The Question of Missions
Why? – It is a matter of Life and Death!
1 John 5:11-12
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Good Evening/Morning
I can’t believe we are already in November! The year is flying by.
This month we are going to focus on Missions and the mission of the church as a whole and the mission of each one of us.
Tomorrow/Tonight is our Missions Banquet. We will get to learn about the work that is going on around the world for the cause of Christ and we will hear from some of our own missionaries that we support to hear what God is doing through the support of the people of Hickory Creek around the world.
But over the next 3 weeks we are going to get practical in how to fulfill the mission God has laid out for us in his word.
Why do we do it, what do we have to do, and how do we do it?
Those are some of the questions we are going to be asking and I believe it will be beneficial to all of us so that we can be better and best be used in God’s eternal work
So if you have struggled to talk to others because you did not really understand why or you didn’t feel you knew what to say or you didn’t really know how best to go about it, then you will want to make sure you are here these next 3 weeks.
Sermon intro
So today, we are going to start by asking “Why?”
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Why are we doing this?
Why do we try to tell people what they don’t always want to hear?
Shouldn’t we just keep what we believe to ourselves so we can all get along?
Isn’t that what Tolerance of others means?
In our society – the word tolerance – has changed its meaning over the years.
Tolerance used to mean you would be tolerant and respectful of other people’s views and opinions, but that you could discuss them and challenge them and agree to disagree.
Tolerance today seems to mean that you can’t disagree with anyone or if you try to talk to someone about why you believe differently or why you believe they should think differently – you are intolerant or a hater.
The ironic thing is, is that if you hold that view of intolerance, you yourself are intolerant, by your own definition because you don’t agree with a person who holds that view.
And while I would disagree with that view of intolerance, I do believe that no matter what we believe about things, we must always communicate, challenge or disagree in a loving and respectful manner. But we will talk about some of that in 2 weeks when we discuss how.
But I do believe it is imperative that we communicate the gospel message of Jesus Christ to this whole world, because that is what Christ told us to do and
It is a matter of Life and Death!
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1 John 5:11-12 - God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son, does not have life. They have death.
We have been called to a mission to share with people life through Jesus Christ, because without Jesus Christ they will suffer eternal damnation in hell! Those of us who have received Jesus Christ as Savior have the one and only solution for them not to go to hell.
The Bible teaches that there is only 2 possibilities regarding where we spend our eternities after we die and that is either in heaven in the presence of the Lord or in Hell, eternally separated from God.
Those are our only options.
Well, maybe you are here today thinking to yourself, “Well, I understand that you believe that, but that doesn’t make it true. There are a lot of people who think differently than you. What makes you believe that what you’re saying is true?”
That is a good question.
Those are the types of questions we should be asking or prepared to answer. Why do I believe this is true and why should you believe it too? I think too many people just believe stuff without really giving thought to it.
Don’t let that be you.
So Why do I believe our Mission is a matter of life and death?
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Well, for 2 reasons
One is because I believe
The Bible is True
I am not going to go into all of the reasons right now that I believe the Bible is true, but I will encourage you to come to our Back to Basics Seminar in 2 weeks, on Saturday, November 16th from 9am to noon where we talk specifically about why you can believe the Bible is true, why you can know it is God’s word to us.
Another reason that I believe that our mission is a matter of life and death is because
Jesus is Alive
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And this is what He says!
John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Now, he didn’t just say this and then die to never be heard from again. He said it and died for our sins to pay our penalty and then rose from the dead!
In all other religions of the world, there is a leader who gave them their teachings and they all have one thing in common.
They are all dead! - Except Jesus.
Jesus died and rose from the dead. He defeated death.
Nobody has ever died and been dead for several days, and then come back to life in their same body to never die again, except Jesus!
Not Muhammad who is the founder of Islam and has given the Koran. He is dead.
Not Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, who gave the book of Mormon. He is dead.
Not Buddha, the founder of Buddhism! He is dead.
There is no person that ever defeated death and came back in their same body to never die again, except Jesus Christ. His tomb is empty!
His resurrection is why we can not only believe his teachings, but is why we can truly put our faith and trust in Him and know we can have eternal life and not eternal death!
We are going to talk more about the importance of the resurrection in a moment, but first I want to talk about death.
