Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:01 So here's a question for you.
Speaker 1 00:00:04 What's your, why? What's your why? It's a really important question. A really big question. It's a question that the world has been asking a bunch over these past few years, and you hear people talking about what's your why, and you may be sitting there and you might be thinking, what's my, why? What does that even mean? Well, your why is like your vision? It's your purpose? It's your cause? Your why is, why do you exist? Why are you here? Why do you wake up in the morning? Why do you do what you do? Why do you make the decisions that you make? Why do you keep pushing through? Like, what's your why? The thing that gives you meaning and purpose and passion in life. Here's the other thing, if we're honest, a lot of us were, we're not really sure what our, why is. And years ago, King Solomon said where there is no vision.
Speaker 1 00:01:00 The people perish. In other words, if you don't know your, why you'll spend your life aimlessly wandering through this life. And if we're honest, I think a lot of us, we're not really sure what our, why is we don't have a vision or a purpose or a cause in our hearts. So we just kind of wander from place to place. And we've been in this series called the essentials and talking about what do I really need in life? And what you really need is to know your why. And in this past season, when so many of the non-essential things have been removed from our life, it's actually been a gift of God, a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to get off the hamster wheel of life and actually look at your life and try to figure out what's your why? Because if we're honest, we just do a whole bunch of things in life.
Speaker 1 00:01:50 Cause everybody else is doing them. But once you grab a hold of your, why it locks you in, it helps you move forward, make decisions, and you know exactly where you're going. And as we've been in this series called the essentials, talking about what do we really need in life? We've said that there's five things, five things that are essential from Genesis through revelation, from Adam and Eve through the second coming of Jesus. And the fifth one is your why. So if you remember with me, we've said, here's, what's essential. And here's where we've been in this series, the grace of God and the spirit of God, the word of God, the people of God and the mission of God. These are the five essential things that you need in your life. The question is, is, are you building your life around them? And I've told you, this series is kind of a really simple series.
Speaker 1 00:02:44 It's a lot of teaching. I'm just kind of putting it out there for you and you get a choice on what you're going to do with it. And it's brought us all the way to this point. And this is the why of your life, the mission of God. Now you may have yet grabbed it. You may not yet want it, but let's be real clear as followers of Jesus. This is our why. And notice it doesn't say the mission of the world. This is not about your personal happiness, your personal pleasure, your personal fame, your personal success. This is not the why of me, myself and I. This is the mission of God. The mission of God being fruitful and multiplying, being blessed to be a blessing, bringing his kingdom and bringing his will to this earth, seeking and saving the loss, making disciples, releasing the kingdom, destroying the works of the devil and living our life as hope carriers.
Speaker 1 00:03:43 The mission of God is essential to your life. And all you have to do is go back to creation. I mean, it's so interesting to me when God made Adam and Eve in his image and his likeness, do you know? The first thing that he said to them was their why? And check this out. I love this verse. First thing God says to Adam and Eve, he gives them their purpose, their vision, their cause their why. And it's the mission of God. He says, Hey guys, be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it. Using all its vast resources in the service of God. And man, very first thing God tells Adam and Eve is their purpose, their why. And he made them in his image in his likeness and he created and empowered them to destroy the works of the devil outside of the garden of Eden.
Speaker 1 00:04:35 Simply by obeying him, break it down, be fruitful, live a life of productive beauty, bringing things to the fullness of their potential. Multiply reproduce the life of God in you into the world, around you, fill the earth or your area of influence or the garden of Eden and beyond with the knowledge of the glory of the goodness of God. Some do it. Bring order to chaos, bring, bring hope to display or bring light to darkness and use your resources to accomplish my purposes in the lives of men. You want to talk about a why worth having, you want to talk about a purpose. You want to talk about significance that God made us in his image and his likeness to be a part of his mission on this earth, that he empowered us to rule and reign with him to be a part of his work.
