Mission for Jesus — Sermon by Rev. Dr. Craig Stephans

let us

pray oh Father we ask for the fullness

of your Holy Spirit to grant us wisdom

and Revelation to know you better Lord

bless the preaching of the Gospel may be

applied to our hearts with power and

conviction may we be conformed to the

image of Christ to be Witnesses in this

world we ask in his name amen please be

seated

as we continue the series on the pillars

of our vision and today on Mission uh

the mission portion of our mission and

vision as a church is stated as the

mission of our church is extended from

the Thomas Square that's our

neighborhood that we're in to the city

of Savannah to the dasis and to the

world wherever God may call us and it

continues in our vision that we might

grow into a church for the Thomas Square

neighborhood and Beyond interacting with

engaging with and serving those in need

and as I reflected on the mission of our

church I thought about a couple episodes

in my own life of when I was called to

serve others and one was during my

summer after my junior year or sophomore

year in college I went to work at a

Christian sports camp in Missouri and

worked there two months to 28 day terms

and working with kids from really

Christian families around Texas Oklahoma

Missouri Kansas

and I needed God's help in that but it

was really you know I prayed a little

bit I had my devotionals the counselors

prayed with each other but it was really

fun I mean it was being a counselor for

kids 8 to 10 years old and then a little

bit more difficult with boys 12 to 13

years old but doing fun things playing

soccer playing sports playing in the

lake going camping fun things so I

thought well that was pretty easy I'm

pretty good at working with kids I think

I've got this and the the Mantra really

the the ethos of that camp was based on

the I'm third model God first other

second I'm third so when I graduated

from college and went to work at a home

for boys who had been abused and who had

psychological and emotional problems I

thought you know I worked at this Camp

I've got this and you know I'll just

love them I'll practice the I'm third

model and that was about a 30 minute

drive from our home in Charleston to

where the the home for the boys was and

there's about 14 boys there and after

about a day or two that 30 minute drive

I started praying that whole way God

help I would turn on well you know we

had had cassettes and so I'd listen to

one side of a cassette of worship music

and just pray and try to get filled with

the Holy Spirit and empowered to bear

with these boys for the next 12 hours or

24 hours depending and totally trying to

depend on God to love these boys but

realizing how many times I failed took

two steps backwards and the real killer

was when I had to work a weekend the

dreaded weekend from 7:00 a.m. Friday

morning to 7:00 a.m. Monday morning with

these kids and at night being the only

counselor with about 10 of them and one

of those weekend nights I'd put all of

them to bed except for one young boy

Anthony who would not go to sleep and he

kept getting up making noise and I'm

thinking great he's going to wake up

everyone I'm never going to get to sleep

myself and so after about the third or

fourth time when he got up started

making noise I was spent and I was just

going to drag him downstairs and just

make him sit in the corner whatever so

he would be quiet and as I got up to

really drag him

downstairs I felt a warmth like a bath

water flow from the top of my head to

the bottom of my feet except it was

consuming me like on the inside and the

outside and as that that warmth flowed

over me down my being

my attitude toward Anthony changed from

one of frustration and anger to love to

just complete love for this boy which

did not come for me and rather than take

him and grab him and drag him downstairs

I took him by the hand took him into the

hallway we sat we talked and I prayed

for him and after a little while after

he cried and wept he got back in his bed

and went to church and for at least a

while I was different because somebody

had prayed for him someone had shared

the love of God with him and it was only

by God's grace that I was able to do

that because it was a transformation

that occurred because God's love came

and filled me and I realized thinking

about mission that in order to do

Mission with the power and presence of

God for the kingdom of God we need the

love of God we need the presence of God

to come and consume us and to fill our

hearts that the love might flow to

others and I'm going to teach from the

gospel lesson today from Mark chap 10

beginning in verse 17 if you want to

turn there because I think this is

demonstrated in this gospel passage of

how we need the Lord's presence and we

need his love flowing through us not

only to transform us but also to

transform others so I want to read from

Mark 10:17 to verse 22

Mark 10:17

two and he was setting out on his

journey Jesus was a man ran up and knelt

before him and ask him good teacher what

must I do to inherit eternal life and

Jesus said to him why do you call me

good no one is good except God alone you

know the Commandments do not murder do

