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It was my intention to return to Paul’s letter to the church at Rome for today’s sermon. However, the Spirit made it clear to me that there was something else that He wanted me to talk to you about. The last time I preached to you was on Pentecost Sunday, the day we remember the coming of the Spirit. I told you that on that day the nature of the Church was changed. On that day, the Church was given a new goal. The Church became a missionary Church. Today, I hope to explain a little more of what the Holy Spirit expects of you as His missionary Church.

The bit of Scripture that I’m going to use is a section of what has been called Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. It’s in John 17. Listen.

But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. ​I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. ​They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ​Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ​As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. John 17:13-19

Mission and the Overflow of Grace

I just read this and it encapsulates my understanding of how Christians are to pursue mission.

Grasping the external propulsion of God’s grace is crucial to our understanding of mission. It means that mission is not a duty (something we ’should do’) but a natural overflow of the gospel’s work inside us. If you aren’t motivated to love, serve, and speak the gospel to people, the answer isn’t to ‘just do it.’ The answer is to examine your heart, repent of sin, and discern where your unbelief is short-circuiting the natural outward movement of the gospel. As the gospel renews your heart, it will also renew your desire to move out in faith into the relationships and opportunities God places in your path.

To put it simply, the grace of God is always going somewhere—moving forward, extending his kingdom, propelling his people toward love and service to others. As we learn to live in light of the gospel, mission should be the natural overflow. God’s grace brings renewal internally (in us) so that it might bring renewal externally (through us).

- Bob Thune and Will Walker, The Gospel-Centered Life (World Harvest Mission, 2009), 46.

from Of First Importance

The Mission

Acts 1.1-8

Jesus is leaving. He has invested His life into these apostles of His, teaching them the things that they need to know. And now it's time to leave. But before He does, He gives them a command. These are His last words to them before He leaves them. And the command is simple. It boils down to this: 'You have a mission. Spread My Gospel.' This command is repeated at the end of each of the Gospels. First, from Matthew: 'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...' Then Mark: 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.' Luke: 'And [Jesus] said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”' And now John: 'Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”'' And likewise, we have it in our text: '...and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.' These are Jesus' last words. That fact underscores how important they were and are. Jesus could have said anything as his last word. He could have reminded the apostles about some special doctrine to keep pure. He could have mentioned the importance of worship. He could have talked about the details of His return and the importance of looking forward to it. These things are all important, but they are not Jesus' last words to His Church. No, instead Jesus spoke about the mission of spreading the Gospel. It is this that we will look at this morning.

Over the years we here at Faith Reformed have undergone some change, some progress, some maturing. I won't say that it has always been pretty, but we have been changed. It seems to me that it's time for some more change. It's time for us to take the next step. And I think that this next step is to be toward a greater understanding of and devotion to the mission that Jesus gave to His Church. Our mission is the spread of the Gospel. But doing the mission is not the goal. Let me be clear. To quote the Apostle Paul, the goal is that 'at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' That's the goal. That's what we want to see more and more, until that profession of faith fills the world. And the means to that goal is proclaiming the Gospel. That's the mission. Remember, the reason that we are alive is to make Jesus look good. When unbelievers see us doing that, that's the proclamation of the Gospel, that's pursuing the mission that Jesus gave us.

Now, there are lots of questions that could be asked here. But I'm just going to deal with one. How are we to do this? How are we to pursue this mission? Our text tells us. I'm going to point out three thoughts from the text that will, together, go a long way to answer that question. The first thought has to do with the word 'witness', 'You will be my witnesses'. It used to be popular, especially in some circles, to talk about 'witnessing'. This was referring to talking to others about the Gospel. Our text uses that word in a more specific way. Listen to Peter on the day of Pentecost. 'This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.' Peter is making an important claim here. He is telling the crowd that Jesus has been raised from the dead. Jesus is alive. And to press that upon the consciences of his hearers, he then tells them that he and the other apostles saw this with their own eyes. They spoke with Jesus and ate with Him. This is not just some fact that they heard about. They experienced something. Peter is telling the crowd that they were all witnesses to the truth of Jesus' resurrection, and that if called upon in a court of law they would gladly testify to that fact. In contrast, none of us are witnesses to Jesus' resurrection. We did not see Him after He was raised from the dead. So, we cannot be witness in the way that Peter and the others were. But we can 'witness' in another, related, way. Let me use something from Pastor John Piper whose ideas lie behind much of this sermon. He makes a comparison between being a witness and being an advocate. An advocate marshals evidence about the Gospel in order to present it to others and attempt to persuade them. He's the guy who says, 'You asked me why I believe the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life. Here are five reasons why I do.' That's being an advocate for the Gospel, and that is something that is needed. But a witness to the Gospel says something different. He says, 'Let me tell you what I have experienced. I have experienced the Gospel. My life is changed because of what Jesus has done to me. Let me tell you about that and then watch my life so that you can see it.' Just as Peter told the crowd that he and the others had experienced something, we are to say that we have experienced something. To be sure, the unbelieving world around us needs to hear some good advocacy for the Gospel. They have questions that need to be answered. We all need to be able to do some advocating. But advocating without being a witness to what Jesus has done in your life is only part of the job. People need to see the Gospel. They need to see what Jesus has done in you. So, when Peter writes, 'always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you', part of the answer needs to be the witness of your life. If our lives are no different than theirs why should they join us?