Speaker 1 00:05:27 I mean, a few weeks ago I took my little girl, my 11 year old and brought her to work with me into the office. And she got all dressed up and she was so excited and she put her clothes on and got her work clothes against, she got her backpack. She was all ready. She couldn't wait. She got in the truck. And as we're driving to the office, we're sitting at a light and she's like so happy and she's bobbing around. She just kept saying, I was so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I said, what are you so excited about? I'm so excited to go to work with you today. Daddy and I sat there and I thought, if we really understood what God was inviting us to, we would be that kind of excited. We would be that kind of excited when we would start to realize that he has invited us into his work.
Speaker 1 00:06:15 Not because he needs us, but because he wants us and he wants to empower us with the mission of God, the greatest, why in the universe. And it's always been the people of God walking out the mission of God, Adam and Eve were supposed to be fruitful and multiply. Noah built the Ark. Abraham was blessed to be a blessing. Moses freed the Israelites, brought them into the promised land. The Israelites conquered. The problem was land broadly kingdom. David expanded the kingdom. Peter fed the sheep. Paul preached the gospel. The first century church turned the world upside down. The people of God were created for the mission of God to be a part of what God is doing in this time and this place. And when you build your life around the mission of God, you know what it does, it reminds you that everything is possible.
Speaker 1 00:07:08 It reminds you that God is at work. It keeps you focused on the clarity of the kingdom to bring you out of the chaos of this world. It offers you such a better life. And yet like Adam and Eve, our problem is, is that we're more interested in what we want than what we need. Like this wasn't enough for them and everything fell apart. And it's usually not enough for us. And so instead of being fruitful, we often live a bear in life, dry and weary. Instead of multiplying, we often spend our lives dividing from everyone and everything instead of filling the earth or the areas of our life, with the knowledge of the glory and goodness of God, we fill our life with the things of this world. Instead of some doing things, we often bring chaos to things. And instead of using our resources to accomplish God's purposes in the lives of men, we use both God and men to get a bunch of resources for ourselves.
Speaker 1 00:08:03 And here's what I want you to understand when you lose your, why you lose your way, but when you find your, why you find your way. So my question for you as you lost your, why have you lost the reality of the purpose and the vision and the cause that God has created you for to be a part of the essential mission of God? I mean, just think of Jesus for a second. When Jesus came to this earth. And so many of us just think that Jesus came to die so we could go to heaven someday, but he came to do so much more than that. Jesus came to show us what it was like to be human. He came to show us what it was like to live as a beloved son in his father's kingdom, releasing, extending, and advancing that kingdom everywhere. He went like, check out this next verse.
Speaker 1 00:09:00 I love this. It says how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth. Remember Jesus is a hundred percent God, but he's a hundred percent man. And he left behind his divine power when he was born as a baby in a manger. So he did everything on this earth as a man and right relationship with God filled with the Holy spirit. That's you that's me in a right relationship with God because of the grace of Jesus empowered by the Holy spirit, living as beloved sons and daughters in our father's kingdom and how with the Holy spirit and with power and how we went around doing good, the mission of God and healing, all those who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. In other words, Jesus spent his life on the mission of God, healing, the sick and raising the dead and casting out demons and open blind eyes and serving, and loving and giving and being compassionate into the world around them.
Speaker 1 00:09:51 And he invites us to do the same. In fact, I love this in John. Here's what Jesus says at the end of his life, as he's going to the cross, he says for this, cause I was born and for this, cause I have come into the world. He knew his, why he had a vision and a purpose and a cause for his life. And he never forgot it. That's why Jesus never gave up. That's why he could deal with difficulties and persecution and rejection and relational problems and obstacles because when you know your cause, you can get through anything. So can I ask you a question? Do you know the cause for which you were born? Do you know the cause for which you have come into this world?
