Sermon Reources available here...

                      

Sermon Reources available here...

                      

A Heart For The Mission Romans 9:1-5

Over the next few weeks I will begin to unveil the vision and ministry plan for our church. I am taking the weeks between now and the first of the year to preach and teach foundational truths that will serve as the basis for what we are moving toward.

For the last two or almost three years we have been a church that has poured most of its energy into the Sunday morning celebration service. While we always put a great deal of effort into making this service meaningful and helpful it is time for us to accept the responsibilities that come with being a part of the body of Christ.

My intention with this sermon is to reveal a glimpse at the heartbeat of the mission of this church. Our mission is: Leading people into a growing relationship with God.

If we are going to embrace this mission it will take a proactive and genuine concern and love for people. It will mean that we view relationships as important. While this sermon does not deal directly with relationships (those sermons will come later) it does lay a biblical foundation for our interaction with people.

    People are lost. Do we care?
    People are hurting. Do we care?
    People are addicted. Do we care?
    Homes are falling apart. Do we care?
    Hearts have been broken. Do we care?
    People are lonely. Do we care?
    People are searching. Do we care?

“I tell you the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God, Amen.” Romans 9:1-5 (NKJV)

Paul is expressing what should be the heartbeat of every Christ follower. He is expressing his concern for others. He sounds like a man obsessed with the Message. He knows what it can do to change lives and he longs for others to experience it. This concern that Paul talks about is what drove him to spend his life in ministry to others.

The early church seemed to have been obsessed with the message of the gospel. In every circumstance and in every job or any place they happened to find themselves they were ready and willing to give a simple explanation about the tremendous change that God had done in their life. Needless to say the message of the gospel of Christ swept the world. These early believers were accused of turning the world upside down with their message.

We must begin to ask ourselves some questions.

Has the message of Jesus Christ changed? No
Has the ability of this message to change lives changed? No.
Does God care any less about people then He did when Paul wrote these words? No
Is Christianity working in America?

Have we affected the culture or has the culture affected us? Which do you think has influenced the other one more?

Someone has said, “We worship our work, work at our play and play at our worship.”

Our greatest mission is to bring the message of salvation to people who haven’t heard.Our greatest message is the good news of the gospel.Our greatest Master that we could ever serve is Jesus Christ.

When we think about the early church we can think about it like this: “Christ went up, the Holy Spirit came down, witnesses went out and the lost came it.”

Do you think we have lost any part of that statement?

A.W. Tozer said, (paraphrase) “In the early church, if the Holy Spirit would have been withdrawn 95% of what they did would have stopped. In our day, if the Holy Spirit were withdrawn about 95% of what we do would still go on.”

Here’s the big picture. There is a common heartbeat that all genuine Christ followers share. God said we are like a body. He is the head and we are the parts that make up the functioning pieces of the body. We are to be hands, feet, mouth, etc. . .

There is one thread of unity that will hold us together. We may not agree on every doctrinal point or practice our faith identically like the person sitting next to us but genuine Christ followers will care deeply about lost people.

There is a startling disconnect between many so called Christians and the mission that Christ left us on earth to accomplish. He didn’t leave us on earth to just live little happy lives. He left us with the mission of reaching others with His life changing message.

I find that as I talk with others Christians about the heartbeat of this church there can be a glazing of the eyes and an intentional effort made to miss the point. People get hung up on the music or the fact that we allow someone to drink coffee in the sanctuary and completely miss the point of the purpose for which we exist.

A pastor was preaching and pouring out his heart one time on the subject of ignorance and apathy. One man leaned over to his wife during the message on ignorance and apathy and asked, “What in the world is he talking about?” She responded with a yawn, “I don’t know and I don’t care.”

There is one thing that I believe that will keep us from losing the heartbeat of God for lost people and that is to practice the spirit that Paul wrote about in the verses I read to you earlier. He had a genuine concern for others. He cared that the world was lost and people were dying without a chance to hear about Jesus Christ.

How does this apply to our church? Let’s look at four ways that we can live out the heartbeat of the mission of this church.

1. We want to become known as a people conscientiously concerned about others.

“my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit...”

Paul felt the need to share the message so deeply that he said it had become a matter of his conscience. Usually we think about the conscience only functioning to keep us from doing wrong but in this case it was functioning to keep him doing right!

Our zeal for this mission will never be greater than our convictions about the need. Simply put this means that we will take seriously the words of Jesus to his first disciples:“You will receive power and you will be my witnesses.”

This matter of sharing the message is not for a handful of outgoing people with the “right” personality. The call to practice discipleship and ministry is for every Christ follower.

