I Peter 2:9-10 "A Missional Community"

You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.

Our passion is to experience and express grace.

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Thank you all.

Beautiful, beautiful reminder of our hope.

We started talking last Sunday about being a biblical community, the things that God's

Word tells us about a church that God would use to storm the gates of hell, to bring revival,

renewal.

And we saw last week that it must begin with our being Christ-centered, focused on Jesus,

His person, His cross, His Word, His body.

That's our first core commitment as a church, committed to being Christ-centered.

It has implications for us.

We're going to talk about those over the next few weeks.

What does it mean when you're Christ-centered?

What else does that look like?

This morning, talking about being a missional community, a community on mission together.

Now, when you think about it, most groups of people have a mission that brings them together

and unites them.

A sense of purpose.

A definition of success that the group kind of unites around.

In fact, you know, as we speak, there are football teams across the country beginning

to practice with national championship aspirations in mind.

All right?

That's where we want to go.

Every player on the team is working toward that goal of standing there in January, holding

the trophy with the confetti coming down around them.

That's what they're working towards.

Many of you work for businesses where being successful means making money, paying off for

shareholders, perhaps other things too.

But the bottom line is the bottom line.

You've got to make money to keep going.

Like my family, many of you are members of a neighborhood pool or a club of some sort or another

where the goal, the purpose of its existence is to provide benefits, services to those who are members of that club.

Right?

That purpose, that's what's going on, why they get together.

And that goal of benefiting those who are a part of a group is so normal to us, whether it's a team or a club or a business.

How can we benefit each other?

That's often the way we approach church too, isn't it?

It's the consumer mentality of how is the church making me feel?

What services does the church provide my family?

How does it reflect on me or contribute to my personal success in life?

Can we admit that those are often the things we think of as the mission of the church?

We might not call it the mission of the church, but we think that's the purpose.

That's why I would want to be a part of the church.

That's what I'm looking for in a church.

Don't we often look at it that way?

No, we're talking about being a community, a group, connecting relationally with each other.

And that's valuable, isn't it?

Having those relationships, but not merely community for community's sake.

That's not the mission of the church of Jesus Christ.

And in fact, the Bible says it's quite the opposite.

Did you know, for instance, that we could keep every single one of our members happy

and still not accomplish the mission of the church?

Did you know that we could meet budget 30 years in a row and fail to achieve the mission

of the church?

Did you know that we could grow numerically, double in size, and look like we're doing

great things and still not achieve the mission God has given to us as His church?

We see the mission of the church all over the place in God's Word.

But I want to read us just a couple verses from 1 Peter as we get started and then we'll

pray.

Peter is writing in chapter 2 of his letter about the church that God is building on the

cornerstone of Jesus.

And in verse 9, he gives us this clear statement of our identity and mission as those following

Jesus.

This is God's holy Word.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession

that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous

light.

Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people.

Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Let's pray.

Jesus, would you be with us this morning?

Would you, as we have just prayed in song, would you abide with your church?

Your church everywhere and especially, Father, would you abide here in our presence this morning

with this church for the sake of your kingdom?

God, would you abide with us?

Show us what you would have for us.

Show us Jesus by your Holy Spirit.

We ask in His name.

Amen.

Here's the bottom line this morning.

I'm not going to trick you or hide it from you.

For this aspect of being a biblical community, a church God uses.

Last week we said that the church God uses must remain focused on the person of Jesus.

Now, today, as we are, a church centered on Jesus, what does it look like?

It must be on the mission of God together.

Now, that's very simple, but it's a harder mission than you think.

And it's a more glorious mission than you could even imagine that we are called to and put here for.

So, before we come back to 1 Peter 2 and other passages that tell us about that,

let's remember briefly what God's mission in this world is.

We must be on His mission, not just whatever we want to do.

We must be on His mission together.

And the Bible tells us that God is up to something from the very beginning.

In the very beginning, God creates a world to display His glory,

to give Himself in relationship to people,

and those people then in turn are to reflect His glory over the whole creation.

That's God's mission, His glory being known in relationship and shared everywhere,

filling the earth.

But we messed that up, didn't we?

Looking at ourselves, we didn't reflect His image,

but instead rebelled against Him and wanted to do things our own way.

Brought a curse on the entire creation that was intended to display His great glory.

And so, God sets about, from early in the Bible,

a mission of redeeming and restoring all of His glorious,

now broken, creation.

Especially those broken people that He made in His image.

God is on a restoration mission.

He is making all things new, Revelation 21.

Bringing us back into relationship with Him that we were created for

and renovating all of creation, Romans 8,

so that it reflects His glory perfectly again.