I've talked to you about the mission. The Church is to spread the Gospel to the end of the earth. And I've told you that one key element in pursuing this mission is being a witness of what we've experienced by the Gospel. Those two thoughts lead to this question. What do we do to develop as witnesses so that we can be more faithful to Jesus' call to spread the Gospel? Listen again to the text. 'But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and [then] you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.' Whatever the goal a person may be working on, one crucial issue that he must grapple with is the question of ability. 'How will I be able to do this? What resources can I look to and depend on to achieve my goal?' Consider the popular answers to this question. People look to the force of personality, the power of money, the weight of numbers and the relentlessness of dogged persistence. The Church will never succeed by appeal to any of those. Jesus told us to depend on the Spirit. It is the power of the Spirit that will enable the Church to conquer the ends of the earth.

Let me read you a couple of places in the Scriptures where this power of the Spirit is explained or pictured.

'God gave us a Spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.' We are so captured by our fears. That shows in many different ways. Let me pick just one. Why are we so silent when opportunities to bear witness to our experience and knowledge of the Gospel present themselves? In so many cases, we are afraid. The Spirit of God changes that. It is His power that overcomes our fears in this area and every other.

'And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.' Stephen was a remarkable man, full of the power of the Spirit. Do you see how it shows? Here is someone to reckon with, whose life and words have real power. And that power was not due to some special personality. It was the power of the Spirit within.

And then let me choose one of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul lists. In seminary I met a pastor from Uganda. You need to bear in mind that this was the time of the tyranny of Idi Amin. This pastor told me of the time when two of Amin's thugs came to kill him. The approached him after a worship service and told him what they were going to do. He simply asked if he could pray first. After hearing his prayer, they told him that they could not kill him. They had looked around them at the people of that church. They knew some of the women because they had murdered their husbands. And yet, these women, now widows, were filled with joy. This joy was so obvious that the men could see it, though they could not explain it. So, instead of killing this pastor, they were both converted. The Gospel spread a little more that day. And it spread because of the witness of the joy of those widows. That was something that only the Spirit could produce. If we are going to be able to succeed at the mission that Jesus has given to us, we will need what only the Spirit can give.

Mission. Witness. Power of the Spirit. Three thoughts from our text. That leaves us with a question. What do we do now? Jesus told the apostles to wait. He wanted them to wait for Pentecost. This was the next stage in God's plan to redeem a people for Himself. There was the incarnation, Jesus' life and ministry, the cross, the resurrection and ascension, and now Pentecost, the coming of the Spirit upon the Church. All of these are one-time historical events. None of them will be repeated. None of them needs to be repeated. What that means for us is that the Spirit has already come. We don't need to wait for that. He is already here to give power to His Church. And that is so very encouraging. We are able to pursue the mission. All that we need is readily available to us. The Spirit is here. He is here to give us whatever is needed. But that raises a question. If the Spirit is here in power, shouldn't we be seeing more? If we have at hand whatever resources that might be needed, why aren't we seeing more of the spread of the Gospel through us here at Faith Reformed? That, I think, is a very important question that we need to deal with. I need to say that I don't have a clear answer to the question. I do have a few possibilities, though. I think that part of this has to do with leadership. The Spirit has been dealing with me about how I need to lead as a pastor. I need to do better. He has also been developing my own awareness of the mission of the Church. Part of the answer has to do with me as your pastor. It has occurred to me that this lack could also be related to the process of becoming mature. You can't run before you are able to walk. Maybe we've had to learn some things before we're ready to take the next step. And there may be other things going on as well. In a way, it's not crucial that we know what the exact obstacle is, as long as we can see that it's time for some change. If we can see that, what happens next is clear. We need to pray. We need to come to our Father and tell Him that we know that we have been given a mission, that we know that we need to be witnesses of our experience of Jesus as well as advocates, that we know that the power of the Spirit is necessary. We need to come to the Father and tell Him that we want to obey and then ask Him to tell us where we go next. That applies to us as a church, as families and as individuals. Please understand. If we are going to accomplish the mission Jesus has given to us, there are things that you must do. The first thin is to pray. Pray for the Spirit to move us ahead in whatever way He wants so that we would be faithful disciples of Jesus, so that we would be faithful to the mission that He has given to us. If we do that, I am positive that we will see the Spirit move and get us to the next step, whatever it may be.