not commit adultery do not steal do not

bear false witness do not defraud honor

your father and mother and he said to

him teacher all these I've kept from my

youth and Jesus looking at him loved him

and said to him you lack one thing go

sell all that you have and give to the

poor and you will have treasure in

heaven and come follow me disheartened

by the saying he went away sorrowful for

he had great

possessions so often when I read this I

immediately start thinking selfishly

like oh is God calling me to give away

anything is God calling me to suffer at

all in order to follow him

and the man did ask the question what

must I do to inherit eternal life and he

he is thinking of himself and that's so

often how I approach this scripture too

thinking of myself and then immediately

thinking about the hard answer that

Jesus gives him this one thing you lack

and then he says go sell everything but

you know if he sold

everything now he just is still not in

the Kingdom of Heaven he still doesn't

doesn't have eternal life he just is no

longer Rich

selling Everything Is Not What gains him

eternal life what gains him eternal life

is Jesus the one thing he lacks to gain

eternal life is

Jesus Jesus is what we need to have

eternal life we need

Jesus when we have Jesus when we have

the love of Jesus

then we can do what Jesus asks us if it

is to sell everything and give it to the

poor we can do that if it is to go serve

the poor or share the gospel we can do

that because we have Jesus and he

transforms us with his presence we are

born again and new creation and as Paul

says in Romans 55 the love of God is

poured into our hearts by the Holy

Spirit Jesus is whom we need he is the

way the life and the truth or is it the

way the truth and the life yes either

way he is the one through whom or apart

from whom nobody can come to the father

apart from Jesus the one thing we lack

before we receive eternal life is Jesus

as we receive Jesus we receive his love

his transforming power and then we can

obey his Commandments we can do what he

asked us to do for the rich man those

rich hindered his relationship with

Jesus he went away from Jesus sad and

disheartened because he was attached to

his

riches but it wasn't his riches that

were preventing him from eternal life

although it made it hard it was Jesus

and before we can engage in any type of

mission as individuals or as a church

for the Kingdom of Heaven for

Eternal purposes we must have Jesus

Jesus we must be filled with the Holy

Spirit of Jesus and have the love of

Jesus AP part from which the Gospel of

John records Jesus saying we can bear no

fruit so the first step in engaging in

mission is receiving

Jesus and continuing In this passage

from verse 23 to 28 Jesus looked around

and said to his disciples how difficult

it will be for those who have wealth to

enter the kingdom of God and the

disciples were amazed at his words but

Jesus said to them again children how

difficult it is to enter the kingdom of

God it is easier for a camel to go

through the eye of a needle than for a

rich person to enter the kingdom of God

and they were exceedingly astonished and

said to him then who can be

saved Jesus looked around them and said

with man it is impossible but not with

God for all things are possible with God

the mission that God gives to us in this

world starts with our relationship with

Jesus and then with the gospel the

gospel is the good news that though it

is impossible for us to save ourselves

or to become good enough to be

saved it is possible with God because we

are saved by grace through faith in

Jesus and by his works and not our own

that is the good news of the kingdom of

God that God so loved us that he gave

his one son that whoever believes in him

should not perish but have eternal life

that truth must be the foundation of our

mission as a

church when this young man came up to

Jesus and Jesus told him the

Commandments and he said all these I

have

followed it says that Jesus looked at

him

lovingly and then said this one thing

you

lack to be on mission for God in the

Kingdom of Heaven we must be able to

look at each and every person before us

lovingly that's the first priority of

mission is to see each and every person

as God

does not to see someone in relation to

our own

agenda or to see someone as a the

status and we measure their value by

their status to be on mission for God we

must like Jesus see each and every

person lovingly as one God created and

one for whom Jesus died one who is loved

by God and through that same love we

love him or her as he or she is and then

we engage with

them and what must lead and be the

foundation of our mission is the gospel

the good news that with God nothing is

impossible it's not impossible for

someone in Desperate

situations to be transformed and set

upon the rock set Upon A New Life a new

way it's not impossible for someone

who's oppressed in various ways maybe

addicted to drugs to be set free it's

not impossible for a situation like what

has incurred in North Western North

Carolina where houses and businesses and

towns have been washed away way to be

