Mobilization

Good morning everyone. So good to be with you. My name is Edwin, grateful to be together. Shortly after the attacks of September 11th, my father was actually deployed to a security base in Tennessee. I was younger at the time, and my dad was serving in the Navy as a reservist. And he had to move to this base because those that were at this particular base got deployed overseas. So it created a need for reservists to serve in different capacities during that time. So, you know, my family, we ended up moving down to Tennessee for a short period of time, and we ended up staying with a host family. We stayed with complete strangers. That's right. And the one dude, I kid you not, sneezed like never before, like I never heard before. So I couldn't wait to go home. But eventually, you know, we did move back and so did my dad, and we celebrated my dad when he got back. And really, you know, it was a tough time, you know, just thinking about some of those things. But also the celebration of him coming back home was really, really cool. I bring that story up because there's an important word to describe the action that my dad had to take, and here it is, he was mobilized. Mobilized. You see, the idea of mobilization literally means movable, to be mobile, not fixed or stationary. Carries with it other ideas as well, especially in a military context. You know, for instance, the military can mobilize their troops quickly for a war. And embedded within that is the idea of not only being mobile, but the idea of preparedness and being ready for war. It's the marshaling and movement of people for a particular outcome. That's what mobilization is all about. Now, we're in the middle of this series called, "We the Church," and what we're doing is we are looking at important themes that we must embrace in order to continue to see the gospel move forward in our city, in our region, and within our world. We looked at how the church, we wanna be unified. We also talked about how as a church, we want to be continually transformed. And today we're talking about how we wanna be a church that is mobilized in mission. We wanna be people who are continually getting after the mission of God, move in the mission, get going, move the gospel forward. That's mobilization. This is because the Church, capital C, it's not a stationary entity, it's a mobile entity, and where God has put us, we wanna be positioned and prepared to see the gospel advance. We want to continue to see the gospel move forward. And really the idea of mobilization comes to life for us, you can turn to Matthew 28, that's where we're going to be today. So Matthew 28, you can find your place there, and let's begin here as we see this beautiful account of the resurrection. "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook, and became like dead men." So just picture the scene here. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, there are women who go to the tomb. And upon going to the tomb, there's a violent earthquake that occurs. If you've lived in a place where earthquakes are more common, you know how scary that this can be, right. I could just remember, you know, about a year and a half ago or so, there was a 3.8 magnitude earthquake in western New York, and it literally felt like somebody robbed our house. We came into our house, and it was like, whoa, what's happening? You know how scary earthquakes can be. So just imagine experiencing not just a violent earthquake, but an angel of the Lord coming down from heaven, and going to the tomb. Just picture that, an angel of the Lord coming down from heaven, and going to the tomb. And the angel comes, he rolls the stone back, and he sits on the stone. And this angel's appearance, it says, was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. So with an earthquake, an angel, a rolled back stone, the fear that had to be experienced, not just from the woman but also the guards, it had to be incredibly real. In verse four, our text actually says that the guards were so afraid that they shook, and became like dead men. Like, that was it, they just became like dead men. And I don't know exactly what that looked like, but they were terrified. And of course you can imagine the fear of the women, and how afraid that they must have been as well. As we continue to read in verses five and six, "The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you're looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, he is risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.'" How beautiful is it, by the way, church, that we serve a risen savior? How beautiful is it that our God is not in the tomb, but he's alive? And what a powerful statement. And by the way, Jesus didn't need an angel to roll the stone away for him to get out. He was already out. And an angel of the Lord just confirmed the reality that the grave was empty. And these women were able to be the first witnesses of the empty tomb, and hear the words from the angel, "He is not here. He has risen, just as he said." And after they see the empty tomb and realize that he's not there, I want all of us to pay attention to what the angel tells the women to do. Listen to it in verse seven, "'Then go quickly, and tell his disciples he has risen from the dead, and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, and now I have told you.'" You see, what were those two words there? We saw, go and tell. Ready everybody on every campus. One, two, three. Go and tell. That's exactly what we see here. And that's what the angel tells the women to do, to be able to go to the disciples, and tell them of the wonderful news. Now this idea of go and tell really kind of helps shape the rest of this passage. And even when we look at Matthew 28, we see that phrase really throughout the chapter. You see the instruction for these women, as witnesses of the resurrection, was to go and tell the disciples that Jesus is alive, "that he's going ahead of you into Galilee, and there you will see him." And so even as we see this, I want us to continue to read in Matthew 