Mission.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Welcome to Village Church. [0:01] If this is your first time here, my name is Steve. [0:04] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church and I am thankful and grateful for each and [0:09] every one of you that came out this morning. [0:12] If you are newer here or you weren’t able to come back in July to the first Membership [0:19] Matters this coming Saturday morning at 9 a.m. till about 12, we’re going to be having

[0:25] our second Membership Matters class, I guess you could call it. [0:29] What we’re going to be doing that day is going through what Village Church is all about, [0:35] what we believe, why we do the things that we do, and all sorts of just helpful things [0:43] to help you understand what our heart is, who we are as pastors, what we want for you, [0:49] what we want to give you from ourselves, and what it means to be a member here. [0:53] Now, coming to that does not mean necessarily that you necessarily want to be a member.

[0:58] Maybe you just want some more information. [1:00] Maybe this will be your first time here or you haven’t been here very much. [1:04] And you just have questions that you’d like to have answered. [1:07] And this coming Saturday, we hope to answer those questions. [1:10] There will be times of Q&A as we go through what we believe doctrinally as a church. [1:16] What do we believe about the Bible?

[1:18] What do we believe about God? [1:19] What do we believe about Jesus? [1:21] Then we’ll also talk about our philosophy of ministry, why we do what we do on Sundays, [1:27] why we have things called village groups, our prayers for you as pastors, [1:32] as well as just a ton of other information about our church. [1:35] And our hope is that we can come together and you can get to know us as pastors a little bit better.

[1:41] And maybe even we can get to know you a little bit better. [1:44] So if you have a desire to be there, go on the website and please RSVP for that [1:48] so that we’ll know just how many people to expect. [1:51] There will also be child care provided. [1:53] So the RSVP will help us know how many people we need to bring in to watch children that day. [2:00] So I just really encourage you to come out this coming Saturday for that.

[2:04] If you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, open them up to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. [2:09] We’re going to be in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 this morning. [2:12] Starting in verse 16, we’re going to go from verse 16 all the way through [2:16] to the end of that chapter this morning. [2:18] But last week, we started our series on the core values of village church [2:22] by talking about the value of redemption.

[2:26] The redemption is where it all starts. [2:28] It’s the point A of following Jesus. [2:31] You cannot be a follower of Jesus until you’ve been redeemed by him, [2:36] until you’ve come to know him. [2:38] It is the reality that we are created to bring glory and worship God. [2:43] And we have chosen to do other things.

[2:45] We’ve chosen to rebel against that. [2:47] We’ve chosen to sin against him. [2:48] And because of that, we deserve God’s wrath. [2:53] But in love, God sent his son Jesus Christ to sacrifice his life for our lives, [3:00] to die on the cross for our sins, [3:02] to endure the wrath of God the Father on our behalf.

[3:06] And through that, he redeems us from our sin by giving us his perfect righteousness. [3:12] Jesus is the only sinless one. [3:14] In redemption, his perfection is counted towards us, [3:19] and our sin is counted against him. [3:22] And so he takes the punishment. [3:24] He takes the penalty that we deserve.

[3:27] And in that, we can have the forgiveness of God for all of our sins. [3:33] We talked about how in the resurrection, [3:35] Jesus not only brings us forgiveness, but he brings us a brand new life. [3:40] A life in which we have a relationship with God. [3:43] A life in which we have the power of God in our lives. [3:46] A life in which we don’t have to live in absolute terror of the wrath of God,

[3:51] but instead God becomes our Father. [3:53] He becomes our Dad. [3:55] And he loves us and he lavishes his grace upon us through our lives [3:59] as he empowers us to follow him. [4:01] He empowers us to obey him. [4:04] We talked about how this is not an academic exercise following Jesus.

[4:09] This is not just simply something that I believe about my destination. [4:13] This is something that consumes my entire life. [4:17] And in our culture, the term believe in Jesus has become somewhat meaningless. [4:24] Because so many people believe in Jesus, but they don’t follow Jesus. [4:27] So many people say they believe in Jesus, but they have no affection for him. [4:32] They have no passion for him.

[4:33] They don’t have the joy of God. [4:35] So maybe the best way for us to phrase it isn’t so much we believe in Jesus, [4:40] but rather we delight ourselves in the Lord. [4:43] We delight in Jesus. [4:44] We find joy in Jesus. [4:46] Because in him we go from someone who is entrenched in the death of sin

[4:50] to someone who is alive in Jesus Christ on this earth throughout our lives [4:55] with the hope that we will spend eternal life with God in perfection. [5:03] And that’s a great destiny. [5:05] That’s good news, as we said last week, for a world that’s full of bad news.

