The Church of Eleven22 - Wk 32: Life on Mission

Episode Date: August 26, 2018

A life well lived is not measured by accumulation or achievement, but by pouring yourself out for the glory of God on the mission of God by the power of God.

Amen and amen. How we doing, church? How are very good? Hope so. Hey, one of the things we've been learning in the book of Romans as Paul shifts gears in chapter 12 to talk about the implications of the gospel infected life is that we are to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. And there is a part of our community, the Jacksonville community, Reigns High School, and there's some folks weeping today because of a shooting on Friday night after the football game. And I thought the best way to start was just that we would be in prayer. for that community. So if you would please bow your heads at all of our locations and you say your own prayer privately and I will pray out loud for the folks in that part of Jacksonville. Our good and gracious Heavenly Father, God, we know that you are good even when things that are not good happen. And Lord, we know that you are in charge even when it seems like this world is out of control.

And God, we know, we claim, we confess that you are at work in all things for the good of those that love you and are called according to your purpose. And God, we pray for a peace that transcends understanding at Reigns High School this week. Lord, we pray that somehow you would be glorified, that people would know you through this tragedy. And God, we pray that the senseless violence would end, that the gospel would so impact and infect Jacksonville that the senseless violence would end and in all throughout our country and all over the world, God. And Lord, in the meantime, Holy Spirit, we pray that you would do what only you could do, that you would equip and that you would comfort the folks impacted by this tragedy and that the church would rise up like never before

and be your comforting arms in a safe safe place in an unsafe world and the God above all that much would be made of Jesus and God so we pray for those hurting families God we pray for the the teachers the coaches the administrators of that school in particular and God we pray we pray that your love would pour out on that school and your love would pour out all over our city for your glory. And we prayed in Jesus' name and all God's people said, amen, amen. Romans chapter 15 obviously is where it will be. We're going to pick it up in verse 7. We're going to back up one verse just for a little bit of context.

And I just got to warn you a little bit, while I hope and pray that every single person in all four of our locations, that everybody's equipped, that everybody's encouraged, that everybody's informed. What I'm really preaching to today is about two or three of you. Because this text, if you're not careful, it'll get on you, it'll get in you, and it'll change everything about everything about everything about your whole life. Because what we're going to find out in this text is Paul is going to talk about God's redemptive plan, his cosmic story for his eternal glory. And that's just different than going to church. It's just different.

and that we are invited into this. So again, while I hope that everybody's encouraged, I hope everybody's equipped, I hope every single person goes to work or school different tomorrow, I'm believing that in the next 45 minutes or so, there'll be two or three of us at each campus that feel called into the gospel ministry in a way that is different, that you'll take the gospel to the ends of the earth, to the nations,

that you'll cash it all in here and say, okay, I'm all in to wherever God says go. the way my friend J.D. says it is this. J.D. Gere says, I'm going to put my yes on the table and watch God put it on the map. That's a good line. Eventually, it's going to be my line. But right now I'm going to give credit to J.D. Okay?

Next time I say it, I'm going to say, it's been said. And then the third time, I'm going to say, y'all've always heard me say, and then that's mine. It's not plagiarism anymore. But that's good. He said it. So, anyway, that's where we're going, okay? So hang on tight. Hang on tight.

Verse 7 says this, therefore welcome one another. The therefore is because Christ has welcomed us. therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you so all the vegans and homeschoolers welcome back if you made it back honestly I got a lot of emails this week okay but honestly and they were so gracious all the vegetarians and homeschoolers understood I'm just joking around and they really were they were bathing grace but he says this therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God all of the rest of this text is that for the glory of God This sermon based in this text is what does my life look like if I live my life for the glory of God instead of for my own glory.

Verse 8, for I tell you that Christ became a servant of the circumcised. That means Israel. To show God's truthfulness in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs. In other words, that Jesus is the yes and the amen of all of the promises of all of the Old Testament. I talk about this all the time that in the beginning, God. One God, three persons. God, the Father, God, the Son, God, the Holy Spirit. Out of an overflow of God's love for God's selves creates image bearers to reflect God's glory back to him.

