Go with God’s Power: Sent, Not Alone

Well, let's go to the Lord back in prayer today. This is our,

we're doing a short series called Scent.

And today we're talking about go with God's power, okay?

So let's pray. Lord Jesus, we thank you that you never send us alone,

that you go before us, that you go with us and you empower us, Lord, by your spirit.

You give us boldness where we're timid, faith when we're in doubt,

and courage when we feel weak.

And Lord, today, I pray that you would send us into the harvest field with your power and your love.

In Jesus' mighty name, we pray. Amen.

Last week, y'all, we discovered that Jesus calls ordinary people like you and me, right?

Now, some people may not call me ordinary, but I am ordinary,

right? To carry out his extraordinary mission. I'll get it out in a minute.

He calls ordinary people to carry out his extraordinary mission.

And we talked about this, how he doesn't wait for us to get our act together before he calls us.

He calls us as we are and then sends us out to be his representatives in the world.

You see, he's the one that changes us from the inside out. Amen.

Thankfully, we don't have to do it. But if we're honest, many of us may have

left last week thinking something along these lines.

I don't know. Okay. But what if I'm not ready?

What if I don't have what it takes? Have y'all ever asked those kinds of questions

about going, about following the great commission?

What if I, what if I try to step out in faith and totally blow it?

Or maybe you tried this past week to engage other people, to live that called

and commissioned life that we preached about last week.

And you're left thinking, well, that didn't go very well this week. Okay.

Well, y'all know what? I think we're in good company because I think the disciples

probably felt the same way.

Imagine being there when Jesus said these words that Sharon read earlier in Luke 10, verse three.

I'm sending you out like lambs among wolves.

Did you hear it? That's not exactly a confidence boost, is it?

And yet Jesus sends them anyway. You know why?

Because he knows something they don't know yet. but he's not sending them alone.

He's not sending them alone. And that means, and this week, this is what we're

all about this week. We're talking about this.

Jesus doesn't just commission us. He actually empowers us. He doesn't just give

us a mission. He gives us his authority.

He doesn't just tell us to go church. He promises to go with us.

And in Luke 10, we see Jesus send out 72 followers, ordinary men and women into

villages to proclaim the kingdom of God, right?

And when they return, they're full of joy, if you remember, amazed at what God did through them.

That same power, that same spirit, he's would, and that same authority is available to you today.

If you're in Christ, it's available to you. So here's the big question for today

as we look at this opening.

What would change in your life if you truly believe that the power of God goes

with you wherever you go? Think about this question.

I'm going to highlight a few verses that Sharon read earlier,

Luke 10, 1 through 4 to start with, and then verses 8 and 9,

and then verses 17 through 20.

It says, after this, the Lord appointed 72 others and sent them two by two ahead

of him to every town and place where he was about to go.

And he told them, listen to what he told them again, be reminded of this,

the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are what?

Few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

Go, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

Then we skip down to verses 8 and 9. When you enter a town and are welcome to

eat what is offered to you, heal the sick who are there and tell them,

the kingdom of God has come near you.

And then 17 through 20, it's just like the 72 returned with joy and said,

Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.

And he replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

I have given you authority.

Nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits are submit to you,

but rejoice that your names are what

written in heaven and that

leads us to number one today point number one is the mission church

is urgent it's urgent look at matthew 9 37 you may have thought of this verse

already the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few you see as we see this

first point here when jesus looked at the crowds he didn't just see people he saw souls.

He saw, listen to this, he saw their brokenness, their searching hearts that

they had, their longing for hope. And his response, y'all, was not just casual

observation, was it? What was his response?

It was compassion mixed with urgency.

Don't miss this today, y'all. When he saw their brokenness, he saw their searching

hearts, their longing hearts, all that, he had compassion mixed with urgency.

Do you get that today? John 4, 35 tells us, open your eyes and look at the fields,

for they are ripe for harvest.

I remember when we first came to Eastwood Baptist Church, they told us,

the search committee here, that this church wanted to grow, and they wanted

to reach people for Jesus Christ.

But you know what the word says? It says the harvest is there.

The problem isn't that the world isn't ready.

Because he's saying here, don't wait. Don't assume there's more time.

The moment is now. And that's for us too today, Eastwood. Don't wait.

The moment is now. It's urgent. There are people who are dying every day going to hell.

Again, the problem isn't that the world isn't ready as we see in this next point.