[5:13] But what’s after point A? [5:16] What’s next in our lives? [5:19] Because sometimes we see the redemption that’s available in Jesus, [5:24] and then we just return to everyday life unaffected.

[5:29] The reality that I want to talk about this morning is our second core value, [5:32] and that’s the core value of mission. [5:35] That’s the hope that our lives do not have to remain the same, [5:39] but rather Jesus came in order that he would bring real change, a real life. [5:46] And God changes our lives in order that we would live his mission. [5:52] In redemption we’re changed.

[5:55] In the new life that Jesus gives us, he seeks to apply the faith that we have in him to life [6:02] in a way in which it changes our purpose. [6:05] It changes what we live for. [6:07] In Matthew 28, right before Jesus leaves this world, he looks to his disciples and he says, [6:13] Go, make more disciples of all creation, [6:17] baptizing them in the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

[6:20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, [6:23] and behold I am with you until the end of the age. [6:28] Jesus has one final thing, one final declaration to give to his disciples, [6:34] and that declaration is this redemption that has become real to you. [6:40] This resurrection that I have shown you is real, that there is life after death, [6:45] there is power over the grave.

[6:48] Take it to the world. [6:51] This good news is not for you alone, but rather this good news must spread throughout the entire world, [6:58] and the way that I have designed for that to happen is through you. [7:02] That’s what he tells the disciples. [7:04] And that’s what he tells us. [7:07] That’s the reality of the life that God has for us is that we are changed for a great mission.

[7:14] Throughout the history of the church, many have called this passage in Matthew 28 the great commission. [7:20] It’s this purpose that Jesus gives us. [7:23] But this is the point in speaking of the Christian life where it can become very daunting. [7:30] Because how in a life that is already too busy [7:35] can we fit one more thing? [7:39] Because when we talk about grace, when we talk about forgiveness,

[7:41] when we talk about redemption, Jesus paid it all. [7:44] He does the work, we get the benefit. [7:47] He does the work, we get his grace. [7:50] He does the work, we are forgiven. [7:52] He does everything, we get a new life. [7:55] But then when we begin to look at what that new life is all about,

[7:59] we become very challenged because that new life doesn’t always look a lot like the old life.

[8:07] If you are anything like me, I am a creature of habit. [8:09] I love to do things the exact same way. [8:12] And when you kind of disrupt that, my family will tell you. [8:16] It’s like poking a caged bear. [8:19] It’s like why in the world would I want to do it a different way? [8:23] I have been doing it that way for a long time.

[8:25] It’s worked out great. [8:28] But in Jesus, all those habits, all those lifestyle choices, [8:33] all those things that we have been living our lives for, [8:35] all those treasures that we have had in this world, they all now become suspect.

[8:44] Because if there is anything the word new brings us, it’s change. [8:49] And that’s a very uncomfortable thing. [8:52] The reality is that when Jesus calls us, when he redeems us to himself, [8:55] he’s not giving us another thing in the checklist of our lives to be about. [9:02] He’s not saying, okay, now you do this, you do that, you do the other thing. [9:05] And then in there somewhere you are required, you are responsible

[9:10] to squeeze this thing called mission into your every day. [9:16] Because what does that mean to me? [9:18] It’s an hour less sleep. [9:21] That’s another hour onto my day. [9:23] Do I fit it in after soccer practice and in between dinner? [9:27] I’m not really sure how that’s going to fit.

[9:30] But the reality is what Jesus came to do is he came to tell us that our lists

[9:36] are not his.

[9:39] And so in a very real sense, when you come to faith in Jesus, [9:42] what you are saying is what I have been doing is not what life is all about [9:49] because I am not God if he is. [9:52] And if he is God, then what if my list needs to be abolished altogether [9:59] and rewritten completely?

[10:03] What if it isn’t about adding one more thing? [10:06] What if it’s about getting rid of everything else?

[10:10] And that sounds foolish, does it not? [10:12] That sounds a bit crazy because how will we live in this world? [10:15] How will we pay our mortgage if we get rid of that list? [10:19] Let’s see the wisdom that Jesus gives us in his word. [10:24] The mission of Jesus is not something that’s just another thing. [10:29] It’s an overarching thing.

[10:30] It’s a theme for our life. [10:32] It’s how we direct our every day. [10:34] And the reason is because of what Jesus is, who he is, and what he’s done. [10:40] Look in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. [10:42] I think Paul really helps us and he explains this. [10:45] This is one of my favorite passages in scripture.