That's us. And he breathes the ruah of life into Adam, the very first man. He opens his eyes, and he is reflecting the glory of God back to God in a face-to-face relationship with God. That's what we've been created for. Sin enters the world. It fractures that relationship. were separated from the Almighty God. And then all throughout the Old Testament,

everything there is pointing to the fact that one day God would fulfill his promise that he made to Eve. The promise he made to Eve is this, I will put enmity between your offspring and this enemy, and this enemy will bruise his heel, but he will crush his head. And the whole Old Testament is about get ready because a serpent crusher is coming. And then when John the Baptist declares,

behold, the Lamb of God, who comes to take away the sin of the end, entire world. He's saying the servant crusher is on the scene. His name is Jesus. And when Jesus pushes up on his nail-pierced feet, and he says these words, it is finished. And an earthquake cracks through Jerusalem, and it rips the curtain from the top to the bottom. And it does away with the thing that separated the presence of God from the people of God. And it wasn't just a curtain that did it. It was our sin. And Jesus says, that is finished. I have put death to death. And what Paul is saying here is that Jesus is the yes and amen of all the promises that were made in the Old

Testament. Promises like to Abraham. Abraham was called a friend of God that in Christ we could be a friend of God about Abraham, the original patriarch. It was said that his faith was counted to him as righteousness. The way that we are imputed with the righteousness of God is through what Christ did on the cross because God made Him who was without sin to be sin for us that we would be made the righteousness of God. This is what Paul is saying. But then there's an end. It doesn't stop there. And in order that, the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. Like the people that didn't even know God,

part of the reason that Jesus is the yes of the amen, is not just for the chosen people of Israel, but it's in order that, rednecks from Jacksonville, like us, could glorify God. You see, God's plan has been, from the very beginning, to redeem a people unto himself made up of all peoples for his glory. from the very beginning that was the point in the plan that he's saying Israel I didn't save you for you I saved you as a conduit of the gospel not a cul-de-sac of the gospel

that God's plan has been to draw all peoples unto himself and so when Jesus pushed up on the cross and he says I am finished he did not say he did not he said it is finished he didn't say I'm finished because he wasn't finished three days later he comes out of the the grave. About six weeks later, he gathers about 120 people together, and before he ascends to the right hand of God the Father, he gives a great commission, therefore go and make disciples of everywhere you go. All peoples is what it really means. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you,

and lo, I am with you always, even to the very ends of the earth. A few days after that, about 50 days on the southern steps of the temple, Pentecost happens. The spirit of God falls. All these people speaking all kind of different languages, and they begin to go all over the place, and then God saves a guy named Saul, changes his name to Paul, and he's like the greatest missionary of all time. He begins to go and plant churches. Everywhere he goes, he's planting a church. And I could tell you how this church came from one of the churches that Paul planted all of those years ago.

And even today, God did not create 1122 for 1122. that God is using us for His glory to continue to take the gospel to all peoples, all the way to you get the point of Revelation chapter 7, verse 9, that all of us, somehow, if you were in Christ, will step into heaven, you will look around and you'll see a multitude, an uncountable number of people from every tribe, every tongue, every nation, every language. That's why 1122 is a movement for all people to discover in deep in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Amen? I thought you'd be more excited about God's cosmic plan for a story, but that's the problem. You see, we're sitting here going, you want to go to Taco Lou after this?

And God's got bigger plans than lunch. You see that God saved Israel for his glory. He saved Israel because of his love. He rescued Israel to be a part of the rescue team. And all throughout the book of Romans, Paul redefines Israel to mean children of faith, so the same thing could be said to the church, that he saved us, not for us. and that means you individually too that he did not save you just for you he saved you for his glory

and I'm going to tell you what glorifies him the most is when more people glorify him and that's what God has called us to do you see he goes on he's going to quote he's going to quote a bunch of Old Testament stuff here five different places because from cover to cover the Bible is authoritative

and he says this Now, I want you to see the progression in the verses that he quotes. He quotes Psalm 22 and Psalm 18 and Deuteronomy 32 and Psalm 117 and Isaiah 11. And there is a progression of God's work in us and through us. He says, therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles. So you got the Jewish people praising among. Then the next progression, verse 10. And again, it has said, rejoice, O Gentiles with his peoples.

Now you just went from among to their with. verse 11 and again praise the Lord all you Gentiles and let all the peoples extol him now the Gentiles have been folded in and God's going to use the Gentiles with the Jews to take his word to all the peoples and this is how it happens verse 12 and again Isaiah says the root of Jesse will come by the way that's Jesus I don't have time to unpack it all just trust me David's dad is Jesse Jesus comes from that lineage the root of Jesse is Jesus the root of Jesse is Jesus the root of Jesse will come that means Jesus will come even he who arises to rule the Gentiles in He him in Jesus with the Gentiles hope. Here's what Paul is doing here. That Israel, like the church, over time, can turn inward at the expense of those on the outside. It's just the natural drift of a church, especially a big one.

It's the natural drift of a church to just think that our number one job is to just take care of each other. And in, I mean, in a second, you began to take the thing that is supposed to be like a rescue vessel. The moment that we drag your wretched, blackhearted, sinful self out of that soup of your own demise and God washes you clean, you become a part of the rescue team. But I mean in a hot minute. I don't know how long a hot minute is. I don't know if that's longer or shorter than a regular minute, but in us just quickly, that rescue ship, if you're not careful, man, it turns it's like a cruise liner.