28:8-9, "So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid, yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them." How beautiful. "'Greetings,' he said. And then the women, they came to him, collapsed his feet and worshiped him." You see, just pause there just for a second. How incredible is this that the women are following through on the angel's commands to go and tell the disciples that Jesus is alive, and as they are on the way, the resurrected Jesus meets them suddenly. Jesus appears to them. And this goes beyond, by the way, this goes beyond seeing an empty grave, and just seeing the signs of resurrection, right, because the women were able to go into the tomb and see it. They were able to see signs of resurrection, and see the empty grave, but now they're actually able to see the resurrected Jesus himself. And do you know what their response is? They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. There is truly no other response that we ought to bring the resurrected Jesus than to clasp his feet and worship Jesus for who he is, for what he does. And so, even as we continue on in this chapter, we see that the women's response is to worship him. And that is the proper response. There is no other response. But then in verse 10, we see that Jesus simply reinforces what the angel had already communicated to the women. Here it is, "Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid, but go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. There you will see him.'" So go and tell. We see that there again, Jesus just confirming that with the women as well. And so even as we see that verse, and when you look at verse 10, isn't it powerful that Jesus says, "Go and tell my brothers." Go and tell my brothers. Not just disciples here, but my brothers. Why? Because the resurrection changes everything. Where we are now a family with Jesus as our eldest brother. That is powerful to be able to recognize and be able to think about, I have to move on, but we should pay close attention to that very reality that Jesus, he's alive, he changes everything, and that is something we should pay attention to, even how we relate to one another as family. Let's continue. Verse 11. "While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, 'You are to say his disciples came during the night, and stole him away while we were asleep. If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.' So the soldiers took the money, and did as they were instructed, and their story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day." So the religious leaders wanted to continually to, they wanted to continually put an end to Jesus throughout his earthly ministry. And here's no different. You see, no sum of money, no plans that were devised, no lies that were concocted could ever end the one who has no end. It can never end the one who has no end. And now these next set of verses here that Jesus gives, we see this commission given by Jesus that would set the course of his church even 2000 years later. Here it is, Matthew 28:16-20, many of you probably familiar. "Then the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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. And surely I'm with you always, to the very end of the age.'" You see, even as we see that passage of scripture, what we see, even as we see in verse 19, Jesus commissioning his disciples, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them," right, tell. Now of course teaching involves more than telling, but we must tell in order to teach, "to obey everything I've commanded you. And surely I'm with you always, even to the very end of the age." Now, here's what I wanna do. I wanna highlight one main idea for us when it comes to the idea of mobilization right here from chapter 28. All right, we can hopefully see it very clearly right here in chapter 28, and here it is, mobilized disciples go and tell the good news. You see, mobilized disciples go and tell the good news. This is what mobilized disciples do. This is who they are. So with Matthew 28 as the backdrop, what I wanna do is I wanna highlight three reasons, okay. Three reasons why we are to go and tell the good news. Alright? Here's the first reason. Because this is what Jesus commanded. Because this is what Jesus commanded. We go and tell the good news, because this is what our Savior has commanded of us. You see what we must understand from Matthew 28, living and talking out our faith is obedience to Jesus. Living and talking out our faith is obedience to Jesus. When Jesus is instructing, by the way, the women to speak of the good news to his disciples, he's doing that based off of the authority of who he is. And then we see Jesus giving this great commission to his disciples, and did you catch how he prefaced this command to go and tell the good news, making disciples of all nations? Did you catch how he prefaced that great commission that we know of? Look at verse 18, "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven, and on earth has been given to me.'" You see a theme in Matthew's gospel is establishing the kingship of Jesus. And man, does this statement solidify that theme, because Jesus is the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth. We just sang about it, right. One word from you, things change on your authority. He has all power. The one who was, the one who is, the one who is to come, the firstborn over all of creation, the image of the invisible God, the one who is before all things, and in whom all things hold together. The one in whom all of the fullness of God dwells in. He predicted, by the way, Jesus predicted his death, his burial, and his resurrection, and he pulled it off. We should listen to what he says, right. Therefore, we listen to him as he is instructed us to go and tell the good news. And whatever Jesus has instructed us to do, just very plainly, right, whatever Jesus has instructed us to do, what he has said, we want to simply be people who say yes to that. Disciples say yes to Jesus. You see, we wanna be people who simply say yes, and live in obedience to our King. And