Reclaiming The Mission of Christmas

Well, I have a shopping theory.

There are two basic kinds of shoppers.

There are the grazer shoppers.

These are the folks that when they shop, they go from aisle to aisle, basically grazing

as they shop, kind of looking at different racks and imagining who this would look good

on and maybe accessorizing all the while.

And I am prone to graze shop when I enter into a chainsaw shop.

I look at the different engine displacements and the different sizes of these chainsaws

and then I start accessorizing and thinking about the leather chaps I can be wearing and

the helmet with the kind of come down face protecting on it.

I didn't, man, I just graze in a chainsaw shop for a good half hour to an hour.

And then there are the missional shoppers.

These are the folks that before they leave their house, they already know what they're

going to purchase.

They arrive and they are on a mission.

They have a singularity of focus.

I tend to be on the missional side of shopping myself.

And so if my wife Jenny and I are driving to Menards in my pickup truck, I tend to have

an already sense of what I need to purchase.

I have a layout of Menards in my mind.

I know I need to hit plumbing and then I hit windows and then the candy aisle and then I'm

out.

And if I pull up and Jenny says something to the extent of, Mike, can we do this in about

12 minutes?

I rise to that.

I'm like, oh, we'll have seven minutes to spare.

I will sprint because I'm on a mission.

When we talk about mission, we're talking about a singularity of focus.

And our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, he is on a mission.

Christmas season has gone.

Our Christmas tree is lying horizontal in the Christmas tree graveyard in Lincoln Park right

now.

But the incarnate Christ, he remains.

He's risen.

He's reigning.

And he's carrying out his mission through his church to spread the joy of the gospel to

the nations.

And so this morning, what I want to convince you of is that not only is the risen incarnate

Christ on mission, he's called you to be a part of his mission too.

He's called you to be on mission with him to bring the joy of salvation to the nations.

Christmas has everything to do with God's mission to save sinners from their sins.

So this morning, we're going to return to that classic Christmas passage in Luke chapter 2, where

Luke 2 · chapter mention

the angel declares to the shepherds the good news that a Savior has been born.

And what I want to help you to see this morning is that this angel came announcing the good news,

that there was great joy.

It was a grand task for the peoples.

And then we're going to wrap up tonight or this morning by talking about the God promise.

So four moves this morning, if you want to follow me, the good news, which is the message of the mission,

the great joy, which is the delight of the mission, the grand task, which is the scope of the mission.

And then we're going to close by looking at the God promise, God's power for the mission.

So Christ is on a mission, the risen incarnate Christ, and he's called us to be a part of it.

So let me just read Luke chapter 2, verses 10 and 11, just to remind you.

Luke 2:10

And the angel said to them, fear not, for behold, I bring you good news, good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

The good news.

This angel came to the shepherds in the fields with a verbal announcement.

The mission, the message of the mission is proclamational.

We declare it.

We announce it.

And the angel of the Lord in chapter 2 of Luke, verses 10 and 11, he comes proclaiming Christ.

A Savior has been born that day in the city of David.

So he's a descendant of David.

He is the Christ.

He is the Lord, God incarnate.

And so what we see happening in Luke chapter 2 is that Luke begins his gospel with the announcement,

Luke 2 · chapter mention

the angelic announcement of the birth of the Christ.

That's good news.

But it's not the capital G, capital N good news.

The good news of the birth is part of the capital G, capital N good news of the gospel.

If you flip in your Bibles to the end of the gospel of Luke to Luke 24, I want you to see the rest of the good news.

And as you're flipping your pages to Luke 24, let me just remind you that right now you're fast forwarding through the life of Jesus.

You're fast forwarding through his teaching, his healing, his casting out demons, his raising people from the dead.

And as you're getting to the end of the gospel of Luke, you are fast forwarding through his crucifixion.

The first Good Friday, when the Lord Jesus Christ hung on a cross.

And at the ninth hour, the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

And Luke records that immediately after that happened, Jesus says, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

Here's why I'm telling you this.

That's good news.

It's good news.

Something happened when Jesus was on the cross.

Something happened that shows up in the temple.

Something happens when he gives up his spirit.

Something happened right there.