His kingdom coming on earth as He always intended.

And just as God first created people to live in relationship with Him

and then to reflect His glory to the whole creation,

in that same way, God on His restoration mission is up to the same thing.

giving Himself for people in relationship,

to restore that relationship with them,

and then giving them to others

to restore those people in relationship.

Everyone and everything restored to the glory that He intended for it at first.

You can see this pattern in the story of Abraham.

Peter read for us earlier as we confessed.

God says, I will bless you.

We'll have this special relationship

and then you will be a blessing to others, to the nations.

And perhaps the clearest Old Testament image of this

is the entire nation of Israel.

All of them told in Exodus 19

what their mission is as God's people.

Verse 4,

You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians,

how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.

Now therefore, if you'll indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant,

you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples.

That's who they are.

They have this special relationship with God, right?

As His treasured possession.

God's brought them into that relationship,

but then they have this glorious mission.

All the earth is mine,

and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests

and a holy nation.

They have a glorious mission to be priests,

to restore relationship with the rest of creation,

to represent God and pass along His glory to everyone around them.

That's what that means.

You don't see it there maybe in that verse,

but that's what priests do.

They stand between God and the people.

In the nation of Israel,

there was one tribe out of the twelve.

They were the priests, right?

They stood between God and the rest of the nation.

Sacrifices,

prayers,

speaking for God to the people.

That was their function.

They represented Him to the rest of the nation.

But then God says here

that the entire nation

will be a kingdom of priests.

It's not Israel alone

that God wants to have relationship with.

Who's He interested in?

The whole earth.

All the earth is mine,

and so I need a group of you to be priests

to represent me to them.

You be priests, Israel.

Passing along the glory of restored relationship.

Restoring every person,

every plant,

every policy that's gone wrong

to the way I intended this world to be.

Israel struggled with that.

But that restoration mission reached its climax,

of course,

in the life,

death,

and resurrection of Jesus,

who restored relationship with God

ultimately through His cross.

He died to see us restored

in our relationship with God.

And He sends His followers,

His people,

out on that glorious mission of restoration,

doesn't He?

1 Peter 2 is just one great picture of that.

It actually quotes that Exodus 19 passage.

Who are we?

We, like Israel,

have this special relationship with God

because He restored it by His mercy.

That's the cross.

And now we have not only the relationship,

we have this mission as priests

to carry that on with everyone else.

To proclaim His excellencies.

To tell His glory, right?

Everywhere.

That's why we're priests.

We're a special people

in order that something might happen,

that we have a purpose and a mission

proclaiming His excellencies everywhere

so God's mission can be accomplished.

In other places,

the church is called ministers of reconciliation,

ambassadors of the King.

Jesus tells His followers before He ascends,

you will be my witnesses

to the ends of the earth.

And as you go throughout all creation,

what are you going to do?

Make disciples of all nations.

Others who reflect the glory of God

all over His creation.

Do you begin to see why it's not enough for us

as a community just to be about ourselves?

It's not enough, is it?

It's not enough just to exist

for making each other happy

and enjoying life together.

All of these descriptions that I just read

of the church's calling

turn us outward toward the rest of creation.

God's got a glorious mission

that He calls us into.

It's a mission of restoration.

That as we know His glories,

we declare His glories to others.

As we experience His justice,

we share His justice with others.

As we taste the wonder of His grace,

we offer grace to others.

Experience and express grace.

That's our shorthand mission statement here.

God gives Himself in relationship with you

over and over when you don't deserve it.

Experience grace.

And then God sends you to give yourself

in relationship with others

over and over again

when they don't deserve it.

That's what we're called to.

Being Christ-centered

means we must be outward-facing,

priests who represent God to others,

proclaiming His excellencies

so that the earth is filled with His glory.

See, that's why God created you.

It's why God called you into this community.

Did you know you were created

for greatness like that?

For glory?

For being a part of something that's eternal?

That will always matter?

Don't you want that?

It's what He made you for.

It's why He's in relationship with you

and loves you and cares about you.

He has something great and glorious for you.

Bishop William Temple said,

the church is the only society

that exists for the benefit

of those who are not its members.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it this way,

the church is the church

only when it exists for others.

The sad thing is that through history,

the story of church history

is one of Christians and churches

forgetting this over and over

and needing to remember it

and come back to it.

They've neglected this mission

that God gives them.

But when a rekindling of love for Christ

has happened in the church,

it inevitably and invariably

involves the church being on this mission

as a result.

