The One | Donovan Rillion | The One Who Keeps Seeking

In the 1960s, following the success of his first

amusement park in Anaheim, California, Walt Disney

had a vision. Walt Disney saw something in what

most people considered to be unusable land in

Central Florida that no one else could see. What

he saw in the swamp and all the heat with all

the mosquitoes and this undesirable place. was

something special. Walt Disney was able to see

past what it was and envision what it could be.

You're probably familiar with it. You may have

even been a few times. But Walt Disney's vision

was more than just a bigger or a better version

of his first park. It was a place. It was a place

that families would return to again and again,

a place built on wonder and imagination and joy.

It was a place where dreams could come true.

You see, Walt sold this vision. He dreamed it.

He believed it. He spread the word about what

it would be, what it could be. He raised the

funds to make it happen. But then in 1966, Walt

Disney died. At that point, Disney World wasn't

open. It wasn't even built. The land had been

purchased, the work had begun, but the dream

was still incomplete. And that left a very important

question. What happens to a vision when the visionary

is gone? What happens to it? Does it die? Does

it just kind of fade away? Does it cease to exist?

What happens to the vision when the visionary

is gone? You see, what many people didn't realize,

though, is that Walt had already answered that

question. You see, before Walt Disney died, he

placed the responsibility for the project in

the hands of his brother, Roy Disney. With that

responsibility, Roy had options. He could scale

back the project. He could alter the vision and

make it what he wanted it to be. He could have

really made it his own. He could have even put

his own name on the gates. And it could have

been Roy Disney World, but Roy did the right

thing. He carried his brother's vision forward.

He didn't open Disney World until it was done

right. And when it finally opened in 1971, Roy

made sure it was called Walt Disney World. You

see, in the original plans, it was just going

to be Disney World, but Roy wanted to make sure

that his brother's name was on it because it

was his brother's vision. In doing this, everyone

would know that this wasn't Roy's dream. It wasn't

Roy's mission. It was Walt's. And although Walt

never walked through the gates, he never saw

the castle, he never heard the laughter and saw

the smiles on people's faces, in his world, Walt's

vision came to life. His dream became reality,

all because someone had been entrusted to finish

what he started. All because Walt made sure to

put someone in place that would carry out his

vision. You see, over the last several weeks,

we've been talking about the ones in our lives,

the people that we know who may be far from Jesus,

the ones who may be lost. And we talked about

how calling them lost isn't an insult. What we're

saying when we say someone is lost is saying

that something of value is not in our sight.

Something of value is not where it's supposed

to be. We looked at the lost sheep that kind

of wandered away from the flock. We looked at

the lost coin that was lost because of someone

else's actions, not of its own. We looked at

the son who absolutely walked away on his own,

but he found himself lost because he left home.

And we looked at the son who was lost because

he stayed home, but wasn't really where he was

supposed to be. At least his heart wasn't. And

in all of those stories, we establish something

very important. The truth that it matters that

we know who the lost are because Jesus came to

seek and save them. You see, Jesus says it plainly

in Luke chapter 19, verse 10. He says, for the

Luke 19:10

son of man came to seek and to save the lost.

That was his mission. That was Jesus's vision.

That was his desire. That was his whole purpose

for coming to this earth was to seek and save

the lost so that they would be found. so that

the dead would be made alive. This morning, before

we talk about what we're supposed to do, we have

to see how Scripture is very clear about who

we are. And the Apostle Paul says this in his

second letter to the church in Corinth, looking

at 2 Corinthians 5, verses 17 -20. Therefore,

2 Corinthians 5:17–20

if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

The old has passed away. Behold, the new has

come. All this is from God, who through Christ

reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry

of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was

reconciling the world to Himself, not counting

their trespasses against them, and entrusting

to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore,

we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His

appeal through us. We implore you, on behalf

of Christ, be reconciled to God. Christ reconciled

us to God. He brought us back in. He mended that

relationship. He made it okay. And then he gave

us the ministry of reconciliation. So he says,

I fixed this between you and God so that we can

all be a family together. Now go and do this

for others. Bring other people in too. Go find

the lost. Go help bring the dead back to life.

God did not just save us from something. He saved

us for something. He entrusted us with the message.

