Re-created in the Likeness of Jesus – Family, Missionaries, Servants, Disciples Making Disciples

20210801

New City Macon

Big Idea

By the grace of Jesus, disciples have been re-created to walk in newness of life as a family of missionary servants.

Fallen Condition in Focus for this Sermon

We look at our vision as things we do (family missionary servant disciple) rather than who we are.

We’ve lost sight of who we are, which is who Jesus declares us to be.

We try being by doing, beginning with doing. Rather, we need union with Christ (i.e. being a new identity) – with that in place the being leads to doing.

We give up on doing because it was exhausting.

Ideas for MC Questions

1. When it comes to your identity as a family of missionary servants, what challenged you in the sermon?

2. What excuses do you make for not living as family? … as a missionary? … as a servant?

3. What does the gospel show us about these excuses? What is your mis-belief or disbelief that lies beneath the excuse? What is the good news you need to hear from your family?

Video and Announcements

Video of downtown MC (Gary & Jen Wilson) partnering with YoungLife..

Before announcements and sermon…

We want to invite those of you who are not in an MC to experience life there, on mission together, Gary and/or Jen will be in the foyer after the service to talk with you, and would love to field your questions.

Announcements:

· The Partners’ dinner we had planned for this Friday is changed to a Livestream. Due to concerns about COVID and serving food and eating in close proximity, we will have an update provided this Friday at 7pm. Partners, please plan on joining in for that so you all can celebrate with us what the Lord is doing.

Introduction

I have been in awe this week, catching a glimpse of God’s vast story. God thought of everything when He wrote the story of history and redemption of humanity. I’ve been stunned by seeing God’s work of re-creation, and He perfectly planned provision for all our hopes and dreams, fears and failures, and how to ensure to bring about His good purposes. And right in the center of every move is our Lord Jesus.

I hope to do a little justice in unpacking some of this for you today.

Let me start with what might seem like an odd comparison: Batman and Spiderman. Not comparing DC vs. Marvel, but comparing where there super-hero abilities come from. What do I mean?

Batman– his abilities come from gadgets, appendages, a suit, hook and rope…. Besides wealth, he’s a normal guy.

Spiderman – his abilities come from within. He was fundamentally changed from the inside out when being bitten by a radioactive spider.

Now, the question for you: Which one better describes the way you have viewed living as a disciple of Christ? Is it something that is possible because of some external constraints you use to pull yourself up and through the air? Or is it more like that inner transformation that brings about changes that come from a new nature?

Practically, I think many of us have tried living the gadget approach…

The bible teaches us something radically different is needed to truly walk with Christ, to walk in a manner worthy of the calling.

What is that? We need to be made new. We need to be re-created by God, renewed in our inner being. Our identity must be established by Jesus. Our being must precede our doing.

Is there really a difference? It’s a huge difference! For example, it is the difference between being crushed when goals and dreams go unachieved, versus staying firmly anchored and secure through defeat.

This is what we’ve seen in some Olympic athletes. US Olympic wrestler Kyle Snyder has earned the nickname Captain America. In 2016 he became the youngest US athlete to win gold in wrestling. Yet, in the 2018 World Championship he was defeated by the Russian wrestler he had beaten in 2016. Afterward, he was asked, “How will this defeat define you?” to which he responded, “Wins or losses don’t define me. What defines me is my identity in Jesus.” The next day he posted Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” [https://sportsspectrum.com/sport/wrestling/2018/10/25/wrestler-kyle-snyder-says-hes-defined-by-my-faith-in-jesus-after-loss-in-rematch-of-the-century/]

What’s he saying? Results and experiences don’t define me. Sports don’t define me. What I do doesn’t define me. King Jesus defines me. He’s the one who has delivered me from the grips of the world, made me family. That’s how I get my identity.

So, I think this can begin to show us how our identity makes a difference. Our response and approach to a situation proceeds from our identity. And if we try skipping over the Creator’s good work of making us new in the image of Jesus, then trying to be a disciple He’s going to feel like being stuck in the mud.