Speaker 1 00:10:39 Have you lost your why? Because if you've lost your why you lost your way, your cause is the mission of God. In fact, think of the first time Jesus comes and calls Peter to come and follow him. As one of his disciples, he says what to Peter, what he says to us. And it's really simple. Matthew four 19. Here's what Jesus says. He just says, Hey, Peter, come and follow me and I'll make you a Fisher of men. Hey Peter, Hey, you come and follow me. And I'll make you a Fisher of men. Really interesting how the grace of God leads you to the mission of God, the tops and bottoms of our essentials, the grace of God come follow me. Peter didn't deserve to be around Jesus. Peter didn't do anything to be called would be one of Jesus's disciples. No, no. It was the grace of God that called Peter to come and follow him.
Speaker 1 00:11:33 And Jesus says, if you've come and follow me, here's what's going to happen. We're going to go on a mission together. And right out of the gate, I'm telling you, this journey is about you and me going on mission together. And this is what we forget. And the reason I think so many of us struggle in our relationship with God is because we engage in the mission. And we forget that it's in relationship. It's in the midst of, of mission where relationship is most formed. It's why you see guys that go to war together. They become a band of brothers. Why? Because when you know your mission and you're on mission together, this relationship develops, that's almost impossible to break. I think a lot of us, we think Jesus says, come follow me so you can have a better life. So you can have a good church experience.
Speaker 1 00:12:19 So your kids can be raised in a good home so I can bless you. Now come follow me. Cause there's a mission that matters and I'm inviting you to be a part of it. Come on. When was the last time you fished for men, you have to understand that the mission of God empowers you to live a significant life. But the mission of this world confines you to a really small life and a lot like Steve, you didn't catch this with me for a second. You can take an 80 year old widow, an 80 year old widow who is following God who spends her days, praying, seeking God, getting in a circle with other women, serving those that she can giving how she can lives a far more significant life than the superstar athlete. Who's making tens of millions of dollars a year who is on every magazine cover, known in every house on every TV station, but is living for himself. She is living a far more significant life. And you might say, nah, man, this is, this is what, wait a minute. This significance really says, who says the kingdom of darkness. And so maybe there's some repenting that needs to go on in our mind of what is actually significant. Cause guess what? She's giving her life to the ever lasting kingdom. And he's giving his life to try to become a King in a kingdom that will be gone tomorrow.
Speaker 1 00:13:59 So what is really significant step? It's the mission of God being a part of bringing the everlasting righteousness, peace and joy of our father to this world. I mean, catch these verses with me. Look at what Jesus just says. Let me just walk you through a couple and just read them to you. These are all Jesus's words, but you will receive power when the Holy spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses for whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
Speaker 1 00:14:37 As the father has sent me. I am sending you therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy spirit and teaching them to obey everything. I've commanded you. Okay. What do you do with those verses? What do you do with that? Those aren't just like fluffy things that Jesus throws out there. Those aren't things that he's like, Hey, if you get some time, Hey, if it would be convenient, Hey, if you're feeling up to it today. No, no, these are commands. They're declarations. They're expectations of him saying, Hey, I came on mission into your life and now I've brought you into my kingdom and I'm sending you back out on mission. Like, like I'm sending you, I'm telling you to make disciples. I'm telling you to give up your life for the gospel.
Speaker 1 00:15:36 Like I'm telling you to be my witness. Like what'd you do with these verses this like, and a real question. I know some of you you're like, I don't like this week very much. No. Cause we lose sight of this and we forget, this is the journey that we're, that we're on. Like hear me not doing the wrong thing is not the same as doing the right thing. And I think we get so lost in, well, I'm not doing all these bad things. Right. But we're not doing the things that he's asking us to do. Like be a part of the essential mission of God. And so let me just ask it to you like this. Like, do you look at your life through mission or do you look at the mission through your life? Do you look at your life through the mission? Like do you realize everything about your life is now the mission of God and your life needs to fit into the mission?
Speaker 1 00:16:32 Or do you look through your life at the mission of God? And just say, man, I don't got time for that. I don't got really interested. It doesn't really fit nicely into what I'm already doing. Okay. How about your family? Do you look at your family through the mission of God or do you look at the mission of God through your family? Is it like, Hey, you know what, if our family has some extra bonus time yet we could be a part of the mission of God or is it like, you know what, we're on mission and this is my family and we are going to make sure that everything our family is about is the mission of God. How about your finances? How about your time? How about your energy? Do you look at those things through the mission of God and say the mission of God has priority and they need to fit within that?
