The Map
Notes
Transcript
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Introduction
Our Mission, regardless of COVID or any other difficulty, is to Reflect God to People and Direct People to God.
There are a couple of myths to debunk concerning our mission:
Myth 1
Myth 1
We tend to think it is easier to reflect God to people than it is to direct them to God. I’m not sure that is true. If we truly and accurately reflected God to people, we would find there are people who desire Him and whom it would not be difficult to direct to Him.
Myth 2
Myth 2
We also tend to think it is necessary to accurately reflect God to people before we direct people to God. Since we will never reflect God as accurately as we wish, this would lead us to never directing people to God. Additionally both Scripture and experience have demonstrated that sometimes wildly imperfect people can still effectively direct people to God.
Transition
Have debunked our own myths, we find ourselves confronted with the “map” portion of our mission.
Illumination
Destination
Destination
Most of the time, we use maps to help us get TO someplace. This is certainly true when it concerns our mission. There is an absolute destination that God has in mind.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
God wants everyone to come TO repentance.
Repentance is a changing of direction
Repentance is literally turning from something and to something else
17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, 19 serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; 20 how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Repentance is turning from our self-reliance and turning to reliance upon Jesus Christ and His finished work. The truth is we are not OK and never will be apart from what Jesus did for us.
Direction
Direction
A Map
A Map
In Romans 10, the Apostle Paul is sharing his burden that his people—fellow Jews—would come to Christ.
1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
He acknowledges, as we must, that the people he was concerned for were sincere people, they were just sincerely wrong and had not come to repentance.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Unfortunately, sincerity in our own efforts to be reconciled to God on our own terms is not enough. This sounds unfair, but we need to remember that God is the offended party and we are the offenders: He gets to set the terms of reconciliation.
This is just like any other relational offence. If someone offends you, you are in control of the terms of reconciliation. People don’t usually get that though. How many times have you heard someone say, “but I said I’m sorry” as though that should be enough…but it wasn’t for the person offended.
So, what does God require?
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
And this is what He requires for everyone.
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
A Map and A Guide
So, there is a map. It’s pretty clear. But, a map of an unfamiliar place can be confusing when you are in unfamiliar territory. What is even more helpful than just a map? A map and a guide!
Paul recognizes this benefit as he continues:
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
“preach the gospel” is all translated from one word. We get our “English” word evangelize from this word (we borrowed it directly from Greek). It just means to bring or announce glad tidings. As in share good news that you know with someone who hasn’t received it yet. That’s all…literally be a guide with a map for a person who is lost.
Disappointment
Disappointment
It all sounds so simple. It should always work, right?
ro 10.16
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
No matter how good the destination is and how clearly described it is by both map and guide, some people—truthfully, many people—are not going to get there. We cannot force them to repent, we can only help so much. Though we will be disappointed, we must continue to carry a map and be a guide to everyone we can.
Discipline
Discipline
Since we are in the neighborhood, the next verse is too important to leave out. It is familiar but more profound than we understand at first glance. It answers two very important questions:
Do we have to use Scripture when we are evangelizing?
Where does believing faith (the faith necessary for salvation) come from?
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
So yes, we do have to use Scripture when we are evangelizing. It is God’s word, not our good explanation, or our good reflection, that creates the faith a person needs to come to repentance. We have to have the discipline to prioritize God’s words above our own when we serve as a guide!
Conclusion
Have you ever had someone give you directions to some place you knew how to get to? It happens, probably often. It’s not a bad thing, it just is of limited benefit.
Have you ever had someone give you directions to some place you didn’t want to go? It happens too, and it tends to be of no benefit, and it’s a bit annoying.
All that to say that as we seed to direct people to God, we want to concentrate our efforts on those people who both need and want directions. That is why reflection and direction are both important; they should work together.
Application
There is a normal fear and hesitancy when it comes to sharing our faith. We are willing to share anything else so much more readily. But nothing else will direct people to God. Sometimes, we have to be like Nike and Just do it!