Think about it, you’ve seen this in your life too, right? What is our attitude toward wins or losses, defeats and victories in life? When our boss praises us, or says the complete opposite of praise? What about what our parents’ have said about us? Or, anyone from our past that has cut us deeply with their words?

Do those things define who we are? Do those words exert a lot of power over us and make their way into our thinking?

Think about the number of people who have dropped out of our servant identity since COVID. Every week, we have been basically begging people to serve on the Connect Team and in the Children’s Department. There will be many surface level reasons…but actually, they have forgotten how they were created…they have forgotten what Jesus did when he made them new.

I don’t believe we can accomplish our vision without a commitment to these identities and we can’t live out these identities unless we are committed to a local church.

Are you committed? If not, you are not believing who God made you to be…you are not believe who Jesus redeemed and restored you to be…

This morning we will see that the bible teaches us that God defines us; He establishes a new identity in us by making us new creation. We are defined not by what we do, wins or losses, but by Jesus’ work to make us new in Himself.

Prayer

· Father, we praise you this morning for your steadfast love, graciously given to us in Jesus

· Help us even now, to give ourselves fully to you, in our affections and thoughts.

· Work in us Lord, and then use us for the fame of your name, that others may enjoy you deeply as we do

Our big idea this morning is this:

By the grace of Jesus, disciples have been re-created to walk in newness of life as a family of missionary servants.

Let’s see if I’m understanding the Bible correctly.

And if you’re not yet a follower of Jesus, a disciple, know that we are glad you are here. I hope in this sermon you get a sense of what the church was designed to be, and what we desire to be, what we pursue.

And I hope that you see that the beautiful gospel of what Jesus has done is to be the foundation of it all. I invite you to believe this good news we will talk about!

First I want to briefly show the bible’s picture of Jesus’ identity with the family, as a missionary, and a servant.

Jesus Lived as the New Man, Showing us Re-creation

Colossians 1:13–20 (ESV)

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstbornof all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

As the image of the invisible God, living in human flesh and indwelt by all the fulness of deity, Jesus lived perfectly what humanity was designed to be. Isn’t that what we see in the text? Look.

Family

We read that Jesus is the beloved Son, and a king.

Colossians 1:13 (ESV)

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

Adam, the first man God created, was also call a son of God, because he was to represent God to the world, and rule under God. He wasn’t eternal as Jesus is, but there are other parallels God gave us in Scripture to show us what Jesus would be like and what He would do when He came.

So as the better Adam (first human created as the representative of humanity), He is the Son of God and Son of Man. The exact image of God. He is the perfect Son, the perfect firstborn. He is also the friend that sticks closer than any other human brother.

Missionary

And as the light of the world, Jesus is the true Israel, a light to the nations. He is the ultimate missionary not only calling us to be reconciled to God, but making the way for that reconciliation by the blood of His cross.

Matthew 3:16–4:1 (ESV)

16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Luke 19:10 (ESV)

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Servant

Mark 10:45 (ESV)

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

As the better Moses (recall he spoke with God and received God’s word), He is the better servant, faithful in all of God’s house not only as a servant, but as a Son; the Greater Prophet that was to follow after Moses, one with unfading glory upon His face, greater than Moses as the creator of Moses.

As the better David (beloved king of Israel) He is the King representing God to the people as the perfect Son of God, the perfect image of God. Further, He is the perfect servant-king, humbly submitting, even to death on the cross. He took our place, our punishment.

As the true and better Israel, He is the Lord’s servant, the suffering Servant. He has born our sorrows and been crushed for our iniquities, telling us he came not to be served, but to serve. He transferred us from the domain of darkness… all through living out His identity.

Jesus fulfills all of the OT promises, laws, and prophecies. He is the better Adam, better Moses, the better David, the true and better Israel. He is the New Man and always has been!

