How Does Jesus Send Us Out? And Why?

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Good morning, my name is Melissa Orsoniega, and I'm part of the El Cerrito Kensington Community Group and Oikos Group, and I'm a deacon.

Today's scripture reading is from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10, verses 1 to 20, as printed in your liturgy.

Luke 10:1–20

A reading from the Gospel according to Luke.

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.

He told them,

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are 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.

Do not take a purse or bag or sandals, and do not greet anyone on the road.

When you enter a house, first say,

Peace to this house.

If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them.

If not, it will return to you.

Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages.

Do not move around from house to house.

When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.

Heal the sick who are there, and tell them,

The kingdom of God has come near to you.

But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say,

Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you.

Yet be sure of this.

The kingdom of God has come near.

I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Woe to you, Chorazin.

Woe to you, Bethsaida.

For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon,

they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens?

No, you will go down to Hades.

Whoever listens to you listens to me.

Whoever rejects you rejects me.

But whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.

The 72 returned with joy and said,

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

He replied,

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions

and to overcome all the power of the enemy.

Nothing will harm you.

However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you,

but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

This is the gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Well, let's go to the Lord in prayer as we open up his word.

Father, we want to hear from you.

We want to receive your gracious invitation to follow the ways of Jesus.

And we also want to heed your challenge to us,

to deny ourselves and take up our crosses

and follow him wherever he leads,

knowing that he's our good shepherd

and he only leads us to green pastures,

even though we might walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

Help us to trust you.

For your son has shown us that he is trustworthy.

So would we behold him this morning in the preaching of your word.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Amen.

You know, a few years ago, I'm not exactly sure when,

but my wife and I, we were actually at Kylie and Jensen's house,

the Aang's household,

and I'm not sure why.

I think we were picking up Lindsay or Aaron, maybe both of them,

to go to some church thing.

I don't remember the details at all,

so why am I telling you the story, right?

But I don't remember those details,

but what I do remember distinctly is as Lindsay,

or maybe both of them, were hopping into our van,

as they were leaving the house,

I distinctly remember Jensen raising his hands toward his daughters

and saying,

the Lord be with you.

Just like we say here,

every single week before communion,

he said,

the Lord be with you,

like he was sending his daughters out of his home

with a blessing,

and to be a blessing.

And that made such an impression on me

that I try to do the same thing now

with my girls in our home

when we're getting them out of the house,

every morning off to school or to whoever they need to go,

I say,

I love you,

and then I say,

go in the name of Jesus to love and serve this world, right?

And I've trained them to say,

thanks be to God, right?

Just like we do here,

every Sunday,

you hear me and Jonathan say this,

every Sunday,

go in the name of Jesus to love and serve this world.

We call this what?

We call this the benediction, right?

The benediction,

this idea that yes,

we gather to worship

and to commune with one another

and to commune with God,

but we don't just gather to gather,

we gather to be nourished for when we scatter.

The benediction,

this closing exhortation

to go in the name of Jesus

to love and serve the world

is a reminder

that we gather in order to scatter.

Every Sunday,

we speak God's words of blessing

and benediction over you

to remind you that you are ambassadors

and representatives

of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

We're wanting to be intentional.

We're wanting to say,

that's what our worship is for.

It's not an end in itself.

It's for us to go out

and love and serve this world.

So thank you, Jensen,

one of our deacons,

for sharing this practice with my family

because, you know,

I so want my girls

to be going out of our home

and into the world,

not just to do what they gotta do, right?

Not just to jump right back in

to the rat race

to fulfill their academic

and extracurricular obligations.

No, I want to be a family on mission,

a family on God's divine mission,

a family that goes out of our home

with clarity in our minds

and clarity in our hearts

that we've been sent by God

to fulfill His purposes

for us and for His world.

And, you know, I share all this

because I think for so many of us,

we live more by society's

distracted default

than by God's deliberate design.

I think the temptation

for so many of us,

me and my family included,

is just to get out of the house

for either self-preserving survival

or, if we're a little bit more privileged,

for self-defined success.

I really think that that's the default

most of us live by,

self-preserving survival

and or self-defined success.

For so many of us,

our first thought in the morning

as we get out of bed,

hop into our cars,

it isn't,

what is God sending me out

into the world to do?

How can I be God's workmanship,

His masterpiece today?

What are the good works

He's prepared in advance

for me to do

to bless the world today?