[10:47] This is the passage that really drove us to Plant Village Church. [10:52] So whenever we talk about our core values, we cannot get away from this passage. [10:57] We cannot get away from the mission because what Paul is doing here, [11:00] I believe this is a commentary on what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 28. [11:07] I believe he’s spelling out the what and the why. [11:11] Look in verses 16 and 17.

[11:13] Paul writes, [11:14] From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh, [11:19] even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh. [11:24] We regard him thus no longer. [11:27] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he’s a new creation. [11:31] The old has passed away.

[11:33] Behold, the new has come. [11:35] In verse 16, Paul has just finished up spelling out what the gospel is all about. [11:42] In verse 15, he actually literally says, if you just take one verse back, [11:47] he says, for the love of Christ controls us. [11:50] We no longer live for ourselves. [11:52] Instead, we now live for God.

[11:55] So what he’s saying is everything that I used to live for, [11:58] all the passions that I used to have, even the very lifestyle that I had is over. [12:05] Because who was in control of that? [12:06] I was.

[12:09] It was Paul saying, he’s saying, no, not any longer. [12:11] Now the love of Christ controls me. [12:14] It controls everything. [12:16] You see, what does that affect me with? [12:20] Well, the reality is, number one, this morning, the mission of Jesus is one of transformed all. [12:27] The mission of Jesus is one of transformed all.

[12:29] We do not use the term all very much. [12:34] But I think it’s a good word. [12:35] It’s the root word for awesome. [12:38] And so one thing that Jesus does when he brings himself into our lives, [12:42] when he enlightens us to the reality of his redemption, [12:45] is he replaces that which we find all in in this world.

[12:50] And everything seems a little bit less than than it used to. [12:55] Nothing in this world is as good as it once was because of how much greater Jesus is. [13:02] Because of how much better he is. [13:04] So he doesn’t just come in for me to have a new practice. [13:08] He doesn’t just come in for me to have a new work to be involved in. [13:12] Instead, he comes in for me to have new affections.

[13:16] For me to have new desires. [13:18] For me to have a new passion that I’m about. [13:21] He wants to replace that which I was passionate about and show me how much better his was. [13:27] And I know that because Paul says, now that the love of Christ controls me, [13:31] therefore, that’s what he says in verse 16, that’s what he’s jumping off of there.

[13:38] He says it even changes how I view other people.

[13:44] This is a fundamental change in my life to where I cannot any longer even look at other people [13:53] the same way that I used to. [13:55] And what evidence does he use to to say that? [13:58] This is because at one time I even saw Jesus according to the flesh, [14:05] but I don’t see Jesus that way any longer.

[14:09] See, if we continue that theme that redemption is the point A, [14:13] that means before redemption there was a time in each and every one of our lives [14:17] in which Jesus did not have redemption for us. [14:23] In which Jesus was not our God. [14:28] And to the disciples and especially to the apostle Paul, [14:31] we know that that was a real living reality to them.

[14:35] Maybe you’ve been a Christian for so long that you don’t even think in this way, [14:39] or maybe you’re a new Christian, you’re like, that makes perfect sense because at one time [14:42] I just thought Jesus was a great teacher. [14:44] At one time I just thought Jesus was a great man, [14:46] or at one time I just thought Jesus was this revolutionary.

[14:50] But now, Jesus is the Redeemer. [14:54] Jesus is God. [14:55] Jesus is the eternal one. [14:57] Jesus is the one who spoke the world into existence. [15:00] Jesus is the one who died for me. [15:02] Jesus is the one that I was designed to depend upon.

[15:05] He’s the one that I was designed to live for. [15:08] So now, for me to say in light of redemption that Jesus is just a good man?

[15:17] How ridiculous would that sound?

[15:21] He’s the one that I’m saying has redeemed me from all sin, [15:23] has changed my life, has changed my destiny. [15:27] He’s not just a man, only God can do that. [15:29] So Jesus is God. [15:30] He has opened up a new spiritual reality for my life that at one time did not exist. [15:37] And if I see Jesus differently, well then that’s got to change the plane of the entire world for me.

[15:44] Because he’s the God of all of it. [15:47] And so if I see him differently, I now have to see everything as created for him, by him, and to him. [15:53] It changes all. [15:55] And if I’ve been redeemed by him, what does that mean about everyone else? [16:00] It means they need to be redeemed by him.