Transition
I think it is important for us to fully grasp and understand death so that we can be encouraged to talk to people about Christ so they can have life.
Understanding Death
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So what is death? Death in the Bible always speaks of separation.
One type of death is
Physical death = Physical Separation
Job 14:10 - But man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more.
Job is talking about physical death and when a person dies physically, they are separated physically from others.
This physical separation is what we mourn as Christians.
For a Christian this is like leaving those you love for extended periods.
Living far away from those you love
Whenever Laura’s parents come in from AZ, and spend some time here and we drive them back to the airport, Laura and my mother in law often cry because they are not going to see each other for a while. It is that physical separation that is mourned like physical death!
So this is one of the ways that the Bible speaks of death, in terms of our physical separation.
Sometimes when death is used in the Bible, it refers to
Spiritual Death = Spiritual Separation
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The Death spoken about in Genesis 2 is primarily spiritual.
Genesis 2:16-17
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they did not die physically immediately, although they put into motion physical death because of sin. But they did at that point die spiritually. They were separated from God because of their sin.
Today, everyone is spiritually dead until we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Paul tells the Ephesians
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As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. Ephesians 2:1-2
People are spiritually dead without receiving Christ. But Paul goes on saying
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Ephesians 2:4-5
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.
Spiritual death can be overcome today because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
When we trust in Him as our Savior, we go from spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
So spiritual death is another way that the Bible speaks of death.
The Bible also speaks of a second death that is
Eternal death = Eternal Physical and Spiritual Separation!
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We see this in
Revelation 20:12-14
12 And I saw the dead (the physically dead), great and small, standing before the throne... 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
Being thrown into the lake of fire is hell and is eternal separation from God.
This type of eternal death is also what is spoken of as eternal punishment in
Matthew 25:46 - "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
If we do not receive Christ as our Savior before our physical death, in other words, if we are still spiritually dead when we physically die, we will face eternal death.
If we are spiritually alive when we physically die, we will not face eternal death.
So when the Bible talks about death, it is talking about one of these and we need to discern from the context what is being talked about
All of those deaths are the result of sin. And at one time or another, everyone experiences the first 2 deaths, and we all deserve eternal death and would all be facing that unless something could be done or Someone could intervene.
But God did intervene.
When Christ died on the cross, He tasted spiritual death so we might not have to.
Hebrews 2:9
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9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
On that cross, Jesus not only suffered a physical death, but for the first time ever, Jesus, the Son of God, suffered separation from the Father and tasted spiritual death for us.
Yes the physical pain that He suffered was awful, but the spiritual death he suffered was far worse.
We are told in
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2 Corinthians 5:21 – “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us”
Imagine that. The Son was sinless, but God loved us so much that He placed our sin upon His Son and then turned his back on Him so that we might have a way to be with Him.
So many times people say that a loving God will not send people to Hell. And I say you are right. He doesn’t send people to hell. People are choosing hell when they reject the way that a loving God has made, a way that required huge cost and sacrifice to Himself, so that everyone could have a way to experience eternal life!
God definitely does love you and everyone!
So it was his death on the cross that paid for the sins that cause all death, physical, spiritual, and eternal.
Transition
And while his death paid for sins, it is his resurrection from the dead that leads to life for those that believe in Him.
You see
Jesus’ Resurrection is Essential to Our Resurrection
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Listen to what Paul says in
1 Corinthians 15:17-20
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
If Christ hadn’t resurrected from the dead, we would be without hope. While his death is what pays for our sins so that we do not have to face eternal death, it is His resurrection that gives us hope and certainty for our eternal life.
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John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 6:40 - For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
Jesus has promised that if we trust Him for our salvation, we will have eternal life and will no longer have to be spiritually dead or face eternal death.
When we believe in him we are made alive in Christ. Praise the Lord.
Transition
Ok, so Jesus died so we can overcome spiritual and eternal death and have life, and resurrected to give life to those who believe in Him, it seems as if we all still face physical death.
We do.
We are still facing the consequences of sin because we still have a fleshly, physical sin nature. But eventually that will be overcome too.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:26 - The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
One day, because Jesus died and rose from the dead, those of us who have put our trust in Him will have physical, glorified bodies that will never face death or suffering or decay!
At the end of Revelation we are told that at that time
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Revelation 21:3-4
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
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Well, if that is what is going to go on when God makes all things new,
What happens when People die now?
