Steve Gentry
[0:00] Welcome to Village Church. [0:01] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve. [0:03] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:04] And as always, I’m thankful and grateful [0:06] to see each and every one of you. [0:08] If you have your Bibles,
[0:08] go ahead and open them to Revelation chapter seven. [0:11] We’re gonna be starting in verse nine this morning. [0:14] But before we get to that, [0:15] I wanna make you aware of two things. [0:17] The first thing is that today’s the first Sunday [0:20] of the month, so 15 minutes after this service ends
[0:24] where you have something called Pastors Lunch Connect. [0:27] And what that is is if you are new or newer [0:29] here to Village Church, [0:32] we would like to just invite you [0:33] to spend some time with the pastors. [0:35] We’re gonna provide you with lunch,
[0:37] we’ll have childcare and we’ll feed your children as well [0:40] so you don’t need to worry about any of that. [0:41] But what it’s gonna be is just a time for us [0:44] to kind of let you know a little bit [0:46] about the history of the church, [0:47] about why we exist, about why we do things
[0:50] the way that we do. [0:51] Also gonna have some Q&A time [0:53] and just a little bit of time for us [0:55] to get to know one another a little bit better [0:57] than maybe we would in the foyer as we just say goodbye [0:59] and you ride off into the sunset.
[1:01] And so if you’ve only been with us for a short time, [1:04] I would love to invite you to that. [1:06] I would love to spend a few minutes with you. [1:08] And again, that’s 15 minutes after this service right here, [1:12] we’re gonna be having lunch, so please stay for that. [1:15] The second thing is is that next Sunday,
[1:17] we’re gonna start a new series and it’s called Explore God. [1:20] And what this is is just going to be a series [1:23] in which we address the different questions [1:26] that often people around the world ask about, [1:29] what is the purpose of life? [1:31] Is Jesus really God?
[1:32] Is Jesus the only way to heaven? [1:35] Is the Bible reliable? [1:36] What’s the purpose of pain and suffering in this life? [1:40] And so it’s going to be a series in which we engage. [1:42] Many of the questions that people ask [1:45] but often go throughout life,
[1:47] having those questions unanswered, [1:49] never really engaging whether or not there are answers [1:52] to these questions. [1:53] What we wanna do is we wanna jump right in [1:55] and show biblically where God has answered those questions [1:59] and how the gospel of Jesus Christ
[2:02] shows us the purpose of life, [2:04] brings us to a relationship with God [2:05] and restores us to the vision [2:08] that we were designed to have in our lives. [2:11] So I’m really looking forward to that. [2:12] That’s gonna be a fun series to go through.
[2:15] And on the seats when you came in, [2:16] there should have been a couple of different cards. [2:18] If you don’t see them, [2:20] that means you’re sitting on it right now. [2:21] And so what those are for [2:23] is for you to take and invite some people.
[2:26] These are probably questions that people in your life have [2:29] whether it’s a family member, a friend, a coworker, [2:32] your great uncle John or somebody [2:34] that you dislike completely. [2:35] They all want answers to these questions. [2:37] And so those cards are for you to use to invite them
[2:41] so that they can come out [2:42] and be a part of that series as well. [2:44] So invite people this week. [2:46] I think it’s gonna be a great series. [2:47] I think we’re gonna have a great time together [2:49] in God’s word as always.
[2:52] But this week is week six of our Core Values series. [2:56] And so this has been a series in which we have gone [2:59] through the why behind the what [3:02] of the things that we do in Village Church, [3:04] the environments that we invite you into. [3:08] We’ve gone through redemption, we’ve gone through mission,
[3:11] we’ve gone through community. [3:12] And what those serve as are three core values [3:15] that are foundational to what we think you need to do [3:20] in order to follow Jesus. [3:22] Redemption is how do you come to faith in Jesus? [3:26] And then mission and community are these two things
[3:29] and these two foundational environments [3:31] that you need to be about building in your life [3:35] in order to grow in your faith in Jesus. [3:39] And as we kind of unpacked those things [3:41] and as we’ve gone through those things, [3:43] there’s a lot of things that you need to commit to.
[3:46] There’s a lot of biblical notions [3:48] that you need to begin to believe. [3:50] There’s a lot of environments for you to enter into. [3:53] So in those are the how. [3:56] But now we kind of want to take a look at [3:58] what is going to be the outcome of living a life
[4:02] in which we are entering into those types of environments. [4:05] So what if we commit to redemption? [4:07] What if we believe in Jesus and then seek to follow Jesus [4:10] and obey him in a life of mission? [4:12] And we seek to enter into relationships for discipleship [4:16] and build community.
[4:17] What is that going to do? [4:20] Because there’s so many times in our lives [4:22] where we’re told what to do [4:24] and we have these commands to follow. [4:26] And so we commit to what we’re supposed to be doing, [4:29] but we don’t really know where it’s going.
[4:31] And when you don’t know where something is going, [4:33] you can become very complacent, [4:35] you can become very stagnant, [4:37] you can become very apathetic about what you’re doing. [4:39] Sure, you’re going through the motions, [4:41] but you don’t know what’s going to happen.
[4:45] And so in our fourth core value, [4:47] what we’re hoping to do [4:48] and what we’re hoping to unpack for you [4:50] is really what is the outcome that we are seeking [4:53] through mission and community? [4:56] What are we hoping that our lives are going to be producing?
[5:00] And that is why it’s the core value of multiplication. [5:03] If you’ve been with us for an extended period of time, [5:06] you know that we’ve kind of gone through some revision [5:09] on this fourth core value. [5:10] It’s not really that the idea or the concept [5:14] of our fourth core value has changed
[5:15] because it’s always been about engaging the culture [5:18] around us, forming a distinct culture [5:21] of following Jesus in here, [5:22] but rather what we think is that the term multiplication [5:25] further clarifies what it is that we’re hoping [5:29] you will see as the result of your life in Christ.
