WEBVTT 00:00:00.780 --> 00:00:04.419 I'm going to read a story for you, to you, I 00:00:04.419 --> 00:00:07.980 guess. So I want you to put on your imagination 00:00:07.980 --> 00:00:11.160 glasses, all right, and your imagination ears. 00:00:13.240 --> 00:00:16.239 On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:19.140 occur, there was once a crude little life -saving 00:00:19.140 --> 00:00:22.239 station. The building was just a hut, and there 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:24.539 was only one boat, but the few devoted members 00:00:24.539 --> 00:00:28.219 kept a constant watch over the sea. and with 00:00:28.219 --> 00:00:31.059 no thought for themselves, went out day and night, 00:00:31.179 --> 00:00:34.000 tirelessly searching for those who were lost. 00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:36.939 Some of those who were saved and various others 00:00:36.939 --> 00:00:39.579 in the surrounding area wanted to become associated 00:00:39.579 --> 00:00:42.640 with the station and gave of their time, their 00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:46.759 money, and effort to support its work. New boats 00:00:46.759 --> 00:00:49.960 were bought and new crews trained. The little 00:00:49.960 --> 00:00:53.060 life -saving station grew. Some of the members 00:00:53.060 --> 00:00:55.240 of the life -saving station were unhappy that 00:00:55.240 --> 00:00:57.539 the building was so crude and poorly equipped. 00:00:58.039 --> 00:01:00.439 They felt that a more comfortable place should 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:02.960 be provided as the first refuge of those saved 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:06.079 from the sea. They replaced the emergency cots 00:01:06.079 --> 00:01:09.180 with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged 00:01:09.180 --> 00:01:12.060 building. Now, the life -saving station became 00:01:12.060 --> 00:01:14.400 a popular gathering place for its members, and 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:16.920 they decorated it beautifully because they used 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:22.450 it as a sort of yacht club. were now interested 00:01:22.450 --> 00:01:25.650 in going to sea on life -saving missions, so 00:01:25.650 --> 00:01:28.890 they hired lifeboat crews to do this work. The 00:01:28.890 --> 00:01:31.109 life -saving motif still prevailed in the club's 00:01:31.109 --> 00:01:33.790 decorations, and there was a liturgical lifeboat 00:01:33.790 --> 00:01:36.370 in the room where the club's initiations were 00:01:36.370 --> 00:01:39.569 held. About this time, a large ship wrecked off 00:01:39.569 --> 00:01:42.310 the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads 00:01:42.310 --> 00:01:45.269 of cold, wet, and half -drowned people. They 00:01:45.269 --> 00:01:47.969 were dirty and sick. The beautiful new club was 00:01:47.969 --> 00:01:51.310 in chaos, so the property committee immediately 00:01:51.310 --> 00:01:54.430 had a shower house built outside the club where 00:01:54.430 --> 00:01:56.969 victims of shipwrecks could be cleaned up before 00:01:56.969 --> 00:01:59.989 coming inside. At the next meeting, there was 00:01:59.989 --> 00:02:02.609 a split among the club membership. Most of the 00:02:02.609 --> 00:02:04.629 members wanted to stop the club's life -saving 00:02:04.629 --> 00:02:07.750 activities as being unpleasant and a hindrance 00:02:07.750 --> 00:02:11.210 to the normal social life of the club. Some members 00:02:11.210 --> 00:02:14.030 insisted upon life -saving as their primary purpose 00:02:14.030 --> 00:02:16.889 and pointed out that they were still called a 00:02:16.889 --> 00:02:19.909 life -saving station. But they were finally voted 00:02:19.909 --> 00:02:22.150 down and told that if they wanted to save the 00:02:22.150 --> 00:02:24.569 lives of all the various kinds of people who 00:02:24.569 --> 00:02:26.689 were shipwrecked in those waters, they could 00:02:26.689 --> 00:02:30.710 begin their own lifesaving station. So they did. 00:02:31.169 --> 00:02:33.810 And as the years went by, the new station experienced 00:02:33.810 --> 00:02:36.409 the same changes that had occurred in the old. 00:02:36.849 --> 00:02:40.210 It evolved into a club, and yet another lifesaving 00:02:40.210 --> 00:02:43.409 station was founded. History continued to repeat 00:02:43.409 --> 00:02:46.110 itself. And if you visit that seacoast today, 00:02:46.210 --> 00:02:49.330 you will find a number of exclusive clubs along 00:02:49.330 --> 00:02:52.610 that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those 00:02:52.610 --> 00:02:57.689 waters, but most of the people drown. Now that 00:02:57.689 --> 00:03:01.669 story hits home, doesn't it? Maybe it sounds 00:03:01.669 --> 00:03:05.349 a little familiar, but you replace the word life 00:03:05.349 --> 00:03:09.289 -saving station with church. See, we've been 00:03:09.289 --> 00:03:11.169 talking about our calling over the last couple 00:03:11.169 --> 00:03:17.639 of weeks, Calling that we have is the mission 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:21.219 of the church. It is our calling. It is our mission. 