The Empty Chair

Intro

This message was inspired by a talk at the regional conference by Jay Pathak...

I’ve called the message The Empty Chair.

Elijah’s empty chair...

Our empty chair is the one beside and around you - it represents those who have not heard and responded to the gospel.

What Jay reminded us of is that we are a gospel-centered, mission-focused movement. And to be faithful to that history we must be faithful to proclaim the good news of the gospel and to fill the empty chairs. And while this is a sacred responsibility, it is also the source of our greatest joy.

This morning I’m mostly going to let the scriptures preach to you, so get ready for a lot of them.

The kingdom of God

Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

But what is the good news - the gospel - that we are called to proclaim?

Read Mark 1:14-15 “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.””

Jesus said the good news - euangelion/gospel - is that the long-awaited kingdom of God has come near - in him! The gospel must be something more than just “Jesus died for your sin and rose from the dead” - although this should never be diminished - because Jesus preached the gospel before any of that happened. His message was the good news of the kingdom. But what did that mean for them?

2 Samuel 7:11-12, 16 “Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.” “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.”

It became clear over time that no merely human king could ever fulfill this promise, so expectation began to grow for a semi-divine Messiah-king, who with his coming would usher in all of God’s promises to Abraham. This Messiah would establish the rule and reign of God over the whole earth where justice and righteousness would flow to all people. There would be peace and prosperity for all - shalom, wholeness, well-being in every sense of the word - toward God, toward others, and toward creation.

This expectation continued to build with the later prophets. Zech 14:5-9 “Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there shall not be either cold or frost. And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the Lord), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light. On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter. And the Lord will become king over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be one and his name one.”

Their belief and hope is that God is king - and that he would eventually reign over the whole earth through his Messiah-King. And this would come about through a new exodus event. Deut 18:15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet.” If there is going to be a new Moses, then there will also be a new exodus. Just as Moses led the people out of slavery in Egypt, so a new prophet would arise who would lead God’s people into the fullness of all God’s promises.

The gospel, or good news, is that in Jesus the kingdom of God has finally come!

The gospel of the kingdom

Back to the question of “What is the gospel?” The apostle Paul gives the most concise definition in his first letter to the Corinthians.

Paul is giving a short-hand telling of the new exodus that has come through Jesus Christ. Just as the first exodus involved deliverance through the sacrifice of a lamb, the second evidence brings a final deliverance through the sacrifice of the lamb of God.

We should not overlook a key phrase - “according to the scriptures”. Paul doesn’t have in mind some proof-text verses that prophesy about Jesus (though he could come up with many). Rather, he is saying that the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus are the confirming signs that kingdom of God promised in the scripture has now dawned in Jesus Christ.

We must understand that Paul is not reducing the gospel to just the death and resurrection of Jesus. This has been a significant problem in the church. We’ve reduced the gospel to a “get out of hell free” card. Believe some facts, pray a prayer, and you go to heaven when you die. Paul sees the death and resurrection as essential to the gospel BECAUSE THEY ARE THE PROOF THAT THE NEW EXODUS HAS COME. These events are the evidence that all the hopes and expectations for Gods’ kingdom have now been accomplished in Jesus.

Jesus’ death is a new exodus that brings those who believe out from the slavery to sin and all the self-destruction it causes. His resurrection is his definitive defeat of the powers that have held us captive to death. In Jesus, God’s long-awaited kingdom -with all its blessings - has been inaugurated!

What will it look like?

What does it look like when the kingdom comes? In short, it looks like God’s perfect will being done on earth just as it is done in heaven.

Isaiah envisioned it this way - Read Isa. 11:1-9.

Jesus said he was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s hope when he stood up to read in the synagogue - Luke 4:16-21 “When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.””

Jesus demonstrated the reality of the inbreaking kingdom for us. The blind receive sight. The lame can walk. Those held in captivity to demonic thoughts are released. The poor are fed. The foreigner is welcomed. The outcast finds welcome and acceptance. The lowly are raised up and given the dignity they deserve as image-bearers of God. And over all of this is the joyful fact that God’s favor is available for all.

This is the church. The church is not the kingdom of God, but the church is the community of those who live under the kingdom of God. We are those who have said ‘yes’ to Jesus’ kingdom and his kingdom ethics. We are committed to putting his lifestyle into practice - even if imperfectly.

We serve as a prophetic and hopeful witness to a world that is lost in darkness. When the world looks at the church, they should see a glimpse of what God’s kingdom looks like. We offer hope to the world, for here the beat-down can be built up, restored, and loved. We are the light of the world - Jesus said that! But we are a light that is simply a reflection and signpost to the kingdom of king Jesus.

A historic tradition

In reading 1 Corinthians 15 to us, Jay did not go into all these details like I did. His point, and my ultimate point, is that we stand as a movement upon this historic tradition of the gospel. Paul wasn’t just making up whatever he wanted the gospel to be, he was passing along what had been given to him.

Likewise, the gospel isn’t something we get to play with. We can study it, get better understandings of it, learn to apply it more faithfully, but the essential message must remain untouched, for this is the power of God for salvation. We don’t get to soften it or try and make it more palatable for a modern audience.

As I listened to Jay, I’m proud of our movement. I’m proud that the Vineyard stands in the long line of historic, orthodox faith. We will not change the gospel, but like Paul, we are responsible for a faithful proclamation of it to others. We have received it, and now we must do our part to pass it along.

Conclusion

Jay’s challenge to us was simple. He said, “Preach the gospel to the empty chair and your church will fill it. - Jay Pathak” Pull the trigger on inviting people to respond to the gospel every week, because the Vineyard is first and foremost a church-planting, gospel-centered movement.

And it will be weird when you know everyone in the room. But this is my commitment to you. If you will bring people, I will share the gospel. I’m not saying I will have an alter call every week, but I will do all in my power to make sure the good news is shared - and demonstrated - so that people can believe and respond.

I’ll promise to preach the gospel; will you help me fill the chairs?

Maybe there are some here who would like to respond to Jesus’ offer to enter the kingdom of God...