No, for far too many of us,

our first thoughts

are probably more like,

how can I keep my head

above the water today?

Right?

Or maybe,

for the more privileged of us,

again, it's like,

all right,

what's the next step

I'm gonna take

in my empire building endeavors,

right?

For so many of us,

we send ourselves out,

we send ourselves out

into the world

pursuing self-preserving survival

or self-defined success.

But what God's word

has to say to us this morning

is that Jesus calls His followers

to something better,

something higher,

higher than self-preserving survival,

higher than self-defined success.

If you are a follower of Jesus,

you are called

to self-giving,

spirit-filled service.

If you are a Christian,

if you confess

that Jesus is your Messiah,

your Maker,

your Lord,

and your Savior,

King,

God's word to you today

is that we aren't just called up

and in to a relationship

with God and His kingdom,

but we are called out

to go in the name of Jesus

to love and serve this world.

So today we're in chapter 10

of Luke's Gospel,

and you know,

for the first eight chapters

of Luke's Gospel,

the question that he's trying

to answer is,

who is Jesus

and what can He do?

Who is Jesus

and what can He do?

But starting in chapter 9,

which we looked at last week,

we find Luke shifting the focus

from who is Jesus

and what can He do

to how then shall we live?

If Jesus really is the Messiah

who heals the sick

and casts out demons

as the Son of God,

as the true King

of the entire world,

how then shall we live?

So last week,

Jonathan,

he opened up chapter 9 for us

and we heard Jesus

challenge His followers

saying,

whoever wants to be

my disciple

must deny themselves

and take up their cross

and follow me.

Basically,

if Jesus is the Messiah,

King and God's Son,

then we should be His disciples,

His followers,

His diehard entourage,

following Him

in every aspect

of our lives,

even taking up our crosses

and denying ourselves

for His sake

and for His agenda,

just like He did for us.

But now today,

we're in Luke chapter 10,

Luke 10 · chapter mention

and what we'll see today

is that being a disciple

isn't just about following Jesus

as a student follows a rabbi,

but it's also about being sent out

by Jesus as an ambassador,

as a representative of the King.

We're not to gather

into this little insular enclave

of religious disciples

who just stick to ourselves

and hope people will come in

to join us and join our tribe.

No, Jesus sends us all out

as His disciples.

And the key word is all,

not just some of us.

He sends us all out.

Look with me at verse 1.

After this,

the Lord Jesus

appointed 72 others

and sent them two by two

ahead of Him

to every town and place

where He was about to go.

Now, in case you're wondering

what this after this refers to,

it refers to chapter 9

where Jesus first sent out

the 12, right?

The famous 12.

Jesus says to them

in chapter 9, verse 1,

He gave them power

and authority

to drive out all demons

and to cure diseases,

and He sent them out

to proclaim the kingdom of God

and heal the sick.

But in case some of us

might be tempted to think,

well, of course,

they're the 12 apostles.

Of course they were sent

because that's the clergy's job

to be sent out by Jesus

as His ambassadors

to preach and to heal

and to cast out demons

in case we're thinking

that Jesus only sends

some of His disciples out.

Our passage this morning

tells us otherwise.

Jesus sends out another 72.

And this number 72

indicates fullness.

It's the same number

of all the nations

that were established

after the flood

through the sons of Noah,

Ham, Shem, and Japheth.

It's also the same number

of elders that God appointed

to help Moses lead

the people of Israel

in the wilderness.

The same number of elders

that God anointed

with His Spirit

to empower them

to go do all the work

that needed to be done

in addition to all

that Moses was able to do.

Jesus is leading

a new and better exodus here

as He's sending out

these 72.

And yes, He's the central figure.

He's the Messiah.

But He's also a king

who delegates His authority

and involves His people

in the marvelous work

of His Holy Spirit.

So this is what Jesus

is doing here.

He's sending out

not just the 12

but an extra 72.

We don't even know

their names

but they go out

just like the 12

preparing every town

and place for the coming

of the Messiah

and announcing to each town

that the kingdom is near.

Now we're gonna go through

this passage from verse 2

all the way to verse 20.

And while Jesus' words here

are specifically

to this group of 72

and not explicitly to us

living here in 2025.

There are many things

to glean and to notice

and to apply

as Jesus' disciples

living today

in the 21st century.

And I hope to pause

and bring these things out

as we go.

So let's start with verse 2.

Look at Jesus' first words

to these 72 disciples

in verse 2.

