The Missional Life of Jesus October 13, 2013
The Missional Life of Jesus, Part 1 I name not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Matthew 5:17-18: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Jesus did not come to start a new plan, but to bring God s plan to climax. Jesus is the greater Adam. Romans 5:17: For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Jesus is the greater Moses. John 1:17: For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the greater Israel. Matthew 4:1-2: Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Jesus is the greater Priest. Hebrews 4:14-15: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are yet he did not sin. Jesus is the greater Sacrifice. Hebrews 10:11-13: Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. Our mission is to present Jesus as our Savior because he is the centerpiece and fulfillment of God s eternal plan. Colossians 1:28: He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 3
I came not to bring peace, but to bring division. Matthew 10:34-35: Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law a man s enemies will be the members of his own household. Jesus demands absolute allegiance. Luke 14:26-27: If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters yes, even their own life such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Jesus is the one and only way to salvation. 1 John 5:11-12: And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. John 3:18: Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God s one and only Son. The division is not because of hostility from us, but because of hostility toward us. Romans 12:17-21: Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God s wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord. On the contrary, If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Matthew 5:44-45: But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Our mission is to present Jesus with urgency as the one and only Savior of humanity. 2 Corinthians 5:20: We are therefore Christ s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 4
I came not to do my will, but to do the will of the one who sent me. John 6:38: For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. Jesus came to reveal God s heart toward us. John 1:18: No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. John 14:8-9: Philip said, Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us. Jesus answered, Don t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father? God himself tells us to pay attention to Jesus. Matthew 3:16-17: As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Hebrews 2:3-4: This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. Hebrews 1:3: The Son is the radiance of God s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. Colossians 1:15: The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Our mission is to demonstrate to people God s heart toward them. John 20:21: And Jesus said, Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. 5
The Missional Life of Jesus, Part 2 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. Mark 2:17: On hearing this, Jesus said to them, It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Through Jesus, we see our need for God s grace. John 9:39: Jesus said, For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind. Jesus sought out those who were far from God. John 10:14-16: I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me just as the Father knows me and I know the Father and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. Ephesians 2:17: He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. Our mission is to reach out to those who are far from God. Luke 5:10: Then Jesus said to Simon, Don t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people. I came not to condemn the world, but to save the world. John 3:16-18: 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God s one and only Son. The heart of Jesus is not exclusion, but inclusion. Luke 19:41-42: As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace but now it is hidden from your eyes. 1 Timothy 2:3-4: This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. Jesus came because the world really does need saving. Luke 19:10: For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Our mission is to long for the salvation of the world. 1 Corinthians 9:22: To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 6
I came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28: Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus sacrificed greatly in order to fulfill his mission. Philippians 2:6-7: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross! Jesus fulfilled his mission because of a strength beyond his circumstances. Hebrews 12:1-2: And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. John 17:6-10: I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. Our mission is to follow Jesus in giving our lives for the sake of others. Colossians 1:24: Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I full up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 1 Peter 2:21-25: To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 7