00:03:21.259 --> 00:03:26.300 And that is to go and save those drowning. Isn't 00:03:26.300 --> 00:03:29.099 it good news that Jesus didn't start a yacht 00:03:29.099 --> 00:03:35.539 club? He started a rescue. He started. A life 00:03:35.539 --> 00:03:37.960 -saving station. And the best part about it is 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:40.479 when Jesus pulled us from the waves, when he 00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:42.780 pulled us out of the wreckage, he didn't just 00:03:42.780 --> 00:03:45.139 set us on the shore. He didn't just take us into 00:03:45.139 --> 00:03:48.039 a nice, cozy bed. What he did was he said, now 00:03:48.039 --> 00:03:51.699 join my mission. And today I want us to remember 00:03:51.699 --> 00:03:55.159 both the call that we have and the message that 00:03:55.159 --> 00:03:58.560 we are called to bring, that we are sent to proclaim. 00:04:00.509 --> 00:04:03.189 But to do that, we have to answer this question, 00:04:03.270 --> 00:04:06.250 and that is, what is the call? What are we called 00:04:06.250 --> 00:04:10.110 to do? In Mark 16, Jesus has just risen from 00:04:10.110 --> 00:04:13.409 the dead, and he's now fully completed his role, 00:04:13.490 --> 00:04:16.689 his purpose for his time on earth. And so he 00:04:16.689 --> 00:04:18.829 is telling the disciples, I'm getting ready to 00:04:18.829 --> 00:04:21.730 go. He appears to them. He actually rebukes them 00:04:21.730 --> 00:04:24.189 first because he catches them in this state of 00:04:24.189 --> 00:04:29.810 disbelief. And then he says this. He gives them 00:04:29.810 --> 00:04:33.209 what is known as the Great Commission. And before 00:04:33.209 --> 00:04:34.970 we discuss this Great Commission, we have to 00:04:34.970 --> 00:04:37.870 define the word commission. And it's a very simple 00:04:37.870 --> 00:04:42.670 definition. It's an instruction, a command or 00:04:42.670 --> 00:04:46.050 a duty given to a person or a group of people. 00:04:46.230 --> 00:04:49.389 And so Jesus has given the church this duty. 00:04:49.490 --> 00:04:51.709 And what is that duty? Well, it's found in Mark 00:04:51.709 --> 00:04:55.610 chapter 16, verse 15. Go into all the world and 00:04:55.610 --> 00:05:01.360 proclaim the gospel. To the whole creation. The 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:04.879 good news. Proclaim the good news message. To 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:07.920 everybody you come across. Go find the people 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:11.519 that are drowning. And save them. Toss them the 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:17.980 lifeline. Proclaim. The gospel. This is the final 00:05:17.980 --> 00:05:21.240 commission. This final responsibility. That Jesus 00:05:21.240 --> 00:05:23.639 gives to his followers. Before he ascends into 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:28.220 heaven. He's calling us to go. To do. He isn't 00:05:28.220 --> 00:05:30.079 calling us to wait around for people to come 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:33.379 to us. He's not calling us to sit back and just 00:05:33.379 --> 00:05:37.040 wait. He is calling us to take action, to bring 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:39.500 a message to the world. And it's not just any 00:05:39.500 --> 00:05:45.060 message. It is the gospel, the good news. He's 00:05:45.060 --> 00:05:47.660 not sending us out to cast judgment. He's not 00:05:47.660 --> 00:05:49.939 sending us out to even tell people how awful 00:05:49.939 --> 00:05:54.360 they are. What he's sending us to do is to tell 00:05:54.360 --> 00:05:58.079 people about how awesome he is. We're not recruiters 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:01.399 for religion. We are partners in rescue. That 00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:04.259 is our call. So I want us to read on in Mark 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:07.759 chapter 16 to verse 16. And this is what Jesus 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:13.500 says is the implication of our calling. Whoever 00:06:13.500 --> 00:06:16.040 believes and is baptized, they will be saved. 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:18.939 But whoever doesn't believe will be condemned. 00:06:20.279 --> 00:06:27.529 This is a matter of life and death. The implication 00:06:27.529 --> 00:06:31.230 of our calling. If we bring this message to the 00:06:31.230 --> 00:06:34.089 world and they believe and they put on Christ 00:06:34.089 --> 00:06:37.029 in baptism and they commit their lives to him, 00:06:37.170 --> 00:06:41.930 they will be saved. But if they don't, if they 00:06:41.930 --> 00:06:44.449 don't accept this good news, if they don't accept 00:06:44.449 --> 00:06:46.949 this lifeline that we're throwing to them, they 00:06:46.949 --> 00:06:53.370 will perish. And that's our mission. See, when 00:06:53.370 --> 00:06:55.930 the church forgets its purpose. when we forget 00:06:55.930 --> 00:06:58.009 what we were called to do, when we get comfortable 00:06:58.009 --> 00:07:00.889 in this building, and when all we can think about 00:07:00.889 --> 00:07:04.490 is ourselves and our community and our family, 00:07:04.529 --> 00:07:07.149 when that's all we think about, people out there 00:07:07.149 --> 00:07:14.449 drown. They die. Not receiving this awesome free 00:07:14.449 --> 00:07:17.889 gift of salvation. And so we have to remember 00:07:17.889 --> 00:07:20.610 our purpose because we cannot call ourselves 00:07:20.610 --> 00:07:24.009 disciples. Or followers of Christ if we're not 00:07:24.009 --> 00:07:26.449 going to do our part in this redemptive mission 00:07:26.449 --> 00:07:30.029 of Christ. If we're not going to join in on the 00:07:30.029 --> 00:07:32.790 rescue efforts, we are not followers. We're not 00:07:32.790 --> 00:07:35.930 disciples because our Jesus goes and he seeks 00:07:35.930 --> 00:07:38.689 and he saves the lost. And if we're calling ourselves 00:07:38.689 --> 00:07:42.290 followers and we follow him into battle, we follow 00:07:42.290 --> 00:07:46.410 him into rescue. It's not optional. And the truth 00:07:46.410 --> 00:07:49.610 is, the church is not growing like it did in 00:07:49.610 --> 00:07:52.759 the first century, is it? You remember in Acts 00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:55.420 chapter 2 how many people were saved and added? 