he has told us, he has commissioned us to go and tell the good news, so that is what we do. I could literally dismiss you right now, and say, do it, right. Because that is reason enough to be able to live this out. But I'm not, because I have more to say. And trust me, I stay for it, all right. Mobilized disciples go and tell the good news, not only because this is what Jesus commanded, but also because this is how we reach the lost, right. This is how we reach the lost. Now, when I'm talking about the lost, I'm not talking about a TV show, by the way, of airline passengers and them flying to, you know, trying to figure out how to survive after flying. And you know, I'm not talking about that when I'm talking about lost, okay? Here's what I am talking about, and here's how the scripture refers to the lost, in case of maybe you're new to church or whatnot, it's talking about those who do not know Jesus. Enemies of God, those who do not believe, those who need to be found. You see, what we realize is that the primary way that a lost world will be reached, the primary way that a lost world will be reached, is through disciples of Jesus who are talking and living out, and sharing their faith. That's the strategy. This is what God wants to see happen. Now, when we look at the Great Commission, and after just realizing, after we've just realized the the kingly authority of Jesus, how does verse 19 of our text begin? If we're all looking at verse 19, right, it says, "Therefore," what's the word there, go. "Therefore, go." We see the idea here of a scattering, and a sending of the disciples in order to make disciples of all the nations. And by the way, Luke recorded this idea as well, right, that there would be a scattering of disciples. Because even in Acts 1:6-8, listen to this idea, right, where Jesus is talking to his disciples. "Then they gathered around him and asked him, 'Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?' He said to them, 'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'" You see, the disciples would be sent into the world and be witnesses of the resurrected Jesus Christ. But they would do so with the power of the Holy Spirit. The very presence of God working in them, working through them, and scattered throughout the then known world. And this is really, this is the incredible genius of God. Because up until this point, for people to experience the presence and glory of God, they would have to go to a physical temple in Jerusalem. This is how people would have to experience the presence of God. They would have to go to a physical place, the temple in Jerusalem, and offering sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins in order to meet and in order to worship God. But as a result of what Jesus has done, it changes everything. And Jesus, even He talked about that, he referenced that idea when he was talking to the Samaritan woman at the well. I'm not sure if you remember that interchange, but he had this beautiful conversation with her, talking about how the place where you can worship God will go beyond just a physical temple in Jerusalem, because disciples of Jesus will worship him in spirit and truth. In fact, listen to John 4, "'Sir,' the woman said, 'I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.' 'Woman,' Jesus replied, 'believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know, we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they're the kind of worshipers that Father seeks. God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.'" You see, Jesus is helping her to understand that worship to the Father will not have to be confined any longer to a singular place in Jerusalem. This is because of what Jesus has done, the Spirit of God, his spirit, his presence now inhabits all of Christ's people, and all who put their faith and their trust in Jesus can now worship the Father wherever they are, in spirit and in truth. And why is this important to the idea of mobilization and reaching the lost? Here's why. It's because the presence of God is not confined to an earthly temple any longer. Rather, the presence of God is now among his people, and his people, you and I together, make up the temple of the living God. In fact, isn't that what the Apostle Paul talked about in Ephesians 2? "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people, and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit.'" Do you know what this means, brothers and sisters in Christ? Here's what this means, we are now mobile temples commissioned, scattered throughout the world, who together make up the dwelling place of God by his spirit. This means that wherever you and I go, God goes, his presence inhabits all of Christ's people. And isn't this exactly, isn't this exactly what Jesus promised his disciples in the end of our text in Matthew 28:20, right. He said, "And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age." You see, the beautiful thing about what God has done, and has specifically done through the birth of his church, is that he has put his witnesses, his witnesses, that have stories to tell, that are filled with his spirit, that carry the life of Jesus to a lost and broken world, so that men, women, boys and girls that are far from God can see the presence of God, and hear of the life of Jesus. Not because of the physical building, but because of people who carry the presence of Jesus with them wherever they go, as mobile temples. Just as a reminder, the church isn't a building, the church is all of God's people who share and show Jesus to people. This is how we reach the lost, because God has filled us with his Spirit and has scattered us throughout the world to be his witnesses that are filled with the very life and presence of Jesus. So that wherever we go, people can have interactions, and see Christ in you, the hope of glory. This is why we wanna continually be transformed, so that we can be mobile temples, carrying the life of Jesus to a lost and broken world. See the news, we go and tell the good news also because the news is so good. We do it because this is