Everybody's just cruising along and joining one another. And that's fine and dandy, except for the glory of God and the people still floating out there in the sea that need help. And so, and here, let me tell you what this specifically happens, because a lot of churches will not only begin to turn their attention to themselves, but they also will take their eyes off of God's call for us to take the gospel to the nations, to the nations. And I'm believing that there's a couple.

two or three people in every one of our campuses and every one of our services that God is going to call you to just drop everything and take the gospel to the nations. And this gets me agitated. I apologize for the move, but it just does. And let me tell you what happens, man. It happens so much that God has a call in somebody's life and begins to stir you up to take the gospel to places where the gospel has not been preached, to take the gospel to hard places in this world. And then, right, as that starts to stir up and you begin to voice, that out loud. Some well-meaning Christian idiot says, well-in there enough to do here in Jacksonville. Oh, you dummy. Listen to me. Yes. Yes. It's not

at the expense of this. Yeah, man, we partner with people all over the city for sure, without a doubt. But don't say stupid stuff like that. Get off of Facebook, put your face in the book, and get an understanding for what God has called us to do. Don't ever pit here against there or there against here. Because when you do that, you're trying to say the ear is saying to the toe, what's wrong with you? Now, everybody's not called to be Apostle Paul. Everybody's called to be obedient to the call of God in their own life. And then we join together as one body to send people across the street and send people across the world. And all for one name. And it ain't your name. And it ain't my name. And it ain't my name. And it ain't the church's name. There's one name under

heaven whereby we must be safe. And that's why we do this. And so, is God calling you? He called me. I had plans for my life. And this wasn't it. Now, if I knew if it was going to go this good, maybe I'd have signed up. I didn't know it was going to go this good. I'm just minding my business, serving at my little youth ministry.

I was in college, and I had just gotten accepted to the medical college of Virginia. I was going to be a doctor. I don't know why y'all laugh every time I tell you that. Her's my feelings. I don't know why they're laughing. I feel like, actually I'd be the worst doctor of all time. I would. I wanted to do it for all the wrong reasons, but whatever.

And so, God called me. God called me. And God has a call on every one of our lives. And the call for all of us put together is everything from your home to the ends of the earth. Jesus said, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. you will be my witnesses. And he lists a bunch of places. And I don't think one person is necessarily supposed to go to all the places, but one church goes to all the places. Jerusalem, that means right here. Judea, that means right over there. Samaria, that means people that don't like you and that you

don't even like. And to the ends of the earth. And so we have been called church. And again, that means you may be called to take the gospel to the carpool line or to the Congo. The key is that you do what God has called you to do. But again, I'm believing in this service today. There are still, there are a few of you that are saying, you know what, he's calling me to go. Whether it's in full-time ministry at a church here in the United States, or it's to lay it all down and go to East Africa or go to the Amazon and Brazil, I don't know. Or he may be calling you to go to the PTA, the most dangerous of all the locations I have mentioned so far.

Now, listen to where he goes next. I don't know why I'm so surprised by the scripture, but this surprises me, but I will say this next verse is my experience and my understanding of what happens when you live a life on mission for God. He says this, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Does that describe your life? Do these words describe your life?

Hope filled. All joy. peace, believing, power, abounding in hope. Does that sound like you? Or is it more like bored, busy, unfulfilled, distracted? I'm going to tell you this. I think Paul would say joy and peace and believing in power and abounding in hope. That should be normative for the Christian life. And if that's not normal for you, you're not doing this Jesus thing right. And it could be because you're just living for you. And I've got horrible news.

I love you so much that I want to hurt your feeling so bad right now. Listen to me. You make a terrible God. You are not worth worshipping. And if you worship you, the rest of your life,

you are going to let you down and you'll live a disappointed, disastrous life. And you were meant for so much more than that. And you live a life on mission for the glory of God. I am telling you, there is joy and peace found in that

that I can't describe. I can't even explain it either. I just get to be a part of it And so can you. And again, I'm not saying everybody needs to quit their job and come work here. What are going to do? Just have staff meeting all the time. That's not what I'm saying.

Some of you are commissioned to be the CEO of your company or to be the CEO of your home and everything in between. But the key is that every single one of us are to be living on mission for God. Because when you live for your own glory instead of the glory of God, I'm telling you, you need to be rescued from the merry-go-round of normality. Because let's be honest, it ain't that merry. When every day, man, you just wake up and eat something and drive something and sell something and come home and watch something and eat something and lay in bed and go, is this it? And the biggest prayer of your week is, thank God it's Friday?