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Well, that depends if you are spiritually alive or spiritually dead when you physically die.
The Spiritually Alive go to be with the Lord in Heaven
Paul tells us in
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 that
“ we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Now that Jesus has resurrected from the dead, Heaven is open and now those who were faithful followers of the Lord are with the Lord in Heaven. Even those Old Testament Saints who went to Abraham’s side or Paradise, a place of comfort, are now in heaven because now their sin has been paid for.
I want to tell you that heaven is far better than you can even imagine!
Paul, who was once caught up to heaven, says being in heaven with Christ is far better than being on earth.
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Philippians 1:21-23
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
While we do not yet have our glorified bodies (that happens at the rapture), we are in a conscious state of bliss and joy!
Transition
But for the Spiritually dead, this is not the case.
If you are spiritually dead, having never received Christ as Savior while you were physically alive, then you will go to a place of torment in Hades
The Spiritually dead go to a place of torment in Hades
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In Luke chapter 16, Jesus tells a parable of a rich man and Lazarus who both die.
Now this is before Jesus’ death and resurrection and before Heaven was open for believers, so Lazarus, a faithful follower of the Lord went to Abraham’s side or paradise and the rich man, who was not a faithful follower of the Lord went to Hades.
And it tells us that the rich man died and was buried and was in Hades where he was in torment.
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Luke 16:23 - In hell (Hades), where he was in torment
Those who die today who are spiritually dead continue to go to Hades, a place of conscious torment, where they await final judgment at the end of Christ’s millennial reign when they will be cast into the lake of fire as it tells us in
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Revelation 20:13-15
13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
That sad part of this is that it doesn’t have to be this way.
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1 Timothy 2:4 tells us that God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
This is why we tell people about Christ.
This is why we need to share the Good news of Jesus Christ with those who do not know Him! They are facing and eternity apart from Him and we have the only cure for their condition – Jesus Christ!
This is why, even in this age of tolerance, that we have to strive to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, with even those who don’t think they want to hear about it.
The fact is that they just don’t know that this is what they need. We need to love them and be truthful and help them to see their need by speaking truth.
God wants to use you for greater purposes than just to sit around doing nothing.
He wants to use you to change the eternities of people.
When Jesus called Peter from fishing, He said I am going to make you a fisher of men.
He wants to use us to help others be brought to Him.
Do you see why you need to be on Mission?
Conclusion
Now we probably have some people in different categories here today.
For those who Get it and are doing it – Praise God
Maybe you totally get this and have been using your gifts to help the church reach out or maybe you have been using your gifts to reach out to those you work with or hang out with so they too can come to know Jesus. You already recognize the why and the what and the how and are doing that.
I want to praise God for you. I know there are some here who are actively sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
For those who Get it but don’t know what or How – Come back
There are probably others here who want to share this and understand why it is important, but are afraid they might mess things up and they don’t know what to say or how to go about it. Please come back the next 2 weeks. We are going to talk about precisely that. It is my prayer that God will use each of us for his glory in seeing His kingdom grow.
For those who Don’t yet know Jesus
There might even be some here who have not trusted or received Jesus Christ as Savior yet.
I want to share with you again, how much God has loved you and shown that by sending Jesus to pay the price for your sins.
He has made a way for you to truly have life, both now and for eternity.
Won’t you receive the gift of life by believing in Jesus and confessing that belief to Him.
You will no longer have to walk around in this life spiritually dead. You can be alive in Christ both now and for eternity, not having to ever worry again about where you will spend your eternity, because Jesus has made the way for you to be with the Lord instead of spending eternity in Hell
The Bible tells us in
Romans 10:9-10
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
If you have been sitting here thinking that you are not really sure that you have received Jesus as your Savior, realize that
He is the only way,
He is the only truth, and
He is the only One who has life to offer you, and
He proved it by his resurrection.
Recognize your need and confess Him as Lord.
Do that with me as we pray.
And for those of you who are Christians, who have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior, rejoice in the blessing of life and encourage one another and be encouraged to share with people that desperately need to hear the good news of salvation that is only available through Jesus Christ.
Share it and rejoice that we will one day be with the Lord living real life and that day will be far better than a thousand anywhere else!
Let’s pray and then we will praise Him.
“Better is One Day”
