God’s plan from before creation - to reveal to His beloved His immeasurable grace! Eph 1:4
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love NIV
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. NLT
Which He lavishes on us… Eph 1:8; 1John 3:1-3
…that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9he d made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
To bring us to Himself through Jesus!
Where do we start? We don’t, God did and still does. As “We…” are even able to “...love because God first loved us and gave His Son for us…” 1John 4
From the very beginning.
Genesis 3:15, 21 15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel…; 21The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
Advent, the coming, Christmas - God’s mission, Jesus - the missionary, tying it all together… A light to the nations
Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.
Isaiah 11:10 On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.
Isaiah 42:6 "I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations,
Isaiah 49:6 He says: "It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth."
Isaiah 49:9 …to say to the prisoners, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness.
Isaiah 51:4 Pay attention to Me, My people, and listen to Me, My nation; for a law will go out from Me, and My justice will become a light to the nations; I will bring it about quickly.
Isaiah 60:1-5 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you
The fulfillment of Isaiah 9
Luke 2:30-32 - “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles (the nations, the peoples) and the glory of your people Israel.”
Matthew 4:16 “...the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Ps 23; 107)
Jesus’, the light and life has come into the world, is coming as a missionary John 1:1-14; 3:16-21
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:9-18; 10:5-9 “...in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…; who …is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…; ...Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity…; …Jesus came into the world… in …a body you prepared for me…”
Philippians 2:5-11
And to the redeemed Jesus says:
Matthew 5:14-16 You are (now) the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Now, go!
Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Romans 10:8-15 how will the hear unless someone goes??
So, what do we do? Our mission to the lost should be an extension of how we love and serve those close.
It begins at home with those with whom we live and work - it is ours to love and serve others by praying, caring, and sharing. Service with and to one another ignites and fuels our spiritual fervor, bringing to fervent boil our heart’s zeal for God, His people, and His mission - to win to Himself the lost - and that with our loving cooperation. So, we must see that service and mission are inseparable, they are intertwined, each causes the other to go act and move, like a perpetual motion machine.
Service and mission are both an act of love, yes, a love expressed to who we serve and share, but also an expression of our love for God and who and what God loves. Each is a loving act of obedience to Jesus and His commands and is a grateful and humble response of the heart that has been loved and desires to please the One who commands, and expresses this love the same way it has been loved.
Our heart’s passion, is fanned into flame, by service, and brings our spirits to a “boil”, that heart begins to spill over with love for God and what God loves, now, loving as God has loved us, there is forming in us a compassion for the world, that is, the lost, and a growing compelling us to go
Family
Family of God - John 13:34-35; 1John 4:7-21; Romans 12
they will know you are my disciples by how you love one another
Keeping your spiritual fervor by serving the Lord
Neighbor - love your neighbor as yourself - James 2:8; Rom 13:8
Being prepared to give a reason for your hope when you’re asked - 1Peter 3:13-16
Jesus commission to us: the privilege of joining Him in that endeavor – the command to Go!
Matthew 28:18-20 “The Great Co-mission”
Not only are we commissioned by Jesus, but we are being created in Christ Jesus to do (these) good works prepared in advance for us to do”! What are the “works prepared in advance for us to do”?
Believe in, love, and follow the One who was sent - John 6:29; 21:15-19
Love and Serve the brotherhood - Rom 12:3-11; 1Cor 12-14; Gal 5:13; 1Pet 4:10
Share the Good News of Jesus with the lost
So we:
Set Christ apart as Lord - which means not only His person, but His …
Obey His commands as He is our (loving) Lord
We reflect on God’s mercy extended to us and the hope that we have
We prepare ourselves to share our hope when we are asked
We walk with Jesus in word and Spirit to be most effective in our relationships with others
We remain alert to God’s prompting by His Spirit and Truth and respond with loving wisdom
And we now go - under the unction of the Holy Spirit to accomplish Jesus’ instructions and commands to accomplish the will of the Father and to bring Him glory.
Today, now, what can I do?
Who are those in my family what I am called to love and serve, to pray for and share with?
How am I loving and serving Jesus’ body, the church, with my prayer and service?
Who in my life’s circle does not yet know Jesus and how can I love, pray, and share?
How can I extend the Good News of Jesus beyond my, our, border so that they might here?
Pray…
Go, if it is God’s prompting
Give, if you can’t go