It's not,

it's not, listen,

it's not,

hey,

go and be super eloquent.

Go and work hard

and do your best

and remember everything

I taught you

because this is a really

important job

and hey,

good luck out there.

No.

He says the harvest

is plentiful

but the workers are few.

Ask the Lord of the harvest

therefore to send out workers

into his harvest.

And this is the first thing

about being sent.

It's not a maybe mission,

all right?

It's a guaranteed one.

Jesus is sending them

into a field

where they're already guaranteed

to be successful.

The harvest is plentiful,

he says.

And this is a word for us

to those of us

who are hesitant

to go out

and to boldly engage

the world

in the name of Jesus.

To those of us

who are hesitant

to share with our coworkers

and our peers

and our colleagues

how Jesus inspires us

towards excellence

and non-anxiousness

and graciousness

in the workplace

and in the classroom.

To those of us

who still haven't

mustered the courage

to invite our friends

to Alpha

or to tell them

why we love following

Jesus as our Lord

so much

and why we highly recommend it.

To those of us

who think that

no one could possibly

believe this Christianity thing.

To those of us

who believe that

everyone's just going

to be hostile to us,

everyone's going

to be uninterested

and think we're crazy,

Jesus reminds us

the harvest

is plentiful.

That there are people

outside these walls

starving

for some good news

and eager

to be harvested

and brought into

the family of God.

Do we realize

that there are

outside these walls

prodigals

all the way out there

tired

of their muddy

pigsties?

Jesus says

that the soil

has already been prepared.

We just need to go

and discover it.

Also notice here

in verse 2

Jesus' word

to them

is not to be diligent

but to be dependent.

The first thing

he tells them to do

is what?

To pray.

To ask the Lord

to produce more workers

for the plentiful

harvest field.

He's already putting

multiplication

into their minds.

He's sending these 72

out to go

and roll

and grow a snowball

of more and more

disciples

into his kingdom.

Now this

plentiful harvest

it doesn't mean

that their road

is going to be smooth

and safe

and easy

and that they're

going to be met

with acceptance

completely at every turn.

Jesus continues

in verse 3

and he says

go

I am sending you out

like lambs

among wolves.

Jesus is fully

acknowledging

that there is

a vulnerability

that we will experience

when we go

as his sent

ambassadors.

And not everyone

is going to be

sympathetic to the

kingdom of Jesus Christ

particularly those

whose empires

are doing just fine

dominating the rest

of the world.

But Jesus calls us

lambs

but when he calls us

lambs

it's also meant to

highlight our dependence

on him

as our good shepherd.

He's the one

who's going to

protect us.

He's the one

that we can follow

even in the midst

of wolves

who might push back

and who might

even bite.

And for us

living on this side

of the cross

and the resurrection

we know

Jesus has already

proven this

to be true.

At the end of the story

the lamb

triumphs over the wolves

even if it involves

the suffering

and the slaying

of the lamb.

And this is all

the more reason

for us to go out

and to make Jesus

known there is no

better story

there's no better king

there's no better

kingdom

the king

who is both

a lion and a lamb

you can't make

this stuff up

it's the greatest

story of all time.

He offers us

a kingdom

where you don't

have to be a wolf

to win.

We have incredible

news to share

with the world.

The next thing

Jesus says

to the 72

in verse 4

is do not

take a purse

or bag

or sandals

and do not

greet anyone

on the road.

What he's telling

them is to be

completely single minded

and to have

absolute clarity

about their mission

and the mission

is this

it's to speak

and offer

God's peace

it's to speak

and offer

God's shalom

to anyone

who is willing

to accept it.