That's a pretty crappy life. That is a pretty, pretty crappy life. In fact, that's our problem, man. Most of us are satisfied with something pretty terrible. We've set a really low bar. and the bar that we've set is the pursuit of happiness. Give me a break. Happiness? What makes you happy? Well, here's the problem. Man, happiness is based on happening. So everybody's happy until it starts raining or your team loses or you run out of gas on the jet ski. Then you ain't happy anymore. And the other thing about happiness is just not sustaining. It's not. It's a very, very low bar. And it's all about you in the middle. It's about me in the middle. And I'm telling you we make a terrible God. We do not deserve to be worshipped, particularly.

when we worship ourselves and our own desires. You will live a life of dissatisfaction. Because I'm telling you, the good life ain't that good. Think about it. Say, hey, how you doing? And most of us settle for the good life. How's it going? Oh, it's good.

Yeah, life's good. Got a good house. Got a good car. Got a pretty good kids. Got a good wife. Got a good job. Go to a good church. Music's good.

It's good. but it's not really, is it? It's just like, E. S. S. Lewis says it this way. C.S. Lewis says, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures fooling around

with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea, we are far too easily pleased. Have you been far too easily pleased? If so, I'm telling you, it's because you don't have a big enough vision for your life,

and your vision for your life is one more half bath. You know what you're going to do in there? That describes about the extent of the joy it'll bring you. Give it a minute. And yet God has purposed you to live a life on mission for his glory. And Paul says, when we do that, have things like peace and joy and believing and power and an abundance of life. He says that you will abound in hope.

What begins to happen is you wake up every day and you abound in hope for that one more that you've been praying for like crazy. And even though they said no to you over and over and over and over and over and you can't drag them to church or they won't listen to the gospel, your hope and the glory of God is bigger than their 100 knows. And you're believing at some point God's going to break through and crack that hardened heart. Or you're believing for one more church plant around the world to reach people.

or you're believing that God might use us, our little dinky church at the Walmart and stuff, to reach, to take the gospel to a people group that have never heard the name of Jesus before, and your hope abounds in that, which is so much bigger than the traffic on the way to work, is it not? Paul says, come on, won't you join me in that? He says in verse 14, I myself am satisfied about you.

He is talking about this church. I cannot read these next few verses without thinking of this church. I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. See, he loves this church. Here's what he's saying. Ministry is not something we do to one another.

Ministry is something we do with one another. The closest families, the closest friends that we have in our lives are people that we do ministry with. And God begins to like, it's just different than like playing golf together. It's just different, man. When you are shoulder to shoulder with people for the sake of the glory of God, God does this thing in you that you will have a fellowship. Fellowship does not mean you get in a building eating casserole by people that you've never met before.

That's not fellowship. Fellowship is this binding of us together for the sake of the glory of God. And you're always looking around going, who are we that we get to be a part of this? verse 15 he says but on some points have written to you very boldly by way of reminder so this is what my job is for us is to boldly remind us of the gospel week after week after week the gospel for you you the gospel to you the gospel in you the gospel through you because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God I love this he is thanking God that he gets to

to, he gets to do the priestly service of the gospel of God. Now, listen, Catholics. I know we've got a bunch of Catholics here, okay? I can tell, because when you come to the altar, you like, do the thing. Tu-choo, chew, chew. Babbage's only to do that when they hit a home run. They're like, yep. So, or when we do communion sometimes, you try to steal my cup, all right? I'm like, here, the body of Christ, and then you go for it. I'm like, whoa, whoa, no, sir, no, sir. We don't share like that around flu season, okay, no. So listen. So listen. according to the scriptures, we, every believer in Jesus, make up what is called the priest to the believers. Because Jesus is our great high priest. We don't need a mediator between us and the Father.

Again, when Jesus says, it is finished, the curtain was torn, and God Almighty says, come on. You don't have to go through anybody. You come directly to me. And that's what a priest is. If you boil down all the job description in the Old Testament. I mean, leave out the funny hats and the ephods and the weird clothes and stuff. It all boils down to this. The priest's role. is to connect people to God. That's what the priest's role is. And if you're a Christian, that's our role.

And he is thanking God that he gets to be a part of the priestly service of the gospel of God. That means Paul is saying, man, there's nothing more satisfying in my life than God using me to connect people that were far from him to him. I mean, who am I that I get to do that? And I will tell you there is nothing more satisfying in your whole life than helping people connect with God. because not only because that's when you notice the grace of God in your life more than anything. I'm telling you can land a big deal at work. Glory to God, nothing will compare to you being used by God to connect people to God. Because you look at your own life and you're like, this must be God, because I don't know what I'm talking about. People ask me stuff and I say stuff and I'm like, that was kind of awesome.

