FBCK What is Our Vision & Purpose?
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good Morning. Today we’re going to be talking about come corporate words in how they apply to us here at FBCK. This weeks sermon is still within the framework of our series “Who AM I In Christ,” but will take on a slightly different feel. The “I” in the series is going to apply to us as a church. So we could think of this as more of a “we than and I,” “Who Are We In Christ.” The two words are vision and purpose. When our military sets out, our service men and women do not begin a mission without a vision and a purpose. The vision and purpose of their mission helps to keep them focused. When I looked up these words in terms of their intended use within the scope of us as a church, vision grounds a groups so it can and impact the world. A purpose statement is considered to be a declarative sentence that summarizes a specific topic and goals.
This morning our passage bring us to the end of one of the gospels. I really enjoy reading the gospels. They all are very powerful! It never tires me reading about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and reflecting on his great love for us. When I come to the end, I get real excited! That’s because again very soon, it will be time to start up again. We are going to be in the last Chapter of Matthew and in the last 5 verses. Many of our Bibles will title this section as the great commission. In fact, it really is. I’ve heard some call this section the great ommission. I though — aw man. This part of Matthew’s gospel is part of what causes us to spring out of bed in the morning. It’s new morning, and who’s God going to lead me to. What exciting things do I get to participate in with the Lord today. I’ve go my socks on, my laces are tied in a hikers knot, lunch is packed and the Lord is with me. I’m ready to go!
I’d like to invite you to open your Bibles with me the 28th Chapter of Matthew and lets begin in verse 16.
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Pastoral Prayer
Pastoral Prayer
[Display Verse 17]
Background: As we begin this morning, verses 16 and 17 begins with a narrative. Coming to this point, the 12 have become 11, the illegal trial of Jesus has happened, He’s endured an intense flogging, He’s been crucified, placed in a tomb and has risen. The gospels record many accounts of Jesus appearing to people. Jesus was demonstrating what was prophesied has been fulfilled. Yes, there were some who were slow to believe He had risen. Our Lord even said, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” After all, it’s not everyday you see a person who you knew was dead and now alive and walking. There’s a possibility some would not have known about Lazarus, and the possibility exists that the news of Jesus’ death by crucifixion would have spread faster. It would have been common knowledge among many circles that crucifixion leads to certain death. When a person is sentenced to death by crucifixion, there’s no coming back. So, to hear that Jesus is back, Matthew’s point that “some doubted” is understandable. In the larger picture, when our Lord says, “slow to heart to believe all the at the prophets have spoken,” this narrative is not only teaching us about Jesus’ identity (which we’ll talk about in a minute), it’s teaching us faith and unbelief. It’s doesn't stop there. Faith and belief keeps growing and branching out. We can find the roots of faith and belief in verse 18. That’s because we have our Lord speaking.
[Display Verse 18]
Jesus says, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” WOW this is bold and there is much packed in these 12-words! If you wanted to make a mini-outline for verse 18, it could have the title header of “God’s ultimate power.” What is given to Jesus? Well all power is given to Jesus. We’re not talking brute strength like the Incredible Hulk or Superman, that some of us call the Man of Steel. We’re talking about “authority.” The word authority points to power, ruler, to give commandments, make decisions. It’s showing Jesus as sovereign. God has declared Jesus Christ as Lord. This declaration has no expiration — it’s forever. Jesus has Lordship over everything. The word ‘everything’ can seem like the miscellaneous drawer where everything lands. The word “everything” is not a loose word, it’s specific. Take notice of the where authority is given to Jesus. All authority is given to Jesus “in heaven and on earth.” This means to boundaries are infinite. Heaven means His authority is reaching into a realm we cannot see it. It’s the unseen and spiritual realm. We know this because in the Bible we can read about how even demons obey Jesus. On earth all this belongs to the Lord. After all, He was there and involved at this great creation. This means there is no power that can stop him, no place he can’t get to — the best cyber security can’t keep Jesus out! And, there isn’t a person He cannot use. This doesn't just apply to the person who speaks well, or has knowledge, or a heart for babies, or a heart for service. This is universal, but also individual. Would you all indulge me this for just a moment. I want you to look around in this room. Go ahead. Look that the people to your left, to your right, behind you. And, come up with one thing you’ve seen that person do well here. You’re seeing the gifts of God. You’re seeing how that person has been gifted by God. You’re seeing the body of Christ and how He’s building His Church. You’re seeing how each person here is contributing in a unique way. We might have a similar gift, but we don’t go about it the same way. There’s diversity. Just like our vehicles. There’s many moving parts, all working together for one common mission. How would it be going down the highway with a missing rear tire. Could we get there? Yes, we could get there. Would we be spreading debris — yes. For fun, we might even be providing a fireworks show with a rooster tail of sparks behind us. The point is each one of us is needed. What is the needed? What is the divine mandate? What is the mission? Let’s turn our attention to verse 19.