Speaker 1 00:17:14 Or do you look at all those things and say, Hey, if everything is well and easy, then I might have a little bit of extra for the mission of God. How about church? Do you look at church through the mission of God or do you look at the mission of God through church? And what I mean by that? Is that all about you having a convenient, nice, comfortable experience? Or is it like, man, we are our mission as the people of God called Valley Creek church, a movement of hope for the city and beyond hope carriers. So we are on mission together. I'm looking at what we do and who we are through this mission that God has us on. How about one more? Are you looking at COVID through the mission of God or are you looking at the mission of God through COVID and what I mean by that is, is it all about COVID or is it all about the mission of God and wow, what a unique opportunity and moment in time, God has given us come on, we don't exist for ourselves.
Speaker 1 00:18:16 We're here for the lost, the lonely and the broken people are dying and going to hell. And God has empowered us to be on his mission to be a part of his work in this time, in this place, in this city, in this region where we are at and it's time for us to rise up. Like this is an amazing moment for the church to step outside of ourselves. Like we should be the only ones in the world. That's not all stressed out about Colvin. Cause we see it as an opportunity to be a part of the mission that we're already on. Like I know I'm pushing on you. Let me push a little bit more like, look, the world is on fire guys. And we're complaining about having to wear masks or that people aren't wearing masks. The world is on fire and we're complaining that we can't go on vacation.
Speaker 1 00:19:05 The world's on fire and we're all upset because sports are canceled. The world's on fire. And we're upset because school is a little bit challenging this year. Like, come on, are you catching me? The world is on fire. And God's saying, Hey, people of God rise up into the mission of God, because this is your time. This is your moment. And I pray that we get white hot as a church around the mission of God, because it is essential. It's essential for their good for his glory. And for your health, you see one of the most important ways to keep hope alive in your own heart is to just give it away to somebody else. If you want to live a life that's full of hope, give hope away. In fact, this is the reason I think so many followers of Jesus in this six month run are so depressed are so stressed out are so afresh, so defeated and given up and apathetic because we're not on mission.
Speaker 1 00:20:09 We're not giving hope to anybody else. So then we don't have any for ourselves. Like one of the best things you can do for somebody that's depressed, that's anxious, that's apathetic is give them a purpose, give them a cause, give them a vision because all of a sudden they have something beyond themselves, something bigger than themselves. And as you start giving hope away, it's amazing how you find it for yourself. Like check out some of these verses he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. You give hope away to other people. God promises that that hope comes back and refreshes you. Could it be that we're not refreshed because we're not refreshing any others? Or how about the next one that just says give and it will be given to you give away and you'd be amazed at what God gives back to you. Or how about the next one that says a man reaps? What he sows so hope until the world around you on mission. And you'll have hope to reap. The problem is right now, we're all looking for some hope to reap. But if you haven't gone out in sown any, there's not much there to read.
Speaker 1 00:21:14 Come on. When you give hope away, you know what you're doing? You're taking hope from the invisible in the spiritual. You're making it visible and physical and your eyes. See it. And it starts building your own faith. The kingdom of heaven is at hand it's within reach. And when we reach up into the invisible and the spiritual and we grab hope, even when we don't feel it for ourselves and we give it to somebody else in the mission of God, in some way, shape or form, it becomes visible and physical. And it starts to build our own faith. I mean, this is the story of Jesus with the woman at the well, Jesus is weary. He's exhausted. He's tired. He gets to this well and his disciples go in town to get him some food. And while they're in town getting some food, he has this interaction with this woman.