00:07:55.620 --> 00:07:59.759 3 ,000 on that first day. And then day by day, 00:07:59.980 --> 00:08:05.560 it actually says there were many added to their 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:07.439 number. So it wasn't just like each day, one 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:10.600 person. But imagine even if each day one person 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:13.920 was added to our number. That would be 365 people 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:16.860 coming to know Jesus in one year. Could you imagine? 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:22.980 lot of churches in this community that haven't 00:08:22.980 --> 00:08:26.680 seen 365 people baptized into Christ in 10 years. 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:32.000 Maybe some can even say in 30 years. So could 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:35.220 you imagine if day by day people were being added 00:08:35.220 --> 00:08:41.419 to our number? That is our mission. And our mission 00:08:41.419 --> 00:08:44.100 is to bring a message. And so this morning we're 00:08:44.100 --> 00:08:46.580 going to have a little bit of a good old gospel 00:08:46.580 --> 00:08:50.000 sermon. We're going to define that message that 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:51.759 we're supposed to bring to the world because 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:54.259 sometimes we forget and we make it more than 00:08:54.259 --> 00:08:56.320 it should be. And sometimes we make it a little 00:08:56.320 --> 00:08:59.100 bit less than it should be, right? So today we're 00:08:59.100 --> 00:09:02.240 going to make it exactly what it is. And this 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:04.259 is the gospel. It looks something like this. 00:09:05.860 --> 00:09:08.399 It looks something like this, this little diagram 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:10.259 here. If you've ever watched that dynasty, maybe 00:09:10.259 --> 00:09:12.679 you've seen it. Or if you follow the Robertson 00:09:12.679 --> 00:09:16.080 family, they love this diagram. And I do too. 00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:18.539 I can remember when I was in high school, I went 00:09:18.539 --> 00:09:20.879 to a youth rally in Monroe, Louisiana. It was 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:23.139 hosted at the Ouachita Christian School, which 00:09:23.139 --> 00:09:25.360 is where all of the Robertson family went to 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:28.580 school. And they actually spoke at this youth 00:09:28.580 --> 00:09:31.480 rally. The Duck Odyssey family spoke at it. And 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:34.100 this diagram was put on the screen, and it made 00:09:34.100 --> 00:09:37.320 the gospel so simple. It made it make sense. 00:09:37.580 --> 00:09:40.159 It's pretty easy, right? Jesus came down. He 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:43.879 went on a cross. He rose from the grave. He ascended 00:09:43.879 --> 00:09:48.840 to heaven and he's coming back. And that's easy 00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:51.039 and that's good. And I want you to commit that 00:09:51.039 --> 00:09:53.340 to memory. But before we get into this, we have 00:09:53.340 --> 00:09:55.639 to start at the beginning because for some people, 00:09:55.659 --> 00:09:57.620 they don't really know why he had to come down 00:09:57.620 --> 00:10:00.340 and do that. And so we start in Genesis chapter 00:10:00.340 --> 00:10:02.759 two, verses eight through nine, and then we'll 00:10:02.759 --> 00:10:06.070 read 15 through 18. And this is what it says. 00:10:06.169 --> 00:10:08.509 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden and 00:10:08.509 --> 00:10:11.190 there he put the man whom he had formed. And 00:10:11.190 --> 00:10:13.190 out of the ground the Lord God made to spring 00:10:13.190 --> 00:10:17.269 up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and 00:10:17.269 --> 00:10:20.830 good for food. The tree of life was in the midst 00:10:20.830 --> 00:10:22.429 of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of 00:10:22.429 --> 00:10:24.769 good and evil. And the Lord God took the man 00:10:24.769 --> 00:10:26.830 and he put him in the garden of Eden to work 00:10:26.830 --> 00:10:29.830 it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded 00:10:29.830 --> 00:10:32.610 the man saying, you may surely eat of every tree 00:10:32.610 --> 00:10:35.120 of the garden. But of the tree of the knowledge 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:36.980 of good and evil, you shall not eat for in the 00:10:36.980 --> 00:10:40.100 day that you eat of it, you shall surely die. 00:10:41.419 --> 00:10:44.519 Then the Lord God said, and it's not good for 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:46.860 the, that the man should be alone. I will make 00:10:46.860 --> 00:10:49.159 him a helper fit for him. So that passage is 00:10:49.159 --> 00:10:51.159 really important to the gospel message because 00:10:51.159 --> 00:10:53.879 what it tells us is that from the beginning, 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:57.320 God wanted to create a perfect home for humanity. 