[5:32] And so to do that, for us to see [5:35] what that’s going to look like, [5:36] I wanna look at Revelation chapter seven. [5:38] What’s going on in Revelation seven [5:40] is the apostle John has caught a vision [5:43] of what the future’s going to hold,
[5:45] and here’s what he writes. [5:47] John says, after this I looked, [5:50] and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, [5:54] from every nation, from all tribes and peoples [5:58] and languages standing before the throne [6:00] and before the lamb, clothed in white robes
[6:04] with palm branches in their hands, [6:06] and crying out with a loud voice, [6:08] salvation belongs to our God, [6:12] who sits on the throne and to the lamb. [6:14] Pray with me. [6:16] Father, we are thankful that you have not left us unaware
[6:23] of your design for life, nor have you left us unaware [6:27] as to how we can engage your design, [6:30] be redeemed to the life that you have for us, [6:33] be reconciled to you in relationship, [6:37] and you’ve also not left us unaware [6:39] of where those things are headed,
[6:41] of where those things are going.
[6:44] God, by your grace, you’ve revealed all things to us [6:46] in your word. [6:48] Lord, help us to receive it today. [6:51] Be merciful to me a sinner. [6:53] In the name of Jesus, I pray, amen. [6:56] Mission needs a vision.
[6:58] It needs to know where you are going. [7:02] If you have a mission in your life, [7:04] which is what we give in things like our mission statement, [7:07] which of course I think is a great one. [7:09] We say it all the time. [7:10] We put it in front of you that Village Church exists
[7:13] to worship God by helping as many people as possible [7:17] become fully devoted followers of Jesus. [7:19] That’s why we’re here, and what’s kind of wrapped up [7:22] in that is that the gospel is something [7:24] that everyone needs, and the gospel is something [7:26] that we need to live for so that we can get
[7:29] this good news of Jesus to more and more people. [7:32] But as we have this mission, we must, if we hope to endure [7:38] through a life of living that mission, [7:42] have a vision for where it’s going. [7:45] Have a vision for what’s going to happen with it. [7:48] And so what often happens kind of in leadership circles
[7:51] with leadership gurus and business stuff is we’re told [7:54] that you need to have a personal vision for your life. [7:58] You need to develop a vision, and I think most of that [8:01] is hogwash because you don’t need to develop a vision [8:04] for your life. [8:04] The reason I say that is because you’re going
[8:06] to develop a wrong one. [8:08] I mean, you leave a sinner alone with his own vision [8:10] and he’s going to do something really dumb with it, [8:12] and he’s going to make his life about something [8:14] probably less than what God has to afford them. [8:17] And so by God’s grace, he has shown us what his vision
[8:23] for us, what his vision for the mission of Jesus, [8:27] and what his vision for the Church of Jesus Christ [8:31] is going to produce. [8:33] And that is what you are looking at [8:34] in Revelation chapter seven, [8:36] is that this is God’s vision for where his mission is going.
[8:42] This is God’s vision for what the gospel is going [8:46] to produce in the future. [8:49] He says that there is going to be in the day [8:52] that God has determined that it’s going to happen [8:54] in the future, a multitude so large [8:59] that we can’t even number it.
[9:02] Multitudes so large that no usher team in the world [9:05] could hope to actually count the number of people present. [9:09] And this isn’t just going to be the people that we know, [9:12] but rather this is going to be a multitude that is huge [9:16] with people from every nation, [9:18] people from every tribe and tongue.
[9:20] I mean, a people of God’s possession standing in front [9:25] of the throne of God, worshiping him for eternity [9:29] because of the greatness of what the gospel has produced. [9:33] And that’s what it means by salvation belongs to our God [9:37] and to the lamb. [9:40] This is the future.
[9:43] This is not what God is saying, [9:46] well, I hope I can make that happen. [9:50] Well, if we do everything right and don’t get it wrong, [9:55] this is what could possibly happen. [9:58] This has potential for coming to fruition. [10:02] Now, what God revealed through the power of the spirit
[10:06] to the apostle John in Revelation [10:09] is what is definitely going to happen [10:14] because God has orchestrated history in such a way [10:18] that this is where everything is headed. [10:22] This is the real world. [10:26] No matter what happens in this world,
[10:29] no matter how you see things panning out, [10:32] this is a guarantee. [10:35] There’s no other option. [10:37] God is saying, I am moving history in such a way [10:41] through the power of the gospel [10:43] that there is coming a day
[10:45] that God has already determined he knows the wind. [10:51] And he’s saying, I will have people [10:54] from every nation, tribes, peoples, and languages [11:00] standing in front of my throne, [11:03] worshiping me forever. [11:06] And it’s going to be a number that is so large
[11:08] that people cannot even count [11:12] because they’re gonna get so high in number. [11:15] This is reality. [11:17] And so you need to begin to gauge, [11:20] okay, what history is my life spelling out [11:26] where the world is headed?
[11:28] What is my life indicating that I believe [11:32] that the world is headed for? [11:34] And when you can do that, [11:36] when you can sit down and take inventory [11:39] of what you say, of what you do, [11:41] of how you live, of what you are committed to,
[11:44] then you will have what your vision for life actually is. [11:51] And the question is, does the vision [11:54] that you are living out with your life, [11:58] does the outcome that you see your life producing [12:02] measure up to the outcome that God says is going to happen? [12:09] Because that is where faith and unbelief
[12:13] begin to show themselves apparent. [12:16] Because faith, the scriptures tell us, [12:18] must have a life that it brings [12:22] and backs that statement of faith up with. [12:27] And so what vision is your life spelling out [12:31] that this world is actually going to produce?