2. We will be driven by a sense of compassion.

“have a great sorrow...”

When we talk about compassion we are suggesting a deep love and caring concern. It is a feeling of great love and care. In one translation of this verse it quotes Paul as saying, “I have a great heaviness.”

There is a state of mind that we must learn to practice in the future. It is the practice of being burdened for others.

Tears are often an outward expression of compassion.

A condemned criminal was about to be executed when he was given an opportunity to speak. He said, “No man cared for my soul.”

In chapter 10 of Romans, Paul says, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”

We must be driven by a sense of compassion for lost people. It must and will drive everything, every program every ministry that we do.

I have a suggestion maybe we should begin this process by asking God to give us a new or renewed vision of lost people. I am asking you to join me this week in beginning to allow God to break our hearts for lost people.

Psalm 126:5-6, “Those who sow in tears will reap in with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping carrying seed to sow will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”

This kind of compassion must consume us.

I am praying for tears:

      In our Sunday services.
      In our secret times of prayer.
      In our families.
      In our marriages.
      In our neighborhoods.
      In our daily duties at home, work and school.

I am praying for tears in our children’s ministry and our youth ministry and the work of the food pantry and music and any other ministry you want to name. We must do them with a sense of compassion.

3. We will endeavor to maintain a continual concern for others.

“...and continual grief in my heart.”

Paul clearly taught that while he enjoyed and lived his life there was something that never left him. While he was smiling on the outside or even laughing there was a continual concern for others that never went away. It affected the choices he made. It was the driving force behind his travel schedule and mission trips.

The future effectiveness of this church will not be found in slick presentations, flow charts, ministry plans, committee meetings, mission statements, vision statements or any other of the many good things we are working on. The future effectiveness of this church will be found in the heartbeat of those who will rise to the challenge to care for lost people. Lost people matter to God. They matter to God twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week.

Paul had a continual concern that drove his ministry to others. In Acts 20:3 as he is leaving the church and ministry at Ephesus, he tells them, “. . . Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.”

4. We may find that concern for others is costly.

“For I could wish myself accursed from Christ for my brethren...”

Ministering to others is costly. Money is the least of the cost. It is costly to care deeply. Paul is clearly stating that he would be willing to give up his salvation if he could just be assured that the Jewish people, (his people) would come to know Christ.

This depth of concern is not without precedent.

Ex. 32:30-32, “The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive them their sin—but if not then blot me out of the book you have written.”

Psalm 86:15, “But you, O Lord are a compassionate and gracious God.”

Mark 6:34, “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep with out a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”

It is easier for most of us to give a little cash then it is our time. But the heartbeat of this church will be about time.

Time to care and time to experience life with other people.
Time to get involved with hurting people and needy people.
Time to prepare for the ministry that you are called to do.
Hurt, need and pain know no social economic boundaries.
We are called to minister to people who are above us economically as well as those who appear to be below are standard of living.

We are being called to ministry in this church that will extend beyond the Sunday celebration. This is not just another sermon about it. This is the beginning of the unveiling of the heart and soul of what ministry is about in this church. You are going to be hearing a lot about the DNA of this church.

DNA is useless without a heartbeat. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, was asked the secret of his great success:

"I will tell you the secret. God has had all there was of me. There have been men with greater brains than I, men with greater opportunities. But from the day I got the poor of London on my heart, and caught a vision of all Jesus Christ could do with them, on that day I made up my mind that God would have all of William Booth there was. And if there is anything of power in the Salvation Army today, it is because God has had all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will, and all the influence of my life.

His description of that Vision

On a recent journey, as I gazed from my carriage window, I considered the condition of the multitudes around me. They were living in open and shameless rebellion against God, without a thought for their eternal welfare.As I looked out of the window, I seemed to see millions of people bound to their drink and their pleasure, their dancing and music, their business and their anxieties, their politics and their troubles. Ignorant, willfully ignorant in many cases, and in other instances knowing about the truth but not caring at all. The whole mass of them, was sweeping on and up in their blasphemies and devilries to the Judgment Throne of God.

While contemplating this, I had a vision

I saw a dark and stormy ocean. Over it hung heavy black clouds, through them every now and then lightning flashed, and thunder rolled, waves rose and foamed, towered and broke, only to rise and break again.

In that ocean I thought I saw multitudes of poor human beings plunging and floating, shouting and shrieking, cursing, struggling and drowning; they cursed and screamed, and then sank to rise no more.

I saw in this dark angry ocean, a mighty rock with its summit towering above the black clouds. And around the base of this great rock I saw a vast platform. On the platform, I saw with relief a number of the poor struggling, drowning wretches climbing out of the ocean. A few of those who were already safe on the platform were helping the poor creatures still in the violent waters to reach the place of safety.