So, in a way, the sermon boils down to one thing. We need to pray.

Mission

Philippians 2.12-18

This morning we are going to take a look at a slice of the church at Philippi. We’re going to take a look at a church that was pursuing its mission. I’m doing this because I think that it will help us to understand who we are. We are a church that is also pursuing a mission. If that isn’t true of a church then why would it exist? The details of how we purse that mission may look a bit different from how the Philippians did that but there really is much that we have in common. So, let’s see what there is for us to learn.

Let me start by reminding you of a couple of things about this church. It was started by Paul and Barnabas. Some of the first members were Lydia, a seller of purple, and that famous jailer who asked the right question in the aftermath of an earthquake. Paul writes this letter from a jail in Rome. While there, he had received a financial gift from this church. So what we have in our Bibles is a long thank you note, written in a way that only Paul could do. Now we’re ready to take a look at our text.

Much of our text is a list of instructions for the Philippian Christians to follow. But there is one thing that is a fact that describes the Philippians and their situation. And we must understand this fact if we are going to understand the instructions. Paul identifies these folk as children of God. There are some things that they must do, things that Paul has laid out for them, but they must do these things as the children of God. This is important so I’m going to spend a little time here. Listen to this from John’s Gospel. ‘He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.’ Here is John at the beginning of his Gospel. And he is about to describe why Jesus has come and what happens to those who believe Him. So, does he talk about forgiveness of sin? No. As important as that is, it isn’t what takes first place for John. Instead, John points to becoming one of God’s children. For John, this is the big deal about being a Christian. It’s no wonder, then, that John gets excited when he writes, ‘See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God…’ You can hear the wonder in his voice as you read those words. This really is a big deal. The theologians call this the doctrine of adoption. We have been adopted into God’s family, made His children, and all this because of Jesus.

Now, I’m sure that you have no problems believing this part of the Gospel. If I were to walk up to you and ask if you believe that you are a child of God you’d say yes. There is no problem here, at least in theory. But I have found that too many Christians have a very hard time believing this when it comes to putting it into practice. Too many Christians have a very hard time enjoying this fact. So, let me lay this out in as clear a way as I know. God’s fatherly love, His love for His children, has no gradations. It’s not like an oven. You can set your oven for 350^o or you can set it at 250^o or you can set it all the way to broil. But this isn’t what God’s love for His children is like. It isn’t really hot some of the time and then sort of tepid at other times. Instead, God’s love is like the old-fashioned light switch in your kitchen. When you push the switch up, the light goes on. When you push the switch down, the light is off. God’s fatherly love is a light switch. It’s off when it comes to those who aren’t His children. But it’s on when it comes to those who are His children. Our God doesn’t love His children a little bit more at one point or a little less at some other time. God’s fatherly love for His children is just ‘on’ – like the kitchen light. His love for you is always on. God does love the lost, those not His children. But that is not His fatherly love. That is a love that can be lost. Not so with His children. For them, His love can never be lost. It’s always on.

Now as I said, we all believe this in theory. Here’s a test to see if you believe it in practice. We all have those times when we do something that’s foolish – or to be blunt, something that’s just plain stupid. There are those times when we sin and we feel horrible because of what we’ve done. This is what I want you to do the next time you’re in that situation. I want you to ask yourself, ‘Does God love me now? I’ve just sinned again. Does God love me now in the same way that He loved me before I sinned?’ How many Christians do you think could come up with a resounding, ‘Yes!’ to that question? You may be the exception (which is great!), but for so many of us, it’s no longer the image of the light switch that’s always on. In terms of how we feel, the setting on the oven just got lowered. Our feelings tell us, ‘Well, He can’t love me like He did before. Look at what I just did?’ In practice, we think of God’s love as an oven. We’d be loved more if we behaved better. But where’s grace in that? It’s just another example of salvation by works.

Paul is telling these Philippians that they are children of God. And the Spirit is saying the same thing to you. That means that you are loved by God, your Father. And that cannot change. God cannot love you more than He does. That’s impossible – even for Him. And He refuses to love you less. You see, it’s a light switch that’s always on and it’s always on all the way. His love for you never wavers. Never wavers. Never. I’ve changed my mind. The next time you do something stupid, don’t ask yourself any questions. Instead, tell yourself, ‘My Father still loves me. I am His child. His love for me doesn’t waver. It’s a light switch.’ And then pray: ‘Father, help me to believe this.’ ‘Amazing grace how sweet the sound that continues to save a wretch like me.’

