The MESSAGE is MISSION

The MESSAGE is MISSION

The MESSAGE is MISSION

Luke 24:44, (pg. 885 in the pew bibles) 

  • Mission: Sent to speak and respond to God’s work of redemption.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  Acts 1:8

  • Mission to the Neighborhood, Acts 3-7 / to the 805, 8-12 / to the End, 13-28

#1. The Message

  • The bible
    • What is the message of the bible?
      • Creation (God is Holy)
      • Fall (We need a Savior)
      • Redemption (Jesus Saves us)
      • Restoration (Jesus Sends us)
  • Define Biblical hermeneutic of mission.

“Hermeneutics is the pair of glasses. It’s what you wear when you interpret something. The lens. Not what you look at but what you look with. Hermeneutics is the art of interpretation. It is taking a text and asking—what does this mean? Specifically, how am I as a contemporary person, hundreds of years removed from this utterance, supposed to read this ancient text?  What is the bridge between that world and mine? Why does it matter? Because you need your glasses to be the right prescription. The wrong lens skews reality.”  Dr. Dane Ortlund Senior Vice President for Bible Publishing at Crossway

Does the bible itself give us a “hermeneutic” to see with?

Read Luke 24:25-31

A. Messiah

  • Does the text itself say that reading with a lens, or a hermeneutic, that looks for a messiah is what we are “suppose” to do?   YES.
    • FIrst time I read the bible all the way through
      • *You Version bible app. Headphones & go!
    • Second time I had a messianic hermeneutic. I saw Christ everywhere! Even places he wasn’t…
      • “Where’s Waldo?” All the numbers and days in Lev., etc.
      • Gen. 3:15- Curse to the serpent,
      • 1 John 3:8, “the reason why the son of God came was to destroy the works of the devil.”. A Messianic lens helps us understand the text
  • Messiah lens. Any others?
    • Relational, End times, suffering, hope, /  shame, guilt, fear
      • Eisegete, place meaning on the text 
      • Exegete, out of the text (With the help of the Spirit)
    • What we saw in Luke on the road to Emmaus. Jesus taught them a messianic hermeneutic and then vs. 31, their eyes were opened.
    • A Messianic lens is primary when looking at the biblical text. But at times it will blur, especially when asking the question “what now?”
      • We need another lens to balance things. A bi-focal understanding of the text
  • The other lens is..

2. Mission Luke 24:44-48

  • vs. 44- Meta-narrative, Messiah
  • vs. 45- Holy Spirit understanding!
  • vs. 46- Redemption
  • vs. 47-Restoration —> Missional hermeneutic!!!
    • Lens (Glasses) One side, messiah, other side, mission: Sent to speak and respond to God’s work of redemption.
      • One of the issues in the church is we try and divide them instead of a balancing them.
      • All about Jesus  /  What about works?
        • We make a really big deal about Jesus
        • Doctrine is polished, our people have a sure foundation, deep discipleship, strong community “To the glory of God and our joy”
      • We do so much for Jesus
        • Serving the city, doers of the word,  taking care of the poor
    • Somehow these 2 views that are meant to read together get separated.

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:2–3

But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. Exodus 9:16

all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.  Numbers 14:21

And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, Deuteronomy 28:10

so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, Joshua 4:24

Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day.  Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 1 Chronicles 16:23–24

Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory!  Amen and Amen! Psalm 72:19

“fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord” Isaiah 11:9

“all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.” Isaiah 52:10

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, Jeremiah 29:7

  • A light to the nations, blessed to bless. The corners of the field left to the sojourner, hospitable to strangers, loving to neighbors,…
  • God has ALWAYS been a missional God.
    • The bible itself is a missional- an outreach with a message of redemption.
    • God is a missionary… It’s not something he does, but who he is!!!
  • If it is simply a command, then it can be ignored. “It’s not my gift”. Or, like taking care of the poor, sometimes you jump in and do your part but for the most part you only do what you have to so that you don’t break the command. BUT,  if the great commission is a summary of scripture and an invitation to what God has been doing from the beginning of time… Then it’s not just one of many imperatives, but THE ONE imperative that not only makes since of the bible but gives reason to our existence as the people of God.

If your still not convinced that God is a missionary, that his word should be read with a missional lens… Let us look to the greatest missionary of all time. Jesus Christ.

  • Lead into communion.
  • vs. 48 “You are witnesses of these things”
  • Have you met Jesus?
  • Invite unbelievers

Sermon Slides

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