[16:04] So no longer can I view my neighbor as just that guy that lives beside me. [16:13] How do I view my neighbor? [16:14] My neighbor is someone in need of Jesus if he doesn’t know him. [16:19] My neighbor is someone in need of redemption. [16:21] My neighbor is someone in need of grace. [16:24] And how is he going to know it?

[16:28] Because Jesus told his disciples to go and tell.

[16:34] It’s this reality that people are no longer just our boss. [16:38] People are no longer just our friends. [16:41] People are no longer even just our mother and father and sister and brother and children. [16:46] No, people are those of whom Jesus is the God of. [16:51] And what do I know about Jesus as God? [16:54] I know that he’s a God who loves.

[16:56] I know that he’s a God who pursues. [16:58] I know that he’s a God who wants to redeem all of them.

[17:03] And so that must necessarily change the way that I live on this earth. [17:10] Because I can’t just look at you and say, you’re just a person.

[17:18] You’re just the obstacle that I have to getting to lunch.

[17:23] You’re just the person that I need to look better than at work in order to get a promotion.

[17:30] You’re just that guy that just annoys me. [17:35] You’re just that person that goes on and on about things that I just don’t care about.

[17:42] No, not if Jesus is God. [17:44] If Jesus is God, I see you differently. [17:47] It is a fundamental change in how I view myself, how I view this world and how you view me.

[17:57] What kind of implications does that have? [18:00] The implication is first found in Galatians chapter 2 verse 20.

[18:07] The apostle Paul also writes there and he says, I’ve been crucified with Christ. [18:11] It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me and the life I now live. [18:15] I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. [18:22] In other words, this is a complete redefinition that leaves nothing untouched. [18:29] Not your personality, not your job, not your emotions, not your family, not your house, [18:37] nothing.

[18:37] What does it say? [18:38] The life that I now live. [18:41] What does that encompass? [18:42] All of it. [18:43] And what do you do it by? [18:44] By faith in the Son of God.

[18:48] What Son of God? [18:49] The one who at one time I viewed as just a man, but now I know that he is God so he [18:56] transforms everything. [18:57] That is what verse 17 is all about. [19:00] When you look in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17, that verse that many of us are already [19:04] familiar with when we just kind of throw it around about everything, it is about one thing.

[19:09] It is about your life in Jesus Christ and the fundamental change that he wants to bring.

[19:17] When it says the old has passed away, it means all of it.

[19:21] When it says the new has come, lots of it.

[19:26] Why? [19:28] For the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. [19:33] Faith in the gospel empowers us to live for his mission. [19:38] Therefore, if Jesus has given us a mission to live for, then we look at our lives as [19:43] to how we can live it for him. [19:46] Because it is better than what we currently are living for.

[19:52] This isn’t a drudgery. [19:53] This isn’t a new law. [19:55] This is a new life in which I look to Jesus and I say anything with Jesus is better than [20:01] everything without him. [20:04] Because he is the one who died for me. [20:06] He is the one who rose for me.

[20:07] He is the God of all time. [20:10] Therefore, he is better. [20:12] That is what faith is. [20:14] Faith is not I don’t want to go to hell. [20:17] Faith is Jesus is better than everything. [20:22] When you are not lining your life up so that you can live a life of all in which Jesus

[20:30] transforms how you view everything, then you are not living a life of faith. [20:37] Faith does not exist so he can be your cosmic genie and get you what you want. [20:44] But how often do we live like that? [20:48] How often do we attempt to get him just to give us what we want and we will do better [20:53] next time?

[20:55] He doesn’t need you to do better. [20:57] He is God.

[21:00] He is not depending on you.

[21:04] Instead, he is saying find life in me. [21:07] Find hope in me. [21:08] Find treasure in me because I am God and there is no other. [21:12] And for me to send you anywhere else for fulfillment would be idolatry because I am [21:18] God and you need me. [21:20] That is what he is saying.

[21:22] And so the new life that he wants to give you is one in which he gives you a new point [21:28] of view. [21:29] Our world is not the same. [21:31] Therefore the way I live can’t be either.

[21:36] A new perspective. [21:38] Secondly this morning when we look to verses 18 and 19 we are going to see that our lives [21:43] are redeemed for a mission of reconciliation. [21:48] What does Paul jump off of when he says all things are new? [21:52] He does not end his statement there. [21:55] Instead he goes on into verse 18.

[21:58] In verse 18 he says all this is from God. [22:01] All what? [22:03] All the life. [22:05] All the change. [22:06] All the glory. [22:08] All the treasure.

[22:09] All the gospel. [22:11] All the life is from God. [22:14] And then what do we do with it? [22:16] He says through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. [22:23] That is in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself. [22:29] Not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

[22:38] So when you quote 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17 you are like all things are new. [22:44] All things are new.