[12:35] Because number one, this morning, understand [12:36] that the vision for mission is always multiplication. [12:42] It’s always multiplication. [12:44] In every moment in scripture, [12:46] there is coming a day where there will be a multitude [12:50] of people worshiping Jesus in the kingdom of God.
[12:56] And so you need to form a vision with your life [13:01] to say, I believe that that is where God is taking history. [13:06] I believe that that is where God is moving [13:09] in his sovereignty to bring to fruition that, [13:12] and I want to line my life up to match that. [13:17] And in this sense, God aids us
[13:20] in reverse engineering our life. [13:23] Because we have by his grace, [13:27] he didn’t have to do this for us, [13:30] a picture of where reality is headed. [13:33] A picture not of some mystical thought, [13:36] not of some out of body experience,
[13:38] but where physical reality will go to at some point in time. [13:46] As the question is, is my life headed in that direction [13:52] to produce that type of outcome, [13:55] to be a part of gathering the people of God? [14:00] Because that is what God is doing in this world. [14:06] That is why there is a gap between the resurrection
[14:10] and the second coming. [14:13] Because God is not satisfied [14:15] with the number that he has thus far, [14:18] that he wants more, [14:20] that the great multitude has not been seen yet. [14:24] The great multitude is still being gathered
[14:27] from all over the world. [14:29] There are obviously still people that need to be reached. [14:34] And so what is your vision [14:37] for what your life will produce in this world? [14:43] Because we are all investing our lives somewhere. [14:46] We’re all living lives,
[14:48] and many of us tend to live the life [14:50] where it’s like we want Jesus, [14:52] because at the end there’s a fire that’s possible, [14:55] and we don’t want that. [14:56] So it’s like Jesus will save us from that. [14:59] And so we grab ahold of faith in Jesus,
[15:01] but our actual every day speaks a gospel of, [15:06] but just in case this world is all that there is, [15:11] I need to get all that I can get in the here and now. [15:15] I’ve got my insurance for the end, [15:17] but just in case that picture isn’t really that true, [15:21] I’m going to invest my life in getting as much money,
[15:24] and getting a bigger house, [15:25] and getting better cars, [15:27] and motivations that are all about me, [15:29] because I want power, I want fame, I want wealth, [15:31] I want all of that stuff, [15:33] and I don’t really invest any of it
[15:35] where the kingdom of heaven is concerned. [15:36] I don’t invest any of it [15:38] as though we’re headed towards a day [15:40] where everybody’s gonna be standing before Jesus [15:42] showing what their real affections are actually for.
[15:48] So I’ve gotta have this as my backup.
[15:51] And we won’t actually say that, [15:54] but how often do our lives actually tell a story of [15:59] this world is all I believe that there actually is, [16:02] because this world is all that I ever actually invest in. [16:07] And this is not about denial of the physical. [16:12] No, this is about the why behind the what.
[16:16] What is your motivation for why you invest your life [16:19] the way that you do? [16:20] What is your motivation for stewarding the wealth [16:24] that God gives us? [16:25] What is your motivation for how you invest [16:27] all that God has given you?
[16:29] Because God does have in his word a standard [16:32] in which we are to receive the things of this world, [16:35] enjoy the things of this world, [16:36] and invest the things of this world in our life well [16:40] so that we can show the greatness of Jesus [16:44] in how we do it.
[16:46] And so when you think about your giftings [16:47] and when you think about the avenues [16:48] that God has brought you in, [16:50] whether it’s education, whether it’s business, [16:52] whether it’s something that I can’t pronounce, [16:55] no matter what it is,
[16:56] down to being a pastor like I am, [17:00] down to being mothers, down to being fathers, [17:02] down to being construction workers, [17:04] down to being baristas and restaurant workers, [17:06] and everything that we do. [17:08] I mean, collectively, you guys do a lot of stuff.
[17:10] But in everything that we do, [17:12] in all of the different fields of work that we have, [17:14] the question is, how does God want you to invest your life [17:19] in that realm to say, I believe there’s coming a day [17:23] where the outcome’s going to be people [17:25] in front of the throne of God, worshipping Him forever?
[17:29] That is where the rubber meets the road [17:31] of whether your faith is legitimate. [17:34] And so what I want to do is unpack for the next few moments [17:38] how it is that mission and community [17:40] form this life of multiplication. [17:43] And to do that, I wanna go back to the week one of mission
[17:46] when we talked about the Great Commission. [17:48] In Matthew 28, Jesus has done all of these things. [17:52] He’s died on the cross for sins. [17:53] He’s risen from the dead. [17:55] And now he’s Supermanning up into heaven somehow. [17:58] It would have been a crazy day to actually be there
[18:00] because I’d be like, Jesus is flying [18:02] and anything He says right now has gotta be true. [18:04] Because this guy can fly. [18:06] All right? [18:07] So Jesus looks down and He says, [18:10] three phrases that were commands.
[18:13] He says, go make disciples. [18:16] He says, baptize those disciples. [18:18] And then He says, teach those disciples [18:21] to observe everything that I have commanded them. [18:24] All right? [18:25] But there’s an inference there,
[18:26] which is the same inference that’s been there [18:28] from the book of Genesis and the same inference [18:31] that’s there in Revelation when we see a picture [18:33] of everything culminating in the end. [18:35] It’s this inference of multiplication. [18:38] Because if you obey this Great Commission
[18:40] and you are made a disciple, [18:43] then you are baptized into the life of God the Father, [18:46] God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, [18:47] brought into the relationship of the church. [18:49] And then you’re taught to observe [18:52] everything that He has commanded.
[18:54] What was His final command on this earth? [18:56] Go make disciples. [18:58] And so you’ve been multiplied in [18:59] and then in order to observe everything [19:01] that Jesus has commanded, what do you have to do? [19:04] You have to go make disciples.