Look what he says

in verses 5

to 7

when you enter

a house

first say

peace to this

house

if someone

who promotes

peace is there

your peace

will rest on them

if not

it will return

to you

stay there

eating and drinking

whatever they give you

for the worker

deserves his wages

do not move around

from house to house

you know I think

so many of us

we get anxious

about engaging others

even our friends

even our families

even these colleagues

that we see every day

even our neighbors

we get so anxious

when we talk about

engaging them

and talking to them

about Jesus

because we think

of these

missionary encounters

as battles

and arguments

to be won

and we think

of these people

as opponents

to be persuaded

but look

Jesus doesn't tell us

to go and win arguments

or to go and make converts

Jesus is simply telling us

to speak his shalom

his peace

this is the person

of peace principle

he doesn't say

go and convert

go and proselytize

he says go and speak peace

so the question really is

why wouldn't we want that

why wouldn't we want

the shalom of God

for every person

we encounter

do we not believe

that we have

the best thing

the best person

in the world

to offer

everyone

we come across

in Jesus Christ

it's not up to us

to change people's hearts

God does that

but like loving

like a loving father

wanting to involve

his children

into his work

to know his joy

and to be a part

of the process

he invites us

to invite others

to experience

his peace

his shalom

the wholeness

that every broken

person desires

healing for the hurting

the wounded

and the afflicted

honor and glory

for those who are

filled with shame

justification

and forgiveness

for those who are

filled with guilt

satisfaction

and security

for those who are

hungry

everything we love

about Jesus

and what he's done

in our lives

and what he promises

to us

this imperishable

imperishable inheritance

hope that cannot be stolen

grace upon grace

fresh new mercies

every morning

a peaceful

purposeful

way to follow

abundant

eternal

resurrection

life

communion

with the living God

the maker of our souls

Christians

we've got the goods

we've got the goods

and how dare we not

share them

with the world

as Christ's

representatives

there are tons

of people out there

tons of people out there

and Jesus is saying

these people

are eager

to receive this peace

that we have in Christ

so eager for it

that they will feed us

and care for us

and support us

as we share it with them

and others

we're simply called

to go

to take our sentness

seriously

and really just

just be human

and love

others

I love

how the first thing

Jesus tells them to do

when they're welcomed

into a town

in verse 8

is to

just eat

eat what is offered to you

it's so basic

it's so human

it's so organic

just go

and see who will accept you

and your message

and then stay with them

and eat with them

and love them

and be human toward them

verse 9

heal the sick

who are there

and tell them

the kingdom of God

has come near to you

bind up their wounds

care for their bodies

as much as for their souls

just love them

and make it clear to them

that whatever peace

and healing

that they experience

because of Christ

in you amongst them

that that is a sign

of the kingdom of God

breaking into their lives

breaking into history

coming near to people

who for far too long

have been afflicted

by alternative kingdoms

of darkness

and you know

there's a ton

I would love to say here

about healing

and how we go

and do that

I think for some of us

we hear this

and we're like

alright

well I'm gonna pursue

the gift of healing

and you know

we can over spiritualize it

and turn healing

into some kind of

religious formula

where if you get

the rightly worded prayer

and just the right amount

of faith

you get healing

that's the equation

right

whether spiritual

mental

emotional

social

economic

or physical

that's what it takes

to get healing

right

that religious formula

and then for others of us

we can kind of

under spiritualize this

and seek people's healing

just through pragmatic formulas

take your medicine

get your exercise

eat right

see a therapist

see a doctor

and then you'll be healed

hopefully

right

but what I want to say

is that we should always

be seeking people's healing

of every sort

and we should seek it

by every God

ordained means

possible

so how this works

in my own family

in our house

is like when my girls

are sick

they have a headache

a cold

Leah had a canker sore

this week

what I do is

I remind them

that God doesn't

ultimately want them

to be sick

and hurting

I remind them

that God can heal them

instantly if he wants to

and that Jesus promises

to heal them eventually

even if not

immediately

because he's coming

to make all things

new

that they can take

to the bank

and then what I do

is I pray for them