00:10:58.669 --> 00:11:02.190 And that picture right there is how we need to 00:11:02.190 --> 00:11:05.169 see God as somebody who creates good things for 00:11:05.169 --> 00:11:07.750 his people. He didn't just create us and put 00:11:07.750 --> 00:11:10.309 us on this wasteland. God created this perfect 00:11:10.309 --> 00:11:13.470 home where everything in it was pleasant and 00:11:13.470 --> 00:11:16.889 it was good. And man had purpose and we had place 00:11:16.889 --> 00:11:22.049 and we had belonging. God created a perfect home. 00:11:22.669 --> 00:11:25.850 For his people, a perfect home, not only where 00:11:25.850 --> 00:11:27.870 they could have a full life in, but where he 00:11:27.870 --> 00:11:30.730 could have part in that life with them, with 00:11:30.730 --> 00:11:33.970 us. And so he creates this home with everything 00:11:33.970 --> 00:11:36.730 that you could possibly need. God gave provisions. 00:11:36.809 --> 00:11:40.330 He gave purpose. He gave his presence. He gave 00:11:40.330 --> 00:11:43.889 us everything we needed. There was just one rule. 00:11:45.129 --> 00:11:48.549 One prohibition. And this prohibition wasn't 00:11:48.549 --> 00:11:50.809 meant to restrict us. It was actually meant to 00:11:50.809 --> 00:11:54.250 protect us. Because again, God cares for his 00:11:54.250 --> 00:11:57.129 people. But what we see in Genesis chapter 3 00:11:57.129 --> 00:12:01.809 is Adam and Eve are deceived by Satan. He tricks 00:12:01.809 --> 00:12:06.169 them. And for the rest of eternity, well, no, 00:12:06.350 --> 00:12:08.549 for the rest of humanity's time on this earth, 00:12:08.789 --> 00:12:13.610 he continues to trick us, does he not? And that 00:12:13.610 --> 00:12:22.019 deceit leads to death. Satan ruins. Our life 00:12:22.019 --> 00:12:26.600 with God. He ruins our perfect place in this 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:30.080 perfect home. This abundant life that we had 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:32.159 from the beginning that God desired for us to 00:12:32.159 --> 00:12:35.740 have with him. But lucky for us, God is not willing 00:12:35.740 --> 00:12:38.360 to leave us. He's not willing to give up on this 00:12:38.360 --> 00:12:41.039 project. He doesn't just want to leave us in 00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:42.720 this broken state and say, well, they'll fend 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:44.759 for themselves. And when they finally run themselves 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:47.750 extinct, that's it. He doesn't leave us in a 00:12:47.750 --> 00:12:49.830 separated state where we're no longer with him. 00:12:49.929 --> 00:12:53.370 What God does is he shows how much he wants to 00:12:53.370 --> 00:12:55.769 be with us. That's why he created us. That's 00:12:55.769 --> 00:12:58.110 why he created this perfect home was so he could 00:12:58.110 --> 00:13:02.330 be with us. And so God promises to redeem us. 00:13:03.669 --> 00:13:07.529 He promises to restore us. Here's what we read 00:13:07.529 --> 00:13:10.909 in Jeremiah chapter 3 or chapter 31 verses 31 00:13:10.909 --> 00:13:14.309 to 34. Behold, the days are coming, declares 00:13:14.309 --> 00:13:17.320 the Lord. When I will make a new covenant with 00:13:17.320 --> 00:13:20.899 the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not 00:13:20.899 --> 00:13:22.879 like the covenant that I made with their fathers 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:25.179 on the day when I took them by the hand to bring 00:13:25.179 --> 00:13:27.559 them out of the land of Egypt. My covenant that 00:13:27.559 --> 00:13:29.580 they broke, though I was their husband, declares 00:13:29.580 --> 00:13:31.919 the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:35.600 make with the house of Israel. After those days, 00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:37.860 declares the Lord, I will put my law within them. 00:13:38.259 --> 00:13:40.620 I will write it on their hearts and I will be 00:13:40.620 --> 00:13:45.950 their God and they shall be my people. And no 00:13:45.950 --> 00:13:47.909 longer shall each one teach his neighbor and 00:13:47.909 --> 00:13:49.929 each his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for 00:13:49.929 --> 00:13:52.389 they shall all know me from the least of them 00:13:52.389 --> 00:13:54.870 to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will 00:13:54.870 --> 00:13:59.710 forgive their iniquity. And I will remember their 00:13:59.710 --> 00:14:04.230 sin no more. Even in judgment, God gives hope. 00:14:04.929 --> 00:14:08.389 Even in the midst of our death. and in all of 00:14:08.389 --> 00:14:10.830 our darkness and all of our sinfulness, in the 00:14:10.830 --> 00:14:14.429 midst of every broken thing, God shines a light 00:14:14.429 --> 00:14:17.850 and says, I'm going to bring them home. I'm going 00:14:17.850 --> 00:14:19.629 to forgive you, and I'm not going to remember 00:14:19.629 --> 00:14:24.009 your sins anymore. You'll be my people, and I'll 00:14:24.009 --> 00:14:29.090 be your God. And this leads us to our full gospel 00:14:29.090 --> 00:14:31.990 message diagram. It's a little bit longer than 00:14:31.990 --> 00:14:35.429 the other one, maybe a little bit harder, but 00:14:35.429 --> 00:14:40.200 it's complete. Because what it shows is God's 00:14:40.200 --> 00:14:43.340 creation of this perfect home. This place that 00:14:43.340 --> 00:14:47.860 he desired to live and be with man. This place 00:14:47.860 --> 00:14:50.240 where we would have abundant life. Where we would 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:54.500 know no sickness, no death, no pain, no heartache. 