[19:06] Too often the way we do it is [19:08] is we sit and wonder why no disciples. [19:12] Because you have to go with an intentionality [19:15] that you will produce other disciples with your life. [19:19] You have to be and you have to make [19:22] disciples of Jesus Christ.
[19:23] When you make your first disciple, [19:26] do you know what you’ve done? [19:28] You’ve multiplied. [19:30] And so in order to observe all that Jesus has commanded, [19:36] we must have a healthy picture [19:39] that the outcome will necessarily have to be.
[19:44] Multiplication in my life and in the lives of others. [19:48] Because first there must be a multiplication of my faith. [19:52] I’ve gotta be a disciple. [19:54] So I’ve got to dig deep. [19:56] I’ve got to learn Jesus. [19:59] I’ve got to learn God.
[20:01] I’ve got to experience the knowledge of God. [20:04] I’ve got to grow in my relationship with Him [20:07] by getting to know Him in the way [20:09] that He has revealed Himself. [20:11] And by His grace, He has revealed much through His Word. [20:16] Do you think about the supernatural act
[20:19] of communing with God through the written Word? [20:22] This is something that is completely magnificent. [20:26] That God has revealed who He is [20:28] and we can actually get to know Him. [20:31] But in doing that, we do not grow deeper [20:36] simply for the sake of us.
[20:40] No, that’s not the vision. [20:42] When you look at the outcome of it all, [20:43] it’s a multitude that no one can number. [20:46] So the vision does not stop with you. [20:48] The vision must be that I’m going deep [20:50] so that I can know the God who has always worked
[20:54] to redeem for Himself a people of His own possession. [20:57] Has that not been the theme of the entire Bible? [21:00] And you say, well, I see it in the New Testament. [21:02] I see, you know, we go make disciples. [21:03] But then there was all these years in the Old Testament. [21:05] He was doing the exact same thing.
[21:08] I mean, you look at the book of Genesis. [21:09] What does He have to do from Genesis through Malachi? [21:11] He continuously redeems for Himself a people [21:15] for His own possession so that they will worship Him, [21:19] so that they will know Him to show His magnificence [21:21] throughout the entire world.
[21:22] It’s just that those people failed. [21:25] And so what does God do? [21:27] God says, well, I’ve got two options. [21:30] A, I kill you all. [21:31] B, I come down there and meet all the standards myself. [21:35] Thank God He chose B.
[21:37] And so God comes down Himself, meets every standard, [21:42] fills every moment that needs to be filled, [21:44] and then He substitutionarily gives His life over, [21:49] dies for our sins, raises from the dead, [21:51] and says, now I’ve met it all. [21:53] Now I’m gonna redeem for myself a people by my work
[21:57] who need to obey me, but when they disobey me, [22:00] guess what? [22:00] Good news. [22:01] I’ve already obeyed myself enough [22:02] so you get forgiven all over again in every moment. [22:05] And so you look at the end and you’re like,
[22:07] I kinda get why they’re saying salvation belongs [22:09] to our God and to the lamb [22:11] because that is what our hope is in. [22:14] That’s a God worth worshiping. [22:16] But that has been His work all throughout history. [22:20] That has been what He’s been seeking to do
[22:22] throughout the entire narrative of Scripture. [22:25] The record is clear. [22:26] He is a redeeming God who’s seeking [22:30] to make a people for Himself, [22:33] and He is not satisfied with just one part of the world. [22:37] He wants all of it.
[22:39] And so that’s why you have this multi-ethnic vision. [22:42] I mean, it’s people from all nations. [22:44] I mean, it’s very clear. [22:45] All tongues, all tribes, a multitude of them. [22:49] And so John, by the grace of God, [22:52] is looking at the kingdom and he’s saying,
[22:55] they all are different looking with one commonality. [23:00] A trust in the God who saves through Jesus Christ. [23:07] And so God’s vision has always, always, always been. [23:13] Redemption. [23:14] We need to multiply our faith [23:16] and we need to multiply our numbers in other people.
[23:21] Vision is about desiring for something to come to fruition. [23:28] So the question is, is what do you desire [23:31] the most in this world? [23:33] What is your vision? [23:35] Do you actually desire for God’s vision in Revelation 7 [23:40] to come to fruition,
[23:41] or do you have competing visions that water that one down? [23:47] Do you have competing hopes? [23:50] Do you have competing desires and passions in your life [23:52] that conflict with God’s vision for this world? [23:57] Because make no mistake, number two this morning, [23:59] mission and community form a culture of multiplication.
[24:04] Mission and community form a culture of multiplication. [24:08] Without mission, community fails. [24:11] And without community, mission fails. [24:15] They depend on one another. [24:17] And the story of the scripture, in every moment, [24:19] when you form a community without the mission of God,
[24:23] what do you get? [24:24] You get a sinful community. [24:26] You get a community that gets stagnant. [24:28] You get a community that’s nothing more than a social club. [24:31] You get entire nations that are opposed to God that way. [24:35] And without community, you have a mission
[24:37] that’s going nowhere. [24:39] You might have a great thought, [24:40] you might have a great theory, [24:41] you might have to say, you know what, [24:43] this thing about Jesus and making disciples [24:44] is the most wonderful thing in the world.
[24:46] I hope someone gets behind that. [24:49] Well, guess what? [24:50] That’s gonna leave you all alone [24:52] because mission forms community. [24:55] And so you must have a community that is formed [24:58] but also a community that is driven
[25:00] by the mission of Jesus. [25:02] And when you have those things, guess what? [25:05] You have multiplication. [25:07] Because the mission forms the community, [25:09] which is your faith multiplied in others, [25:11] but then also that community will be driven
[25:14] by the mission to say, how can we continue [25:17] to multiply our lives and the lives of other people? [25:20] And so how do we get a vision of this for the church? [25:23] Well, in 1 Corinthians, Paul is dealing [25:25] with a church that is struggling. [25:28] First off, they’re struggling with crazy sins,
[25:31] sins that you’re like, man, they’re giving a bad name [25:33] to Jesus and even the pagans in that culture [25:36] were saying that. [25:37] But then also they were struggling with leadership. [25:40] So they have these two seemingly opposite problems [25:43] going on in the church at Corinth at the exact same time.
