To the Ends of the Earth (3)
To the Ends of the Earth • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 10 viewsNotes
Transcript
Clarifying the Mission (part 2)
Clarifying the Mission (part 2)
Review:
I. Mission vs. Missions
A. Mission: What is mission?
The means by which we engage in worship of God that results in his exaltation!
God’s Mission is: The work of God in reconciling sinful human beings to Himself.
How do we grasp that mission?
Vision: Revelation 7:9-10 The God given picture of desired future outcomes
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Missions is rooted in God’s desire to reconcile sinful humanity to himself.
God is the power behind the mission
God demonstrates sovereignty in His mission (He will accomplish it)
God is the source of the mission (it is not our mission… it is His!!!!!)
God’s Mission is: The work of God in reconciling sinful human beings to Himself.
B. Missions: What is Missions?
Defined: The plan of committed believers to accomplish the mission of God.
Mission is the theological anchor of missions
Missions is the practical implementation of the mission of God.
Practical implications of the mission of God.
Because mission flows from the nature and character of God it cannot be ignored by the church.
Since the mission is of God, He will equip people for the task.
Helps us understand we are under the sovereignty of God - for the glory of God and not self (Phil. 2:3, John 7:18 )
Implies sacrifice - It is worth dying for
The mission of God will succeed because it is God’s mission.
— We engage in missions so that we can accomplish the mission of God!
Now, let’s look at a few different versions of the Great Commission recorded for us in Scripture to answer some clarifying questions.
II. Clarifying Questions
Laying out the Chronological development of the Great Commission:
There are 5 passages where the Great commission is given, Matthew and Mark a re both accounts of the same event. So, we can see in Scripture that Jesus issued the Great Commission on 4 different occasions and all of them happened within the 40-day period between his resurrection and ascension to heaven.
Show and Explain chart
A. What model are we to follow? (John 20:19-21)
The Father sent the Son into the world.... so that through Him the world might be saved.
We are to do the same thing.
Just as Christ was sent into the world to fulfill a mission. We… born again believers in Christ are to be sent into the world to fulfill a mission.
So, in a way… if you are a Christian.. born again believer in Christ… then you have been commanded by Christ to accomplish the Great Commission locally (where you live) and globally (to the ends of the earth).
As part of this model.... we come to the question of missionaries.
Why do we have missionaries? Who are missionaries?
B. Who are missionaries? (John 20:21; Luke 24:48-49 )
A missionary is a “sent one”.
Our concept of a missionary comes from the word and office of Apostle.
Look at John 20:21 again. What does Jesus say? —> “…I am sending you.”
Let’s look at Luke 24:48-49 as well.
To whom was Jesus speaking? (look at our chart… remember? — to the 10 or 11 disciples).
What were the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples called? Apostles.
The word “apostle” means, “sent one”. “To dispatch someone for the purpose of achieving a goal or objective”.
In Jesus’ Great Commission, He “sent” the Apostles out into the world to continue His mission of reconciliation. That responsibility and ministry has now been passed onto us.... His Church.
“A missionary is someone sent by the church as an ambassador of Christ’s kingdom to nurture new believers into gospel centered reproductive churches.”
The calling of a missionary is confirmed by the local church who commissions the person to the God appointed task (Acts 13:1-5).
What if I am not a missionary?
That just means that you are “sent” by a local church to minister the gospel cross-culturally?
But, you are still personally obligated to be obedient to Christ here where you are.
Every believer has been commanded to be part of the Great Commission.... Christ’s mission on earth.
You may not be a missionary… but you are still an ambassador.... representing Jesus everywhere you go!
The question you should ask yourself is not “whether” you’ll be part of the mission.
The question is how.
John 20 helps us to understand the model of missions we are to follow. Now let’s talk about the mission. We have to be clear on what our mission is, if we are to be dedicated to accomplishing it.
C. What is our mission? (Matt. 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-16 )
The mission is clearly given to us in Matthew and Mark. Let’s read those passages.
Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
What is the mission we have been given?
Preach the gospel (mark) to the whole creation!
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
What aspect of the mission is highlighted here?
Make Disciples (as we are going… baptizing.. and teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded).
The primary task of the mission is to proclaim/ teach the gospel… all Christ has commanded..
Here is a tricky question.... does the mission involve feeding orphans.... providing medical care.... teaching in a school..... ?
Yes and no. yes… the mission can include those things.... but they are secondary to the primary mission of proclaiming the gospel.
We are only able to keep the primary and the secondary activities of mission in their place when we are able to have a :
Clear view of the mission
Clearly articulate the mission
Clearly prioritize the mission
(chart) The model and mission of missions have been clarified. Now, as people are sent… to proclaim the gospel and make disciples.... what is the message of missions?
D. What is our message? (Luke 24:44-49 )
This passage takes place right after the Road to Emmaus event… (explain the event for those who are unfamiliar)
Jesus, appears before the disciples and speaks with them and then eats with them (24:36-43)
Then he said to 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 and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
The message of the mission comes straight from Scripture.