The problem is that too few are willing to go.

I hope y'all don't mind if I do a little toe crunching this morning.

Is that okay? I always start with mine.

We had outreach month in October. or God was gracious to let us touch over about 60 homes.

Do you know how many people we had go during that outreach?

Zero, except for the Harbison family. That was it.

Now, I'm not here to point fingers. I'm just here to say that the harvest is plentiful.

The mission is urgent, church. You said you want to reach this community for Jesus.

Jesus is saying, go and go with power.

Go with urgency.

I don't care when you go. You just go.

Yeah, I know there's some people who are going probably on the side,

visiting people. Hallelujah.

But let me just tell you, if we don't have this mission is urgent in our heart,

we're not going to see God moving the way he wants to at Eastwood.

You said you want to go and you want to see people's lives changed. It's time to go.

Somebody told me this years ago. I know it sounds crazy. The first two letters

in the word God spells, the first three letters in the word Satan spells?

Not a lot of deep theology there. I get it. But I can say this,

there's some truth there.

We can say how much we want God to move in our midst, but when we keep our pews

warm and we never get out of the comfort zone and we never step out in faith

and go out like Jesus challenged these ordinary men and women to do, y'all.

He said, yeah, you're going out like lambs among wolves, but I'm with you.

I've given you all authority because get it, Eastwood, people are longing for

hope, searching for meaning.

They're waiting for somebody to point them to Jesus.

And let me just clear the air. You don't hire a pastor to go win your community to Jesus.

That's nowhere in the word of God, nowhere. In fact, the job of a pastor,

according to scripture, is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.

So when the pastor's going out doing this as well, yes, he should.

That should be part of his everyday life.

But that's not his primary focus as the pastor. It's to equip you to do the work of the ministry.

And when you're not doing the work of the ministry, that means you're taking

your pastor's attention and focus away from the real calling he's placed on

his life. I'm just being honest with you.

Paul reinforces this in Romans 10, 14. How can they believe in the one whom they have not heard?

The mission is urgent and it's personal.

How have you really believed people are dying every day, over 150,000 a day

that are dying without Jesus?

Many of them, most of them.

Look around you this week. Maybe a family member who's struggling that you know

has never put their faith and trust in Jesus.

Is the mission urgent for you? Do you realize your family member could die tonight?

How urgent is you? To you, is it, are you playing games?

Are you playing games thinking I've got tomorrow?

My kid don't know Jesus. If he died today, he would burn in hell forever. are you playing games?

Are we busy about God's work? Are we sharing the gospel,

starting with our own families, to a co-worker who may be wrestling with questions,

a neighbor who maybe feels invisible, or a classmate, for those of you in school,

that carries more than they can handle?

Because you see, as we see in this last point here, the harvest isn't just out there somewhere.

You know where it is?

Right where God has placed you and me. And the call is the same for you today.

Step into it with courage and faith.

Step into it with courage and faith. Let me tell y'all today,

church is not a country club.

It's not some kind of social club. If that's all your church is,

I hope the doors are locked.

I hope nobody ever sets foot in here again, if that's all you are.

But that is not what you are according to Jesus Christ.

You are the body of Christ on this earth to reach this community for Jesus.

And when we see the urgency, church, it changes everything.

You know what it does? We stop waiting

for the perfect moment or the right conditions, and we start trusting.

God can use us right now exactly where we are for his kingdom purposes.

That's it. That leads us to point number two.

The mission is dangerous. You see it on this next slide.

It's dangerous. We saw that earlier. I'm sending you out like lambs among wolves.

Luke 10 verse 3.

Luke 10:3

Jesus doesn't sugarcoat it, does he? I'm not going to either.

Following him isn't safe.

It's not a comfortable path. Jesus

said in this world, you will have tribulations. You will have problems.

You will have trials. But what?

Be of good cheer because I have overcome the world.

You see, as we see in this first point here, being his witness,

living on mission means there will be challenges, resistance, and even opposition.

I want you to know something. I told somebody the other week,

if I'm not on Satan's hit list, I'm irrelevant.

There's going to be challenges when you step up and you try to live out God's

mission in your life and you try to lead others to do the same.

There's going to be challenges you face. There's going to be a lot of resistance

and there's going to be a lot of opposition.

If your Christian life is comfortable, you ain't living it right.

The world doesn't always welcome the message of the kingdom.