and I ask God

to show them his love

and his power

by removing their sickness

and removing their pain

and we thank God

for his assurance

that even if not now

their sickness

will be removed

by the power of Jesus

and I make them

take their medicine

and drink their water

and go to sleep

and listen to me

and mommy

because we always

know best

right

and when my daughters

are healed

and they always are

I make sure

to remind them

that whether it was

the medicine

or the prayer

or both

we can't ultimately know

I make sure they know

it was God

who healed them

just the other day

my youngest

again Leah

she had a canker sore

and she was whining

about it

and I prayed over it

with her

and the next day

when it was gone

as I expected it to be

she didn't say

daddy it finally went away

because we all know

canker sores

don't last forever

no she said

daddy God healed

my mouth

and she wasn't lying

she wasn't lying

because even if she was

healed by the natural

process of her body

who made that natural

process

and is that natural

process not also

supernatural

because it is held

together by the hand

who made and sustains

all things

I want my girls

to have an enchanted

view of the world

an enchanted view

of reality

rather than a godless

purely materialistic

view of the world

and I also want us

to be a church

that has an enchanted

view of the world

and that goes forth

in the name of Jesus

in faith

and in boldness

for the healing

of all things

even the most broken

things that we have

a hard time believing

can be healed

our neighbors

our communities

our colleagues

our friends

our systems

and institutions

as well

we are not fools

to seek this

from the Lord

to beg him

for this

during the prayers

of the people

and to lay hands

on people

and to believe

that God can do

things right now

to call the elders

to anoint people

with oil

to seek people's

health and wellness

our God loves

to write

unbelievable testimonies

of his power

he raised Christ

from the dead

so even for those

illnesses and afflictions

and areas of brokenness

that seem impossible

to heal

your cancer

your debilitating

back pain

your marital challenges

your mental health

disorders

your anxiety

your crippling depression

systemic injustice

homelessness

poverty and addiction

there is nothing

too hard

for the hand of God

and Jesus himself

said very truly

I tell you

whoever believes in me

will do the works

I have been doing

and they will do

even greater things

than these

because I am going

to the Father

and I will do

whatever you ask

in my name

so that the Father

may be glorified

in the Son

you may ask me

for anything

in my name

and I will do it

this is God's word

and promise

to his ambassadors

we are invited

to bring him glory

and to pursue

the wholeness

and the health

of those around us

because God

wants this world

to be healed

and he is at work

toward that end

even if we can't see it

we simply are invited

to participate

and to point people

to this kingdom

that Christ wants them

to experience

this kingdom of light

and health

and wholeness

now for the sake of time

I am going to have to go

more quickly

through verses 10-16

and in these verses

Jesus basically

lets these 72

know that hey

not everyone

is going to be

receptive though

and I want you to notice

how he doesn't tell us

to push the issue

or to linger in argumentation

or to condemn

and curse these places

and people

who aren't receptive

no he makes it very clear

that judgment

is in the hands

of the Lord

and all are going to be

held accountable

before him

those who have been

exposed to Christ

and the power

of his kingdom

and yet do not welcome him

and his messengers

Jesus says

they are on the path

to death

rather than life

and it will be more bearable

even for what the Jewish people

consider to be

the most sinful cities

Sodom and Tyre

and Sidon

because according to Jesus

the worst thing you could do

is not simply break God's laws

but break God's heart

by rejecting his one

and only beloved son

and by denying

his authority

and power

so Jesus says

to Chorazin

and Bethsaida

and Capernaum

all these towns

where he performed

tons of miracles

yet all these towns

that did not fully

receive and embrace him

he says to them

woe to you

woe to you

which is not a curse

listen

woe to you

is not a curse

woe doesn't mean curse you

it's an expression

of sadness

and distress

and grief

and regret

on behalf of others

it's incredible

empathy

and broken hearted

compassion

that Jesus feels here

this is what Jesus feels

for everyone

who is far

from him

and this is also

why we

his followers

must go out

to those

who he sends us to

how can we not have

this same

broken heartedness

for those who have yet

to welcome Jesus

into their lives

the stakes of not

embracing Christ

are high

judgment is real

and if people

reject the one