[22:47] Realize all things are new has a definition of what the new looks like. [22:51] And it looks like you as a messenger of reconciliation with God. [22:58] That is the purpose for which Jesus has redeemed you. [23:01] He has redeemed you so that he can use you to redeem others. [23:07] That is the new life in Christ and that is where he wants you to start. [23:12] It is where he wants you to begin.

[23:13] It is where he wants you to have identity. [23:16] How great is this reconciliation? [23:18] Look in Romans chapter 5 verses 10 and 11. [23:22] He says for if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son [23:28] much more now that we are reconciled shall we be saved by Christ through whom we have [23:33] now received reconciliation.

[23:36] Paul writes there we were at one time enemies of God.

[23:43] What is an enemy? [23:44] An enemy is someone you don’t have anything in common with. [23:47] An enemy is someone that has wronged you greatly. [23:51] And what Paul is saying is that at one time we had nothing but wrong towards God in our lives. [23:59] This was not neutral. [24:00] We were not Swiss.

[24:03] All right. [24:03] We were enemies. [24:06] God was the one whom we lived a life opposed for. [24:09] Therefore if in Jesus my life hasn’t changed then I am still living as an enemy of God. [24:16] And someone who has tasted of the redemption of Jesus can’t possibly do that.

[24:23] Because now being reconciled what he is saying we have been saved by God. [24:28] What great reconciliation must that be in which God takes us from enemies and turns us into his loved ones.

[24:39] This great salvation is one that must bring you absolute awe. [24:43] Because you look and you say how in the world did I go from someone who lived completely opposed to God [24:51] to someone who looks at and says you are my child. [24:55] That is the level at which I love you. [24:57] If that does not create awe in your life I don’t know what to tell you.

[25:03] Because there is nothing greater in this world than that. [25:07] There is nothing bigger. [25:09] There is nothing I can fill my life up with that will bring me more satisfaction. [25:13] It is impossible. [25:14] I was an enemy of God. [25:18] The eternal one.

[25:19] The one who can just click his fingers. [25:22] Life is done. [25:23] The world is over. [25:24] But he doesn’t. [25:25] Instead what does he do? [25:26] He redeems.

[25:28] He saves by his own death.

[25:34] And so redemption continues to weave its way into every core value as we see. [25:39] The mission that we have directly from God is a mission of redemption. [25:46] What does redemption do? [25:47] What is reconciliation? [25:49] Why is it so great? [25:51] Because it puts us onto a plane in which we have God on our side.

[26:00] You can’t have much better on your side than that.

[26:05] You can’t have much better in your life than that. [26:09] When you have that you have eternal destiny. [26:15] You have eternal life. [26:17] You have eternal glory. [26:19] You have eternal joy. [26:20] You have God.

[26:24] This will affect us so greatly that the text says that our lives will begin to be formed [26:29] around this message of reconciliation that we are brought back in and all of the wrong [26:35] that God had against us is vanquished in Jesus and he brings us and now we are completely [26:41] connected and united to our first Peter chapter 3. [26:45] It actually says that people will look to our lives and ask us for a defense of what? [26:51] The hope that is within us.

[26:56] The transformation that God has for our lives is so great that people will begin to view [27:03] us differently than they did without Jesus and they will look to you and they will say [27:08] what is that hope that is within you? [27:12] You may be saying right now I have been a believer for 20 years and no one has ever [27:16] asked me that.

[27:18] Well has it affected you? [27:21] Has it changed you? [27:23] Or are you just walking through life like everyone else?

[27:28] These are the texts that I look at and say what is my delight in? [27:31] What is my desire in? [27:32] What am I finding joy in? [27:34] Why is it not revolutionizing my life? [27:36] What is going on inside of me? [27:39] And what should be going on inside of me?

[27:42] That is why God has not left us without the answer. [27:45] That is why God has not left us uninformed but rather has given us this word to direct [27:49] our lives and direct our affections onto Jesus all the time.

[27:56] We go from reconciled to reconciling. [28:00] This mission of awe is one in which God loves us in order that we would love others. [28:05] I believe this is exactly what Jesus meant in the Lord’s prayer when he says forgive [28:10] us our debts as we forgive those in whom have debt towards us.

[28:16] You see Jesus wants to revolutionize how you view those other people. [28:21] So much so that even if they sin against you, even if they wrong you greatly, do you know [28:28] what you begin to do? [28:29] You begin to think well Romans chapter 5 says that at one time I was an enemy of God [28:35] and how did God react towards that? [28:38] Well he killed his son for me.