And so, as we move forward, Jesus is buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

And we are fast forwarding into Luke 24, where early in Luke 24, it's the first, it's the resurrection day.

Early that morning, Jesus is raised from the dead.

The tomb is empty.

And what we see happening throughout 24, starting in verse 36, is that the risen Christ Jesus shows up in Jerusalem,

standing in the midst of his disciples in the upper room.

And they're shocked.

They thought he was dead and gone.

But here he is standing before them.

And he convinces them.

He seeks to convince them that it's really him raised bodily, incarnate from the dead.

Verse 39, he urges them to touch him.

He shows them his hands and his feet.

The very marks of the sacrifice on the cross.

He, in verse 41, asks them for something to eat.

And they give him some broiled fish, and he eats it.

What Luke is making plain is that Jesus, raised from the dead, remains incarnate.

And then what we see happening in Luke 24 is that the risen incarnate Christ tells his disciples in verse 44,

if you pick up there with me, he says,

These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you.

These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you.

Here's what Jesus is saying.

That everything that just happened, everything that you witnessed,

my suffering, my crucifixion, and now my resurrection,

everything that you have seen is what I was telling you about before we got to Jerusalem.

It's the very things I was foretelling.

Now, if you remember from our study of the book of Matthew,

three times Jesus tells his disciples before they get to Jerusalem

that when they get there, he's going to be handed over,

he's going to be killed, and he's going to be raised from the dead.

And so what Jesus is saying here is that,

Hey, what I told you would happen has happened.

And in verse 44, at the latter half, he says,

That everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

My suffering, my crucifixion, my resurrection,

it's all fulfillment of the law and the prophets and the Psalms.

The Old Testament is fulfilled in its anticipation in me.

What we're talking about here is the heart of the gospel.

The essential message of the mission.

That not only did God take on flesh,

but this same God suffered.

This same God was crucified.

This same God was raised from the dead.

And so when the apostle Paul talks about this message in 1 Corinthians 15,

do you know what he calls it?

He says,

This is the matter of first importance.

Christ, who he is and what he's done,

is of first importance.

It's all about Jesus.

It's all about who he is,

God incarnate and what he's done.

Suffered, crucified, raised.

This is good news.

This is full good news.

Jesus had to take on flesh in order to suffer,

in order to be crucified,

and in order to be raised from the dead.

Now maybe you're asking yourself a question like this.

How is God incarnate dying on a cross good news?

I mean, seriously, birth announcements, that's good news.

I get that.

But an obituary, the news of someone's death,

that doesn't sound like good news.

Something happened.

Jesus' death accomplished something.

That makes it good news.

Now some hear this and they may think,

Well, this sounds all made up.

Or they hear this and they start thinking,

This is some kind of psychological crutch.

Or others hear this and say,

The raising of a dead man?

That's scientifically impossible.

But if you are in the room this morning,

And you personally are experiencing the real guilt over past sin.

If you personally know firsthand the shame over past sin.

And if you personally find yourself struggling with the real fear.

What does this mean for me when I die?

I've done this.

What does God think about that?

And what does that mean for my eternity?

If you find yourself there.

Remember this news of Jesus,

The incarnate God suffering,

Crucified and raised.

This is good news for you.

Jesus, our Emmanuel,

Didn't die accidentally on the cross.

He purposely died on the cross.

He died as a substitute for those who realize that they're truly guilty before God.

If you know you've got hell to pay for your sin,

This is good news for you.

So my friend, if you're struggling under the weight of your own sin,

You've come into a building at the right time.

To hear God speak a word to you,

That will bring great joy to you.

The heart of this good news,

Of which the angel in Luke 2 starts to declare,

That God has become a man.

Merry Christmas.

Amen.

He's been born,

But he lived a perfect life.

He suffered, he died, and he was raised,

In order to substitute himself for sinners,

So that they would be forgiven of their sins.

The very thing that you fear, my friend,

That your sin stands against you,

Jesus has addressed by dying on the cross.

He references himself as a ransom.

He came as a ransom to pay for your sin.

That's really good news.

This is, if you look in verse 47,

Jesus, verse 46, it says,

It's written that the Christ should suffer,

And on the third day rise from the dead,

And that repentance and forgiveness of sins

Should be proclaimed.