[25:45] And Paul begins to root down and say, [25:49] what are these issues actually rooted in? [25:52] And one of the things that he signifies in the book [25:55] is that the problem with sin and the problem of leadership [25:58] are both problems of mission. [26:01] Note what he says in 1 Corinthians 9.
[26:03] He says, for though I am free from all, [26:05] I have made myself a servant of all [26:07] that I might win more of them. [26:08] To the Jews, I became as a Jew in order to win Jews. [26:11] To those under the law, I became as one under the law, [26:13] although not myself, being under the law,
[26:16] that I might win those under the law. [26:18] To those outside the law, I became as one outside the law, [26:21] not being outside the law of God, [26:23] but under the law of Christ, [26:24] that I might win those outside the law. [26:27] To the weak, I became weak, that I might win the weak.
[26:29] I have become all things to all people [26:31] that by all means I might win some of them. [26:35] I do it for the sake of the gospel, [26:37] that I may share with them in its blessings. [26:41] Paul is saying, do you want to work repentance [26:44] for sin into your life?
[26:46] Do you want to have leaders rise up [26:49] that can lead your church? [26:51] Then live as I live. [26:54] I live the mission of Jesus. [26:57] To those who are under the law of the Old Testament, [27:02] I go beside them, and I don’t try to shock them
[27:05] with how free I am to eat spare ribs, [27:07] but instead, that’s an Old Testament joke, [27:09] but what I do is I submit to that, [27:13] and I speak to them of the freedom in Christ [27:15] the most strategic way possible. [27:17] To those who don’t even know about the law of God,
[27:20] I don’t go up in front of them [27:21] and say this pig roasted in his abomination. [27:23] No, what I do is I go with them, [27:25] and I eat the spare ribs, because they’re good, number one. [27:28] And number two, in strategic ways, [27:30] I’m able just to point them to Christ
[27:32] and show them their sin in other ways. [27:34] And to those who are weak and are struggling, [27:36] guess what, I don’t go in front of them and say, [27:38] yeah, I’m the strongest man possible. [27:40] No, I go in front of them, I mourn with those who mourn, [27:42] I struggle alongside those who are struggling
[27:44] so that I can win more people to faith in Jesus [27:50] so that I can share in the gospel with you.
[27:55] Paul is saying the life that God has brought us into [27:58] is not one where we just navel gaze [28:01] and wonder why we can’t grow [28:03] and wonder why things aren’t going the way [28:05] that we want them to go [28:06] and wonder why we can’t become what we want to become.
[28:09] No, the life of following Jesus is one in which [28:12] we form a real life goal of saying, [28:17] if I am leading people to Christ, I am repenting of sin.
[28:25] Growth in Christ necessitates a life of mission [28:33] with a vision of multiplication. [28:36] Paul continuously in this passage takes inventory [28:40] of how he can reach more people with the gospel. [28:45] So the question that comes out of that is how will [28:48] what we are doing as a church reach more people
[28:53] with the gospel of Jesus Christ? [28:56] Because if you do not have this, [28:58] then you do not have a vision for multiplication. [29:02] We must always be taking inventory in everything [29:06] that we seek to do. [29:09] For make no mistake, obstacles to mission
[29:11] are obstacles to healthy community [29:14] in the church of Jesus Christ. [29:16] And that’s what Paul is telling the church [29:18] at Corinth in that passage. [29:20] Here’s what Francis Chan has to say about the issue. [29:22] He says, the church is a group of redeemed people
[29:25] that live and serve together in such a way [29:28] that their lives and communities are transformed. [29:33] He continues. [29:34] He says biblically, a church that fails to look [29:38] at the world around it is no church at all. [29:43] You see friends, God plans for redemption
[29:46] are incomplete if we become self-absorbed [29:50] and do not focus on multiplication. [29:54] Must continuously put at the forefront of our view [29:59] the vision that God tells us [30:01] of where he is taking this world. [30:04] Because when the community of God,
[30:07] when the local church lives on mission together, [30:11] there will be multiplication. [30:14] Paul wrote to a different church, [30:15] the church at Ephesus in Ephesians four. [30:18] And he says, and God gave the apostles, the prophets, [30:21] the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers.
[30:23] Why? [30:24] To equip the saints for the work of ministry, [30:28] for building up the body of Christ. [30:31] See so often many people in our day [30:33] and many people within the church think to themselves, [30:36] well, the pastors, those who are on staff,
[30:39] those who are leaders of the church, [30:41] they’re the ones out there on mission, [30:43] they’re the ones reaching the world for Jesus Christ [30:45] and we’re their cheerleaders. [30:47] I mean, we show up on Sundays [30:48] and make them feel good about ourselves, don’t we?
[30:50] You know, that kind of notion where it’s like, [30:52] they’re the ones on mission, [30:54] we’re the back support on that to make them feel good. [30:56] No, that is not the vision that Paul gives [30:58] in this passage at all, is it? [31:00] It says that God gave apostles, God gave prophets,
[31:02] God gave evangelists, God gave teachers. [31:04] Why? [31:05] To equip you for the work of ministry. [31:10] You say, well, that doesn’t make any sense. [31:12] Isn’t that what pastors are supposed to do? [31:14] That’s my life, I’m supposed to use my life for it,
[31:17] but the big calling in my life is to equip you [31:21] to live God’s vision for what mission is going to produce [31:25] and it’s a brilliant one. [31:27] It’s a better one. [31:29] Because I was getting a haircut one time [31:33] and it was the week before Easter
[31:38] and the lady was asking what my Easter plans were [31:40] and that’s a pretty softball for a guy like me [31:43] because I can’t go on vacation at Easter, they won’t let me. [31:47] I was like, well, I’m gonna go to church. [31:51] She was like, oh, really? [31:52] Man, that’s pretty cool, where do you go?