00:14:56.019 --> 00:15:00.840 But because of our pride, our greed, and because 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:05.690 of Satan's deceit, we experience death. Not only 00:15:05.690 --> 00:15:08.090 physically, but spiritually. This separation 00:15:08.090 --> 00:15:11.490 from God. This inability to be in that perfect 00:15:11.490 --> 00:15:18.250 home. But God promises to restore. He promises 00:15:18.250 --> 00:15:22.330 to redeem. And that redemption looks like Jesus 00:15:22.330 --> 00:15:24.730 coming down to this earth and living a perfect 00:15:24.730 --> 00:15:27.500 life. That eventually puts him on a cross where 00:15:27.500 --> 00:15:30.840 he dies for our sins. But the promise continues 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:34.120 because he rises from that grave. Promising our 00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:37.419 resurrection and our defeat over death in him. 00:15:37.620 --> 00:15:40.159 And he ascends to heaven to prepare a place for 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:44.980 us. And he's coming home. And with him he will 00:15:44.980 --> 00:15:50.019 bring that perfect restored Eden. Where we will 00:15:50.019 --> 00:15:53.840 live for eternity in the presence of our God. 00:15:56.269 --> 00:15:59.029 Just look at what Jesus says in John chapter 00:15:59.029 --> 00:16:02.009 10, verse 10. The thief comes only to steal. 00:16:02.309 --> 00:16:05.470 I think he stole something from us, right? That 00:16:05.470 --> 00:16:08.610 perfect life that knows no pain, that knows no 00:16:08.610 --> 00:16:11.289 sickness, that knows no sorrow. He stole that 00:16:11.289 --> 00:16:15.570 from us. He killed everything that we knew as 00:16:15.570 --> 00:16:20.090 perfect, as good, as pleasant. And he has destroyed. 00:16:20.809 --> 00:16:23.649 The life that God intended for us. And he keeps 00:16:23.649 --> 00:16:26.870 doing that over and over and over again. But 00:16:26.870 --> 00:16:32.870 Jesus came that we would have life and life abundant. 00:16:34.110 --> 00:16:36.389 If you think you've got a good life here, just 00:16:36.389 --> 00:16:42.090 wait. The life in Christ is so much better. That's 00:16:42.090 --> 00:16:45.129 the promise. Jesus acknowledges what Satan has 00:16:45.129 --> 00:16:48.090 done, what he's doing. This destruction that 00:16:48.090 --> 00:16:51.120 he wreaks. havoc on our earth. He then declares 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:53.220 that he is the one who's going to save us from 00:16:53.220 --> 00:16:55.860 that death. He's going to save us from that destruction 00:16:55.860 --> 00:16:58.460 and he's going to restore life to us and salvation 00:16:58.460 --> 00:17:02.440 has come. Jesus doesn't say I am coming. He says 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:05.619 I came that they would have life and have it 00:17:05.619 --> 00:17:12.140 abundantly. Jesus came to conquer death. And 00:17:12.140 --> 00:17:15.380 while Jesus is no longer here on this earth physically 00:17:16.490 --> 00:17:18.950 He gives us this reassurance that he is coming 00:17:18.950 --> 00:17:22.009 back. In John chapter 14, verses 1 through 4, 00:17:22.049 --> 00:17:24.609 he says, Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe 00:17:24.609 --> 00:17:27.630 in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's house 00:17:27.630 --> 00:17:31.890 are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have 00:17:31.890 --> 00:17:33.829 told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 00:17:33.869 --> 00:17:38.650 And this is the key here. And if I go and prepare 00:17:38.650 --> 00:17:44.769 a place for you, I will come again and will take 00:17:44.769 --> 00:17:50.230 you to myself. That where I am, you may be also. 00:17:51.670 --> 00:17:56.150 And you know the way to where I'm going. Jesus 00:17:56.150 --> 00:17:58.529 is going to return. And he's going to bring that 00:17:58.529 --> 00:18:03.150 final restored life. The life that God designed 00:18:03.150 --> 00:18:07.509 for us. That he designed us for. This was not 00:18:07.509 --> 00:18:12.789 meant to be our reality. But because of our sin, 00:18:12.990 --> 00:18:18.400 it is for now. But again, even in our judgment, 00:18:18.500 --> 00:18:25.220 God promises hope. No more death. We know some 00:18:25.220 --> 00:18:27.279 people that have gone on before us, haven't they? 00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:31.900 We've lost some people. People we love. They're 00:18:31.900 --> 00:18:36.460 no longer here with us. Jesus says that will 00:18:36.460 --> 00:18:42.799 be no more. No more pain. Some of you are struggling 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:48.640 with sickness and pain. No more. No more sorrow. 