What did I just say? There's no thing in the world. if you haven't experienced it, you are missing out on an abundant life that God has for you. You're chasing after the wrong things. Like you're in a disciple group and somebody needs help and you walk alongside them. And maybe not over time, I mean, maybe not overnight, but over time, you see God do a work in their life. And you know, you're not boasting in you, but you know that God used you to be a part of that. I'm telling you, man, that's better than making a birdie. It is.

It's better than closing the deal. It's better than anything you could ever enjoy. Because he created that for you and created you for that. He keeps going. He says, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. Now, what Paul is going to do, he's looking at this church and he's going, this is going really good. I'm telling you, I can't read these verses without thinking about you.

But what Paul is going to do here is he's going to now qualify what he says he's proud about. Because you've got to be careful with this pride thing. Because it's one of the big three sins. Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. There's about 100 verses that say, hey, don't be proud. And what Paul is saying, he's not saying I'm proud of me. He's saying, I am proud of what God is doing. Basically what he's doing, he's looking for a word to describe,

when I see God's work in your life, I get this warm, fuzzy feeling towards you inside of me. And then he qualifies it. He says this, for I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed. He's saying it's all about Jesus in His glory, not us in our story. But it is good for us to encourage one another. I think it is right. He says this to Timothy. He says it's right for me to feel this way about you.

church when I pray for you when I just think about what God is doing here among us I'm telling you I could not be more proud of us as a church I mean it is overwhelming to me what God is doing in us and through us and to us I mean the only way I can describe it is because it must be God because this was not a part of the strategy I know none of us are this good I mean think about this okay we are in the 32nd week of the book of Romans Should anybody even be here anymore? I mean, with the first six week, we said circumcised 823 times. People are like, what are we talking about?

Y'all got to come listen to this. We've grown more this year than any other time in the history of our church. The history is only six years, but still, that's crazy, right? Over the summer when people aren't supposed to go to church. And the only thing that I can attribute it to is this, the gospel works. The gospel works. And so when we just make much of Jesus, then Jesus draws people unto himself and not just the fact that we're growing numerically and 1,063 people have surrendered

their life to Jesus and the proclamation of the gospel just this year long. And we baptize more people than the other, but not only that, but also the gospel ministry that is happening in our community. I mean, it is just, it's just the thing that you have to look at this and say, God, this is amazing what you're doing. And sometimes people, very well-meaning people, will ask me, how do you keep your ego and check to me, as if I think I have something to do with this. And I just simply answered, this, when a mosquito grabs onto a freight train, the mosquito does not feel bigger. I mean,

I look around. Honestly, I'm glad I started the church, because I don't think I could get hired here right now, okay? I don't think I'm good enough to make the cut. And when I think about what God is doing here, I think, I've told you the story a hundred times, but remember that night, I had the opportunity to sit down and have dinner with Dr. Billy Graham, like six or seven years ago. And I asked him at the table, Dr. Graham, if you could preach one more revival, what would you preach about? And he looked up and without missing a beat, he said, I would preach on Galatians 614. And I just went, mm, mm, Galatian 614 said, but I had to be awesome. So I had to get my phone out and look it up real quick while you couldn't see me. Galatian 614 says, but far be it for me to boast, except it.

the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by which the world has been crucified to me and out of the world. Paul is saying I am boasting in the cross and he is stoked. Look, 1122 one of my greatest honors of my life, second only to like being saved, married to Gretchen, raising my kids

is getting to be a part of this thing with you and what God is doing. And then he goes on to talk about how God did it. Verse 19, by the power of signs and wonders. Now, Paul saw signs and wonders. One time, Paul, somebody asked him, hey, man, when you come over to this guy's house and healing? He's like, I can't.

Just take my handkerchief. Paul's like, I chew and I sneeze on a handkerchief as healing people. And so sometimes people will say, well, how come we don't see those kinds of signs and wonders anymore? I'm not saying we don't. We do. Probably you need to keep your eyes open, but I've seen better than handkerchief healings. You know what I've seen here at our church? I've seen marriages restored.

I've seen prodigal sons and daughters come home. I've seen addictions broken, and more than anything else, I've seen people surrender their life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The only eternal miracle. Now, last week I do think we were part of a miracle. Pastor Stone's dad, Craig Stone, was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago. In a coma, they thought it was over. And we prayed. Remember we prayed?

10,000 of us prayed, and then he came back. And it's a miracle. You know what? His next sermon, he's working on a sermon right now. He wants to preach on Lazarus coming out the tomb. Imagine that. Imagine that. Walk up at his church.