who is the resurrection

and the life

if they reject

their maker

and their sustainer

only rejection

and death

are left for them

that's why Jesus

says in verse 16

whoever listens to you

listens to me

whoever rejects you

rejects me

but whoever rejects me

rejects him

who sent me

this is the word

of the Lord

alright so now

you've just listened

to me talk

for almost

25 minutes

about what it means

and what it looks like

to be sent out

by Jesus

it's not being anxious

it's not being awkward

it's not being argumentative

it's being human

it's visiting people

with compassion

and love

and goodwill

in our hearts

it's eating with them

and offering the shalom

of God

to them

and bringing them healing

and announcing

that all of this

is a sign

of God's

way better kingdom

and my question is

really what's the downside

then

of going out

in the name of Jesus

to love and serve

this world

what's the worst

case scenario

and even if you

can't imagine it

being pretty bad

how does that

downside compare

to the upside

look at verse 17

just as Jesus predicted

the 72 returned

with joy

and said

Lord

even the demons

submit to us

in your name

so they've come back

and the harvest

was indeed plentiful

just as Jesus said

and they're filled

with joy

because they've gotten

to go to work

with daddy

and do the big boy

big girl things

that make an eternal

impact on the world

and even the demonic

spiritual forces

that they once feared

they've discovered

that these powers

have less authority

than they thought

that they in Christ

have far more authority

than them

and their faith

and their joy

and their excitement

have only grown

because they take

their sentness

from Jesus

seriously

and Jesus celebrates

with them

and confirms their authority

and their success

verse 18

Jesus replied

I saw Satan fall

like lightning

from heaven

yes guys

I'm aware

of your wins

on the spiritual

battlefield

verse 19

I have given you

authority

to trample on snakes

and scorpions

and to overcome

all the power

of the enemy

nothing will harm you

but look at what

Jesus tags on

to all this

at the end

in verse 20

however

do not rejoice

that the spirits

submit to you

but rejoice

that your names

are written

in heaven

and do you know

what Jesus

is saying here

do you know

what Jesus

is doing

right here

he's saying

yes guys

great

I saw Satan

fall like lightning

from heaven

as you went out

in my authority

to battle

the demons

but guys

I also

saw Satan

the prideful

arrogant

power hungry

one

fall like lightning

from heaven

and you must beware

of the same

you see

hopefully

we've come to the end

of the sermon

and you've received

at least a few more

motivations

to go out

in the name

of Jesus

to love

and serve

the world

to tell people

about him

because the harvest

is plentiful

and God wants

to use you

to demonstrate

his power

and his power

is real

and it's ready

and it's in you

to share God's

shalom

with the world

this is incredible

stuff

incredible motivation

to go out

on behalf

of Jesus

and his kingdom

but

if that

is our highest

joy

if our highest

joy

is our experience

of God's power

and that demons

submit to us

and that we can

heal the sick

and that we can

bring peace

to the afflicted

if our highest

joy

is in what we do

and accomplish

for God

then we've missed

his heart

we've missed

the gospel

and we've missed

the central feature

of his kingdom

if our highest

joy

is God's power

coursing through us

and us having

the dominating

authority

of God

over every other

power

then we will

become what

everyone hates

about so many

Christians

throughout history

and rightly so

we will become

domineering

antagonistic

hostile

arrogant

imperialistic

proselytizers

with a superiority

complex

and we will only

ever go out

imposing God's

power and

authority

over all

of our select

enemies

but if our

highest joy

is simply

that our names

are written

in heaven

hey that changes

everything

now in case

you're unfamiliar

with this concept

of a name

being written

in heaven

you see among

the ancients

particularly amongst

the Jewish people

most of them

believed

that when judgment

day would come

the books would

be opened

and in them

would be written

all the things

you've ever done

good and bad

and if you had

enough good deeds

if you lived

a righteous enough

life

then your name

would be written

in the book

of life

rather than

the book

of death

but here

Jesus is offering

us a far

better narrative

about the books

on judgment

day

everyone thought

that you had

to wait

till the end

to know

according to

the logic

of the ancients

we could only

rejoice at the

end

when we've done

enough for God

because that's

what will bring

us security

and peace

and blessing

but according

to the logic

of the gospel

according to

the logic

of Jesus'

