"Called to Mission" Luke 4:42-44

This week I had the opportunity to preach at River Community Fellowship, and I wanted to share my notes from the message. We will be back in Ephesians next week, but I thought it would be important for all of us to see what Jesus was up to in Luke 4, and hopefully be encouraged and challenged to strive to be a part of God's mission. Hopefully this will stir up your passion to reach out to your community in tangible ways.

Introduction– Isn’t it true that the more a Christian believer comes to comprehend all he/she has in Jesus Christ, the more eager he/she is to share Jesus with others? I’ve come to realize that there must be three non-negotiable factors for my life as a Christ follower. The first, is continually making sure that the Gospel is the content for everything I do as an individual. I must remain Gospel-centered. The second, is to strive to be missionally intentional (i.e. always on mission) because as the Gospel is truth, it must be proclaimed in real, tangible ways. The third factor I’ve found is to love my community in context, which practically means that I share my life as a Believer in Jesus with unbelievers in the places they belong, while building trust to create an environment or place where they can explore and examine the Gospel of Christ safely. These three factors must be the foundations for everything I do.

I realize that living these truths is intentional and requires a lot of time and effort, a lot of boundary bouncing, but it is so rewarding and so Biblical that it must be entwined into the DNA of our lives personally and the life of the universal church.

Contextual Overview
In Luke chapter 4, we learn of the good news of God’s kingdom. Jesus has been on an incredible journey: first, (v.1-13) He spends 40 days in the desert being tempted by the devil, but Jesus overcomes the temptations and never sins; then (v.14-30) Jesus returns to His home town and begins to preach and teach in the synagog, but the people get angry at Him and drive Him out of the city. Then (v.31-41) Jesus goes to Capernaum, a city in northern Galilee, and just blows up, He begins preaching the gospel; teaching about the sovereignty, majesty, goodness, and kingdom of God; heals the sick; and drives out demons. The people of the city, at this point, are glad Jesus is there, they’re excited about the work Jesus is doing, and they’re anticipating what Jesus will do next.

Luke 4:42-44– “And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.’ And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.”

We see three distinct things about God’s Mission in our passage today, but in order to understand these truths, we must have a working definition of the Gospel.

What is the Gospel?
The Gospel is God's plan to save his people from their sins and to bring his people fully and finally to himself (Ephesians 2:1-10). The great theologian J.I. Packer simply says, “God Saves Sinners.” Through the person and work of Jesus Christ, God fully accomplishes salvation for us by the Holy Spirits regeneration, rescuing us from judgment for sin, into fellowship with him, and then restores the creation in which we can enjoy new life together with him.

THREE DISTINCT THINGS ABOUT GOD’S MISSION

1) Our Natural Tendency Is Not to God’s Mission (v.42)
The next morning, Jesus heads for a solitary place to spend some time alone with the Father (Mark 1:35-38). The people find out that He’s getting ready to leave. So they go to Him and say, “Don’t leave! We need you! We need your power in our lives! We need your presence in our lives. We need your preaching in our lives! Please stay with us!”

2) The Gospel Connects People to God’s Mission (v.43)
Jesus says in verse 43, “It’s not that I don’t love you. It’s not that I don’t want to be with you. But my mission in life is to share the good news with as many people as I can! God’s kingdom is here right now, and I want the rest of the world to know about it!” The good news needs to be shared so that the people of the world can be reconciled back to God (See Romans 10:14). Notice that there is a need for Gospel proclamation. In verse 43, Jesus says to the people of Capernaum, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God!” Jesus was ready and willing to live out the mission of God in front of and in the midst of lost people.

3) The Gospel Sends People on God’s Mission (v.44)
In verse 44, Jesus “continued preaching in the synagogues of Judea.” In other words, he was doing everything He could to make the gospel as accessible as possible. Luke is trying to teach us that the good news of God’s love is accessible to everyone! (See 1 John 5:11-12)

For us, our Judea is right here in the Verde Valley. There are people right here in Cottonwood who don’t know that God loves them, that don’t know that God wants to do something beautiful and lasting in their lives, to bring reconciliation! There are people out there who have no idea about who Jesus is and what He has done specifically for them. No idea that they can be forgiven, restored, reconciled to God, all because of the substitutionary life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. People need to know that God has extended His grace to them, through the cross of Christ, and that because of Jesus, we now have access to the amazing majesty of the creator and sustainer of everything.

Those of us who have heard the Gospel and have been transformed by it are called to God’s mission. The question is, “will we graciously open up our hearts, our homes, and our lives for others to join us in experiencing the Gospel?”

CLOSING
The beauty of the Gospel is that it illustrates God’s missional heart very tangibly in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God sends his son to live in the world of the lost, to live amongst them, and bring the Kingdom to his people.

We are all sinners in need of a Savior. The reason why Jesus came to earth preaching the good news is because we ALL need the help of God! We ALL need salvation! Jesus was looking for lost people and had to leave His comfort zone in order to reach them. He had to be sent to us, we were not naturally going to go to Him. In this same way, we must intentionally go after people with the Gospel because they are lost.

CHALLENGE
Answer these questions, (please close your eyes): Imagine if Jesus were to walk into this room right now and say, “Come on, get up, and come with me.” Where do you picture him taking you first? Maybe it’s someplace you’ve never been. Where? Why would he take you there?

This week I’d like to challenge you to practice being “called to mission” by crossing two barriers of your normal life:
1) Cross Your Fence – Do something to bless or simply converse with one neighbor on your street.

2) Cross Your Street – Do something to connect with someone who is close to your home, but with whom you haven’t built a relationship yet.

STUDY QUESTIONS
Personal – Jesus was well known for his love for people, which brought his people great joy. Jesus was actively involved in ministering to other people in a way that had profoundly encouraged them. Who are you encouraging, and how is your life impacting others?

Spiritual – We must react to the Gospel. We live in a fallen world where believer’s need to be refreshed, and unbelievers need to experience what it means to be refreshed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What are we doing to actively seek the deeper things of Jesus?

Missional – Experiencing God’s mission must be an intentional part of our lives. What specifically are you doing to further the mission of God in the lost world? What about your life will compel people in the Verde Valley to want to know more about Jesus?