Speaker 1 00:22:01 He gives her Springs of living water, hope. He ministers to her on the mission of God and it recharges him. And a while later the disciples come back with the food. Jesus is all energized. He's all happy. He's all looking good. And they're like, what? What happened to somebody? Come and feed Jesus and look what Jesus looks. And he says that to me, he says, I have food to eat that. You know nothing about my nourishment comes from finishing his work. In other words, Jesus says, Hey, as I've refreshed her, it's actually refreshed me as I've gone on mission into her life. It's actually brought life back to me. Can I just tell you something? There is a food that so many followers of Jesus know nothing about because there is a nourishment that comes when we get involved in his work, his mission. So it's essential. Not just for them. It's, it's essential for us.
Speaker 1 00:23:01 If you're weary, if you're tired, if you're overwhelmed, if you're apathetic, one of the greatest things you can do is get involved in the mission of God, for someone else with no strings attached, because it will nourish you. And I know some of you even sitting here and you're thinking, okay, mission of God, like this is like great practically. That's like, that's massive. Like what does that mean? Practically? It's really simple. It just means this. Have you invited anybody to church during the covert season, while church has been online and all kinds of people have had access to it, have you invited anybody? Have you been regularly inviting people using your social media and calling people like that's just this mission to go and give you invited people to tune it. And here's what I want to say. Do you believe that Jesus is the way the truth and the life do you believe that heaven and hell are real places then why wouldn't you invite anyone to hope in this season?
Speaker 1 00:24:00 Like stop. I'm going to make probably what's uncomfortable, even more uncomfortable. Why would you not invite someone? If you believe heaven and hell are real. And Jesus is the only way. Why would you not just be a part of the mission of God? Or how about finances? God gives us finances and he wants us to use those as the mission of God to tie, to trust him and then to use what we have to bring his mission into the world around us. Have you been using your finances that way, even though it's a tough economic season or how about serving? Have you just served anyone outside of your family with no strings attached? Just because that's part of the mission of God. How about make disciples? You're like, I don't know what that means. It just means that whatever you have discovered about Jesus, you pass on to someone else.
Speaker 1 00:24:57 If you've got revelation on forgiveness, on freedom, on identity, on, on, on generosity, it just means you're sharing that with someone else. Or how about being a hope carrier? Just where you go every day. I know masks and gloves and COVID and distance and all that. You can still be a home carrier in every space you go. That's the mission of God that you look at your life through his mission because right out of the gate of when he created you and when he redeems you, he tells you come and be fruitful and multiply. He says, come follow me. I will make you fishers of men. The purpose of God, the cause of God, the vision of God, the mission of God, it is our life. It's not an afterthought. It's our life. And it costs Jesus. Everything to go on mission into your life. It's going to cost you something to go on mission into their life.
Speaker 1 00:25:57 So maybe we do need to be stirred up a little bit, to be a little bit inconvenienced, to be a little bit uncomfortable, to show up to something we don't necessarily want to be at, to go on the day that we don't really feel like it to, to take that moment, to text somebody, to be a part of something. Even though we're afraid of what they're gonna think about me. Like, come on, come on. The mission of God is not about what God is doing through you. It's about what God is doing in you. And like we always say identity determines behavior, who you are determines what you do. So if you want to know who you really believe, you are just look at your behaviors because beloved sons will spend their life releasing their father's kingdom. Spiritual orphans will spend their life trying to become a King in this world.
Speaker 1 00:26:53 Are you releasing the father's kingdom or are you trying to make your home? Have you lost your why? Because if you've lost your why you've lost your way. But if you find your why you'll find your way and you can get off the hamster wheel of the world, you don't have to do what everybody else is doing. You don't have to say what they say as essential is essential. Like you're like hearing. This is a moment where God is literally ringing a bell. Bam, saying, please hear me. What they say is essentially is not what I say is essential. And this is your moment to rebuild your life differently. Come on. There's five essential things. The grace of God, the spirit of God, the word of God, the people, God, in the mission of God, when God made Adam and he put him in the garden, he gave them all of these.