[31:53] And you know, of course, you know, [31:55] that’s kind of another softball. [31:56] Well, I’m one of the pastors over at Village Church.
[32:02] Hey, have you seen that new Batman movie?
[32:07] It was like, man, I was like, wow, [32:09] I really killed that conversation [32:11] with the quickness on that day. [32:14] And man, sometimes it opens doors, [32:17] sometimes, wow, everyone leaves [32:20] and it’s like, we do not want this guy preaching to us
[32:23] and so in God’s brilliant strategy, [32:25] he wasn’t unaware that that was going to happen in the world. [32:30] God was fully aware of the direction [32:32] that the world would end up at at this point. [32:34] And so what God does is, is he gives the pastors [32:37] and he says, pastors, you are to equip
[32:40] the people of your church because look at all [32:42] of the diverse careers that we have in this church. [32:45] Look at all of the different schools that some of you go to. [32:48] Look at the different places that some of you teach. [32:50] Look at the different construction sites [32:51] that some of you work at.
[32:52] Look at the different offices [32:53] that some of you do business and law and medicine [32:57] and all of the different things that we do here as a church. [33:01] When you are equipped for the work of ministry, [33:04] what it does is, is it opens more doorways [33:08] to gospel centered conversations
[33:10] than if you were just depending on me [33:12] to reach 400,000 people in the community around us. [33:17] But the only way that you are going to embrace that [33:23] rather than become completely intimidated by that [33:27] is if you continue to endure with the vision [33:32] of where God is taking this world.
[33:37] Because make no mistake, without a vision for multiplication, [33:40] there will constantly be obstacles to your own discipleship [33:46] because you cannot grow without this. [33:49] A key issue that is holding many people back [33:52] from real growth is that you are seeking to find growth [33:55] in places that mission must be the driving force behind,
[34:00] but you’re trying to take a shortcut without mission. [34:04] Understand, without mission, [34:05] the Bible is irrelevant to your life. [34:08] Without mission, prayer is powerless and self-absorbed. [34:11] Without mission, the church becomes inward focused [34:14] and stagnant.
[34:16] Without mission, you might have a social club, [34:18] but you won’t have a true community. [34:22] Without mission, you cannot follow Jesus. [34:27] Therefore, everything you throw your life into for growth [34:31] will not have true faith behind it [34:35] apart from a mission with the vision for multiplication
[34:40] that God promises to work through that mission. [34:45] See, thirdly, this morning, God is worshiped [34:48] as redemption is multiplied. [34:51] God is worshiped as redemption is multiplied. [34:56] Pretty soon, when you get passionate, [34:58] have you ever had moments where it’s like
[35:00] God has really whelmed you with the vision for the gospel? [35:03] You’re passionate and you’re like, [35:05] I’m going to reach people with the gospel. [35:07] I’m gonna start that yearly Bible reading plan. [35:10] I’m gonna do this, that, or the other thing. [35:12] And then a week, two weeks, three hours,
[35:15] whatever it is later, you get discouraged [35:17] and you’re like, well, I guess I can’t do it. [35:19] Well, I guess God doesn’t want to use me. [35:22] I guess he can’t. [35:24] That happens to everyone. [35:25] And if you’re the person in here like, not me,
[35:27] I’m always encouraged with the gospel. [35:29] Whatever, you are a liar.
[35:32] Or you’re mentally unbalanced. [35:35] But the reality is that there are often times [35:39] in our lives where we struggle to maintain [35:43] a desire and a passion for the mission of Jesus, [35:48] much less the community of Jesus. [35:51] I’m not even gonna go to how discouraging
[35:53] that can be at times. [35:55] But the reality is, is that when you are going through [35:59] the seasons of life where that passion begins to become [36:04] like a dry creek bed, where it feels like [36:07] you’re in the Sahara Desert and you’d do anything [36:10] for a water bottle where your relationship
[36:12] with Jesus Christ is concerned, [36:15] without a vision of the promises of God [36:19] and where he is taking this world, [36:22] you will not endure. [36:24] You will quit. [36:25] Therefore, you are desperate for the hard seasons
[36:30] of life that come, for the discouraging seasons [36:33] of life that come. [36:34] When you get the news that you didn’t want to get, [36:36] or you hear the story that you didn’t want to hear, [36:40] where you receive the bad news that you’re going [36:42] to receive, or simply when you just wake up
[36:45] and you don’t know what’s wrong, [36:46] but you just aren’t having it that day. [36:49] In those moments, what is going to endure you? [36:54] Because too often, what we do in our lives is, [36:57] is we hope that there is enough emotional excitement left [37:02] for us to continue to endure.
[37:04] You cannot trust your emotions to do that for you. [37:09] Your emotions can’t be trusted, [37:10] so therefore, you need objective fact. [37:14] I know that is not that popular these days, [37:17] but you are desperate for objective fact [37:21] to be in front of your face,
[37:23] and that is what God offers us in his word. [37:26] That is how you battle discouragement in your life. [37:29] That is how you battle the seasons, [37:32] and it’s not just days. [37:34] It’s not always just a week. [37:36] There are sometimes entire seasons
[37:39] where you’re not gonna feel it. [37:42] It’s like, I don’t know what’s going on [37:43] in everybody else’s life, [37:44] and they’re so excited about this, [37:45] but I am just not feeling it. [37:48] No amount of emotionalism is going to help you.