He appointed... us as ambassadors. And then Paul

says something that we really need to pay attention

to, and that is that God is making his appeal

through us. The one who came to seek is still

seeking, and he's doing it through his people.

He's doing it through us. He's doing it through

the church. And this is where Luke 15 comes back

into play. You see, the shepherd that leaves

the 99 to go find the one, he's still doing that.

But now he does it through the church. The woman

who was sweeping the house, searching diligently

for her lost coin, she's still doing that. But

it's being done through the church. The father

that was watching the road, waiting, longing

for his son to come home, he is still doing that,

but it's being done through the church, or at

least it should be. You see, Jesus is still seeking.

He's still searching. He's still calling the

lost home. And he's chosen to do it in the most

unlikely way through a bunch of unperfect people

like us. And this is why after his resurrection,

Jesus looks at his disciples and he says this

in Matthew 28 verses 19 and 20. He says, go therefore

Matthew 28:19

and make disciples of all nations. baptizing

them in the name of the Father and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe

all that I have commanded you. And behold, I'm

with you always to the end of the age. You see

right there in that great commission, that's

Jesus saying, hey, I need you to finish the job.

They knew his mission. The disciples knew the

mission of Christ. They had spent three years

watching him seek the lost. They spent three

years seeing his grace given to the broken. They

watched him transform lives in real time. And

now Jesus says, hey, all the things you've seen,

all the things you've heard, everything I've

taught you, you go do it too. Carry it forward,

carry on the mission, carry out the vision. And

he assures us that we don't do it alone. He says,

I'm going to be with you. And then later in Acts

Acts 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1 and verse 8, we see Jesus says this,

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit

has come upon you and you'll be my witnesses

in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and

to the end of the earth. Y 'all, we are sent.

But we're not sent unsupported. We're sent with

Jesus by our side. We're sent with the Holy Spirit

that empowers the search, the Holy Spirit that

convicts hearts, that opens eyes, that draws

people closer. And that's why for the past...

three, four weeks since the start of the year,

we've been spending this time praying and fasting.

We set out on this 31 days to pray and fast for

the one because we have to know that this mission

doesn't happen on our own. It doesn't rest on

our ability. It doesn't rest on my talents. It

doesn't rest on my likability. This mission is

only successful through the power of God. And

so if you're a follower of Christ, you've been

called, you've been sent by Jesus. And I need

you to hear this. And I need to hear this too.

We have been sent, not some of us, not just those

of us that are gifted. in certain abilities like

giving or preaching or leading worship, not just

the missionaries, not just the pastors or the

elders, not just the ones who seem to have it

all together. Every person who claims to be a

follower of Jesus has been entrusted with this

vision. Walt Disney entrusted one man with his

vision. Jesus entrusted every person who would

follow him with his. What I'm saying is, just

like Walt Disney's vision didn't die with him,

Jesus' vision did not leave this earth when he

left it to go to heaven. I want to share some

numbers with you. Did you know each year, roughly

50 million people walk through the gates of Walt

Disney World? 50 million. In 2023 alone, Disney's

theme parks welcomed more than 142... million

visitors worldwide. So that's Disneyland, Disney

World, the Disney Cruises, the resort in Hawaii,

all the Disney theme parks and all the Disney

attractions, 142 million visitors worldwide.

And I want you to think about how many of those

are repeat offenders. You know who you are. That

didn't happen because Walt stayed alive. That

didn't happen because Walt was still here. That

happened because Walt's vision was carried out

by those faithful to him. Now, I want you to

think about this. When Jesus leaves the earth,

there's just a few people following him at that

time. There's just a few people that were there

to witness all of the things that he had done,

that were there to see him ascend into heaven.

So he leaves with just a few. Let's just say

less than 15. He leaves with a few, but today

more than 2 .4 billion, with a B, billion people

around the world claim Christ. Now that didn't

happen because Jesus stayed on this earth. That

happened because ordinary people were faithful

to what they had been entrusted with. They were

faithful. They knew their assignment. They understood

the vision. They had seen it up close and in

person. And so they knew what they were called

to do, and they did it. Let me tell you a story.