“These things” that the disciples were witnesses to are the message that transforms lives and gives true life! This is the messages that gives hope.... and true joy!
Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations...
This statement is summarizing the reality that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of every promise about the Messiah recorded in Scripture....
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of Scripture
“These things” that the disciples were witnesses to… that they were to share with everyone they met.... is the message that we call the Gospel:
Christ died, was buried, raised from the dead… and all those (every nation… to the ends of the earth) who repent from their sins… will receive forgiveness of their sins.... through faith in Christ.
That is the message of missions. It is the gospel.
It is not social reform… it is not critical race theory.... it is not feelings driven agendas… or name it claim it empty promises....
The message that must be proclaimed is all about Jesus and how He came to rescue mankind from our sin… and reconcile us with our Holy God and Creator!
Our mission… (individually and corporately) is to proclaim this truth! It is the top priority that much drive everything.
(not our preferences… not the survival of our churches… )
If you look back at our chart, we started with the model and then looked at the mission and then the message. Now let’s look at the method of missions. The strategy we are to follow.
E. What is our method/ strategy? (Acts 1:8 )
This is the passage in Acts where we began back on May 30th and this morning. Notice, chronologically, it is the last utterance of the Great Commission before Christ ascended to heaven.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
What must our method/ strategy of missions contain?
First of all our strategy / method of missions must be dependent on the Holy Spirit....
The Apostles were to wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them before they began the task of accomplishing their mission.
In Acts 13… we are told that the Holy Spirit said to set aside Paul and Barnabas for the missionary ministry… they were then sent out by the local church at Antioch. Antioch was the first “sending church”!
All that we do must be enabled, empowered, guided, and driven by the Holy Spirit. Which means our hearts have to be right… and our relationship with the Lord must be unhindered by sin if we are to truly hear and be able to follow the Holy Spirit’s direction.
Then, we are to intentionally and strategically go to the ends of the Earth. --- The Earth is a big place… how are we to accomplish that?
Christ gives us some guidance....
As you are going.... you are to complete the mission..... be my witnesses.... where?
Jerusalem: (home town/ where you are)/
Judea: The places around you where the people look like you…
Samaria: The places where the people live aren’t like you…
Ends of the Earth: All places where people live that are like you and aren’t like you.... all over the world..
There is a cultural and geographical spiral that grows outward in this Command to be Christ’s witnesses!
— We are to go to the ends of the earth proclaiming the message of the gospel in order to be part of God’s mission in the world. That is our responsibility… our obligation as Christians.
Obedient to the mission of God!
Conclusion/ Application:
We started today by briefly discussing the difference between mission and missions.
We have briefly gone over some answers to some clarifying questions.
Now before we are finished this morning, I want you to consider last more question:
F. What is our end goal?
What do you think the end goal of missions is?
(to see people saved: Why? so they won’t go to hell? — that’s humanism. I want people to be saved so they won’t suffer.) — That he man-centered thinking and philosophy.
What would a God-centered… Christ-centric philosophy / thinking look like?
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,
Verse 5.... “for the sake of his name among all the nations,” !!!!
What is our end goal? Why are we go obey Christ’s Great Commission?
Because God’s glory… and holiness… is worthy of our obedience..... so that His name might be glorified among all the nations!!!
Why do we engage in missions?!?!? —> (v. 5) For the sake of His name!!!!!!!! For His glory!!!!!
We engage in missions to see the mission accomplished… and the vision realized.
What is the vision? (remember?) The God-give picture of future outcomes?
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
A great multitude that no one could number… from every nation… from all tribes… and people… and languages.... standing before the throne… and before the Lamb.... praising Christ… and glorifying God forever!!!
That is the vision! That is the goal we are aiming for!!!!
The survival of our church or the promotion of our preferences aren’t the mission.... they aren’t the goal!
The goal… the vision was given to us in Rev. 7.... that people from every tribe, tongue, and nation would one day stand before God’s throne… praising Christ… and glorifying God forever!!!
That is why we engage in missions.... so that we are part of God accomplishing this end result!
Principle to Take Home:
God has called every believer to be completely engaged in His Mission! What is your Response?
We are to be obedient. (even if we don’t feel like it)
Obedience to God and His Word… must come before feelings!
Too often today.. people make decisions and live primarily as a response to their feelings. — That perspective is contrary to God’s Word.
We are to be obedient to Christ not because you want to… or because you are comfortable doing it… not because you feel like it… but because He is worthy of our obedience!!!!
Romans 1:5 says it so well.... Why are we to be obedient? —> For the sake of His name.... to every nation!!!!)
Our Response:
Christ has commanded. How will you respond? —
Live it out! Live out the gospel with your mouth and your movements!
Engage others! Engage those around you with the gospel (word, actions, life, not simply inviting them to church (just coming to church won’t save anyone)… but inviting them to Christ! …)
Who is your one? (challenge everyone to identify their one….
Send & Go! engaging others around the world