[28:41] No one has wronged you to the level that we wronged God.

[28:49] Therefore we have an apologetic of forgiveness.

[28:54] Real forgiveness because Jesus took those sins to the cross. [28:58] It takes faith to have that type of forgiveness does it not? [29:01] Well that is the mission that you are on. [29:04] That is the mission that Jesus has given you. [29:06] That is the mission that he wants you to live in your life.

[29:12] God creates us to be a sent people to take his message of reconciliation to the world. [29:18] So I want to talk about two things really quickly. [29:21] I am talking about first the fact that the gospel creates a people to go to other. [29:27] People. [29:29] I don’t want you to walk. [29:30] If it is one thing I want you to walk out of here today understanding it is that you

[29:35] exist in Jesus for the purpose of others existing in Jesus. [29:41] That is it. [29:42] You live in this world so that others will know the greatness of Jesus if you trusted Jesus. [29:48] Whatever your gift, whatever your ability, whatever your talent, it is for the mission [29:53] of Jesus and the mission of Jesus alone. [29:55] To use it for anything else, waste.

[29:59] Because it is not as good. [30:00] It is not as great as Jesus is it? [30:02] No it can’t be. [30:04] So we live to take this message of reconciliation to all people of all times. [30:11] That is why Romans chapter 10 verse 14 it tells us that people will not believe in [30:17] God unless they are told.

[30:21] This is how can they believe in him of whom they have never heard. [30:24] And how can they hear unless someone tells them.

[30:29] It is a battle cry for followers of Jesus. [30:34] You say, man well that may hurt my reputation.

[30:40] If people find out that I am a follower of Jesus that may hinder my advancement at work. [30:46] That could complicate conversations at the baseball field. [30:50] That could make it really awkward with the other parents in carpool.

[30:55] Yeah. [30:57] I am not going to tell you it is not. [30:59] I can’t make you any promises. [31:01] But I can tell you is that the 12 men who followed Jesus through this world minus Judas [31:06] plus Mathias, if you are like there was only 11, no, Mathias was added in later. [31:11] It is like I am thinking about your rebuttals as I go through this.

[31:17] Read Acts, there is Mathias who took Judas’ place.

[31:22] They thought the greatness of Christ was so much so that they left house, they left home [31:29] and they died.

[31:34] If you want to talk about reputation, talk about that. [31:40] Why would they be so foolish as to do that? [31:45] The only answer that I can come up with is because they found something better. [31:49] Than a worldly reputation.

[31:52] That is the only answer. [31:54] When we look at the one who wrote this, 2 Corinthians, we look at the apostle Paul, [31:59] we are looking at the religious leader who was murdering Christians because they were [32:03] changing things and then he has this experience with Jesus and he throws it all away so much [32:07] so that he says my old life is worth about as much as a pile of dung.

[32:13] He said I will exchange it in a second for what I have in Jesus.

[32:17] That is the heart of mission. [32:20] It is not pick yourself up by your bootstraps, obey your duty to God. [32:24] It is I am overcome with a joy that I have never known before and like the apostle Peter [32:31] looks at when Jesus says, when people were deserting him, Jesus looks to him and Jesus [32:34] says will you also desert me? [32:37] And Peter, one time when Jesus was on earth, he had the wisest thing that anyone has ever

[32:41] said, he says Jesus where else will we go? [32:46] Because you have life.

[32:50] So the battle cry of mission is one in which we look to Jesus and say where else will we [32:55] go?

[32:57] If the gospel is true what else could be better? [33:01] I will sacrifice it all Lord. [33:04] I will follow you anywhere Lord.

[33:09] Because we have found the greatest joy we could ever have in this life. [33:13] And so we take it to people who need it. [33:18] But then secondly, here is what is interesting about the book of Acts. [33:22] When we look through the book of Acts, everywhere people who believe the gospel go, [33:29] we see people come to faith in Jesus. [33:32] But then it doesn’t stop there.

[33:35] We see them start churches. [33:39] In the New Testament churches just start springing up everywhere. [33:41] Every town that a follower of Jesus goes to, a new church.

[33:46] And so we not only exist in this missional life to go forward and seek individual redemption [33:53] in people, we also see that if we do that there will be a natural happenstance of churches [34:04] being started. [34:06] And you say well why would we do that? [34:09] The same reason we started this one.

