PURPOSE AND PASSION SERMON SERIES 1
I. Introduction
--
turn in Bibles to Luke 9:51-62
Luke 9:51-62 New
International Version (NIV)
Samaritan
Opposition
51 As the time approached for him to
be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And
he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get
things ready for him; 53 but
the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When
the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us
to call fire down from heaven to destroy them[a]?”55 But
Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then
he and his disciples went to another village.
The Cost
of Following Jesus
57 As they were walking along the
road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have
dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his
head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow
me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the
dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will
follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one who
puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of
God.”
-- A few
years ago, I saw IMAX movie "Everest" -- this was a documentary about
a team of explorers who were making an expedition to the top of Everest in 1996
-- the film
spent a lot of time documenting the team’s preparations for the trip -- you
don’t just go to Mt. Everest and start climbing -- it takes months -- even
years -- of training to be prepared to go
-- you have
to have specialized gear -- you have to know how to use this gear and how to
repair and put it up in whatever environmental condition you find yourself in --
and you have to have a plan -- you have to know where you’re going and you have
to be ready for the unexpected emergencies and deviations that will naturally
occur
-- the
documentary spent a lot of time talking about how the team got physically prepared
for the trip and how they planned out what they would need and how they would
they would make it to the summit of the world’s tallest mountain
-- after
some time, the team flew into Nepal and made base camp at the foot of Everest
and began to prepare for their ascent of the mountain -- the camera showed a
scene with the base camp in front of Everest, and then it panned up to the top
of the mountain -- to their goal -- to their vision
-- it was a
beautiful, clear day -- the snow on the mountain radiated the light from the
sun -- and the whole team just looked at it and just basked in the glory of
that vision -- this was their goal -- this was where they were headed -- the
preparations were over -- it was time to get started
-- but,
things didn’t always go as planned -- and I noticed something interesting that
the film-makers didn’t really talk about -- on the days when the weather was
clear and beautiful -- on those days when the team could look up and see their
goal -- when they could see the route ahead of them and had a clear path to
follow -- they made great progress
-- but, on
the days when the weather turned and the top of the mountain was shrouded in
clouds and mist -- when snow blanketed the path and it was hard to see where
they were trying to go -- the team didn’t do well -- they just couldn’t make
any progress -- they bogged down and couldn’t go
-- it was
days like this that made several quit -- they just couldn’t find it within
themselves to keep going -- to keep slogging through the cold and the snow to
the top of the mountain
-- but, for
some people, it didn’t matter to them what the environment was like on any
particular day -- they just kept on moving resolutely towards their goal --
they knew where they were going -- and nothing was going to get in their way
-- when
asked what it was that kept them going, they said they had kept a vision of
their destination firmly in mind the whole time -- that vision of Everest --
shining in the sun against the clear, blue sky -- was what kept them moving
-- that vision
was eventually what led them to victory
-- vision
makes the difference between success and failure
-- Proverbs 29:18 says, "when
there is no vision, the people perish" -- there is a profound truth in
that statement that we can clearly see portrayed in two different ways in our
society
-- first, without a vision of the
future to lead them and guide them, people may just quit living, such as the
case with people who have just retired or who lose their job and find
themselves doing nothing with their lives
-- and, secondly, without a vision
of the future to lead them and guide them, people may get wrapped up in
themselves and fail to live up to their potential -- spending time and money
and effort to please themselves or better themselves while not moving forward
into the plans that God has for them and their life -- people who are the face
for midlife crises
-- the night before he was
assassinated, President John F. Kennedy used Proverb 29:18 in a speech to the
nation -- it was an impassioned appeal for the people of the United States to
dream big -- to be big -- to do things that were greater than themselves