He's been in ministry like 20 years. He's like, I'm back. And what he wants to preach about is in John chapter 11, it says that Lazarus was raised for the glory of God, and he wants to preach a sermon that he was brought back for the glory of God. Now listen to me, that's pretty cool that you're almost dead and you ain't dead. But the miracle that happened to him pales in comparison to the miracles that have happened through him over the last 20 years of ministry. That God is working, signs and wonders. And he goes on to say, by the power of the spirit.

of God. See, Church, you always want to use the Bible as commentary unto itself. And in Romans 1, 16, and 17, Paul tells us where the power source is. It ain't in the preacher. It isn't into worship leaders. Here's what the power is. Romans 1.16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it, for the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. For the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed. from faith for fate as it is written. The righteous shall live by faith. The only explanation that I could have for what God is doing at 1122 is this, that we are all about the gospel and that's where all the power is. That's where it's all happening. So he goes on to say, so that, this is crazy,

so that from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, that's modern day Albania, I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ. Well, that's a bold thing to say, Paul. Paul, you mean to tell me everybody is a Christian all the way from Jerusalem to Albania. If you don't know where that is, if you've got a high-end Bible, go to the back of it and look in the maps and find out where these are. It's a lot of land. And what Paul is rolling out for us here is essentially the difference between missions and evangelism. and what we find out by reading other texts that both are vital to the kingdom advancement of the church.

Here's what Paul's saying. He's like, from Jerusalem all the way to modern day Albania, check, I got it covered. You can be like, Paul, do you think everybody there's a Christian? No, no, absolutely not. But I have planted gospel-centered churches, gospel-centered access to Jesus through the gospel in all of those places. And then once he would plant a church there, he would raise up a pastor like Timothy, put him at Ephesus and say to Timothy, now do the work of an evangelist. He's saying, I'm finished, now you get to work.

And then he would take the gospel to a new place. This is what he says in verse 20. And thus I make it my ambition. This is Paul's call in his life. And thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation. You see, evangelism is when we take the gospel across the street

to a person that doesn't know Jesus. And then missions, the way Paul is talking about it, is that we take the gospel to a people that have never heard of Jesus before, and we plant the flag or plant the cross of a gospel-centered church. And watch out for anybody that tries to say it's either or or tries to pitch those two things against one another. You see, 1122 will continue to be a gospel conduit.

And a lot of times the misunderstanding of the gospel is this, good Christian folk, at church right now, think, for God so loved the world that he gave. And you think, oh, cool, and I so love God that I'll receive. And then it just stops there. That's like a cul-de-sat. It doesn't go anywhere. And so, no, you dummy. The way you think about it is for God so love the world that he gave. And the moment that I receive, then I give the gospel to everybody he loves, which just happens to be the whole world. That's what it means to be a gospel conduit. And so 1122, we'll continue to plant campuses all wherever God gives us the ability. Why? Because there are people in your neighborhood that need Jesus. And in addition to that, we will continue to plant gospel-centered churches all over the world. That it's not just about taking care of physical needs. It is also primarily about taking care of spiritual needs.

We want to feed mouths and souls. That's what we want to do, right here in Jacksonville and all over the world. This is why we expand campuses, we plant churches here, and we plant churches all over the world. Look, a year ago, me and some buddies of my pastors and some guys here at this church, we were in Codo Brazil. Codot is the voodoo capital of South America. It's a dark, dark place. And there's like 100,000 people that live there, and a few years ago there was only like three gospel-centered churches. I mean, even like lightly had to do with the Bible kind of churches.

And so we began to plant churches there. And again, it's a little bit different there. Everybody doesn't have a car. Most people walk or have to get there on a bicycle. So there could be just on the other side of town people that do not have access to the gospel. And so a year ago, we're walking down a dirt road. I have a picture of it. Let's look at this dirt road.

And we were walking down this dirt road, and that's Brazil. It doesn't all look like Rio. And there were some people saying, we need a church here. There are people in this community that don't. don't know Jesus, we need a church here. And so, 1122 got together, and this year we planted a church, and here's a picture of the church. And Pastor Adam was at this church like two or three weeks ago, preaching the gospel, and 11 people came to Jesus. Amen?

Now, here's what I love about it. Look at it. It says, whatever the first word is, that's church, I think. And then the next one, Presbyteriana. How about this? I was ordained Southern Baptist. That's why I make fun of us so much. We were launched by a United Methodist Church.

You are currently at a non-denominational church. We don't even know what we are. And we planted a Presbyterian church. Is that the craziest thing you've ever heard? That's pretty much last week's sermon. We disagree on almost everything that is secondary. But you know what we agree on? That the power is the gospel.