I have a friend who, he's a full -blown Disney

loyalist. In fact, he's actually a Disney travel

agent. So if you're wanting to go, let me know

and I'll get you hooked up. But seriously, one

day we're talking and he's telling me about how

awesome it was that they took their kids to Disney.

They did like a surprise trip. So they woke their

kids up one morning and they were like, bags

are packed. gas is in the vehicle, snacks are

ready, let's go. So they went. They went to Disney.

They had a great time. And so he's back and he's

telling me about this awesome trip. And he's

trying to convince me to take my kids to Disney.

Now, if you've met Easton and Peyton, you know

they're crazy. And I just have no desire to take

a four and a three -year -old to Disney. I don't.

But he tells me about the rides. He tells me

about the food. He tells me about all the memories

that his family has made. He tells me about the

joy that they experienced while they were there.

And every time he brings up this new cool part

that he remembered about their trip, I resist.

I'm like, no, my kids are psychotic. I'm not

doing that. I love them. One day we'll take them.

But the idea of navigating Disney World with

them right now feels like a spiritual discipline

that I just haven't developed yet. I haven't.

But here's what gets me is as much as I despise

the idea of taking a four and a three -year -old

to Disney World, my friend is pretty convincing.

And it's not because he's a good salesman. He

is a pretty good persuasive person, but it's

not the pressure he puts on me. It's not his

ability to share these stories. It's not because

he argues with me. He's convincing because I

can see how much he believes. what he's telling

me. I can see how much he feels the joy just

as he's telling the stories. I can feel how much

joy it brought his family. He can't help but

talk about it. You know, the conversation just

comes up and I noticed that in him, there's a

difference between someone just enjoying something

and being a full -on fan. And I think the church

has something to learn from that. Too often we

try to sell Jesus. Too often we try to give people

this obligation of being a part of the church

or being a follower of Jesus. We bring them the

guilt. We bring them the fear factor of you don't

want to go to hell. You don't want to live your

life without Jesus. You don't want to wake up

one day and see that you have another. You know,

we bring that fear factor in. Or maybe we bring

in the rules and the conditions and say, well,

if you don't live it this way, then you're going

to experience this pain now and then one day

for eternity. But what 2 Corinthians 5 says is

we implore people on behalf of Christ. And I

want you to hear this. That word implore means

to plead passionately. It means we are telling

you with passion, with conviction, just how great

Christ is, just how good this gift is. And so

we're sharing that not because we have to, but

because we truly believe in the joy that Jesus

brings because we are convicted. because we feel

it. It's more than just something we know. It's

more than just stats in our head. It's more than

just rules that have been impressed on us. It

is a joy. It is a goodness that we feel deeply.

You see, Disney sells joy so well that they don't

just create fans. They don't just create people

that like Disney. They create people who cannot

stop talking about Disney. So let me ask you

this question. If a worldly organization, if

they can do that, how much more should we be

compelled to share the joy that comes from Christ?

How much more should we be compelled to share

the goodness of God that we believe? And then

I want you to think about this. When the lost

are found, Scripture tells us something else

happens. I've been saying it for the last couple

of weeks. There is a celebration. Jesus says

in every story he tells in Luke 15, something

like what he says in verse 7. Just so I tell

you, there will be more joy in heaven over one

sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons

who need no repentance. To simplify that, every

time someone is found, every time someone gives

their life to Christ, heaven throws a party.

The Father celebrates, the angels celebrate.

I can just envision it. There's confetti popping

and there's music playing and there's dancing

and there's shouting and there's amens and hallelujahs.