-- all throughout his short
presidency, Kennedy cast a vision for America that propelled us to do
great things -- remember his famous words in his inauguration address? --
"Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your
country"
-- Kennedy was a visionary leader
-- a person who recognized the value in having dreams and plans and goals for
our individual lives and for our nation -- and his vision of a brighter and
more productive future invigorated our country in a time when a vision of the
future was sorely needed
-- without a vision, people and
nations and churches perish -- their lives may be filled with sound and fury --
they may burn themselves out with activity -- but if it is action without
purpose, it is to no avail
-- to have a vision is to have a
future -- to have a vision is to have a plan -- a goal -- a direction -- to
have a vision is to be part of something bigger than yourself -- it is to make
a difference in the lives of others as you seek to fulfill God's plans for your
life
II. Scripture Lesson (Luke 9:51-62)
-- this morning, we are starting a
new sermon series I have entitled “Purpose and Passion: Finding a Vision to
Live By”
-- before we can begin living a
life of purpose and passion, we have to know where we are going -- we have to
have a clear vision of what we are doing and why we are here -- the purpose for
which we are called
-- this vision should be the
driving force behind our actions as servants of God -- vision becomes the
energy and assurance that guides us through unforeseen difficulties or that
propels us to move when we are threatened with fatigue or discouragement or
ambivalence
-- this passage from Luke is a
passage of vision -- a passage of calling -- a passage written to direct us and
guide us in our life here on earth -- in this passage, we see the steps to
catching and fulfilling a vision for our lives and our church
-- let’s look at this together as
we begin this journey towards living lives of purpose and passion for Christ
-- verse 51
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus
resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
--
this is one of my favorite verses in the Bible -- it shows that Jesus had come
to earth for a purpose -- He had a vision -- a mission -- a calling from God --
to go to Jerusalem and offer Himself as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of
the world -- and when the time came for that vision to be fulfilled, Luke tells
us that Jesus "resolutely" set out for Jerusalem
-- that word,
"resolutely" means "determined" -- "unwavering"
-- in other words, when the time came for Jesus to fulfill His purpose -- to
fulfill His calling -- to live out God's vision for Him -- He set His face
towards Jerusalem with determination -- unwilling to detour or to waver from
His path -- He knew where He was going -- He knew what He was supposed to do
when He got there -- and nothing was going to keep Him from fulfilling that
vision -- He was committed to the vision
-- for us
to be ready to live a life of purpose and passion, the first thing we must do
is to be committed -- God wants us to have a vision for ministry, but it takes
more than just envisioning the future -- we have to be committed to actually
move forward to make that vision come true -- we have to be committed to the
vision and have faith in God to provide all that is needed
-- just like Christ, we are called
to be committed to the vision that God has for our lives -- we are called to keep
this vision firmly in our mind and to set out resolutely along the path to
fulfillment
-- when God gives us a vision, He
wants us to act on it -- to move forward with unwavering determination to
fulfill what He has called us to do
-- one thing we need to remember is
that anytime we try to fulfill a God-given vision in our lives or in our
church, we need to know we will face opposition -- our flesh and the things of
this world will try to distract us from our mission
-- if we are going to be
successful, we have to keep that vision constantly before us -- we have to keep
that clear picture of our goal -- of what we’re trying to do -- of what we’re
called to do -- in our minds or we’re not going to make it
-- remember the difference between
those who were successful in climbing Everest and those who failed -- it was
their vision
-- you are going to come up against
people and things that are going to try to distract you from your goal -- and
you need to be ready for that
-- immediately after Jesus set out
towards Jerusalem, Luke tells us He was confronted with a group of people who
didn't want anything to do with His vision -- who tried their best to divert
Him from His calling
-- look at verse 52-56
52 And he sent messengers on ahead,
who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the
people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When
the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to
call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked
them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.