[Display Verse 19]
We just spoke about Jesus having all authority. Part of Jesus’ authority is not only to give commandments but also decision. Here Jesus has done both! Verse 19 is what scholars refer to as the Great Commission. It’s not the Great Ommission! The Great Commission is about action. We see how our Lord says “go.” We cannot “go” if we are sitting still. We cannot “go” if we stay where we are. We cannot “go” if we do not make a move. This verb means “as you go, or as you were going.” In other words, as we’re going to the store, as we’re going to school, as we’re going on vacation — wherever we’re going — share the gospel. In this perspective, the Great Commission starts to take on a much larger perspective. We ought to be sharing wherever we’re going, or whatever we’re doing.
Those who are keeping up on the current events, many would agree that in the last 20 years the landscape of evangelism has changed. While we’re sleeping, the door of evangelism in this country many of us love is closing. 20 years ago is was a whole lot easier to approach a total stranger to tell them who you were and what you wanted and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Folks that day has passed. In spite of all these conditions around us, the difficulties, the dangers, The Great Commission still stands! From the 1st century to the 21st century, yes much has changed. Much has remained unchanged. Take a look at verse 19 again. Verse 19 shows us what we still share. It springs from the word “Go!” The mandate is the same. The mandate is to engage. Jesus gave the disciples authorization to GO. The disciples were to go out and engage. Their action was not passive, where they sat in waiting for someone to come. Their action was active. The disciples were requested to go. Earlier we spoke of the authority of commandments our Lord has. Verse 19 contains both and action and a commandment. We’ve just seen the action. The commandment rests with the words, “make disciples.” That’s what they were to do. That’s what we’re to do. This is what we could consider as “God’s Unchanging Program.” It was the same during the 1st century and its the same in 21st century. This is where our responsibility rests. We as a church don’t have to come up to and say, “Lord, we really don’t know what you wanted us to do. We wish you would have given us clear instruction.” We have the call to go. We know the instructions — make disciples, from where — all nations. Jesus made it easy.
Once a person is lead to Jesus, this is when life long investment of discipleship begins. What is discipleship? In short, it means teaching. It’s about instructing and showing believers at every level how to follow Jesus, submitting to Him, and following Him in service. Another way to think about this is the relationship between a journeyman and an apprentice. A journeyman is someone who has mastered the necessary skills. The apprentice is someone who is in the process of learning the skills. In this case, Jesus Christ is our master teacher. Yes, as a church we are to go into the field, but we’re also to show believers how to obey and follow Jesus. Our Lord says that right here in first half of verse 20:
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Teaching comes two fold. It comes by our lips and our lifestyle, each one of us are preaching at one level or another. Mark 16:15 says, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” We’re preaching all the time. Every moment we live we are preaching through our actions and through our words. We are either pointing people to Jesus are we are pointing them away from Him. We are either saying “He is my Lord and Savior and you need to know Him too”; or we are saying “My relationship with Jesus really doesn’t make a difference in my life.” Our duty is to tell!
If our Lord just saved us to keep us out of Hell, then He would have taken us to Heaven as soon as He saved us.
If He had just saved us to worship and praise Him, then He would have taken us straight home to glory.
He saved us so that we would have a story to tell!
We’re here so we can tell an old-old story.
He saved us to use us in this world as His tools of ministry to lost and dying world!
We’re part of one of the best businesses on the planet. We’re in the business of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s truly a business of life and death! As we work on doing our part to fulfill Jesus’ vision for our purpose, we have the GREAT assurance that Jesus is there with us at every step. Look at what he says at the end of verse 20, “And, behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We pursue our mission with Jesus! It’s the promise God gave to Jacob (Genesis 46:3-4), to Moses in Exodus 3:12 and to the exiles in Isaiah 43:1-7. These verses stressed the importance of “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12).
Application
Application
FBCK what is our vision? We have that! FBCK what is our purpose? We know that! Who AM I In Christ, or perhaps better asked, Who Are We In Christ!?
As we’re going, we’re baptizing, we’re pouring into others, we’re teaching them to obey everything, we’re traveling together with our Lord Jesus Christ — REJOICING — that we know He is with us “to the end of the age!” The King has appointed His ambassadors! Our message is this, as Paul mentions in:
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
That’s it! Pretty simple, and that’s what we’re going with. It’s the most powerful message the world has ever heard, and it’s a message that must be delivered to lost and dying world.
The world changes and circumstances change. But the gospel of Jesus Christ remains the same and true! This is a time of new growth. How’s the Lord leading your heart this morning?
We need help:
Our children’s and nursery ministry
In our adult small groups
Our young adult small groups
Youth mentors
Our audio/visual/digital media ministry
Perhaps you’ve come to the realization that you need a savior. You’ve recognized the sin in you life and need rescuing. Jesus Christ is your answer today. Are you ready to come forward and accept the free gift of grace?
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer