t matter, they don’t participate. If they feel important to the process, they are more likely to show up.

Expectancy: Is the belief that one has the capabilities to produce the outcome. When people feel equipped, they engage. If they don’t, they won’t.

Therefore, according to this theory, when these key elements are viewed positively, people are more MOTIVATED to pursue those likely outcomes. And when it comes to GROWING in Christ, because of Jesus, I believe these elements are positively met. Meaning, the church can, and should be, MOTIVATED to GROW!

Meaning, we can, and should be, MOTIVATED to GROW!

And I believe we see that, right here, in chapter 2… let’s read starting in verse 4.

1 Peter 2:4–5 ESV

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

We read that last week. But let’s also add this… jump down to verse 9...

1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Exegesis:

Oh man, this is GOOD STUFF. This is GOOD NEWS for us! Some say, “That’s good!”

We talked about some of this a couple weeks ago (and at Life Group), but verse 5 says...

We are becoming SOMETHING beautiful - the spiritual house of God.

God is permanently with us!

We are becoming SOMEONE beautiful - a holy priesthood.

That’s our identity now!

And we are ACCOMPLISHING something beautiful.

We’re offering worship that pleases God’s heart!

And don’t miss that last phrase: through Jesus Christ. Somebody say, “Because of Jesus!” Jesus makes all this possible!

But let’s add verses 9 to the mix...

We are CHOSEN.

We are CHOSEN. We are ROYALITY - kings and priests of God. We are a “holy” nation - made pure by the blood of Jesus.

But let’s add verse 9 to the mix.

We are ROYALITY - kings and priests of God.

We are a “holy” nation - made pure by the blood of Jesus.

But then look at the next part, we are “a people for his own possession.” The NIV rightly translates it, “special possession.” Because of Jesus, we belong to God and we are special to Him!

Remember, in school, when it’s book fair time? You always get little thin pamphlet with all the books that are being sold. I know my kids still get this. And you circle the books you want. You’re like, “Oh… I want that one!”

The language used here for “special possession” is like God circling you and saying, “I want that one!” Like, “That one is special to me.” It’s like you’re God’s treasure. Furthermore, it’s like you’re so special that you’re the only thing God sees on the paper! He’s like, “I gotta have that one!”

And through Jesus, God purchased you as His special treasure. That’s what verse 9 goes onto talk about when it says, “[He] called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Let me break this down real quick:

We were once sitting in darkness. Completely broken. Completely hopeless. Trapped by sin. Doomed for judgment!

But because of God’s great love, He sees us and calls out to us, “Come out of darkness. You belong to me now.”

And He calls us into His marvelous light. And I love the comparison between darkness and light here. Notice, “darkness” is just darkness. But look at how “light” is described...

It’s not just light. It’s marvelous light! And it’s not just marvelous light, it’s God’s marvelous light!

What’s that tell us? That there’s no comparison! We are called out of darkness and into the most amazing, satisfying, and wonderful life possible. Our destiny, our future inheritance is extremely valuable. It can’t be compared with any earthly thing!

Which leads us to this statement: Because of Jesus, I have a marvelous future. That’s the valence element. As we look to the potential outcome, we see a marvelous future. It has a high valence! And this should MOTIVATE us to GROW.

So, we got high valence, but what about the other two elements? What about “instrumentality?” How do we know we have an important ROLE in the Kingdom of God, because that will IMPACT our MOTIVATION to GROW. Well, look again with me at verse 9.

Verse 9 says we are a “royal priesthood.” The phrase means we are both kings and priests of God. And if you think about when this was written, in those cultures, both roles were extremely important. And what Peter is saying is, “You are extremely unique and valuable to the Kingdom of God.” You have a special and unique role in God’s plan. He’s only made one of you! You’re rare!

In God’s eyes, you’re like Mr. Gold.

Mr. Gold is one of the rarest Lego pieces around. There are only 5000 real ones in circulation. In 2013, you could get one for $2.99. But now, they go for over $1500!

Here’s the problem: We usually don’t feel like Mr. Gold. We feel like this piece (1x2 brick). Piece #3023 is one of the most COMMON Lego pieces around.

If we took 1 of every Lego set made over the last 5 years, we’d end up with 25,662 of these bricks. There’s nothing special or rare about this piece.

And that’s how we usually feel. I’m nothing special. I can’t do this or that - not like those other people at church. What does it matter if I show up or serve?

In the 1800s, there was a man in England named Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

He became one of the greatest preachers of all time. In fact, his nickname is the “Prince of Preachers.”

He preached to thousands upon thousands.

His ministry invested almost 50 million dollars into the Kingdom.

And his books still impact the church today.

If there was ever a Mr. Gold in the church, it was him. But guess what. Without a 1x2 brick, there would be no Charles Spurgeon!

When Spurgeon was a teen he was internally torn apart by his sin. Although he grew up in church, the gospel had not impacted his life. Then, one snowy day, he was walking to church and a storm forced him to seek shelter in a small Methodist chapel. That day, the regular pastor couldn’t make it. In the pulpit was this uneducated, regular lay person. If there was ever a 1x2 brick, it was this guy!

