Where are you going?

Are you going or have you been sent?

My question this morning is are you going somewhere in life or have you been sent?

This may seem like a strange question or you may be wondering what I mean. Are you going or are you sent. Let me illustrate.

Ron and Gennie and I have something in common. We all have spent sometime in Orlando Florida this year. There is a major different between us though, besides they were there a lot longer, They went to Florida but I was sent.

While these words may sound alike and even seem synonymous, there is stark difference in the outcomes that accompany the words sent and went. Went is the past tense of the verb go. Sent is the past tense of the verb send.

They both connote action and movement. However, the action is derived from different instigations. Basically, I can never send myself. Someone has to initiate the action of my being sent. I can go. I can choose where to go. I can choose when to go. I can choose how to go. I can choose not to go. I can choose what I do when I arrive at the place I am going. I can choose nearly everything associated with the action of going. Being sent is another matter altogether. Someone else chooses to send me. Someone else chooses my destination. Someone else chooses my mode. Someone else chooses what I do when I arrive at the place to which I am sent.

Biblical disciples, those who have surrendered fully to Christ and have daily taken up their cross to follow Christ, live as sent beings. Let’s look at Genesis 12 verses 1-3

Genesis 12:1–3 ESV

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Did Abram go or was he sent?

Abram didn’t simply go to a far-off land; he was sent by covenant God (Genesis 12:1-3). What about The seventy followers of Christ that went out to preach the Gospel? Did they go or were they sent?

Matthew 10:16 ESV

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

did they simply go on a trip; No they were sent as sheep in the midst of wolves on their mission from Christ (Matthew 10:16).

What about Ananias? Did he just wander into the presence of Saul, the most notorious persecutor of Christians of the time? Let’s look at verse 17 of Acts chapter 9

Acts 9:17 ESV

17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

So did Ananias just go to visit Saul, the greatest persecutor of the church at the time? No!, he was sent by God (Acts 9:17).

The Elliots, Saints, Flemings, McCullys and Youderains didn’t simply go on an evangelistic endeavor; they were sent by Christ to the tribe in Ecuador in the 1950s. And John Chau didn’t simply decide to go on a mission; he was called and sent by Jesus Christ our Lord to bring the Good News of salvation to the people of the North Sentinel Island. What is it about being sent that we need to more fully comprehend and be obedient to?

What is Day of the Christian Martyr? According to church tradition, June 29 marks the martyrdom of the Apostle Paul. This year, Christians around the world will take time on June 29 and throughout that weekend to honor the Lord through the legacy of those who have sacrificed their lives for the advancement of the gospel. The Voice of the Martyrs invites you and your congregation into fellowship with our Christian brothers and sisters who are persecuted for their bold and faithful witness at any cost. Turn with me in your Bibles to Romans chapter 10. We want to examine this morning what it means to be sent by God.

Romans 10:13–17 ESV

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Context of Romans 10:13-17 As we read the epistle to the Romans, Paul writes concerning God’s love for and relationship with Israel. A cursory reading might lead one to the conclusion that the construct of Romans chapters 9-11 only affects God’s relationship with Israel. However, the timeless principles found in God’s Word always inform our present and future. Yes, Paul went to great lengths to describe how Israel was God’s chosen people, misunderstood that the righteousness of God could only be found in Christ, and pursued the false hope of righteousness by trusting in the law (Romans 9:30). The confession that all who call upon the name of the Lord will find salvation (Romans 10:12-13) indicates that a righteousness pursued through any other avenue except Christ is futile, as exemplified by Israel. So, Paul is writing specifically about Israel’s faulty trust in the law; however, the backdrop of the foundation he laid in Romans 1 indicates that each pursues their own righteousness (Romans 1:17-23) even in the face of God’s clear revelation (Romans 1:19). It is in Romans 10:13-17 that Paul specifically addresses the topic of “how”: How do those who are pursuing their own righteousness move from self-reliance to trust in Christ alone? Praise God that He provided a clear understanding of the biblical disciple’s role in His redemptive mission!

Let’s work through some passages of Scripture to better understand the following: Who is sent? Why we are sent? To whom are we sent? How we are sent? What results from being sent?

Who Is Sent? PAUL DESCRIBES HIMSELF NUMEROUS TIMES AS “AN APOSTLE” (ROMANS 1:1; 1 CORINTHIANS 1:1; 1 TIMOTHY 2:7). A. The very meaning of apostle in the Greek language [apostolos] is “one who is sent with orders” and applied to the disciples Christ selected, including Paul [Strong’s G652]. Specifically, in Galatians 1:1,

Galatians 1:1 ESV

1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—

Paul fills this meaning with some specific information: “Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” “One who is sent with orders” — not sent from man but sent through Jesus Christ and God the Father Let’s look at what Peter has to say.