Having this as a settled issue results in lots of good things. One is a sense of security in His love. And that is a rock that you can stand on. But there are also lots of things that being assured that you are God’s child doesn’t lead to. One is a sense of superiority. Another is a sense of complacency. Paul is clear in what he writes to the Philippians. ‘Yes, you are children of God. But you are still sinners.’ And so, we read, ‘Do all things without grumbling or disputing…’ Now, why would Paul write that unless it was at least a temptation that they were facing? And I’m inclined to think that it was more than just a temptation. One of the themes in this letter that Paul harps on is unity. Listen. ‘…complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. … Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel… I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.’ And then there is the famous hymn to Jesus that starts, ‘Have this mind in you that was also in Christ Jesus…’ That’s where Paul talks about humility. It sounds like they had some sins to deal with. So, Paul writes the Philippians and reminds them that they are children of God. But he also makes clear enough that they are still sinners. So much for any sense of superiority. I was reminded of this during my Bible reading this week. I was reading Luke 19 which includes the incident with Zaccheus. You remember the song that we’ve taught to our kids. But did you notice that the song leaves out the people’s response to Jesus when He invites Himself to lunch at Zaccheus’ home? ‘And when they saw it, they all grumbled, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."’ ‘Jesus, what are you doing? It makes sense for you to dine with one of us, but him?’ A sense of superiority. Paul allows no room for this among the Philippians. They are loved by God with an astounding love. But they – and we – are still sinners who have some things to work on. And that leads to my thought that there is no room for complacency.

Paul writes, ‘Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling…’ We have work to do. There is sin that we need to get rid of and holiness to perfect. Being the children of God provides great comfort. But it also makes demands of us. The call to follow Jesus is the call to holiness. And so, in our text Paul talks about being blameless, innocent, without blemish, avoiding grumbling and dealing with the sins that attack unity. There is work to be done. An honest look at ourselves in the mirror of God’s Law is great protection against the pride of superiority and the sin of complacency. Yet, even here, Paul puts the demand of the Gospel for holiness in the context of the grace and fatherly love of God. So, having told us to work out our salvation, he then writes, ‘for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.’ The Father does not leave us to our own resources in this striving. While we are called to act, to strive, it is the Spirit who is doing the real work of change behind the scenes. You see, it really is grace. So, though we are all eager to follow Jesus faithfully, striving to get rid of our sin and to pursue holy living, we are not anxious about it. The Spirit is doing His work and He will continue to do His work. So, there is a mysterious interaction between what we do and what the Spirit does. Our part focuses on honest dealings with the Word since it is the Word that the Spirit will use, and serious prayer in response to what the Spirit does with the Word, repenting of our sin that the Spirit points out and pleading with God for the change that He has promised.

Now for the point of the sermon. Everything that I’ve said leads up to my next point. Now we’re ready to talk about being a church with a mission. I’ve told you about who you are, children of God, and what they means – you are loved. I’ve also told you that there’s still work to be done, dealing with remaining sin, depending on the Spirit to do His work. The goal of all of this is in verse 15 where Paul says that the Philippians live ‘…in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…’ Lights shining in a very dark world. Understand the imagery. What does light do? It dispels the darkness. As the light grows to be brighter the darkness shrinks. We started with one light, Jesus. Through the years many have joined Him and the light has gotten brighter. But the darkness doesn’t just quit. It fights back. So, in our day, the light in our culture is dimmed. But we know that the light will grow until there is no more darkness. Now, what is this light that Paul is writing about? The light is you. It’s your life that shines. ‘… among whom you shine as lights in the world…’ Paul is writing about lives that are being changed by the Gospel. And it is those lives – your lives – that fight against the darkness. It is those lives – your lives – that will ultimately banish all darkness.

Do you see what this says about our mission? Our mission is to let the world see our lives and that includes all that I’ve pointed to in this sermon. We are to let them see what it means to know that you are loved by God and to be secure in that love. We are to let them see that we are not better than they. We’re not perfect. We’re sinners and we still wrestle with our sin. We are to let them see the evidence of the mysterious work of the Spirit as He changes us from sinners into holy people. That’s the mission according to our text. That’s what the Philippians pursued. And that’s what we pursue. As we do, the world will be attracted to Jesus, the cause of the light that is shining in us. How can that not happen? This is the mission that we are pursuing. We each do it in different ways because our situations are different. But we are all working on this.

So, here’s what I want you to do. I want you to continue what you’ve been doing. I want you to continue to grow in you confidence in God’s fatherly love. I want you to continue to work out your salvation. I want you to continue to depend on the hidden work that the Spirit does. All that this means is that I want you to continue to work at following Jesus faithfully. And I want you to continue to let the world see this. And in this way you will do your part to dispel the darkness until there is no more.