There'll be moments when you feel vulnerable, unprepared, and honestly scared.

But here's the good news again. Look on the screen.

While the mission is dangerous, the authority is divine.

It comes from heaven above, amen? In the power of the Holy Ghost,

Acts 1.8 reminds us, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.

And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

You see, the Spirit doesn't just show up to comfort us. Oh, you're doing a good job, right?

I mean, yeah, he is a but he doesn't just show up for that.

He empowers us, get this, to act boldly, to speak truth with courage,

and to trust God's plan in the face of opposition.

Let me just tell you, you speak truth with courage, everybody's not going to like you.

You're going to have people who hate you.

Anyone that dares to speak the word of God will be hated. Paul actually puts

it another way, 2 Corinthians 12, 9, he says, My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Are your knees trembling when you think about sharing the gospel with somebody?

When you speak about telling them the truth that God has for their life?

Do your knees knock a little bit? Do you shake a little bit?

That's good news because that's when his power is made perfect.

That's when his power is made perfect. When you got those knocking knees,

that's when Jesus uses you.

That's the secret. Courage, as we see on the slide here.

Courage and mission doesn't come from self-confidence or your own strength,

does it? What does it come from? It comes from God confidence.

Man, when you go out, you know Christ is going with you through the power of

the Spirit, and you have God confidence, not in your ability.

Remember, we're shaking like a leaf, right?

We're thinking, man, I hope I don't forget that. I hope I don't forget this.

But when we have God confidence, we're trusting Him to recall to our mind everything

we need to speak and say and do.

We're saying, God, I'm stepping out in faith.

God, I know it's you that goes with me. It's in your power. You may feel like a lamb, right?

Small, defenseless, but you're sent with authority of the shepherd.

Come on. You don't have to carry the weight alone.

Wherever God places you this week, whether it's a conversation with a coworker,

a moment to forgive somebody who may have hurt you,

or standing up for truth in a difficult situation, he has already equipped you.

So the danger isn't a signal to back down.

You're going to face uncomfortableness and dangers, right? Lambs among wolves.

That's not a signal to back down and retreat.

It's a signal to what? Lean into Jesus, step forward in faith and trust his

power to work through you.

Y'all, when God shows up, man, you know it, right?

You're saying, man, there's no way. I don't even know what just came out of

my mouth, right? It's God. It's a God thing.

The mission may feel risky, but the one who sends you is stronger than anyone

you will ever or anything you'll ever face.

Wow. Number three, the mission is empowered.

Man, when the 72 returned from their mission, they were astonished,

remember? They said, even the demons submit to us in your name.

You notice that key right there, right?

In your name. The power was never theirs, right? It was God's power.

As we see on the slide here, their effectiveness wasn't rooted in skill,

strategy, or strength, was it?

It was rooted in Christ's presence and his authority.

And that reminds, Jesus reminds them, hey, don't get caught up in what you're

able to accomplish, but celebrate what God has already done.

What did he say in verse 20? Look at it. He said, rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

The ultimate joy comes not from power or success, but from being in the hands

of the one who is already victorious.

I'm just telling you, man, Paul puts it beautifully in Ephesians 3.20.

He says, now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,

according to his power that is at work within us.

Philippians 4.13, I know, y'all probably know this says that even more personally,

I can do all this or all things through him who gives me strength.

And that's talking about all the things he's asked us to do.

Not talking about lifting 500 pounds. Okay.

Here's the application. And we'll see it in this next point here.

When you step out in faith, when I step out in faith, you're not relying on your own power.

You are carrying what? Christ's presence, Christ's spirit, and Christ's authority.

Y'all, how could we not be bold in God confidence?

Wow, that's why we can be bold. That's why we can move forward when the mission is risky.

That's why you can show courage in places where the world expects fear,

love where it expects hostility, and hope where there's only despair out there.

Think about this week. the meetings you attend, those of you maybe that are

in school or still at work or whatever, the classrooms you sit in,

the conversations that feel uncomfortable, the relationships that need healing.

You and I don't go alone, do we? And we don't go powerless.

Christ goes with you and me. In his name and in his power, it's already at work

in you through you and me.

And as we bring this to a close today, What we're learning from Jesus in Luke

10, as we see in this last slide, first of all here, we see that the mission is urgent.

Remember, the harvest is ripe.

People are waiting for someone to bring hope. Will it be you?

Will it be you? If not you, then who?