what Jesus commanded. We do so because this is how we reach the lost. But also because the news is so good. You see, the news is good, because what we have to realize is that the news was so bad.We go and tell the good news also because the news is so good. We do it because this is what Jesus commanded, we do so because this is how we reached the lost, but also because the news is so good. You see, the news is good, because what we have to realize is that the news was so bad. You know, I can remember, I was in middle school and I prefaced this story by saying. I was in middle school, okay. And I was playing catch and playing baseball. and as I was playing catch, I thought, hey, you know, I can catch decent, I can catch all right? So why don't I just lay down on the ground, and here's what I did. I laid on the grass, and I told, you know, the person I was playing catch with, "Hey, why don't you throw the baseball while I'm laying down and I'll try and catch it, so that that way I can, you know, feel better about my middle school self, okay. So that's what I did. I laid down and the person actually threw the ball, and as they throw the ball, I'm about ready to catch it, but the throw was too short. I would've caught it, I kid you not, I would've caught the ball. But the throw was too short, and it bounced and it hit my nose, and end of story. And so of course, you know, I'm rushed to the hospital. I told you I was in middle school, right. I just wanted to make sure you knew that. But I was rushed, you know, I went to the hospital because it was not a pretty sight, it was not good or glamorous at all to see. And sure enough, the doctor comes in and tells me the bad news, right, "Edwin, your nose is broken." I'm convinced that's why it's maybe so big today. You laughed at me. Not nice. But anyway, that's what the doctor says, right. He tells me that my nose is broken. But then he says this, right, but here's the good news is that your nose will actually set on its own. We actually don't have to do anything for it. You can just go home, and it will heal up on its own. And I'm like, what a relief, right. Good news. I'm sure that's just a simple illustration, but many of you can probably testify to good news when you're faced with bad news. But the bad news is this, as that, apart from Christ, we have far more than a broken nose, apart from Christ we have a broken relationship with God. You see, sin leaves us completely broken and all along, all along, we try to heal and cure ourselves maybe with that high, or maybe we try and heal and cure ourselves with that relationship, with lust or pornography, with money, with power, with fame, with alcohol, with success. You can fill in the blank, But here is what we must realize, none of those things can cure the brokenness of sin in our lives. That's the bad news. Those things just manifest the problem. The bad news left uncured, the result of that is death and separation from God in a place called hell. But there's good news, news that's really good, and that is that there is a cure, and his name is Jesus. And because of his death, because of his burial, because of his resurrection, he heals the brokenness, he forgives us, he makes us new. He restores us to right relationship with God. We're not perfect, but restored and being perfected. You see, this news is so good because we have received the cure of the brokenness of our sin. And as we continually grasp such great news, what if, what if that let us, as a result of experiencing and tasting, and seeing this great news, what if that led us to have the same response that Peter and John did. You see, right after Peter and John healed someone that could not walk, right outside of the temple gate, they were brought to the religious leaders, and take a listen to this account. Listen to what they said. "Then they came and they called them in again, and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, which is right in God's eyes, to listen to you or to him. You be the judges. As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard. Brothers and sisters, what if that was our response, that as a result of tasting and seeing such great news, knowing that the news was so bad, but knowing that we're to a holy God, and as a result of experiencing such great news, what if we couldn't help but to speak about what we have seen, and about what we have heard. What if the people of The Chapel just couldn't help but speak about Jesus, Because in him, we've received such great news. This is because how the lost get reached, how the lost get reached is not because The Chapel has good music, or good teaching or good programs or any of those things, although I'm grateful that we do those things well. But how the laws get reached is through you and I, telling, going and telling the good news of Jesus, in the places that we work, in the places we go to school, in the places we shop in our communities, wherever we go. Because wherever we go, the living God goes with us. And those are opportunities to display the life of Jesus. You see, we wanna see Niagara Falls reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that happens when Jesus people in Niagara Falls go and tell the good news. You see, we wanna see Cheektowaga reached with the gospel, with the good news. And that happens when Jesus' people in Cheektowaga go and tell the good news. We wanna see people in Lockport come to the understanding of Jesus Christ. And that happens when Jesus' people in Lockport go and tell the good news. We wanna see people even here in Amherst, and the surrounding area, wherever you are, we wanna see people reached in those places. And that happens when Jesus' people go and tell the good news. This is because what God is going to do in the world, he is going to do through all of Christ's people. Not just the pastors, not just the worship leaders, not just the people on staff, but all of us. All of Christ's people who have the living God dwelling in our hearts, all of Christ's people living out and speaking their faith, because we wanna see men, women, boys, and girls have