recreated for lives to be restored it's

not impossible with God and that's the

gospel it starts with salvation it's not

impossible for us to be saved because of

Jesus and

therefore With God all things are

possible that's the foundation of our

mission and the gospel passage goes on

in verse

29 well verse 28 Peter began began to

say to him see we have left everything

and followed you Jesus said truly I say

to you there is no one who has left

house or brothers or sisters or mothers

or father or children or lands for my

sake and for the gospel who will not

receive a h hundredfold now in this time

houses and brothers and sisters and

mothers and children and lands with

persecutions and in the age to come

eternal life but many who are first will

be last and the last

first Jesus is describing the mission in

response to Peter's question we've left

everything to follow you we've received

you we've received the gospel and we've

left everything for this

Mission what about us will it be

worthwhile or have we made a really bad

decision will it be worthwhile and Jesus

assures them that no one who has made

that commitment who has engaged in his

mission who has given up

things none of them will be without

reward but notice in verse 29 he says no

one who has done this for my sake and

for the

gospel we engage in Mission as

individuals and as a church as Believers

for the sake of Christ because of him

and for the sake of him and for the sake

of the Gospel the good news that

salvation is possible through

Jesus that that's the thrust of our

mission and as we engage in that we may

serve others in various infinite

ways but it starts with Jesus and the

gospel otherwise we could find ourselves

doing things out of

Duty almost like uh someone who's been

conscripted or required to do community

service to pay off a fine or to pay off

a

sentence not that I know what that's

like I think I had some moments earlier

in life but you know how it is when you

have to do something and it's just

Dreadful and it goes on forever and it

seems like how how much

longer why do I have to do this and you

don't have the love you don't have the

gospel you don't have the kingdom and

eternal

impact but when we do when we have Jesus

and the love of Jesus when we have the

good news of the Gospel to share and we

are empowered by the Holy Spirit then

service is just walking in the footsteps

of Jesus who himself being Lord came not

to be served but to serve and to give

his life as a ransom for

many and it is the spirit of Christ who

inspires Us in ways to serve and enables

us and empowers us and sometimes we may

begin a task out of Duty sometimes we

may persevere in a mission out of Duty

but it is with God and for God and for

the sake of the kingdom and those for

whom Christ died it is through

mission in in the letter of Hebrews or

the the book of Hebrews that was read

chapter 3: 1-6 six it ends with an

emphasis on those Believers to hold fast

their confidence and their hope that

they have and and as we engage in

Mission that's a discipline for us to

hold fast our confidence in God that he

is with us to hold fast our confidence

in the gospel that it has the power of

God for salvation and to continue to

boast in that hope of the work and

salvation of Jesus Peter puts it this

way in his first letter chapter 3 verse1

15 in your hearts honor the chist honor

Christ as the Lord and as holy always

being prepared to make a defense or to

give a reason to anyone who asks for the

reason of the hope that is in

you so as we engage in Mission we always

want to be ready to share the reason for

the hope that we have and to serve

others with the power of the Holy

Spirit a good way to to gauge our

mission and to consider how we are

called and what we are called to I think

is through a statement in the governing

documents of the Anglican Church in

North America of which we are a part and

its Constitution and cannons and it's uh

statement on the sacredness of

life it says God and not man is the

creator of human life the unjustified

taking of life is sinful therefore all

members in clergy are called to promote

and respect the sanctity of every human

life from conception to Natural death

there is a gauge for how God has called

us to be in Mission In This World as

churches and individuals what is it

that promotes the sacredness of human

life what is it that emphasizes that

each and every person is created in the

image and likeness of God what is it

that impacts people and lets them know

their value as one for whom Christ died

from conception to the end of

life for mothers who are pregnant for

their children in the room how can we

emphasize how can we serve them in a way

that nurtures and values the life that

they carry in their own life all the way

up until someone is of older age maybe

weak in their old age how can we assist

how can we serve them in a way that he

or she knows that at this point in their

life they are loved by God and valued by

God as one for whom Jesus died and all

in

between those who are weak those who are

poor those who are needy those who are

suffering

loss those who simply need to know the

the Gospel of Jesus Christ our our