[34:13] Because that is how God has designed for his mission to go forward in this world. [34:17] Look in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 19 through 22. [34:20] The apostle Paul writes there, so then you are no longer strangers and aliens, [34:23] but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, [34:27] built on the foundations of the apostles and the prophets. [34:29] So what he is saying is you are no longer just peoples living separate,

[34:34] living in this world by yourself, following your own destiny. [34:38] Instead the reconciliation that God has given you has filled you with a love of God [34:43] in which you now seek reconciliation with others so they can have reconciliation with God. [34:48] So you are forming relationships for the purpose of redemption. [34:52] You are forming relationships with an agenda of the gospel. [34:56] And when you do that you are building something on the foundation that Jesus was the cornerstone

[35:02] of in Matthew 16 when he said I will build my church and then on the apostles who went [35:08] forward starting churches and the walls begin to go up and it says Christ Jesus himself being [35:14] the cornerstone in whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy temple [35:19] of the Lord in whom you also are being built in the holy dwelling place of the God by the spirit. [35:25] This is a vision that in Matthew chapter 28 when Jesus said you are disciples therefore [35:31] go and make me more disciples he is also in that very same breath saying the natural

[35:37] outflow of discipleship is that you will go through this world starting churches. [35:43] You will go through this world having at your very core a desire to build and be the body of Christ.

[35:53] That you will take every talent, every ability, every form of knowledge that God has ever given [36:00] to you and you will say God if you will use me to make disciples you will make one then you will [36:06] make two then you will make three then you will be making disciples and guess what eventually [36:10] what is that going to become? It is going to become a church.

[36:15] And so when you take that identity as being one sent into this world by God you must understand [36:24] that God has built you and God is making you into someone who will be a part of making his church. [36:32] And that is what you are doing at Village Church. You are building those walls. You are building [36:38] that structure. But if it stops here how foolish would we be? How could we keep this gift just for [36:50] us? How could I keep what God is doing just for me? God wants us to have a vision of his message of [37:01] reconciliation that will go outside of these walls and begin new works of redemption for others.

[37:11] You may be saying I don’t think you have the right guy. I don’t think you have the right girl. [37:19] I don’t think you have the right family. We can never be a part of that. Right by yourselves you [37:24] could not. But thankfully discipleship seems to have this reproducing life to itself where it forms [37:33] whole people together in community who go forward to throw everything off that is preventing them [37:39] from growing the church of Jesus Christ. So Steve what are you getting to with this? [37:46] I am getting to the reality that Village Church is not the end. Village Church is just the beginning.

[37:53] Our mission is to proclaim the gospel to all people and our mission is to plant more churches.

[38:01] Our mission is to send teams out of people who are gifted to start new works for the gospel [38:07] all over the city of Richmond and beyond. Right now we are praying and we are planning [38:15] over maps saying God where is next? Where will we send people? Where do you want to start a work? [38:21] Where are there lost people in this city? Where does a church need to go that will preach the [38:26] gospel that will live the mission that will take redemption into roots of this city so that people [38:32] will come to faith in Jesus. And I hope and I pray every day that we will give a chorus of prayers

[38:43] together to God for such a work. And I am also praying that Jesus will ruin some of your lives so much

[38:53] that you say I have got to go. I have got to start a new work. I have got to uproot my family and move [39:00] to a different part of the city so that we can reach people. We have got to do it. I have got [39:04] to be part of this. I want to see what God can do in my life. I have already seen what I can do [39:08] and that is not that great. Trust me it is not. I want to see what God can do. I want to see what [39:16] faith will build. Finally this morning the righteousness of Jesus produces a life of [39:23] missional worship. In Acts chapter 20 verse 24 the apostle Paul is speaking to the church at

[39:32] Ephesus right before he goes to Jerusalem and they are telling him they are saying Paul don’t go [39:36] don’t go stay here we will set you up great. Paul looks to them and he says in Acts chapter 20 verse 24 [39:44] he says but I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself if only I may finish my [39:51] course in the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

[39:59] The apostle Paul got it. The apostle Paul looks and he says he is not saying my life is worthless. [40:09] He is saying the only worth my life has is in the gospel. He is saying you cannot show me anything [40:18] that is worth more than the gospel. Where else will I go? What else will I do? What else can I [40:23] live for? A house? A car? A dog? Leisurely activity? The American dream? Mortgages? Pay raises?

[40:37] None of which are terrible things but all of which can consume your life to where you do not [40:41] follow the gospel. The apostle Paul says if you think that is better you have a different faith [40:49] than I do. His faith caused him to risk it all. He went all in if you play poker.

[41:00] The text shows that faith in Jesus produces a transformed mission. Look at verse 19.