repeated opportunities to hear and to see the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that happens, right? That happens when disciples of Jesus, you and I are continually transformed and mobilized, moving in the mission as we love God, love the church, and love the world. It takes all of us. And so maybe I can make this super practical. I just wanna make this super practical for everybody, so that we can walk out of here, and have just some clear steps that we can take as we apply this message. Here's the first. Identify. First action step, identify. Just think about it, everybody on every campus right now, who are people in your circle of influence that do not know Jesus? Start there. Just start identifying people. Write them out. List them out. Think about that, right? Who are people in your neighborhood, who are people in your friend group, family members where you work? Write them out by name. After we identify, pray. Pray for them by name. Pray. Pray that God would will hearts and minds. Maybe you pray for them already. And that's great. Keep praying. No one's too far gone, no one is, because we've been shown mercy. God has given us grace. God has given us stories. God has shown us incredible mercy, and we want to see that happen in other people's lives. And we need to continually intercede and pray on behalf of people who do not know Christ. So pray for those folks. Thirdly, engage. Engage. You can get creative with this, right. What would it look like to just get into their lives somehow? Bake them something, write them a note, send them a text, give 'em a phone call, right. Just different things that that help us intentionally engage so that we're showing up in their lives. And that's something that we want to be able to do. You can get creative with that. But just look at be intentional look to find ways to engage people in your circle of influence. Then I would also say share. Share, as the spirit leads, and as the spirit gives opportunities. And as he opens up doors for conversation, step into those. Share your story of grace. Share what Christ has done. Because foundationally, we must remember that we are people that have a message, and this is what the world needs. We have a message. In fact, isn't that exactly what the Apostle Paul wrote? Listen to what he wrote in 2 Corinthians. He wrote this, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here. All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them." And listen to this. "And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. "We are therefore Christ' ambassadors as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." You see, if you've never shared the gospel, or maybe if this is new to you, ask for help. Maybe someone in your community group can help you. Maybe take a foundation's class, maybe seek somebody out that you know that can help you. Because it takes all of us. It takes all of us to move the mission of God forward. So brother and sister in Jesus, the Lord has you where you are today for a reason, wherever God has put you, it's not just to be a student, it's not just to be an employee. It's not just to put up with that family member. It's not just to be good friends with that person, but it's to fulfill the great commission so that we can be, you and I, can be that repeated opportunity where we work, where we play, where we shop, where we go to school, wherever we go. And what a privilege, what a privilege it is that we are invited into God's work, in this kind of way, who desires for none to perish, but for all to come to a knowledge of Jesus. You see, you and I, we carry this good news, and wherever we go, we wanna be able to carry the life of Jesus, and see those as opportunities to reach people, to have conversations, and to be that repeated opportunity so that people can see Christ in us, the hope of glory. So go and tell the good news of Jesus. And here's what I wanna do. On every campus what I wanna do right now is I want to give you two minutes, okay. I just wanna give you two minutes, and I want you to just pray. And maybe you wrote out some names before. If you didn't, I want you to write out names of folks in your circle of influence. People that you know that do not know Jesus, maybe God has put them in your circle at work, at school, wherever that might be. I just want you to take some time right now, write them out by name, pray for them, and pray how God might want to use you in their world. And just be open to that. And you can maybe write some names on your phone. You can list them out, whatever that is. But just take the next two minutes and again, identify those people, pray for them, and pray how God might want to use you in their lives, so that we can continually be that repeated opportunity for men, women, boys, and girls. You can go ahead and start praying, and take those two minutes as we seek God together. Father, I pray that you would help us to be a church that is continually seeking to move the gospel forward. Help us to be your hands and feet, and God, as we've identified people who need to know you, Jesus, I pray that we would be your ambassadors filled with your spirit, a mobilized church that goes and tells the good news. Being your witnesses. And Father, I pray for all those that need to come to you. God, I think of what perhaps you might want to do through your people leaving here this week, this day. God, I just pray for conversations. God, I pray for open doors, ways to continually show and share Jesus. And Father, I pray that you would do immeasurably more, immeasurably more than all that we can ask or imagine, because the news is so good. The news is so good, it's saved us, it's transformed us. And I pray that we would have the same spirit that Peter and John did, that we can't help it, the people of the chapel here, we can't help it but to speak about the things which we have heard and seen. Oh Father, I pray that you would do that in our hearts, that you would do that by your spirit for your glory. And we love you, and we bless you, and we give thanks to you in Jesus name. Amen and amen.