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:52.680 No more crying over people we've lost or crying 00:18:52.680 --> 00:18:55.480 over heartache. No more being sad because of 00:18:55.480 --> 00:18:57.160 the state of the world or the things that you 00:18:57.160 --> 00:19:00.279 see, the evil that is in this world. That's going 00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:04.380 to be gone. He promises that because that was 00:19:04.380 --> 00:19:08.220 not meant to be our reality. And Jesus will come 00:19:08.220 --> 00:19:11.900 and restore the reality that God intended for 00:19:11.900 --> 00:19:15.359 us. Think about this. Jesus is not saving us. 00:19:16.049 --> 00:19:18.970 He's not just saving us from our sin. He is saving 00:19:18.970 --> 00:19:23.609 us for home. He says, I go to prepare a place 00:19:23.609 --> 00:19:28.829 for you. That's grace. That's not just forgiveness 00:19:28.829 --> 00:19:33.730 of the past, but it is a guaranteed future. You 00:19:33.730 --> 00:19:36.329 know, we talk all the time about savings and 00:19:36.329 --> 00:19:39.170 401ks and retirement plans, and that's cool. 00:19:40.109 --> 00:19:42.960 Bill said something funny to me today. What did 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:46.039 you say? He said, I always say that I'm going 00:19:46.039 --> 00:19:48.839 to be the richest man in the cemetery. We save 00:19:48.839 --> 00:19:51.839 and we work so that we can save and prepare for 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:55.819 a future. And that's nice. We want to have these 00:19:55.819 --> 00:19:58.200 good retirement plans. We want to make sure that 00:19:58.200 --> 00:20:01.460 our futures are secure here. But for some reason, 00:20:01.480 --> 00:20:03.640 so many of us forget to make sure our future 00:20:03.640 --> 00:20:07.930 is secure there. And Jesus says, if you will 00:20:07.930 --> 00:20:10.690 just trust in me, if you will commit your life 00:20:10.690 --> 00:20:15.150 to me, your future is guaranteed there, then, 00:20:15.369 --> 00:20:19.609 forever. This is what we read about his return 00:20:19.609 --> 00:20:22.309 in Revelation 21, the scary book of Revelation. 00:20:22.609 --> 00:20:26.490 It's actually really hope -filled. Then I saw 00:20:26.490 --> 00:20:28.710 a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven 00:20:28.710 --> 00:20:31.650 and the first earth had passed away and the sea 00:20:31.650 --> 00:20:34.190 was no more. There's that hope that all this 00:20:34.190 --> 00:20:38.569 garbage that we're experiencing here, gone. Something 00:20:38.569 --> 00:20:42.069 new and better is coming. And I saw the holy 00:20:42.069 --> 00:20:45.210 city, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven 00:20:45.210 --> 00:20:49.609 from God prepared as a bride adorned for her 00:20:49.609 --> 00:20:53.450 husband. I want to stop there for a second. Men, 00:20:53.630 --> 00:20:56.470 you remember when you got married. If you haven't, 00:20:56.470 --> 00:21:00.289 this day may come for you where you're standing 00:21:00.289 --> 00:21:04.569 up here and you look down and that music starts. 00:21:05.509 --> 00:21:09.869 And down the aisle comes this beautiful, magnificent 00:21:09.869 --> 00:21:15.950 woman that God has given you. I don't cry. Well, 00:21:16.009 --> 00:21:18.049 I cry a lot now because I'm a teddy bear. But 00:21:18.049 --> 00:21:21.589 I can remember standing on a stage in a church 00:21:21.589 --> 00:21:24.440 building and Eliza comes down the aisle. It was 00:21:24.440 --> 00:21:29.720 waterworks. I just couldn't help it because my 00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:35.059 bride was coming for me. Imagine when Jesus comes 00:21:35.059 --> 00:21:42.400 back and descending is this place adorned for 00:21:42.400 --> 00:21:46.849 us. That's this beautiful, hope -filled image 00:21:46.849 --> 00:21:49.950 that John gives us in Revelation. And I heard 00:21:49.950 --> 00:21:52.150 a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, 00:21:52.170 --> 00:21:57.569 the dwelling place of God is with man. He will 00:21:57.569 --> 00:21:59.809 dwell with them and they will be his people. 00:22:01.069 --> 00:22:04.589 And God himself will be with them as their God. 00:22:06.609 --> 00:22:10.490 If we commit our lives to Christ, at the end 00:22:10.490 --> 00:22:15.190 of all of this, a beautiful gift comes. It's 00:22:15.190 --> 00:22:19.230 a home. A home so amazing that we can't even 00:22:19.230 --> 00:22:22.210 imagine it. So amazing that men have spent the 00:22:22.210 --> 00:22:24.329 last thousand or whatever years trying to figure 00:22:24.329 --> 00:22:26.150 out what it's going to look like and painting 00:22:26.150 --> 00:22:28.490 these beautiful pictures that don't even come 00:22:28.490 --> 00:22:31.589 close. That's the home that's coming and God 00:22:31.589 --> 00:22:34.109 is going to be there and on his throne will be 00:22:34.109 --> 00:22:38.470 in the presence of his glory. And he'll dwell 00:22:38.470 --> 00:22:42.470 with us. And he'll be our God and we'll be his 00:22:42.470 --> 00:22:49.750 people. He'll wipe away every tear. Think of 00:22:49.750 --> 00:22:53.089 all those tears you've cried over relationships, 00:22:53.569 --> 00:22:57.009 over loved ones lost, over tragedies that you've 00:22:57.009 --> 00:22:59.970 witnessed, or tragedies that you hear about in 00:22:59.970 --> 00:23:02.670 the news and on social media, and all of these 00:23:02.670 --> 00:23:08.589 things that just bring you sorrow gone. He'll 00:23:08.589 --> 00:23:11.069 wipe away every tear. And that's a real personal 00:23:11.069 --> 00:23:14.589 thing, isn't it? Maybe you've been there where... 