It's through the incarnation,

Suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus,

That God offers the forgiveness of sins

To any sinner around the world.

It's wonderful good news.

But you have to be willing to acknowledge the fact

That you're a sinner.

This is not good news to those who don't think

That their sin has a consequence with a living God.

At the beginning of Luke,

The good news is a birth announcement.

A Savior's been born,

Christ the Lord God.

And by the end of Luke,

The good news comes into full view.

This Savior born,

Christ the Lord,

He suffered,

He died,

And was raised.

So,

And this is the essential content

Of the message of the gospel.

In which God offers full forgiveness,

Full pardon,

For all of your sin.

You see,

Christmas,

Merry Christmas,

It's about salvation.

It's about God coming to save.

The incarnation is vital to the gospel,

But it's not the whole gospel.

The whole gospel

Is He was brought,

He became a man,

Suffered, died, raised.

It's all about Jesus.

This good news,

The angel declares,

Verse 10,

Shows up in the person of Jesus,

Verse 11,

Who He is,

And what He's done.

It's December 31st.

And I'm not sure if you're the New Year's resolution type,

But I've got a New Year's resolution for you to consider.

If the gospel message is all about Jesus,

Who He is,

And what He's done,

Can I just call you to make Jesus,

Who He is,

And what He's done,

Your first priority in 2018.

That He becomes your first love.

That He becomes your all-consuming love.

That He becomes the one to whom you live for.

This is the gospel message.

This is the good news.

We talked about good news.

Let's talk about the great joy.

This angel comes in Luke 2.10.

He says,

I bring you good news of great joy.

What kind of joy are we talking about?

Well, that great joy with which He looks talking about,

Shows up in a different way in verse 47 of Luke 24.

And that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed.

The great joy that this angel speaks of,

Of this child,

Is the great joy of forgiveness of sins that He's going to bring.

Let me ask you a question.

Who would be more joyful?

A man who makes $45,000 a year and is forgiven of a $10 debt?

Or another man who makes $45,000 a year who's forgiven of a $300,000 debt?

Who would be more joyful?

The guy forgiven of a $300,000 debt.

Who would be more joyful?

A 30-year-old woman pardoned of a misdemeanor with a small fine?

Or a 30-year-old woman pardoned of a felony with a 15-year prison sentence?

Who would be more joyful?

The 30-year-old woman who was pardoned of a felony with a 15-year prison sentence?

Let me let you into something.

Our tendency as human beings is to minimize the offense of our sin against God.

We tend to think of our sins against a holy God as misdemeanors which God is glad to look beyond.

And so it shows up like this.

A guy doesn't like another guy.

And he says something like, well, I'm not killing anybody.

I just don't like the guy.

Or it shows up like this.

Man, it's not like I'm cheating on my wife, but man, I'd like to lay eyes on her a little bit more.

Hey, it's not like I'm lying under oath for something really important.

It's just a little white lie.

Why?

We tend to minimize our wrongs.

Let me ask you this.

What happens if those little misdemeanors were actually more grievous in God's sight than you realized?

So what happens if the hate that God sees in your heart towards this other guy that you're not planning on murdering,

but he sees it as the seed of murder for what it is, and it's grievous to him?

What happens if God sees the lust in your heart because that lust in your heart is adultery of your heart,

and God is offended by that?

He's the most faithful of all.

And what if God sees the dishonesty with your little white lie,

and he's repelled by it because he's the God of truth?

He never lies.

The typical way sinners measure their offense

is by comparing their sin to the sin of other sinners.

I'm not that bad.

Look at him.

But the humble of heart measure the offense of their sin against a holy God

and his holy will revealed in the scriptures.

So when you start to see your sin the way that God sees your sin,

or you start to feel about your sin the way that God feels about your sin,

do you know what's going to happen?

You're going to realize your great need for a great Savior.

And that is a work of the Holy Spirit.

We learn from John 16 that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity,

convicts sinners of their sin against God.

The Holy Spirit shows us that our sinfulness goes beyond our own sense of self-disappointment

and our own sense of disappointing others

to helping us see that our sin is an offense against God.

Do you know what happens when great sin is forgiven?

Do you know what happens?