-- not everyone wants to be part of
the vision that God gives -- there are many churches and many individuals who
are living small lives because they refuse to live in the light of God's vision
and God’s calling -- and, if we let them, they can distract us from our path --
James and John were more concerned with taking revenge on the villagers than
they were in helping get Jesus to Jerusalem
-- when God gives us a vision, we
need to focus on accomplishing the task at hand and not be distracted by the
things of the world
-- I’ve seen churches refuse to live
out God’s vision and calling for them because they felt like they didn't have
enough money -- I've seen churches with a lot of money refuse to act because
they didn't trust that God would provide in the future
-- a friend of mine was appointed
to the finance committee in a church that sweated in the summertime -- and I
literally mean sweated -- they had an air conditioner for the church that was
put in in the mid 1950's and they wouldn't replace it -- when he joined the
finance committee, he wanted to raise enough money to help them replace the air
conditioner -- come to find out, the church had been given stock in Coca-Cola
years before and actually had a net worth of several million dollars -- they
just refused to cash it in to buy an air conditioner because they were worried
about major expenses in the future -- now, how much ministry do you think that
church did? -- that air conditioner was just a monument to that church's lack
of faith in God's ability to provide
-- I've seen churches that refused
to act because they didn't have enough time -- they were so busy with their own
plans and projects and fellowship activities that they didn't think they could
do anything else
-- I've seen churches that refused
to act because they didn't think they were talented enough or skilled enough to
do what God was calling them to do -- I’ve seen churches that refused to follow
God’s vision and calling because they didn’t think they had enough people or
enough resources -- the list goes on and on -- the excuses go on and on
-- "we don't have enough
money" -- "we don't have enough talent" --" we don't have
enough members" -- we need to remember that when we say, "don't have
enough" that that is the point where God steps in and says, "I
do"
-- but first, you must step forward
in faith that God will provide where you fail -- as the Apostle Paul said, it
is in our weakness that we are made strong -- this is especially true in
setting and meeting visions in our individual spiritual lives and in our
churches
-- more than anything else,
churches are limited by their vision -- if they think they can't do something,
then they are right -- the churches that you read about that are doing great
things for God are doing so because they caught a vision of what God wanted
them to do and they trusted that He would make it happen through them
-- finally, when we have a vision
-- when God has called us to do something for Him, no matter the size -- then
we have to do more than just acknowledge it -- we have to do something about it
-- we have to act -- we have to move forward from where we are and start to
fulfill the vision that He has given us
-- look at verse 57-62
57 As they were walking along the
road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens
and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow
me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me
go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead
bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will
follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts
a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
-- as Jesus headed towards
Jerusalem, many people recognized this vision from God -- they were called to
be part of it, but they refused to act -- just like those with a lack of faith,
these people came up with excuse after excuse as to why they just couldn't
participate -- it wasn't that they lacked knowledge of what God wanted them to
do -- it wasn't that they lacked faith that God would work through them to
fulfill the vision -- it was failure to act that caused them to miss out of
God's vision
-- when God gives us a vision --
when God gives us an assignment -- He expects us to fulfill it
III. Closing
-- so, what
should be our guiding vision for this church? -- what is God’s calling for us
as individuals and as a church? -- to what is He calling us to resolutely set
our eyes towards accomplishing?
-- for the
next five weeks, this is what we are going to talk about -- we are going to be
discussing living lives of purpose and passion for Christ based on God’s vision
and calling for us
-- in Rick
Warren’s book, “The Purpose-Driven Church,” he says that there are two passages
in Scripture that give us God’s vision and mission for us as individuals and
churches
-- within
these passages, we find the mission statement for the church -- the five
purposes to which God has called all of us: worship, ministry, evangelism,
fellowship, and discipleship
-- the
first passage is Matthew 22:37-39 -- “Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind -- this is the first and
greatest commandment -- and the second is like it -- love your neighbor as
yourself”
-- the
second passage is Matthew 28:19-20 -- “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 have commanded you”
-- in these
two passages, we see the five purposes for us as individuals and as a church:
-- “Love
the Lord Your God” -- worship
-- “Love
your neighbor as yourself” -- ministry
-- “Go and
make disciples” -- evangelism
-- “Baptize
them” -- -- fellowship
-- “Teach
them to obey everything I have told you” -- discipleship
-- as I said earlier, before we can
begin living a life of purpose and passion, we have to know where we are going
-- we have to have a clear vision of what we are doing -- why we are here --
the purpose for which we are called
-- vision should be the driving
force behind our actions as servants of God -- vision becomes the energy and
assurance that guides us through unforeseen difficulties or that propels us to
move when we are threatened with fatigue or discouragement or ambivalence
-- these
five purposes -- worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship, and discipleship --
encompass the vision God has given us
-- by
keeping this vision -- this calling --firmly in our minds, we will find
ourselves living lives of purpose and passion -- we will know what we are
supposed to do -- we will know where we are supposed to go -- and we will move
forward knowing we are doing what God wants us to do in our lives
-- next
week, we’ll begin by looking more closely at what worship is and how we are to
worship God with our hearts, minds, soul and strength -- I want to invite each
of you to come back next week and to bring a friend as we start this study
together
-- so, let’s
close in prayer and prepare ourselves to living lives of purpose and passion
for Christ
-- let’s
pray
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