If you go back to the early church

and read through the book of Acts,

they go off on this mission

that Jesus has sent them on

with great passion, right?

Sharing the good news of a risen Savior.

Caring for each other in incredible ways

and as one Roman emperor even noticed,

caring for their poor too.

But as you study church history,

time and time again,

that's been forgotten.

What usually happens is something like this.

The church gets some cultural influence.

Having shared some of that good news,

it begins to take root

and they begin to feel comfortable

and see their impact on the society

and that missionary impulse fades.

It doesn't seem nearly as important anymore.

The church settles in

and gets comfortable

pursuing the same goals

and missions as everyone else.

Existing for themselves.

Personal success, wealth, power, comfort, fame

becomes the driving mission

for which individuals

and the church together exists

and with that as the driving mission

of people's lives,

the church is relegated

to spiritualizing birth and death

and maybe some occasional moral guidance

for how I'm supposed to live

while I run the same rat race

everybody else is running.

Church historian Richard Loveless

explains that this was exactly

what Jonathan Edwards found in America

in the early 1700s.

The people in his congregation

were respectable

and had a rote orthodoxy.

Quote,

but their ultimate concerns

were not God and His kingdom

but land and the pursuit of affluence.

Skip that, it's too convicting.

Let's see.

Actually, what he's describing

is an approach to life

that if we're honest,

most of us can identify with

pretty quickly, can't we?

It looks something like this.

An approach to life

where at the center of everything

is myself.

And everything else in my life

works to make me feel

like a successful self.

What I want to be,

this idealized version of myself.

Everything contributes to that

and it revolves around

that idea of me being successful

however I define that.

In Huntsville, Alabama,

you've got to acknowledge

that many people

have spirituality

as a key part of that.

Even Jesus.

It's important

to their overall image

of what a good self is.

You've got to sprinkle

some going to church

and some knowing some phrases

and being with the right kind of people

in order to be who you want to be.

But the biblical picture

is actually quite different.

It's just a small change

but Jesus actually

moves into the center.

His mission,

His glory

is what I'm about

and why I exist

and that defines my identity.

That changes how I spend my time.

Rearranges what relationships

I invest in.

It transforms my purpose

in the workplace.

It's an entirely reoriented life.

When Jesus is the hub

not merely a spoke on the wheel.

It makes all the difference.

It actually drives and changes

all the rest of

what I'm involved in.

And when what we call

the Great Awakening

came to Jonathan Edwards' congregation

the Holy Spirit

used the doctrines of sin

and Jesus' death on the cross

as we talked about last week

to show them

the glory of God

afresh.

They'd lost sight of it.

Here's what he writes.

The gravity of covetousness

which had drawn their hearts

to earthly concerns

was reversed

and merchants began

to neglect their business

to talk about God

and their souls.

The Word of God

suddenly had free course

in congregational worship

since the laity

were now in touch

with the reasons described

in the minister's sermons.

Hymns were now a delight

rather than a habit

and a duty.

The lay people's passivity

and witness

gave way to a new concern

for others.

You hear that?

Their restored relationship

with God

that they'd never really

experienced like this before

created a passion

to spread that restoration

to others around them.

And what happened?

the great awakening

was born.

A great revival

across a whole region

of this country.

Stop and think about that.

That may seem crazy.

You may think

that doesn't happen anymore.

Can you imagine

the impact

when not just one person

but a whole community

of people together

see Jesus move

from a spoke to the hub?

See Jesus move

from being something nice

to sprinkle on the top

to being what drives

everything that I do?

Can you imagine

how it impacts

not just a Sunday morning

worship service

but lots of your neighbors

and the city's business

and schools

and government?

we now see our homes

as mission outposts.

Our money

as mission ammunition.

Our jobs

and our free time

as mission opportunities

for Jesus.

It's all for Jesus.

The Bible says

God has made you

for so much more

than merely seeing

how much money

you can make.

Seeing how many people

you can impress

and get to think

you're great.

Seeing how early

you can retire

and with how many toys.

He's got more

in mind for you

than that.

He's made you

to know

and share

His glory.

And we haven't even

touched what it's like.

We're just getting

to know Him

and more and more

growing in that.

He's got that.

He wants you to continue

growing in that.

His word tells each of us

to offer our bodies

as living sacrifices.

Romans 12.

That whether we eat

or drink

or whatever we do

we should do it all

for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10.

That whatever we do

in word or deed

we should do it

as unto the Lord.

Colossians 3.

And when a community

of people

facing outward

on mission like that

gathers together

it is a force

on God's mission

for God's glory.

glory.