Speaker 1 00:27:46 He didn't have to go get them. He received them. He lived in the grace of God. He freely lived with the spirit of God. He freely heard the word of God. He was given the people of God. And he knew exactly what the mission of God was all about. The problem is, is Adam didn't want what he needed. He wanted what he wanted. And he gave up what was essential for what was not essential. And he sinned and he brought death and darkness and destruction into this world. He rejected the grace of God. He lost access to the spirit of God. He didn't listen to the word of God. He became separated from the people of God and he no longer was a part of the mission of God.
Speaker 1 00:28:26 But then Jesus came. Cause we're all born like that with all these essentials broken in our lives because of what Adam has done. But then Jesus came. Jesus is the grace of God that not only forgives you, but completely transforms you and makes you a new creation that you may live and flourish in. His grace. Jesus gave you the spirit of God and freely poured him out upon your life. Baptizes you in him. So you can walk in his power and his character. Jesus is the word of God. He is the truth that sets us free in this world. He gave you the people of God by assembling you into his body or the family of God. And he has empowered you once again with the mission of God, because he loves you, believes in you and trusts you.
Speaker 1 00:29:14 These are the essentials and they've literally been handed to you by Jesus. And at some point in time, you're going to have to activate your own faith to say, okay, I'm done going the world's way. I think it's time to start moving in. God's way. Let me close it with this. The words of Jesus, therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams Rose, the winds blew and beat against that house. Yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock.
Speaker 1 00:30:00 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the streams Rose and the winds blew and beat against that house. And it fell with a great crash. I think if we're honest, we have built a lot more of our lives on the non-essential sand of this world than we care to admit. I think in God's goodness and grace in this last season, he's basically stopped the world for us to say, Hey, come on, we need a better foundation. We need to build our life on the rock. The grace of God, spirit of God, the word of God, the people of God and the mission of God, let's build it on the essentials because no matter what comes, you will stand strong and firm and flourish in this life because of the goodness and the grace of God. It's time to get off the hamster wheel.
Speaker 1 00:31:12 It's time to build our life on what God says is essential. And what's hard for me sometimes is when we walk through a few weeks of this kind of stuff and we get to this point, I so desperately want you to crap it. Cause I know if you don't, you hear the words, but if you don't put them into practice, come on, come on, you can do this. You can take a step. You can move forward. You can have the life that God has for you. It's not going to look like everybody else. I'm telling you that right out of the gate, but God has something great for you.
Speaker 1 00:31:54 And it's all about choosing to say what he says. This essential is now essential in my life from this point forward. So he close your eyes with me. Come on. What's God want to say to you today over these past few moments as we've been talking and maybe even throughout this whole series, like, what is the Holy spirit saying to you? What's he stirring up? What's he challenging? What's he pushing on? What's he inviting you to remember? That's his goodness and his grace. That's him saying, come on. I'm drawing you to a better life. It's time to grab a hold of the essentials of God in Jesus name and it's and choose to say, man, I need to be a part of the mission of God. I got to take a step. Today is a day to just take one step towards the mission of God.
Speaker 1 00:32:56 Like invite somebody to send the kid service to somebody that you know, that God kids that needs help serve somebody this week that you know needs to be served outside your family. Take a step in generosity and give to God. And his, my come on this is a week to take a next step in mission to say I'm a part of something bigger than myself. The reason life lived for yourself, doesn't work is cause that's not what you were created for. That's why, no matter how many times you try to do your life, your way it doesn't work. Cause hardwired into your DNA is the mission of God. That's Dean for us in jesus' name. And it's time to rise up into that truth. So Lord, I pray in Jesus that you would show us the mission that you went on to rescue us, that we would then rise up to that and go on that mission with you to bring your kingdom and your will and your grace and glory and goodness to this lost, broken and dying world. Thank you, Jay Jesus, for a hope that he, no matter how dark it is around us, we have hope and we choose to refresh others with it. Knowing that in the process, it will refresh ourselves as we give it away. We love you. Jesus. Thank you for leading and guiding us and your name. We pray. Amen.