[41:08] It says that it is in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses [41:13] against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation therefore what are we ambassadors [41:18] for Christ? God making his appeal through us. What a privilege. We implore you on behalf of Christ [41:27] be reconciled to God for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might [41:35] become the righteousness of God. I want to work backwards. I want to start in verse 21. [41:40] It is that statement of last week. Every time Paul talks about what the gospel is going to do

[41:49] in my life he begins it or ends it or sometimes like in this case both he says because of what [41:55] the gospel has already done in you. Jesus took your sin onto himself and he gave you his [42:03] righteousness. He exchanged it. So in that reality what he is telling us is that he made an exchange [42:10] so you must make an exchange. Exchange the old life for the new life. Exchange not following [42:16] Jesus for following Jesus. Exchange not living the mission of Jesus for living the mission of [42:21] Jesus because that is how he is worshipped. He is worshipped by people following him.

[42:30] It is a mission of Jesus’ righteousness overcoming sin through redeeming people. [42:36] God is worshipped through missional living. It is that simple. The math goes. Jesus defeats [42:43] sin on the cross through redeeming sinners. Therefore how will sin ultimately be defeated? [42:52] By redemption going into more and more lives because Jesus is the only one who can defeat it. [42:58] God desires to use you and me to make his plea to this world that they do not have to live or die [43:03] without God but can be reconciled to him through the work of redemption. Redemption is not the end

[43:09] it is just the beginning. God desires for the redemption that is taking place in our lives to [43:15] go out and into the lives of others. When we go to work we do not do it simply for money any longer. [43:26] We do it so that people can see the change in us and ask us what is different. The answer is [43:32] Jesus. Our attitude is different. Our personality has changed because of Jesus. He is our joy and [43:39] delight where it once was uncertain. We seek to tell them about God in ways that can be understood [43:45] and relationships can be built that will lead to redemption. We seek to grow the church in order

[43:50] to accomplish the mission further and further by living like Jesus for the purpose of redeeming [43:56] others. This is the great mission that we have in him. We are ambassadors for Christ. [44:03] God making his appeal through us. Do you know how great that is?

[44:12] Paul would say nothing better. Nothing better. Why?

[44:27] Because he is a redeemer. We can exchange a life that is meaningless because it only benefits [44:34] ourselves for a life that can benefit the entire world by furthering redemption. Choose joy. [44:43] Choose all. Choose worship. Live the mission. Never, ever forget the mission of Jesus in your life.

[44:58] As the band comes forward I want to just take a moment [45:04] for us to take inventory of our lives. For us to take inventory of what we are living for. [45:13] For us to actually begin to think through how our lives are living the mission of Jesus versus [45:21] how our lives are just living for all of that old stuff. Do not exchange the glory of God for the [45:30] glory of you. Don’t exchange the glory of God for the glory of your kids, the glory of your spouse [45:38] because they will be benefited if you choose the glory of God. It is the only way. It is the only

[45:44] way. Jesus died so that I could live. If I trust in his forgiveness it is as simple as this. [45:58] I will be changed forever. Nothing will be the same. Nothing can be the same.

[46:07] As we reflect every week on communion this morning I want you to understand the reality [46:12] of the metaphor that when his cup and his bread represents his broken body and his shed blood when [46:20] it enters into your life the picture that he is drawing is that he gave his life so that you could [46:26] have it in yours. It is a picture of his life entering you. And then as you exit this morning [46:34] understand that you are not exiting into a life by your design under your command for your making. [46:42] You are entering into your mission. You are entering into a world that desperately needs

[46:49] to know the truth of Jesus and God has said you are his ambassador. Don’t excuse yourself by saying [46:57] the guy next to you is his ambassador or the girl next to you is his ambassador. You follower of [47:04] Jesus are his ambassador to the whole world. God making his appeal through you be reconciled to God [47:14] and then look at your life and say what needs to change? What needs to change? What am I finding my [47:25] delight in? What am I finding my treasures in? If you are in here this morning and you don’t know him [47:30] you are honest enough to say I don’t have delight in him I don’t have joy in him I am looking at my

[47:36] life and he is not there. Friend you can know him today. He will change you forever today. He will [47:46] give you new purpose. He will give you new life and greater than that he will give you the gift [47:51] of himself and he will be in your life not just for a couple of days he promises for eternity.

[48:00] Trust him. There are people in the foyer to talk to you to pray with you. I will be over here. I would love to talk to you about it. [48:07] The key is you need to trust Jesus. For those of you who are followers there are six tables. They are open when you are ready.