When you realize the greatness of your sin against a holy God

and you realize what Jesus has done for you, gospel,

what you then experience is great joy.

I've been forgiven much.

Do you remember that prostitute who entered the house of Simon the Pharisee in Luke?

Jesus is sitting at table with this well-known Pharisee

and this prostitute walks in and she just starts weeping over Jesus

and she starts using her hair to clean his feet.

Jesus speaks a parable and the parable says,

He who's been forgiven little loves little,

but this woman who's been forgiven much, she loves much.

She knows what she's been forgiven of.

My friends, this morning,

do you know what you've been forgiven of?

In order for you to experience the great joy of salvation in Jesus,

you first have got to experience the godly grief over your sin.

The great joy with which the angel speaks in Luke 2

is the great joy that springs from being forgiven by a great Savior.

It's all about a great salvation.

Remember the song,

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.

You can't sing that without joy.

Joy of being saved.

Joy of being rescued.

Is it personal?

Is it personal?

Do you realize what you've been rescued from?

One of the things as we go into 2018

is if you're here right now and you're like,

you know what?

I'm not sure if I fully get what Jesus has rescued me from.

I'm not sure if I fully understand

the grievous nature of my sin.

Can I encourage you to take this step?

Ask God to show you the depth of your sin.

God, would you help me to see how sinful I am?

And what will happen is He'll show you

and then what you'll see is the glory of Christ all the more

and your joy will be deepened as a result.

What also will happen is this.

If you have a growing sense of your own sinfulness

in need of Christ

and the great joy that comes from believing in Him,

you're going to start looking at other people differently.

You're going to start wondering,

man, do they have the joy?

Do they know what Christ has done for them?

To be on mission for Jesus

is to recognize,

I am a great sinner who's been forgiven much

by a great Savior.

Let's look at the grand task.

We've looked at the good news,

the message about Jesus.

We've looked at the great joy

that springs from realizing

this Christ has substituted Himself

for my great sin

and now I'm forgiven

and now let's look at the grand task.

In Luke 2.10,

the angel says that this good news of great joy

is for all the people.

And the shepherds who are listening

would have thought about it this way.

It's good for all the Jewish people.

These shepherds,

as I mentioned before,

according to kind of Jewish cultural norms,

the Jewish social standing,

shepherds where they kind of click up

on the social strata from lepers.

So this angel saying,

hey, I bring you good news of great joy

for all the people,

even you low guys.

This is good news.

But they're probably thinking

he's still within the Jewish society.

If you flip back to Luke 24, verse 47,

Luke 24:47

Jesus expands it.

He's talking about, in verse 46,

the Jewish Christ who would suffer

and on the third day rise

after being crucified.

And then in verse 47,

we read,

and that repentance and forgiveness of sins

should be proclaimed in his name,

the name of Jesus,

to all nations.

Not just Jews,

but to all non-Jews.

Jesus expands the scope of the mission.

So the gospel message is a gospel message

about a Jewish Christ

who's God in the flesh,

who suffered, crucified,

and was raised.

And anyone who responds in repentance and faith

has a great joy in that.

And you don't have to be a Jew to believe it.

Everyone needs to hear the message about Christ

because everybody's a sinner.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

What Luke is getting at,

at the end of Luke,

here in Luke 24,

this is the great commission.

This is the call to the disciples of Jesus

to go and proclaim.

And what I want to bring you to is this,

is that the risen incarnate Christ,

who is the focus of this message,

is presently reigning on high,

advancing his kingdom around the world

through the proclamation of the gospel.

There are people worshiping Jesus

all around the world right now

because they've experienced the great joy

of his substitutionary death on their behalf.

The risen Christ,

we've learned this morning from Simon,

he's at work in Nepal.

He's at work in Brazil.

I talked to a man two weeks ago.

God is at work in Brazil,

China, North Korea, Kenya,

Cuba, Iran, Israel, Russia,

the United States of America.

Here's another way to think about it.

God is spreading gospel joy

to sinners around the globe.

And Kenosha, this city of 100,000,

this is our little slice of the world.

And so as a church,

we're committed to partnering with people

like The Rise around the world

to make known Jesus to their people groups.