So Jesus this gives us a glimpse into Jesus’ identity as family, missionary, and servant.

[Transition to our new identity, made new in Jesus’ likeness]

So how do we get in on this goodness? How can we partake?

Disciples are Re-Created into the Likeness of Jesus

By faith in Christ, we are united to Christ, clothed with Him. So, we too then become who God created us to be as we walk in that union with Christ. In other words, we are re-created. In Christ we are new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV)

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.”

Notice the baptism into the name of the Triune God… we now relate to God as

· Father – adopted into His family as Romans 8 beautifully teaches, so we are in God’s family.

· Son – so we, like Jesus, serve the Risen King in joy as servants.

· Holy Spirit – so that we live all of these identities empowered by the Holy Spirit, but especially as to making the Father and Son known through proclaiming the gospel as missionaries.

So with this new identity pronounced even at the beginning of our walk, we are then to live out that new identity.

Family

Ephesians 5:1–2 (ESV)

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

This is us – disciples of Jesus are family with one another, God is our Father.

Imagine the difference in family being a thing you do, versus who you are:

· What happens is we have family and then maybe, if we’re really involved, we have “church family”….

· When the family of God is mainly a thing I do (not who I am), love is optional, reconciliation doesn’t have to happen, and I don’t desire to contribute to the needs of brothers and sisters. can get squeezed out by other things you do out of convenience

· And even more dangerous, “I don’t desire to be with my family…doing is tiring…exhausting… so I’m out.”

Instead, when we are family, we rest in God’s love, we’re filled up by His goodness to us, and we desire to imitate our Father and do all of the “one anothers” of Scripture. being brings joy…sacrifice..love

Missionaries

John 20:20–22 (ESV)

20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Now, when missions is just a thing we do, but we’re not accepting and remembering that God has made us missionaries….

· Mission is reduced to going on a mission trip

· Or, it’s the thing a few people with evangelistic gifting do when they talk about Jesus and share the gospel with someone….

· Missionaries then are OTHER people, but not us

· Once again, doing is tiring and when we do apart from faith in who we were made to be…we stop the doing because we no longer believe who we are in Christ Jesus.

God’s intention is that we understand that He has called us to be missionaries wherever we are, whether at work, neighborhood, church, or among far-away unreached people groups.

Servants

Matthew 20:25–28 (ESV)

25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

So you tell me: What is our serving is rooted in, grounded in? Because …. Jesus, the Son of Man, came as a servant and in reconciling us to God made us servants.

We often reference Philippians 2:5–11 which teaches us to have the same humble servant mindset that Jesus displayed in leaving the throne-room of heaven to come and die a humiliating death on the cross.

What happens when we see serving as just a thing we do, rather than our identity being servants?

· We strive to build our own kingdoms with little concern for His….

· We have no time to serve, but instead seek and demand to be served—working to achieve the place of being served. We make ourselves king of our domain.

· Or, it is a box we check off – “I already served this month!” Or, when we are older – ”I served my time, now it’s someone else’s turn….. I’ve earned my spot as a non-server.”

What a mess, right?

And it isn’t just us. The bible gives us examples of this too.

Disciples Fail when Identities are Mis-Rooted

Just a few examples here to show what happens when we don’t live out of our identity in Christ.

· Galatians going to the law to try and find their righteousness. They started doing in order to try to be, rather than being in Christ in order to then grow in godliness.

Ø They did not rest in their adopted / family identity gifted by Christ, turning from grace to works

· John’s epistle readers had dealt with false teachers who left the faith and pulled others away with them into the love of the things of the world.

Ø false missionaries teaching wrong doctrine

· Corinthians ran off into seeing themselves as free even from the law of Christ, into license, as if what they did with their bodies was of no consequence. So that ended up in all sorts of over sin.