Amen? And so we will continue to do that. By the way, if you want to hear what we're doing as a church over the next two years and leading into the next 10 years, then this Tuesday at 6.30, you show up to whatever, campus you attend for a vision night, and I'm going to give you a little sneak peek on where we're going in regards to like campuses and church planting and all of that. Because it's not either or. It is both and. And the reason is because every Christian this side of heaven owes the gospel

to everyone this side of hell. This is what Paul is saying. He goes on to say this, verse 21, but as it is written, those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand. Again, folks, he is talking about unreached people groups, and he's saying, don't you understand, church, don't you understand Israel. God didn't save you for you. He saved you to take the gospel to the nations. And again, that could mean take your gospel to Coteau, or it could mean for you take the gospel to your condo. Both are true. Verse 22, he says, this is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you, but now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions. And since I have longed for many years to come to you,

Paul wants to go to Rome. Me too. Who don't want to go to Rome? But yet, he says, I haven't been able to because my ambition is to take the gospel where it's not. And that ambition is what was driving him more than his own wants. First 24, he says, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. while. I think I've told you this before, but all of the book of Romans is simply a missionary support letter for Paul's trip to Spain. But instead of him talking about the stuff he was going to do, he spent all of his time talking about what God has done for us through Christ on the cross. You see, and then he says this, he says, and I expect for you to help me. And what Paul is talking

about here, Paul is talking about what Dr. Piper says is a holy ambition. Do you have a holy ambition? A holy ambition is this, when there's this thing that God put in you that you really, really want to do, that God really wants you to do. That's a holy ambition. John Piper says that heaven, a way to think about heaven is this. He said, imagine you wake up every day. I don't think you sleep in heaven, but go with me. He says, imagine you wake up every day.

You do whatever you want and you go to bed at night with no regrets and God is glorified. You see, that is God unifying his will and your life. your will into his will. And this is what Paul is saying. He says, my holy ambition is to take the gospel where it has not been preached. And so I fully expect you to support me in this is what he is saying. Now listen, if you've been around church for a little while, this might sting a little. But I love you enough to tell you maybe what you've never heard that the primary point of the church is not taking care of each other. It's not. Now, it is important. We are talking. We are love one another, but even when Jesus said we're supposed to love one another, it was a means to an end,

and the end was his glory by people seeing our love for one another, and that would convince them that this whole Jesus thing is legit. And they will know that you are Christians by the way you love one another. That the primary point of the church is not taking care of one another, even though that is important. The primary point is making disciples to the glory of God. You see, because in this, I got to like take care of my own needs, especially in the South. Churches like ours can create this like consumeristic Christian. And I'm telling you, you read this book, you cannot find a consumeristic Christian. Those two things cannot coexist together.

Because to be a consumer is what's in this for me. And to be a Jesus follower is what's in this for you. They're just fundamentally different. And again, you live for you. you and you will be dissatisfied because you can't satisfy you. The other thing is just true, it's really hard to feel let down when you live a life that's not about you. It's really hard to be disappointed in your church when you're not living for you, but you're living for the glory of God. And this is what he calls us to. And so, let me ask you, maybe some of you have been called to that.

Now again, I mean, generally speaking, every single one of us have been called to a life on mission, whether it's the way you raise your kids or the way you run your company, but I believe there's a couple of you. There's a couple of you. And you say, you know what, I've been fighting it for a long time. And I've been pursuing the American dream, and honestly, it's a nightmare compared to the vision God has for my life for his kingdom. And so at all of our campuses at 1 o'clock, we have a class called Life on Mission. and it's for every single person that thinks God may be calling them everything from like full-time missions, you're going to take the gospel to the Middle East, or if you feel like, you know what,

it's time for me to go on a short-term mission trip and everything in between. Again, maybe you're going to be a missionary to Caddo or you're going to be one of our next campus pastors. Whatever it is, at 1 o'clock, I want you to come back and I want you to go to this life-on mission class to get the ball rolling. And then he closes it down this way, verse 25. present, however, I'm going to Jerusalem to bring aid to the saints. I love this. Right after Paul makes it clear that the primary point of the church is not in us taking care of one another. And he goes, but hold on a second because I've got to go take care of some people. That we are to love one another for sure. It just does not end there. That a big part of the reason we care

for one another is so that we can be well equipped to care for those that don't know Jesus yet. Verse 26, for Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints of Jerusalem. For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessing, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessing. You see, the reality is this. Every single one of us live on a continuum between entitlement and gratitude. and when you've been run over by the freight train of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, you begin to live this life of gratitude, and you understand that none of its mind and all of it's yours.

God, how can you use me and whatever you have given me to make much of you in your kingdom? And you begin to do crazy stuff, like carve out big old chunks of resources to invest in the kingdom of God. And when people look at you and your friends, like, what are you doing, man? Are you crazy? And you're like, bro, you're the crazy one. Best thing you got going on is Applebee's. That's terrible. I'm investing into the kingdom of God.