brother in Christ Clark who went to be

with the Lord he was an example of this

he went with Carol his wife around the

world to tell people about Jesus and to

train others to tell people about Jesus

and doing so he created relationships

just like Jesus Promised those of you

who leave family for my sake and for the

sake of the Gospel will receive a h

hundredfold brothers and sisters mothers

and fathers in Christ

Clark and Carol have developed

relationships all around the world

because of their engagement in mission

to Thanksgiving and glory for

God so whether it's the child that

becomes like a son or daughter in the

faith whether it's the homeless person

or the needy who becomes like a brother

or sister in Christ whether it's the the

older one who becomes like a grandfather

or grandmother in Christ these are those

to whom we are called to serve and God

rewards us not in worldly ways but in

Eternal Kingdom ways that we cannot even

imagine but are promised in scripture

there are so many ways that our church

and as you engage in Mission that it

would take until complin starts at 8:00

for me to list all of those but I want

to encourage you in a particular way and

I think about how um when I was in

rotary which is a Civic organization

that is involved in serving one another

in the community I I was in it for about

10 years and over those 10 years we had

a speaker every single week and so many

of those speakers were from Charities

from nonprofit organizations in the

community who were doing great works

meeting great needs and after a while of

hearing so many was overwhelming and I

really felt it like oh man you know the

need all of these are great but it's too

much I can't keep responding to these

messages and try to do things and so I

came to the place where I really prayer

y you know ask Lord what are you calling

me to do what organization are you

calling me to

serve and he really gave me impressed

upon me one in the church one in the

community to serve one to support

financially and it wasn't that ignore

all the others

but you can say no to the others or you

can say yes but these are the ones I'm

calling you to engage with and I think

the same is true for us in the church

there's so so many good ways to serve

and to engage in Mission with and for

God some of them we can seek out some

seek out us so many things to give to in

addition to the church where you serve

so many Ministries so many missionaries

so many Charities so I think it's good

to really prayerfully ask God God how

are you calling me to

serve how are you calling me to give

maybe God gives you one that he really

places on your heart or shows you what

you're already passionate about maybe he

shows you a couple maybe he shows you a

missionary to give to or a mission

organization to give to we I've been

blessed to see this work in our church

so powerfully as someone has a passion

and they initiate a Ministry and others

come around or there is a need that is

shared and God puts it on someone's

heart to give generously

it's a blessing to see that but I can

also understand when sometimes you feel

overwhelmed and you're just

spent pray and ask God how he's calling

you to serve and however that is ask him

to fill you with his Holy Spirit and

Empower you and to pour his love into

your heart and don't minimize the

mission that occurs in prayer and the

value and impact that occurs in prayer

that might be a place where you start

praying with others for mission for

Ministry and don't hesitate to invite

others into that mission or to ask to

inquire about what is happening

here because we want to be a church for

the neighborhood we want to be a church

for the city for the state for this

community the Southeast Community for

the nation and even for the

world so don't limit God but ask him

invite him and let's pray and do that

now for all of us and to ask God to

empower us for his mission and to speak

to you you may already know what it is

that God's called you to do and so we

pray for

that Lord Jesus we come to

you Lord we come to you as the way the

truth and the life we come to you as the

one thing we need for eternal

life we thank you that by grace and

through faith in you we are saved and

have eternal life and Lord we ask you as

our Lord as our Shepherd to lead and

guide us into how you are calling us to

serve you and follow

you Lord let us hear your voice let us

experience the confirming conviction of

the Holy Spirit saying this is the way

walk in it this is what I've called you

to Lord let us experience you giving

seed to us the sers and guiding us how

to give how to support

Mission and Lord help us to be prayerful

people that we are continually coming to

you being refreshed being poured into

that we might pour into others and we

pray God that all the mission that we do

as a church that it might be fruitful

for the Kingdom of Heaven that we might

reconcile well that we might serve as

ministers of reconciliation between the

lost and Jesus that we might share share

the gospel with those who need it and

that we might serve our brothers and

sisters all as we follow Jesus and bear

witness to him through whom we pray amen