On looking more closely I noticed some busily working with ladders, ropes, and boats, to deliver the strugglers out of the sea. Here and there were some who even jumped back into the water, regardless of the consequences, in their passion to rescue the perishing. And I hardly know which gladdened me the most, the sight of the poor drowning people clambering onto the rock reaching a place of safety, or the devotion and self-sacrifice of those whose whole being was toiling for their deliverance.

Distracted or Devoted?

As I looked, I saw that the occupants of the platform were a mixed company. That is, they were divided into different sets or classes, and they occupied themselves with different pleasures and employments. But only a few of them seemed to make it their business to rescue the people.

But what puzzled me most was the fact that, though each had been rescued from the ocean, nearly everyone appeared to have forgotten about it. Anyway, it seemed the memory of its darkness and danger no longer troubled them at all. And equally perplexing to me, was that these people did not even seem to have any care, that is any sincere care, for the poor perishing ones who were struggling and drowning right before their eyes, despite being their own husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and even their own children.

Now this astonishing unconcern could not have been due to ignorance, because they lived right there in full sight of it all, and even talked about it sometimes. Many went regularly to hear seminars and sermons in which the awful state of these poor drowning creatures was described.

Some of them were absorbed day and night in trading and business in order to store up savings in boxes, shares, and banks. Lots spent their time amusing themselves with growing flowers on the side of the rock, others in painting or in playing music, or in dressing in different fashions and walking about to be admired. Some were occupied chiefly in eating and drinking, others were busy arguing over the poor drowning creatures that had already been rescued.

His Call Ignored

But what really shocked me was that those on the platform to whom He called, who heard His voice, and felt they ought to obey it (at least they said they did) those who confessed to love Him, were in full sympathy with Him in the task He had undertaken, who worshipped Him (or who claimed to do so) were so engaged in their trades and professions, their money gathering and pleasures, their families and friends, their theology and arguments about it, and their preparation for going to the Mainland, that they ignored the cry that came to them from He who had Himself gone down into the sea. If they heard it they did not respond. They did not care. And so the multitude continued right before them, struggling, and shrieking, and drowning in the darkness.

Bawling Believers

And strangest of all, I saw that some of these people on the platform, whom He had called to come and help Him in His difficult task of saving these perishing souls, were always praying and crying out for Him to come to them!

Some wanted Him to come and stay with them, and spend His time and strength in making them happier. Others asked Him to come and take away various doubts and misgivings they had concerning the truth of some letters He had written them. Some wanted Him to come and make them feel more secure on the rock, so secure that they would be sure they should never slip off again into the ocean. Numbers of others wanted Him to make them feel quite certain that they would really get off the rock and onto the Mainland someday: because as a matter of fact, it was well known that some had walked so carelessly as to lose their footing, and had fallen back into the stormy waters.

So these people used to meet and get as high on the rock as they could, and looking towards the Mainland (where they thought He was) they would cry out, "Come to us! Come and help us!" Yet all the while He was down (by His Spirit) among the poor struggling drowning creatures in the deep, with His arms reaching out to drag them to safety, and looking up, oh so longingly but in vain, to those on the rock, pleading with them, His voice hoarse from calling, "Come to Me! Come, and help Me!"This week I spent a little time with one of our members that most of you do not know. Linda Meadows has been such an encouragement to me. When I have visited in her home or in the hospital her conversation has always demonstrated her compassion for other people. Watch this video and let God speak to you.

How’s your heart? How is your concern for others? How much of your time are you willing to lay down and spend in sharing the good news of the life-altering message of Christ?

A little girl who had recently come to know the Lord as her Savior had a deep longing that her father should know Him too. She begged him to come with her to church, but in vain. At last he said, “I will go just once, to please you.” The child was delighted and when they got close to the door of the church, the father felt a tiny push. It was his daughter, who said aloud, “Here he is, Jesus, save him.”

“At the same time, you need to know that I carry with me at all times a huge sorrow. It’s an enormous pain deep within me, and I’m never free of it. I’m not exaggerating—Christ and the Holy Spirit are my witnesses. It’s the Israelites . . . If there were any way I could be cursed by the Messiah so they could be blessed by him. I’d do it in a minute. They’re my family. I grew up with them. They had everything going for them—family, glory, covenants, revelation, worship, promises, to say nothing of being the race that produced the Messiah, the Christ, who is God over everything, always, Oh yes!” Romans 9:1-5 (The Message)

2003/11/02