00:23:15.079 --> 00:23:17.640 You fell off your bike and you scraped your knee 00:23:17.640 --> 00:23:20.900 and you remember your mom or your dad wiping 00:23:20.900 --> 00:23:22.819 those tears off your eye and telling you, don't 00:23:22.819 --> 00:23:29.500 cry. It's okay. God will do that for each one 00:23:29.500 --> 00:23:34.039 of us. Think about that. All those tears you've 00:23:34.039 --> 00:23:36.859 cried on this earth, he personally is going to 00:23:36.859 --> 00:23:43.259 wipe those away. And death will be no more. Neither 00:23:43.259 --> 00:23:48.319 shall there be mourning. No crying. No pain anymore. 00:23:49.460 --> 00:23:54.119 For the former things. These cruddy things have 00:23:54.119 --> 00:23:59.000 passed away. He's coming back. And he's going 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:00.900 to bring with him this perfect home that we were 00:24:00.900 --> 00:24:03.119 supposed to live in from the beginning. And that 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:07.759 is the gospel message. That is the lifeline that 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:10.539 we bring out to the shipwreck. And we toss it 00:24:10.539 --> 00:24:14.460 out to him and say, just grab hold of it. And 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:18.660 you too can be saved. God created us, provided 00:24:18.660 --> 00:24:22.079 a perfect home for us. We messed it up. He promised 00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:24.359 and offered restoration and he is coming back 00:24:24.359 --> 00:24:27.380 to finish the job. And here's the crazy thing, 00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:34.400 people. It is free. Completely free. There's 00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:40.940 no payment. The only thing is just accept it. 00:24:44.460 --> 00:24:48.660 Commit to it. Give your life to Christ. Bury 00:24:48.660 --> 00:24:51.099 yourself in the watery graves of baptism. Come 00:24:51.099 --> 00:24:53.900 out and you have that new life, that gift, that 00:24:53.900 --> 00:24:57.559 promise of restored life. The gift of the Holy 00:24:57.559 --> 00:25:01.519 Spirit that helps you get there for eternity. 00:25:02.019 --> 00:25:05.220 It's free. This is a simple but extraordinary 00:25:05.220 --> 00:25:07.740 message that we're called to bring to the world. 00:25:07.900 --> 00:25:10.420 And if we understand that message, we have two 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:13.789 responses. Accept it. Accept the gospel message 00:25:13.789 --> 00:25:16.269 and live in its truth. And the second is share 00:25:16.269 --> 00:25:19.289 that truth with the world. That's it. That's 00:25:19.289 --> 00:25:22.470 it. That's the only things we have to do. It's 00:25:22.470 --> 00:25:28.410 not that complicated, is it? We were called to 00:25:28.410 --> 00:25:32.089 accept this message and share it. That's it. 00:25:33.410 --> 00:25:38.230 Accept it, live it, and share it. In Mark 16, 00:25:38.269 --> 00:25:42.720 15, Jesus makes it simple. Go into all the world 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:48.640 and proclaim. Notice he doesn't say preach. Proclaim 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:52.079 in the way you act, in the things you do, in 00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:54.440 the things you say, in the way you interact with 00:25:54.440 --> 00:25:58.720 people. Proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 00:25:59.740 --> 00:26:05.480 This is good news. This is good news. Verse 16, 00:26:05.519 --> 00:26:08.180 he tells us how crucial that message is. It is 00:26:08.180 --> 00:26:13.410 life. That is our mission. We've been called 00:26:13.410 --> 00:26:16.950 together for this purpose. For this singular 00:26:16.950 --> 00:26:21.670 purpose. God is sending us out to share life 00:26:21.670 --> 00:26:26.049 with the lost. To share hope with the hopeless. 00:26:27.789 --> 00:26:32.529 If all we do as a church is come occupy a pew 00:26:32.529 --> 00:26:36.569 or a chair. Is come occupy a seat on a Sunday 00:26:36.569 --> 00:26:40.819 morning. And serve ourselves in fellowship. And 00:26:40.819 --> 00:26:43.660 we get together for Bible classes. If that's 00:26:43.660 --> 00:26:47.799 all we do, we've missed the point. And we'll 00:26:47.799 --> 00:26:49.720 become like that life -saving station at the 00:26:49.720 --> 00:26:54.200 beginning of this sermon. That just stopped saving. 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:59.220 That stopped seeking. They worried about themselves 00:26:59.220 --> 00:27:01.400 so much that the people out there on the waters 00:27:01.400 --> 00:27:05.240 died. I don't know about you, but I want to be 00:27:05.240 --> 00:27:09.839 a part of a saving. I want to be a part of rescuing 00:27:09.839 --> 00:27:13.440 the lost. I want to be a part of throwing the 00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:18.480 lifeline out to the drowning. I listened to a 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:23.279 podcast the other day. The president of Harding 00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:25.000 University, Mike Williams, he was talking about 00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:27.980 how this generation is starting more nonprofits 00:27:27.980 --> 00:27:31.539 than any other generation before. And he said 00:27:31.539 --> 00:27:33.420 all these students that he talks with at a Christian 00:27:33.420 --> 00:27:36.339 university. The number one thing they say they 00:27:36.339 --> 00:27:38.660 want to do when they graduate is start a non 00:27:38.660 --> 00:27:41.940 -profit. You notice they don't say they want 00:27:41.940 --> 00:27:44.380 to be preachers. They want to be youth ministers. 