But we're not going to leapfrog the mission field

that God has called us to

in order to be supporting foreign missions.

God has called us to a unique work

of mission here in the city of Kenosha.

Have you heard the expression,

think globally, act locally?

That's the call of Christ on our church.

We're going to be thinking globally.

And where God provides opportunities

to partner with other people,

we'll consider it and take what is most wise.

But we're going to act locally.

That's going to be our priority.

A priority of advancing Christ's mission locally.

Secondly, there are people in this city

who will respond in repentance and faith

with great joy upon hearing the good news of Christ.

Right now we're taking steps to that

in a variety of ways.

But God has recently brought an evangelist to our church.

We're praying for more.

And there is a growing burden among people in our church

to open up their homes

to people who don't presently believe yet

to hear the gospel.

This morning I want to give you a very practical way

to start thinking globally but acting locally.

I'd like you to write this on your notes.

Write down three words.

Neighborhood mission map.

Neighborhood mission map.

Here's what this is.

Think about where you live.

Maybe you live in an apartment

or maybe you live in a house on a block.

You're looking down upon your apartment or block

and what you're going to write on your neighborhood mission map

is a scale with like little rectangles

of all the houses within five doors of you.

Apartments within five doors of you.

Write them down.

And then here's the first step

of putting together a neighborhood mission map.

Write down all the names of your neighbors.

Just write them down.

And when you do that,

your experience will be my experience

when I did this a month ago.

I know maybe half of them by name.

You know what that means?

I've got a lot of nameless neighbors.

And you know what makes it really easy to do?

Just drive on right by.

I don't know them.

So the purpose of a neighborhood mission map

is to start to get to know your neighbors.

And when you get to know their names,

you're going to start seeing image bearers living around you.

Image bearers that are under the consequence of sin

and need to hear the gospel.

It's one thing to make a neighborhood mission map

of your neighborhood

and to see the nameless neighbors.

It's another thing to make time and effort

to go meet your nameless neighbors.

To compel you to cross the street on a January

when it's 20 degrees

and knock on your neighbor's door

to get to know their names.

What's going to compel you to do that?

What's going to prompt you to do such a thing?

Well, our risen and reigning Savior

has given us the Holy Spirit

to empower our ministry.

To compel us to cross the street.

When we think globally and act locally

on this huge call,

this huge mission we're on,

it's really important to realize too

that God has made a promise.

So this fourth point, God's promise,

the power of the mission.

And here I'd like you to look at Luke 24, 48 and 49.

Jesus is speaking to his disciples

and he says,

you are witnesses of these things,

my suffering, crucifixion, resurrection.

And behold, I'm sending the promise

of my Father upon you,

but stay in the city

until you are clothed with power

from on high.

When Jesus says in verse 49,

I'm sending the promise of my Father upon you,

he's not speaking of a what,

he's speaking of a who.

The promised Holy Spirit.

The third person of the Trinity.

And the Holy Spirit, Jesus says,

will clothe his disciples

with power from on high

to be his witnesses

to Jerusalem and beyond.

to give them the courage

and the boldness

to proclaim the Jewish Christ

incarnate, suffered,

crucified, and raised,

and now offers to all forgiveness.

One of the things Jesus knows

about us

is that

we need power

for the mission

he's called us to.

And he's provided it

in the Holy Spirit.

Luke, who wrote the Gospel of Luke,

also wrote Acts.

And in Acts chapter 1,

Acts 1 · chapter mention

Luke picks up

where his Gospel leaves off.

The risen Christ

is in the upper room

in Jerusalem

with the disciples.

And Jesus tells his disciples

that they're going to receive power

when the Holy Spirit

comes upon them

to be his witnesses.

Chapter 1, verse 8.

And then these disciple witnesses

empowered by the Holy Spirit,

they're going to proclaim

the Gospel

to sinners

in Jerusalem

and Judea

and to Samaria

and to the end

of the world

to the nations.

They need Holy Spirit power

to do that.

They need Holy Spirit power

to be faithful

to the mission

Jesus has entrusted

to them.

And we need

the Holy Spirit power

to do the same.

in Acts 2,

Luke records

what happens

at Pentecost

when the Holy Spirit

comes down

upon Christ's disciples

and empowers them

to be his witnesses.