That's

what He's creating

here.

And one of the

greatest challenges

to this

is that

God calls us

to stay

in many of the

same places

while we have

this uncommon mission

that we're pursuing.

He calls us

to very normal

jobs

to engage

with normal

people

to participate

in many normal

activities

activities

and y'all

can we just be honest

it's simply

hard

to engage

in normal life

without normal

goals and motivations

isn't it?

It's really hard

to be a part

of a community

and a culture

where you're doing

everything

that everybody else

is doing

but your goals

and motivations

and the way

you go about it

is different.

That's just not easy.

And yet

it would in a sense

be easier

to find a mountain

somewhere

to go live

on the top

of that mountain

and just think

about Jesus

all day

every day

wouldn't it?

If Jesus

was going to be

at the center

it would be easier

up on a mountaintop

somewhere

and God

has put you

where?

Right here

in Huntsville

and he's called

you actually

to have

Jesus

and his mission

shape every moment

of every day

right where you are.

One of the most

important things

to remember

in that

is that it's

it's a mission

of word

and deed.

Whatever we do

in word

or in deed

those things

must stay

connected to each other.

We proclaim

his excellencies

with our words

and our actions.

Jesus did it

the Bible

teaches it

we say it

in our core

commitments

you can see

there in your bulletin

but what does that mean?

What does it mean

that we're about

God's mission

every time we speak

and act?

Well

think of it

this way

there's a reason

that grocery stores

give you samples

you know

you've had them before

don't act like

you haven't been

to Sam's

or Costco

there's a reason

they do that

it's not just

to keep you there

shopping longer

so you'll spend

more money

why do they do it?

Because they know

that you're more likely

to buy something

that you've tasted

and enjoyed.

One of our favorite

dinners that

Christy makes

our family

is a shrimp pasta

she may never

have tried

making it

but she

sampled it

at the grocery store

one day

and when she

tasted it

and loved it

she turned around

and walked back

to the counter

and did what?

Do you have a recipe

for that?

What did you use

to make this?

Can I have that recipe?

You see the recipe

tells people

how they find

the life

that God intended

for them

but the taste

makes them

long for it.

We are to declare

that true significance

is found

in the glory

of God

that's the recipe

and we are to

demonstrate

the glory

of His kingdom

in how we work

and love

and serve

that's the taste.

Think about it

people don't want

to hear about

a holy God

who's worthy

of everything

from someone

who lives

to please Himself.

People don't want

to hear about

a God of grace

and forgiveness

from someone

who condemns them

and looks down

on them.

People don't want

to hear about

a God

who loves

the poor

and the oppressed

from rich people

who try hard

to avoid them.

It doesn't

match up

does it?

The taste

and the recipe

the word

and the deed

churches that God

has used

in bringing revival

have kept both

aspects of that

restoration mission

together.

That both are

vitally important

word and deed

the recipe

and the sample

you could say

the blueprint

of your new home

that tells you

how to build it

and the model home

in that new neighborhood

that you walk through

and it makes you

long to live there

right?

The church

is to be

that model home

a taste

of heaven

on earth

and that

requires a community

living and loving

together.

That great work

that God is doing

is global

it's happening

all over the place

but he has placed us

right here in Huntsville.

We use this image

as a reminder

of that

that

Southwood S

in the middle of

Huntsville community

for the sake of

the city.

God's put us here

for a reason.

That olive branch

that you see up top

there and you see

in our logo

all over the place

is to be a visual

reminder to us

that we are here

to extend

God's peace

to share

God's restoration

mission.

We're not here

for ourselves.

We're here

to extend

God's grace

with all of creation

and every person

in it.

How can we do that

together here?

Mostly you're going to

get to talk about that

outside of this room

but just to whet

your appetite.

Turn and look out

those windows

for a minute.

Just

you're not going to

say anything unusual

but just so you'll

remember

outside

there's cars

driving by

right now

a bunch of them

just in these

few seconds

lonely neighbor

after lonely neighbor

drives by.

Some of them

have visibly

broken lives.

Some of them

look really

successful

when they drive

by or when you

drive by their

home but

they have broken

hearts.

People in our

city suffer from

generational poverty.

Schools in our

city struggle

with systemic

racial injustice.

Neighbors on

the street you

live on

battle addiction

and depression

and an eternal

sense of

emptiness

even though

life seems to

be going

really well.

And we are

sent.

We who know

what it's like

to battle

addiction

and suffer

depression

and feel

empty.

We who've been

oppressed

and poor

and who've

struggled

and still don't

quite know

how to make

life work

the way we'd

like to.