kingdom

it's quite

the opposite

instead of

rejoicing in

what we've

done for God

Jesus says

to rejoice

in what God

has done

for us

Jesus says

to rejoice

in the fact

that our names

are already

written

in heaven

before the

ends of our

stories

are completed

and they've

been written

not by us

or as a result

of our

good works

our good deeds

but by the

loving

nail pierced

hand

of God

securing

our peace

and our

blessing

and our

security

forever

you know

earlier

I said

that Jesus

by sending

out the 72

he was showing

himself to be

the new

and better

Moses

right

well that

wasn't the

only way

that he's

the new

and better

Moses

you see

in Exodus

Exodus 32 · chapter mention

chapter 32

when the people

of Israel

who had just

been rescued

from Egypt

they're at

Mount Sinai

and God's

about to make

a covenant

with them

call them

his people

what do they

do

they end up

making that

golden calf

right

and they bow

down to it

and God's

anger

burns

against these

people

and he even

proposes to

Moses that

he should wipe

out the

whole nation

of Israel

and just make

a new nation

out of Moses

instead

God

but also

what happens

is Moses

he begs God

to show mercy

and he looks

for a way

to atone

for his

people's

sins

and so what

he suggests

to God

is that instead

of God

wiping out

all of Israel

Moses offers

himself

as an atonement

even though he

had no part

in the golden

calf

and he says

to God

please forgive

their sin

but if not

then blot me

out of the book

you have

written

did you hear

that

he offers

to be blotted

out of God's

book

instead of

his people

now ultimately

God doesn't

blot Moses

out of his

book

in the place

of his

people

and he

still shows

mercy to

Israel

and allows

their nations

to survive

because you

know Moses's

life

Moses's

righteousness

could never

atone

for all the

wickedness

of the people

of Israel

but someone

else's life

someone else's

righteousness

could

the greater

Moses

of the greater

exodus

Jesus Christ

who though

completely innocent

and without

sin

bore our

sins

bore our

shame

bore our

curse on the

cross

to secure

for us

life

and glory

and blessing

by his

resurrection

and this

is how our

names are

secured in

heaven

not by our

righteous deeds

but by trusting

in him

and in his

righteousness

on our

behalf

and this

is the gospel

the good news

that changes

everything

about how we

show up

and move

toward the

world that

God sends

us to

we dare

not dominate

our neighbors

and morph

into wolves

because the

way of our

Lord is the

way of the

lamb

and yet we

dare not

fear or

shrink back

from the

wolves

because our

lamb is

also a

lion who

triumphs over

the wolves

at the end

of the story

Jesus reminds

us that while

the empires

of this world

rejoice in

power

the power

to secure

for ourselves

glory and

honor and

blessing and

peace and

joy while

these empires

say rejoice

if you're a

wolf

in Jesus's

kingdom we

don't rejoice

in power

but in

humility and

grace and

mercy and

love in

Jesus's kingdom

we rejoice in

the lamb

slain for the

sins of the

world and yet

risen in

power a

power unforeseen

and beyond all

worldly wisdom

kingdom and

so my

question is

is there any

other kingdom

than Jesus's

that's worth

getting out of

bed for and

running through

walls for is

there any other

kingdom more

worthy than

Jesus's that

we'd rather be

sent out into

the world to

share we've

got the goods

we've got the

gospel our

names are

written and

there are many

more names to

discover so

let's go in the

name of Jesus to

love and serve this

world let's

pray

oh god fill us

with your spirit

and faith and

conviction and

boldness and

humility and

an adoration for

the gospel of

Jesus Christ the

lamb who was

slain for the

sins of the

world would you

fill us with all

of that that we

might go in the

name of Jesus to

love and serve

this world in

power and in

humility and in

compassion and in

a way that lifts

up the beautiful

story of Jesus

Christ and the

gospel of his

kingdom in Jesus

name we pray

amen

you know I pray

that as we come to

this table every

single week that

does not grow old

for us that we

receive these this

this grace at this

table that we

receive the mercy of

God fresh and new

every Sunday as we

hear Christ's body

given broken for

you Christ's blood

shed poured out for

your sins I pray that

this never grows old

for us so let's stand

together and confess

this faith with

conviction with fresh

hearts before the

Lord Christ church

what do we believe

I believe in God the

father almighty maker of

heaven and earth and

in Jesus Christ his

only son our Lord who

was conceived by the

Holy Spirit born of

the Virgin Mary suffered

under Pontius Pilate

was crucified dead and

buried he descended to

the dead on the third

day he rose again from

the dead he ascended

into heaven and is

seated at the right

hand of God the

father almighty from

there he will come to

judge the living and

the dead I believe in

the Holy Spirit the

Holy Catholic Church the

communion of saints the

forgiveness of sins the

resurrection of the

body and the life

everlasting amen the

Lord be with you lift up

your hearts let us give

thanks to the Lord our

God it is right to give

him thanks and praise oh

God it is right and a

good and joyful thing

always and everywhere to

give thanks to you father

almighty creator of

heaven and earth therefore

we praise you joining our

voices with angels and

archangels and with all

the company of heaven who

forever sing this hymn to

proclaim the glory of your

name

holy holy holy holy holy

lord god of power and

might heaven and earth are

full of your glory

heard heard heard heard

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

O God, would you strike us with the holiness of this moment

as we commune with the living God

who has sent forth his Son for us.

We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love

which you have made known to us in creation,

in the calling of Israel to be your people,

even when they were rebellious and turned away

far more than they knew.

In your word spoken through the prophets,

you have shown us your goodness,

and above all in the word made flesh, Jesus your Son.

For in these last days you sent him

to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary,

to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world.

In him you have delivered us from evil

and made us worthy to stand before you.

In him you have brought us out of error into truth,

out of sin into righteousness,

out of death into life.

And we ask that here at this table

you would so nourish and fill us and convict us

that we would desire this

for those outside of this place as well.

That they would be brought out of their error,

brought out of their sin,