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

9 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.

The Apostle Peter’s language indicates that we who have been “called out of darkness into His marvelous light” are the ones sent. a. “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.” (1 Peter 2:9) 3. The prophet Isaiah gives an explanation of being sent by God in the beautiful response, “Here I am, send me,” following his eyes being opened to the majesty and glory of God on His throne (Isaiah 6:1-8).

JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD SENDS HIS OWN FOLLOWERS... in the power of the Holy Spirit to cross multiple boundaries (Acts 1:8) to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20) to model His own mission as being sent from the Father (John 20:21) to announce that the kingdom of heaven is near (Matthew 10:7) Jesus’ instructions were given to ordinary people: those he called from lives as fishermen, tax collectors and other backgrounds. Very few were counted among the spiritual elite (Simon the Zealot and Paul the Pharisee), yet many were called and sent on His redemptive mission, obediently trusting in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. In reality, they were no different from each of us. Why Are We Sent? (Romans 10:13-16) PAUL SETS FORTH A LOGICAL PROGRESSION. A. Those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. (v. 13) 1. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? (v. 14) a. Belief is expressed in calling upon the name of the Lord. 2. And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? (v. 14) Hearing about Christ precedes belief in Christ. John Chau was sent to a group of people who have never heard the message of Christ. 3. And how are they to hear without someone preaching? (v. 14)

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

9 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.

a. Hearing about Christ demands a voice proclaiming Christ. 4. And how are they to preach unless they are sent? The obedience of biblical disciples proclaiming the message of Christ is foundational to the end result of those calling upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Being sent indicates that we have received the message ourselves, trusting in Christ Jesus our Lord. Application question: Can you see this pattern in your own journey of coming to faith in Christ? Who was sent to share the message of salvation with you? Who, specifically, are you sent to so that you may share the gospel? Illustration: Ibrahim, living in the African nation of Niger, is 65 years old and the father of fourteen children. He had lived his life following no religion aside from belief in evil spirits. But Ibrahim now trusts in Christ. He heard the gospel when a young Fulani Christian explained the Scriptures to him, carefully helping him understand that salvation is available only through Jesus Christ. Ibrahim gave his life to Jesus and was baptized in an aboveground cistern. He is now sharing the gospel with others and encouraging his family to also give their lives to Christ. (For more of Ibrahim’s story, visit icommittopray.com/request/2215/ibrahim) To Whom Are We Sent? (Romans 10: 13-14) In the text, who is “they”? (“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” Romans 10:14) OPTION 1: “THEY” REFERS BACK TO ROMANS 10:1 — “BROTHERS, MY HEART’S DESIRE AND PRAYER TO GOD FOR THEM IS THAT THEY MAY BE SAVED.” This would position “they” to be a specific ethnic group: Israel. Is Israel to be the only recipient of God’s salvation, to whom Romans 10:13 refers? That if exclusively Israel calls upon the name of the Lord, they will be saved? Non-exclusive: certainly if Jewish people call upon the name of the Lord, they will be saved, but not to the exclusion of others calling upon the name of the Lord. Representative: So this option, with a reading of the entirety of the biblical canon, suggests that in the Romans passage, Israel is representative of those who have yet to believe in Christ. (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16) SERMON OUTLINE | 5 OPTION 2: “THEY” REFERS BACK TO ROMANS 10:13 — “FOR EVERYONE WHO CALLS UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” This would position “they” to be everyone who does not meet the first step of Paul’s progressive logic: those who have yet to believe. This would remind us that people from every tribe, tongue and nation are among the “they.” This includes our local neighbors who do not yet believe, and it includes our global neighbors who do not yet believe.

Illustration: John Chau exemplifies this passage of Scripture. He was an ordinary Christian who saw God’s heart for the Sentinelese people. Seeing them through God’s eyes captured John’s affection, and he obediently responded to God’s call by becoming the one sent to share Christ with them. He prepared for years. He prayed earnestly. He obeyed regardless of the personal cost. He joyfully surrendered his life to bring the redemptive message of God to the Sentinelese.

Application question: To whom among the “they” is God attuning your heart? Is it an individual who you know does not yet believe? Is it a group of people in your community that seems to be unreached by the Good News of Christ at this time? Is it a people group in another geographic region who have yet to hear the message of Christ?