[37:52] It’s just not. [37:54] What is going to aid you is having a rock-solid foundation [37:59] of objective fact in front of you, [38:01] and that’s why I constantly say [38:03] the word of God is so important. [38:06] And this is a supernatural, objective reality
[38:10] for us to constantly keep in our face, [38:12] because in the moments of my life, [38:14] when I get discouraged about mission, [38:16] when I get discouraged about community, [38:18] when I struggle to have hope, [38:21] what I have to do is I say, wait a second.
[38:23] There is coming a day.
[38:28] Every nation, every tribe, every tongue, [38:32] every people group in front of the throne of God,
[38:36] worshiping, saying salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb.
[38:42] And in that moment, I’m not trying to say to myself, [38:45] hey, perk up, buddy, that’s coming. [38:47] No, what I’m trying to say is, hey, believe that. [38:51] Trust that. [38:53] Have faith in that. [38:54] And it doesn’t cure my bad mood,
[38:57] but what it does is it says, [38:59] there is coming a day where this will happen. [39:01] Therefore, I can endure. [39:05] And you need that. [39:07] But the reality that you need is the understanding [39:09] that that will worship God
[39:14] because you are taking him at his word. [39:17] You are trusting that he is telling the truth. [39:20] You see, friends, because when we do that, [39:23] we found our lives and we root ourselves [39:26] in the nourishing reality of what the gospel is [39:30] and has always been about,
[39:32] because the gospel of Jesus Christ has always been about multiplication.
[39:37] You see, the end vision of the great multitude [39:41] is what God has always been working. [39:44] It’s what God has always been taking this world towards. [39:47] We need to seek to put the gospel into the core of who we are [39:53] and believe that the outcome of multiplication [39:56] is something that is worth investing my life in.
[40:01] And what I believe, and I want to summarize the New Testament [40:04] in just five minutes here. [40:05] So good luck, right? [40:07] Is there are three things that not just the New Testament, [40:10] but the entire Bible show us that our life must be about [40:13] where multiplication is concerned
[40:15] and that we need to have a healthy vision for. [40:18] First, to follow Jesus, [40:19] you need to have a healthy vision of being multiplied individually. [40:23] You need to have a healthy vision of being multiplied individually. [40:26] And that’s what I’m talking about. [40:27] Just you in your life.
[40:29] You are personally at a specific place [40:33] and a specific time surrounded by a specific group of people. [40:37] That’s what’s going on in your life.
[40:41] No matter what realm you work in, [40:43] no matter what type of job that you have [40:45] or what kind of school that you go to, [40:47] what kind of household that you happen to be managing at this time, [40:51] that you are at that time. [40:53] And more than that, from the foundations of the earth,
[40:55] God knew where you were going to be. [40:58] And he has you right there for the specific purpose of multiplication. [41:02] If that weren’t true, the word of God wouldn’t say what the word of God says. [41:06] It wouldn’t have on the call for every single Christian, [41:09] no matter what you are, no matter where you’re going to go make disciples. [41:15] And so you need to gather a healthy vision
[41:18] of being multiplied individually because you ask yourself, [41:21] if you believed that you were seeking to multiply individually [41:24] and all the people in your life, would your conversations be any different?
[41:29] Would your prayers be affected? [41:32] Would you actually pray for the people that you’re surrounded by every day? [41:37] Would you actually engage people to try to form relationships with them? [41:42] You see, friend, you need a vision of multiplying individually [41:45] because the outcome is going to be Revelation 7. [41:48] But secondly, when you multiply individually, it leads to something.
[41:51] It leads to relationships. [41:53] It leads to discipleship. [41:54] So you need to form a vision of multiplying in groups. [41:58] See, in a village church, that’s very important to us. [42:00] So we actually form environments where we enter into an atmosphere of group. [42:07] That’s village groups.
[42:08] That’s discipleship groups. [42:09] And so one of the things that we’re committed to here as a church [42:12] is that all of our groups have a vision for multiplying into another group. [42:17] Now, it’s my prayer every season that we start groups [42:21] that each of those groups would multiply into a second group, [42:24] that one group would become two groups.
[42:26] Now, that doesn’t happen with every group in every season, [42:28] and that’s fine so long as we keep the vision. [42:32] But, man, our groups have multiplied. [42:35] And so I pray that one group becomes two groups. [42:38] And I pray that two groups becomes four groups. [42:39] Four groups become eight groups.
[42:41] And if we have that vision of multiplication, we won’t get complacent. [42:46] We won’t get apathetic. [42:48] We will be seeking to invite people to our groups. [42:51] We will be seeking to get our neighbors into our groups. [42:54] And we will be seeking to multiply. [42:56] But when groups multiply, you go to the third level.
[42:59] That we need to have as a church a vision of multiplying churches. [43:04] When multiplication is in view, individuals form groups, [43:08] groups form churches, and then churches multiply. [43:12] We desire to grow our faith so that collectively [43:18] we seek to hope to start new churches. [43:21] And we must do that.
[43:23] We must desire it. [43:25] We must put our efforts around forming a community of believers here [43:29] that want the gospel to grow deep and wide. [43:35] We don’t want to just grow deep so that we can drink [43:38] the refreshing water that comes from having a deep faith. [43:41] Instead, we want to be able to drink it and take it to other people
[43:45] who are desperate for it to happen. [43:47] And when that happens, it must grow to the point where we are [43:50] strategizing as to how we can raise up leaders and go and plant more churches. [43:56] You may be thinking, oh, my goodness, Steve, does that mean [43:59] you’re going to leave us and plant a church? [44:01] No, that’s not what it means.
[44:02] It means you might.