00:27:45.740 --> 00:27:48.400 They want to be deacons or elders in the church. 00:27:48.460 --> 00:27:50.160 They say, I want to start a non -profit. Do you 00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:54.460 know why? Because what they see from the church 00:27:54.460 --> 00:27:57.339 is a bunch of people worried about themselves 00:27:57.339 --> 00:28:02.450 not serving and saving the lost. And so they 00:28:02.450 --> 00:28:03.990 said, if the church isn't going to do it, we'll 00:28:03.990 --> 00:28:07.109 do it out there. I don't want that to be our 00:28:07.109 --> 00:28:11.049 reality. I want people to know that when they 00:28:11.049 --> 00:28:13.210 come here, when they are a part of the church 00:28:13.210 --> 00:28:15.089 of Christ, that we're going to do what Christ 00:28:15.089 --> 00:28:18.490 did and save people and serve people and feed 00:28:18.490 --> 00:28:22.869 people and clothe people and house people. Because 00:28:22.869 --> 00:28:25.150 that's the mission. And if we'll do that, we 00:28:25.150 --> 00:28:27.130 can throw out that lifeline and say, come to 00:28:27.130 --> 00:28:32.769 Jesus. I want to be a part of that. And I hope 00:28:32.769 --> 00:28:35.710 you do too. Because this message is way too good 00:28:35.710 --> 00:28:40.950 to not share. It is way too good to not share. 00:28:42.970 --> 00:28:46.470 Especially because it's free. If I told you, 00:28:46.529 --> 00:28:51.430 hey, I got out of the Chevy dealership. And my 00:28:51.430 --> 00:28:53.549 four people, close your ears. You got out of 00:28:53.549 --> 00:28:55.109 the Chevy dealership, they're giving away brand 00:28:55.109 --> 00:28:57.789 new Silverados for free. All you got to do is 00:28:57.789 --> 00:29:00.769 show up. How many of you are going to show up? 00:29:01.420 --> 00:29:04.359 I am. I want a new truck. And if you tell me 00:29:04.359 --> 00:29:08.019 it's free, I'm going. This is way better than 00:29:08.019 --> 00:29:11.880 that. This is life. Abundant life and the promise 00:29:11.880 --> 00:29:15.460 of a great home in heaven with God, the creator 00:29:15.460 --> 00:29:18.480 of the universe for eternity. And it's free. 00:29:18.680 --> 00:29:22.220 Why are we not telling people? Why are we not 00:29:22.220 --> 00:29:25.299 living like that is the truth? Like that is the 00:29:25.299 --> 00:29:28.980 case that the world needs to know about. Let 00:29:28.980 --> 00:29:31.619 everything we do, everything we say be seasoned 00:29:31.619 --> 00:29:36.640 with that truth that Jesus is coming back. And 00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:40.500 everybody's invited. And it's no cost to them. 00:29:42.019 --> 00:29:46.900 I want to close by saying this. The danger that 00:29:46.900 --> 00:29:52.079 we have is forgetting why we exist. And that's 00:29:52.079 --> 00:29:54.440 the danger for everyone individually, just in 00:29:54.440 --> 00:29:58.990 life. Forgetting your purpose. For the church 00:29:58.990 --> 00:30:02.250 especially, the danger, the leading cause of 00:30:02.250 --> 00:30:05.690 death in churches all over the country is forgetting 00:30:05.690 --> 00:30:10.190 why we exist. But here's the grace. I don't want 00:30:10.190 --> 00:30:13.549 to just bash the church all day. Jesus has not 00:30:13.549 --> 00:30:16.450 given up on his rescue. He's still doing it. 00:30:16.509 --> 00:30:18.289 Jesus is still saving souls. Do you all believe 00:30:18.289 --> 00:30:23.069 that? He's still saving lives. He's not done. 00:30:24.299 --> 00:30:26.839 And he's not giving up on us. He is still calling 00:30:26.839 --> 00:30:31.119 us to be a part of the rescue mission. You know, 00:30:31.119 --> 00:30:33.920 in the story of the life -saving station, it 00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:36.019 said they still have a boat. They still have 00:30:36.019 --> 00:30:40.039 a boat there to remember the life that they used 00:30:40.039 --> 00:30:41.819 to live as people that went out on the waters 00:30:41.819 --> 00:30:45.480 to save. Well, guess what? That boat still floats. 00:30:46.420 --> 00:30:50.400 And they can still go save people. We can too. 00:30:51.480 --> 00:30:56.170 It's time. For restoration in our church. To 00:30:56.170 --> 00:31:00.529 go out and save people. So let's take the cross 00:31:00.529 --> 00:31:03.869 off the wall and go to the world with it. Let's 00:31:03.869 --> 00:31:06.410 take it off our necklaces and go to the world 00:31:06.410 --> 00:31:10.609 with it. It's not too late. If you've heard the 00:31:10.609 --> 00:31:12.829 gospel message this morning, you've heard it. 00:31:13.369 --> 00:31:17.069 And you want to accept it. Give your life to 00:31:17.069 --> 00:31:20.319 Christ. Commit to living with him. Be baptized 00:31:20.319 --> 00:31:22.559 for the remission of your sins and the gift of 00:31:22.559 --> 00:31:25.660 the Holy Spirit. If you want that, today's the 00:31:25.660 --> 00:31:28.339 day. And if you want to recommit to going out 00:31:28.339 --> 00:31:31.180 and telling people about that free gift, today 00:31:31.180 --> 00:31:35.000 is the day. If you need prayers for courage to 00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:37.839 continue on in this fight, this rescue mission, 00:31:38.160 --> 00:31:42.640 today is the day. Whatever you need, whatever 00:31:42.640 --> 00:31:45.839 you need, we invite you to come as we stand.