We are actually

called and sent

on a mission

of restoration

to them.

We have the

good news

of a kingdom

and a king

who will right

every wrong.

Y'all,

God sends us

to this city.

How can we

drive by and

slip behind

our garage doors

when Huntsville

cries out

for restoration?

They don't know

those words

to use.

Many don't know

who it is

they're looking

for but they're

desperate for hope,

for healing,

and you

know

the king.

I know you

can't combat

all this alone.

You can't go out

and fix

Huntsville,

save the city.

That's why God

gives us each other.

It's why we must

lock arms

in community

together

and be on

mission.

You need

brothers and

sisters with a

range of

different gifts

to run a

Jobs for Life

program.

You need

a small

group to

pray with

you through

how to

impact your

neighborhood

and labor

alongside you

for the

kingdom as

you do that.

You need

a connect

community

starting in a

few weeks

to spur

you on to

Christ-centered

missional

living and

equip you with

God's word

to know how

to love your

coworkers.

workers.

We're not

doing these

relational

community

building

things to

play church

or just to

make each

other feel

good for an

hour every

Sunday so we

can go back

to life.

We're diving

in here

together because

we can't

accomplish this

mission alone.

Community is a

catalyst for

this mission.

We need

each other.

Amen?

Amen?

Amen?

Amen?

Amen?

Amen?

Amen?

Amen?

Amen?

Amen?

Amen?

Amen?

And the mission

is so big

that it must

drive us

to our knees

which is where

we'll pick up

the conversation

next Sunday.

We need

our Father's

help.

But as we

reorient our

lives around

our Savior

and His glory

and His

mission

we must be

on God's

mission

together.

Matter of

fact,

Jesus doesn't

just tell us

that that's

what we

must do.

He shows

us that,

doesn't He?

He keeps

word and

deed perfectly

connected to

each other.

Jesus comes

and calls

us to a

mission of

giving ourselves

away and

He demonstrates

for us what

that looks like

and empowers

us to give

our lives

away by

giving His

for us.

Jesus lays

down the

comforts of

heaven.

He takes a

hit to His

bottom line

so to speak.

He operates

on a schedule

that wasn't

His preferred

schedule for

us to

restore our

relationship

with our

Father.

If your house

is a mission

outpost and

your money is

mission ammunition,

if it's all

about Jesus,

His body and

blood is

mission fuel

for you as

you go out

where He

sends you.

He empowers

us for

what He

calls us

to.

That's what

this body

and blood

is about.

That as we

go out on

the glorious

mission of

restoration,

He goes

with us

and in us

as we live

for Him.

Remember what

Jesus said to

His disciples

the night that

He was

betrayed.

He sat

with them.

He took

bread.

He broke

it.

He gave

it to them

as I,

ministering in

His name,

give this

bread to

you.

He said,

take,

eat.

This is

my body

broken

for you.

Do this

in remembrance

of me.

Remember how

I've loved

you.

And in the

same manner

after giving

thanks He

took the

cup saying

this cup

is the new

covenant

in my

blood.

Shed for

many for

the forgiveness

of sins.

Drink from

it.

All of

you.

Jesus

gives us

Himself.

And so if

you've trusted

Jesus and

if you've

connected

with a

branch of

His church,

it doesn't

have to be

this particular

one.

This is His

table,

not ours.

Then come

and celebrate

together the

Savior who

goes with us

as He calls

us to join

Him in His

mission.

And if you

don't know

Jesus,

if you haven't

trusted Him

yourself,

I invite you

too to come

in just a

minute as we

gather around

these tables.

You're welcome

to come

too,

to pray with

us,

to watch

and consider

what Jesus

has said.

But I invite

you not to

take His

body and

blood.

Don't take

the bread

and the juice

as you come,

but rather

consider what

Jesus has

offered you.

Consider the

mission that

He says,

this is what

you were

created for

and how

significant you

are.

And you

have to

have me

to be

restored to

what God

intended for

you.

Consider that.

We'd love to

talk with you

and pray with

you about

that.

Let me pray

and then we'll

come to this

table together.

Jesus, thank

You for not

leaving us

alone to do

something too

big for us.

Thank You for

giving Yourself

for us and

for empowering

us for what

You have

called us

to.

Would You

set aside

these very

common elements

to a special

purpose in our

hearts that

we would be

strengthened to

live even

this afternoon

and then beyond

that for Your

glory.

We ask in

Your name.

Amen.

For more

information,

visit us online

at

southwood.org.

enter

in the

glimpse of the

eye see and

ämän

enter

into song