And he had a simple message that morning. He read from which said, “Look unto me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God and there is none else.” Spurgeon then recalls the “1x2-brick-of-a-man” pointing to him and saying, “You look very miserable young man! Look! Look, young man! Look now!”

And at that moment, Spurgeon says his heart looked to Christ and he believed. Nobody knows the name of this 1x2-brick-preacher, but because of his faithfulness, God used him to bring Charles Spurgeon into the Kingdom. And God used Spurgeon to greatly expand that Kingdom.

All that to say, you are extremely important to the mission of God. Even if you feel like a 1x2 brick, you still have a unique, special, and important role in God’s plan! Because here’s another perspective to the numbers I shared earlier on the 1x2 brick… Because it’s the most common brick, it’s NECESSARY for the completion of every Lego set! Without it, you can’t build what was planned!

It’s the same with the Kingdom of God. You are special. You are needed! You play an important role, whether you are Mr. Gold or a 1x2 brick. God’s plans involve the entire church GROWING TOGETHER to accomplish His mission.

At the same time, remember in God’s eyes, even if you feel like a 1x2 brick, to Him you are Mr. Gold. You are a royal priesthood with an important role! Which leads me to this...

Because of Jesus, I am extremely special! That’s the “instrumentality” element. In the church, every person plays an important role. And that should MOTIVATE us to GROW!

So, what about the last thing: Expectancy? Remember, expectancy is the belief that one has the capabilities to produce the outcome. As we look to who we are in Christ, and what Christ is building and accomplishing in our lives, do we really feel like we have the capacity, skills, and knowledge to produce that outcome?

I believe the answer to that involves “identity.” Understanding who we are in Christ. And verse 10 has something important to say about that...

1 Peter 2:10 ESV

Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

What’s this verse say about identity? It says YOU ARE GOD’S PEOPLE! That means that everything God is calling you to be, He will equip you for. He will provide everything you need to accomplish His will. That’s why Paul confidently told the Philippians...

Philippians 1:6 NLT

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Paul says this to the Romans...

Romans 8:30–39 NLT

And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What’s that mean for us this morning? That God give us everything we need to get to where we’re going.

In , Jesus and His disciples are hanging out by the Sea of Galilee and he says...

Mark 4:35 ESV

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”

It was possibly an 8 mile trip by boat, so not a short journey. Then, we read...

Mark 4:36–40 ESV

And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Mark 4:36–41 ESV

And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Let’s look at this story this way:

Mark 4:36-

Let’s look at this story this way:

Jesus has a plan. He has a destination. He says, “Let’s go over there!”

But on the way, a storm breaks out and the disciples cry, “We’re going to die!” They are ready to give up because they don’t think they are capable of making it to the other side. They lose MOTIVATION to press on!

Then, Jesus wakes up and instantly calms the storm. He was sleeping because He knew they were going to make it to their destination. He wasn’t worried about it. If He said it, it was gonna happen! And so He looks at them and says, “Where is your faith?”

Again, if Jesus says it, He’ll make sure it happens.

We just gotta trust Him with it.

By faith, Jesus will make sure His plans come to pass in our lives!

And we should look at our lives in the same way. Jesus has a plan and purpose for our lives. We have a marvelous future. We play a special role in getting there. And because of Jesus, you’ll have the power and ability to accomplish it!

So, we have

Regarding expectancy, because of Jesus, I’m able to do great things (through Christ who strengthens me). This should MOTIVATE us to keeping GROWING in Christ!

Response:

As we close, I hope you are MOTIVATED to GROW IN CHRIST!

Because you have a marvelous destiny ahead of you.

And you play a unique and important role in God’s Kingdom.

And here’s the best part, Jesus is the one who makes sure the outcome happens! Not us! Our part is simply to be ready and in position to say “Here I am!” when He calls us to step up. He does all the work! We just trust Him by faith and obedience.

So I’d like us to leave today with this thought, “Because of Jesus, I’m motivated to GROW in 2020!” This year, my hope is that we run toward Jesus with all that we are! All of us, together! Because we all matter!

I’m gonna call the worship team up. And as they do, I’m going to bring something forward. Two weeks ago, I passed out Lego pieces to each person. They were to remind us that we belong to a set. And when we’re missing, the set is incomplete. Furthermore, as we discussed today, we all play an important role, even if we’re a 1x2 brick.

So, hopefully you brought your brick this morning, because during the sermon, I had Kade attempting to build the set with the available pieces. It’s supposed to look like THIS.

Let’s see what it looks like...

Complete: Celebrate!

Incomplete: This is NOT meant to make anyone feel guilty. It’s meant to help us visualize how valuable each one of us is to the Kingdom of God. There are no insignificant pieces because each pieces plays a role. And when one piece is missing, whether it’s a minifigure or 1x2 brick, the set is incomplete.

So, this morning, as we end, let’s commit and be motivated to GROW in 2020! Because each person’s life and giftings matter to God and His marvelous plan.

Let’s pray.

Additionally, remember you’re important. And we need to be “ready.” That man who preached to Spurgeon was ready for that day, as best as he could be. Be motivated because you never know when your number is called (Kade - peeing?) He was motivated to stay ready.

Lego (Kade circle pieces that you’re missing). Spirit lead me in this. 1x2

I hope you’re excited to find out what God is going to do in your life and in our church’s life this year.