It is a full -on celebration. And the truth is,

I've been saying it these past few weeks, the

church is meant to reflect that same joy. We

have no other response than to reflect that same

celebration. When somebody walks into Disney

World, everything communicates happiness. Everything

communicates celebration from the music to the

greetings you get from the characters. And when

you walk into Disney, I've never been, but this

is what I've heard, nobody wonders if they're

welcome. They don't walk through those gates

and wonder, am I supposed to be here or do they

want me here? Nobody wonders that because you're

giving them your money. Seriously, though, nobody

wonders that because the whole atmosphere is

this fully inviting place that says, we want

you to be a part of this experience. And so another

question I ask is, if they can do that, how much

more should the church be a place of celebration

when someone who was lost is found? Not a place

of suspicion, not a place full of side eyes and,

oh, can you believe that they're here? Not a

place that looks at them when they walk in and

says, hey, we need you to check that outfit or,

hey, you got to put a suit on or you got to put

a tie on or I can't believe that you would wear

something like that. Not a place that says, hey,

we know what you did last week. I don't think

you're supposed to be here. They walk in and

they are met with a place that says, we want

to fully invite you into the worship and praise

of our God. We want to fully invite you into

the begging of God to redeem us. We want to fully

invite you into this reconciliation that Jesus

has offered us. And all of that, a place that

invites them into the joy that only Christ brings.

Because when someone comes to know Christ, it's

not just a decision that they make in their head.

It's a resurrection. It's an old, crusty life

that was dead, that was desolate, being brought

to life and being offered a newness, as Jesus

says, an abundant life. It's a lost sheep being

carried home. It's a coin being found. It's a

son coming back to the father. And all of that

is 100 % worthy of celebration. As I said the

other week, I want to be the party planning committee

of heaven's worst nightmare. I want heaven to

get tired of us bringing people to Christ. I

want our church to be a place where people come

and they find themselves able to lay their burdens

down at the foot of the cross and say, Jesus,

I accept the free gift of salvation that you

have offered me. I accept the free joy that you

are offering me. And that is something I want

to emphasize this morning before we finish. I

want to make it very clear. Disney World, yes,

it is magical, but it comes at a cost. And from

what I understand, a very hefty cost. You pay

for the tickets, you pay for the food, you pay

to have this experience. And truthfully, not

everyone can afford the price of admission. But

the kingdom of God, the real magic kingdom, that

kingdom. It doesn't work that way. I want you

to hear what John says in Revelation 22, verse

Revelation 22:17

17. The spirit and the bride say, come. And let

the one who hears say, come. And let the one

who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires

take the water of life without price. In other

words, let them come. and let them partake for

free. Don't put a price in the way because there

is none. Don't put any obligations in the way

because there are none. Don't put any prerequisites

in the way because there are none. You don't

earn it. You don't buy it. It is fully free.

The price of admission has already been paid

because Jesus paid it with his life. So if you're

hearing this today and you're thinking I'm one

of the lost ones who we've been talking about

the last couple of weeks, I want you to hear

this clearly. The gates are open. There is no

security. There is no check -in point. There

is no price of admission. There's only an invitation

that has your name on it. So you can come on

in. It's free. You can afford it because it's

free. And I also want to speak to those of us

who are already in Christ. Because this is something

we need to hear. Some of us love Jesus deeply.

We talk about him. We sing about him. We pray

to him even. We love Jesus deeply. But somewhere

along the way, we stopped seeking. Somewhere

along the way, we got comfortable. Maybe we got

busy. Maybe we got distracted. And we forgot

the weight of what we've been entrusted with.

We forgot the assignment that we've been given,

the mission that's been handed over to us. And

we're still saved, but we're not really doing

the job that we've been called to do. And I want

you to hear this. I don't say this to shame us

because I'm guilty of it too. I don't say this

to make us feel bad. What I'm saying is we need

to be brought back. We have to remember who we

are. We have to remember that we are, as Paul

said in 2 Corinthians 5, ambassadors of Christ.

We are those who have been entrusted with this

vision to reconcile the lost. So in this moment,

whether you need to give your life to Christ

for the first time, or maybe you need to recommit

yourself to His mission. Maybe you need to recommit

yourself to the vision. I want you to know that

we are here. Although we're not here together

in the building, we're here. And we're just a

phone call or a text away. We're an email away.

We're a Facebook message away from you saying,

hey, I'm ready to give my life to Christ. I'm

ready to do this. take the step of giving my

life over to him and making him my savior and

more than that, my Lord. And if you just need

to say, hey, I need to recommit my life to this

mission. I haven't been seeking the loss. I haven't

been spreading the good news. Whatever it is

you need, or if you just need somebody to pray

for you because you're hurting right now, wherever

you are today, we're here. And as John says in

Revelation, we ask you to come. We're just a

text, a call, an email away. Come.