Ø not servants of Christ and His Church

We could go on …

2 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV)

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

2 Peter 1:5–7 (ESV)

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

2 Peter 1:8–9 (ESV)

8 For if these qualities [faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brothely affection, love] are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

è If you are not growing in knowledge, godliness, self-control, brotherly affection, and love, it is because you have forgotten the gospel and/or your identity as a disciple.

So, that’s why last week Dan was showing us that we need to look to Jesus! And now I’m saying to us, remember who He has made us a family of missionary servants.

Now, I really want to help you guys see how the gospel relates to our identities… by first looking at how Jesus lived out His own identity and shapes our identity.

[Sum up this section]

God as Father adopted us as strangers and aliens, and made us family

God as Spirit bears witness to our hearts, pointing us to Jesus, sending us as ambassadors to witness to His work in the gospel.

God as Son, the Servant King, humbled himself to the point of death on a cross to pay a penalty he did not deserve; now, we repent and believe, take up our cross and follow in his footsteps to serve humbly, meet needs around us, and make Christ known.

New City, repent and believe this good news! Guests, same.

In summary then, we are disciples, following in the footsteps of Jesus because he has re-created us in His image and likeness. That means we are a family of missionary servants, disciples making disciples.

New City, Re-created to Walk in Newness of Life

New City, our mission is to help others live in light of the gospel.

Colossians 1:9–10 (ESV)

9 And so, from the day we heard [of your faith in God and love for the church], we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

What does it mean to please our father? It’s okay to do things that please your Father…not to earn his love…he already loves you because of Christ’s work…but we please him because we love him.

Then, we notice that this “walking in a manner worthy” – what pleases our already pleased Father - will not happen apart without first being family, missionaries, and servants.

Worthy means that when we leave here, by God’s grace we do a good job of showing the world who Jesus is by being family, missionaries and servants. Not merely doing, but remembering who God is, what He has done, and who He has made us.

· In the school and PTA meetings

· In the neighborhood

· At restaurants

· At the ball field

We are disciples, re-created in the image of Christ.

Think about the impact for the kingdom of God if the 400 people who call New City Church theirs were living out of these identities in a worthy manner in our community!

That would be beautiful, and pleasing to the Father.

That’s just individuals.

Think about our Missional Communities. What if together we reflected Jesus? I know that at least some are doing this well, but I think all should continue to grow in it.

· Adopting people groups for the MC’s shared mission (neighborhoods, school teachers and classrooms, teams at the local schools, DFCS, Campus Clubs, YoungLife, etc.)

· Loving on people through consistent care and service.

And in doing so, we aim at making disciples of Jesus who make disciples. They too take on these identities and live in light of the gospel.

Do you agree with me that this is what the Lord has called us to?

Then by the grace of Jesus, believe that you as a disciple have been re-created to walk in newness of life as a family of missionary servants.

Closing

In closing, I want to encourage you to explore 1 great way you can grow in your identities. In the foyer

· Find the rack of Missional Community cards. I tell people that MC’s are the heartbeat of our church, and that’s where you’ll be around people living out these identities. Talk to the downtown MC leaders you saw in the video.

· Go to the connect bar and ask those there about how they can connect you to using your gifts in Children’s ministry,

· Ask the folks if you can be a servant like Jesus on the Connect Team

· Ask other staff members how you can support the work of the ministry that they lead (music, students, admin).

And in the coming weeks I want to encourage you to find more ways to use the foyer

· There will be many visitors. Meet them, in here and out there. Be ready to make disciples…

Let’s pray.

Prayer

Lord’s Supper

Open communion found at the tables in front and back.

For believers.

Repent as convicted

Believe and celebrate the good news depicted in the juice, representing Jesus’ life being poured out for the forgiveness of our sins, and the wafer representing his body, nailed to the cross. Yet, raised on the third day, and ascended into heaven, guaranteeing that all who are united to him by faith can be in God’s presence for eternity! Come and celebrate!

Prayer team

If you want to pray with someone, I will be down front, and members of the prayer team will be as well. We would love to pray with you about what the Lord has put on your heart.