And I've got great joy there. The other extreme is entitlement. No, man, this is all mine. I made it and more is mine. The quickest way to see if the gospel is penetrated to your heart to see if it's penetrated to your checking account. That's the quickest way. And Paul says, hey, I'm trusting you.

I'm trusting that you are going to support this. missionary effort to Spain. Verse 28, he says, when therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them, what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. I appeal to your brothers by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf. You see, what he's saying is every single one of us as a church are a part of the mission

effort that God has put us on, every single one of us. You're either a player, a payer, or a prayer. And honestly, it's kind of all three. That some of us are players, and that means you go. Now, all of us, if possible, medically possible, we should go at least on a short-term trip, and some of you are going to just say, all right, I quit. I quit going this way. God's calling me somewhere. And then all of us are payers that we carve out, I mean, ridiculous amounts of resources and say for the kingdom, for the advancement of the gospel, for churches like the one we just showed in a place that did not have a church. And then every single one of us are prayers. We bathe this thing in prayer. And so do you have a holy ambition?

What's your part to play? What's your part to play? Because I'm telling you, if you don't get on board with what God is doing for his glory, it will only lead to a life. of, is this it? And you could experience so much more. Verse 31, he says that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. Verse 33, may the God of peace be with you all.

man there's this weird inversion in God's economy on what brings peace it's the craziest thing I don't know how to explain it I just know that it's true and God's word tells me it's true you live for you you pursue your own happiness and you will never find peace you just won't you'll find these little moments you think this is it and then shortly after you'd be like I just ain't it anymore and the crazy thing is when you live for yourself when you're full of yourself, it never ends in peace. It's just more want and more want and more want. And yet, again, whether you're entry level in your job, but you're doing it for the glory of God and you know God has put you there on purpose, or you're taking the gospel to China, whatever it is,

when you begin to pour yourself out for the sake of the gospel, somehow God fills you up with his peace that transcends all understanding. And I'm telling you, it's just better. It's just better. and as one of your pastors, it's what I want for you. And it should look, it should be lived out in 10,000 different ways. But it all comes back to one thing, the glory of God. The glory of God. So here's the point. A life well lived is not measured by accumulation or achievement.

I mean, honestly, how many VH1 behind the musics do you have to watch that realize that fame and fortune apparently doesn't do it? A life well lived is not measured by accumulation or achievement, but by pouring yourself out for the glory of God on the mission of God by the power of God. You want to glorify God with your life and deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ, then pour your life out for the mission of helping others discover their relationship with Jesus. And you, you will experience a hope and a joy and a peace that I just can't describe. It's indescribable. It's just undeniable. I put in your notes, Philippians chapter two. I dare you to read it when you get home.

I don't have time to go all the way through it. The way I memorize it in the NIV, Paul starts out this way. Do everything without complaining or arguing. By the way, you know who doesn't complain or argue? People that aren't living for themselves. And he goes on at the end of that little passage to say this, even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice.

man that's what i want for you i want you like at the soul level to not be frustrated and disappointed with this life i want you to be able to be glad and rejoice and you say how do i do that you pour yourself out for the sake of others on behalf of the glory of god and so what this means is i believe some of you as we look at paul paul spent his whole life so that others could know jesus through him and what are you doing? What are you doing? And I believe that for some of you, many of you, it means that, I mean, right today,

when you get home, you're going to cross the street and you're going to bring the gospel to somebody that doesn't know it and you're going to start a gospel conversation, as scared as you are. And for a few of you, you're going to show up at 1 o'clock, you're going to get trained up

and sometime in the near future, God's going to send you across the world. and he's going to use you to start a gospel movement in a place that has never heard of Jesus. And as a byproduct of those things, whether you're going across the street or going across the world, and it's about the glory of God and not your own glory, a part of the byproduct of these things

is you're going to begin to experience like this peace and this joy and this hope that this world doesn't offer. And it's going to be because you are walking in obedience to what God has called you to do. stand and let me pray for you. Our good and grace is heavenly Father, God. We love you more than anything because Christ you first loved us. God, I pray that there's not a man, woman, student in this place that goes to work or school differently.

God, I pray we all show up at work or school not the same tomorrow. And Lord, whether the call on someone's life is full-time ministry or a international missionary or it's to be a gospel carrier into work, into school, or into their home, Lord, may you fill us with your spirit. May you simultaneously comfort us and convict us. God, may we lay our temporary pursuits on the author and say, God, these are just not worthy of my time and attention. You and you alone are.

And, God, I thank you in advance. I thank you in advance for the people groups that will be. reach because, God, you use this time in the heart of one of your followers and one of our campuses right now to change the trajectory of generations of people that don't even know your name yet. And, God, I thank you in advance for what you're going to do in us as we pour ourselves out for you, trusting that you will fill us with your peace. And we pray it in Jesus' name. Amen.