It was the fulfillment

of Joel chapter 2.

Joel 2 · chapter mention

And what happens

throughout the book of Acts

is this,

the person of the Holy Spirit

empowering ordinary Christians

like you and me,

empowering ordinary Christians

to boldly proclaim

the Gospel of Christ

to those living

right around them.

And the response varies.

Some receive the glad tidings

of the Gospel

and they in great joy

respond in repentance

and faith

while others resist

and even persecute

the very ones

who are bringing them

the Gospel.

The book of Acts

shows us

that God's people

empowered by the Holy Spirit

bring the Gospel of Jesus

to the nations.

Here's my question for you.

Do you think

that the same Holy Spirit

who empowered the early church

for bold witness

a church

that crossed

cultural boundaries

time and again

a church

that suffered

great hardship

and resistance

but faithfully pressed on

do you think

the same Holy Spirit

who empowered

the early church

do you think

He's able

to empower you

to cross your street

and knock on your neighbor's door

to hear their name?

He is.

He's more than able

to do that.

He is able

to give you

the courage

to step out

in faith

and to meet

your neighbors.

I think the question

starts to become

right now

a question like this

well how

how do I access

that?

How am I empowered

by the Holy Spirit

to take a step

like that?

Well let me just

help you understand

first off

the Holy Spirit

the moment

you believed

He indwelt you

He lives in you

He took up

residence in you

the moment

you believed

and He was

the Holy Spirit

who applied

the shed blood

of Jesus

to all of your sin

so that you were

a new creation

in Christ Jesus

that's a work

of the Holy Spirit

in you

the Holy Spirit

is seeking to

spotlight

Jesus

in your character

and He's looking

to spotlight

Jesus

through your witness

John 16

14

and so

the God

who indwells you

can I just try

to convince you

of something here?

Could it be

the Holy Spirit

is actually

eager

to empower you

to witness

that He

wants to

He is

ready

and willing

and available

we just need

to step out

what we see

from the early church

is that when

they encountered

resistance

and they needed

courage

do you know

what they did?

they prayed

and you know

what happened?

God shook

the room

and He

filled them

with His Holy Spirit

and they boldly

proclaimed God's Word

Acts 4 31

so let me call you

to something

in your personal

time of devotion

to God

would you begin

to ask

God

to fill you

with His

Spirit

afresh

He may convict

you of your sins

that's just

going to lead

to great joy

in Jesus

but He

also may

burden you

with your

neighbors

that's

good

when you

gather

with your

life group

ask God

to pour

out His

Spirit

upon you

with the

other members

of your

life group

praying

and thinking

of other

people

other people

around you

who need

Jesus

Jesus

the Holy Spirit

is the power

of the mission

that Christ

has called us

to

this Christmas

season may be

gone

your Christmas tree

might be lying

horizontal in some

Christmas tree

graveyard

your plastic

Jesus may be

back in your

attic

but the risen

reigning

incarnate

Christ

is advancing

His

kingdom

around

the globe

He's

spreading

the joy

of salvation

through the

proclamation

of the good

news

and the

promised

Holy Spirit

who is

active

today

is

empowering

God's

people

for the

task

and He's

eager to

empower

you

to proclaim

Christ

to our

little slice

of the world

here in

Kenosha

what would

happen

if in

2018

these pews

start filling

up more and

more with

people who

have been

rescued from

their sin

and they are

singing to

the risen

Christ out

of hearts

full of

joy

our Christ

is on a

mission

and He's

called each

of us

to be on

mission

with Him

let's

pray

God

thank you

for

bringing

the good

news

to our

ear

thank you

God

for the

great

joy

many

of us

experience

because we

know you've

delivered us

from great

sin

God

thank you

for entrusting

us

with this

grand

task

to bring

the gospel

to the

nations

and we

want to

think

globally

but act

locally

so God

would you

help us

with that

would you

help us

to start

getting to

know our

nameless

neighbors

and God

we would

come to you

now

and we

would ask

that you

would pour

out your

spirit

afresh upon

us your

people

and that you

would shake

our building

and that you

would empower

us to proclaim

the word

to great

effect

for the joy

of all

people

and the

glory of

your name

amen

thank you