[44:05] That’s what I’m saying. [44:05] You may raise up and you may be sent out for the good kind of sent out [44:11] rather than why I hate the chairs here, so I’m going to leave. [44:13] No, you’re actually leaving and being sent out so that you can start [44:17] a new church somewhere so that we can begin to reach new, more people [44:24] with the gospel of Jesus.
[44:28] That is what it means to worship Jesus and live his mission. [44:33] We have a revelation seven vision for village church, a church that multiplies [44:43] because that’s what Jesus is taking this world towards. [44:46] Now, in Acts 18, I think the apostle Paul reached a moment where he was a lot like us. [44:54] Where he got scared, he was afraid. [44:56] I mean, once you get to Acts 18, Paul has been beaten.
[44:59] Paul has been left for dead. [45:00] Paul’s been kicked out of cities for preaching the gospel, then walked back in, [45:04] tried to preach it again, got kicked out again. [45:07] I mean, Paul had been through some tough times, even shipwrecks along the way. [45:12] And by Acts chapter 18, I have no doubt that Paul was dealing with some discouragement. [45:18] And so he’d left one city, gone into another one, gone to the synagogue,
[45:22] as was his custom, told the synagogue leader about the gospel. [45:26] The synagogue leader comes to faith in Jesus, and then he sees the harder task [45:30] where he’s going to seek to reach the rest of the city. [45:34] And in that moment, Paul’s afraid. [45:37] The Holy Spirit comes to the apostle Paul in a vision at night, and here’s what happens. [45:42] It says, the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, do not be afraid.
[45:46] That’s where I get the notion that Paul was afraid. [45:50] Because usually when God comes to you and says, don’t be afraid, [45:53] it’s not because God’s guessing. [45:55] Because if he was, then Paul would be like, um, what are you talking about? [45:58] I’m not afraid. [46:00] Paul was afraid.
[46:02] And the Lord says, go on speaking. [46:04] Do not be silent, for I am with you. [46:07] No one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people. [46:15] That’s a wonderful promise of God that was specifically for Paul at that time. [46:18] But I really believe that we can take out of it, meaning for ourselves as well. [46:24] Because here’s what you need to understand.
[46:26] Paul had not, and we don’t really have any knowledge that anyone yet [46:31] had been to the city of Corinth to preach the gospel.
[46:36] And yet here’s God coming to the apostle Paul in fear of harm coming his way. [46:43] And God says, Paul, don’t be afraid. [46:46] There are people in that city who belong to me. [46:49] They just don’t know it yet. [46:52] And you’re going to be the one that tells them. [46:55] You’re going to be the one that I use to draw them into relationship with me.
[47:00] And the text ends and tells us that Paul spent nearly the next two years [47:04] preaching the gospel with great success in the city of Corinth.
[47:09] Here’s the vision that I want you to get from that.
[47:13] God is working in your life. [47:17] God is working in the lives of the people around you. [47:21] You may not see it. [47:22] You may not know it. [47:24] But I truly believe that there are people in your life that belong to God [47:34] where redemption is concerned and they just don’t know it yet.
[47:40] And God wants you to have the privilege of being used by him [47:47] to draw them to faith in Jesus Christ. [47:50] You see, friends, we must trust that God wants to work. [47:53] And that is why we need to get to work. [47:58] We must be about multiplication because God is worshiped when redemption [48:03] multiplies in our lives for the sake of other people’s lives.
[48:11] Because Jesus has saved you. [48:14] He wants to save more people. [48:16] And Jesus will return. [48:19] As the band comes up,
[48:22] what I want you to understand this morning, if you are sitting here and you’re like, [48:29] I really like the vision that you’re giving me for where the world is headed. [48:33] I don’t have any of that in my life. [48:36] I’ve never trusted in Jesus. [48:37] I’m questioning whether I really have trusted Jesus. [48:41] But I want to be able to have that vision for myself of where the world is headed.
[48:46] That’s you this morning. [48:47] I want you to know that you can be a part of that great multitude that can’t be counted. [48:54] You can be a part of redemption. [48:57] And that God does want to save you. [49:00] I believe that’s why he brought you here. [49:03] And so if that’s you, if you’re in here this morning, you’re like,
[49:05] I don’t know that I know Jesus. [49:08] There are people in the foyer that would love to talk to you. [49:10] Answer any questions that you might have about the gospel. [49:13] Maybe just pray for you as you continue to look for these answers to the questions that you have. [49:20] My prayer is maybe that you’ll root down here and you’ll continue to receive [49:24] some witness about who Jesus is from us.
[49:27] But in just a few minutes when we take communion, [49:29] I’m going to ask you to actually step outside and talk to someone about the questions that you might have. [49:34] But if you’re in here this morning and you are a believer, [49:37] you say, I’m going to be there that day. [49:39] I know that I’m saved. [49:40] I know that God’s going to be right in front of my face.
[49:44] And I want to be saying out salvation belongs to our God and to the lamb. [49:48] Praise God. [49:50] That’s the vision for life and the future that you need to embrace. [49:56] You need to cling to. [49:58] You need to grab ahold of and say, yes, that is the vision. [50:03] I will believe it.
[50:05] I will hold it. [50:06] I will endure because of it. [50:09] What I’m going to call you to right now is the way that God has told us to respond to his word [50:14] in light of the resurrection. [50:15] So communion. [50:16] Every week we eat the bread and drink the cup of the tables all around this room
[50:21] in the front and the back. [50:23] The bread representing the broken body of Jesus, [50:25] the cup representing his shed blood. [50:27] And what it represents is the life of Jesus entering our life. [50:31] When we eat and drink, we’re professing to everyone around us, [50:35] I believe that Jesus died for my sins and that he’s risen again to give me new life.
[50:41] And once you’ve done that, I want you to go. [50:45] And I want you to live a life that multiplies faith in other people. [50:51] When you’re ready, come.