The whole reason as a Christian you're here is to fulfill the Great Commission.

Come on, fulfill the great commission. Grow in Christ, but become more like

him every day. Fulfill that commission. The mission is urgent.

Don't wait for the perfect moment or for the conditions to feel just right.

The opportunity is right in front of you, and God has placed you there for a reason.

And by the way, earlier, I let you know that where are you going to go?

And let me just preface. I know y'all know this. There are some people who can't

go. They're physically limited. They can't go.

We got that, right? God gets that. But we have many people who can go who don't go. You hear me?

Many people who choose to sit on the sidelines because it's more comfortable.

But the mission is urgent. That comes back to us. It's urgent.

And if you don't think it's urgent why come back man you got something better

to do with your time don't come back but if you think it's urgent if you believe

god's word if you're a believer,

then why not obey it do you believe his word do you trust him in faith do you

believe it do you really believe it because the way to know what you really

believe is the way you live your life,

that's the biggest testimony when i walk out these doors when you walk out these

doors that's when the real worship service begins. That's 24-7, by the way.

When you walk out of here, your life, the way you live your life,

that tells the story of what you really believe.

It don't matter how many Bible verses you quote in Sunday school.

It don't matter how many services you really attend.

What matters is how you live your life. Do you live it in the power of the Spirit?

Are you all mission for Jesus?

If you're not, how can you even call yourself a Christian?

Because you're nowhere near Christ-like. I'm nowhere near Christ-like if I'm

not following in his steps. We sang a great hymn this morning, Footsteps of Jesus.

We're following in his steps, right?

Are we going as Jesus went? Are we following in his steps?

Or do we just come to church, sing songs, and say, hallelujah,

thank you, Jesus, let's eat and go home?

If that's all church is to you, you're wasting your time.

You're wasting your time. But I want you to know church is where we come together

to worship our king, right?

To worship our king, to grow in our faith, and to go on mission.

That's where we're equipped to go on mission.

And that leads us to this second, again, as we surmise. Again,

the mission is dangerous.

Following Jesus isn't always safe and comfortable. But here's the hope again.

He doesn't send us alone.

The authority of Christ and the power of the Spirit go with us.

Courage doesn't come from our own strength. It comes from God's confidence, amen?

And trusting this, church, that he equips us for every situation.

And this last one on the next slide, the third one, mission is empowered.

The mission is empowered.

Everything we do in his name flows from Christ's presence, his spirit, and authority.

Like the 72 in this passage, when we step out, here's the key,

in obedience, we can witness incredible fruit and return with joy.

We don't act in our own power, do we? We act as God's representatives carrying

his kingdom into the world.

This week, ask yourself this, where is God calling you to step out?

Y'all, maybe it's praying with someone rather than just offering to pray.

You ever thought about it? You talk to somebody, they're giving you a struggle,

and they say, oh, I'll pray for you. Why not pray for them?

Pray for them right then. Come on. Why not pray for them? Why not step out in faith?

Why not ask God for the miracle?

Maybe it's sharing a word of hope with a friend. Maybe it's serving somebody

sacrificially without expecting any recognition whatsoever.

And as you do it, remember, you go with his authority, his spirit, and his power.

That is, that's amazing, y'all. This coming week, add your calling and commission

to the empowerment you have in his spirit and see what might happen.

The challenge is go with power. Go with power.

See what adventures the Lord might take you on. Thank you.

You know, a lot of people are saying, I just, I wish I could see God move.

I wish I could see a mighty move of God.

And you know what the key is? For you to move, for you to go.

And when you go, you'll see the power of God.

That's when you see people saved. That's when you see people's lives transformed.

But when you sit and you just are stale and you don't obey church,

then you don't see the power. You don't see it, do you?

Step out, because here's the exciting part. Look, on this last line,

stepping out in obedience always leads us closer to the heart of Jesus. Wow.

Next week, we're going to see that being sent by him isn't just about action. It's about posture.

We'll discover that true influence flows from humility and love in action together.

And Jesus teaches us what it really means to be sent to serve. That's next week.

But step into this week, Eastwood, ready to go, ready to trust, and ready to act.

Not in your own power, but in his. Amen.

Let's pray. Father God, I pray this morning as we stand together,

Lord, as your spirit moves, Lord, I pray that we'll respond in obedience and

faith. In Jesus' mighty name, amen. Thank you.