The Church Lives on Purpose
Notes
Transcript
Warren Brosi
November 26, 2023
Dominant Thought: We make more and better followers of Jesus by living on mission and growing in Christ.
Objectives:
I want my listeners to understand the purpose of the church is to make more and better followers of Jesus.
I want my listeners to feel inspired to grow in deeper intimacy with Jesus.
I want my listeners to serve in a specific way in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
To be a healthy church, we must understand the purpose of the church. The final words of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 28, Jesus says, “Go, make disciples of all nations.” We summarize those words by saying, our mission is to make more and better followers of Jesus Christ. As we continue to look at Philippians to learn about the church, we’ll anchor our time about the purpose of the church in Philippians 3. As we look at Philippians 3, we’ll discover two ways we fulfill the purpose of the church. The sermon in a sentence today is, “We make more and better followers of Jesus by living on mission and growing in Christ.”
First, we make more and better followers of Jesus by living on mission (Philippians 3.1, 3, 7, 15-21).
We live on mission by repeating what is important (Philippians 3.1). Paul opens Philippians 3, with the command, “Rejoice in the Lord.” He then follows the command with, “To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.” Sixteen times in these four chapters, we’ll encounter joy in all its various forms: joy, rejoice, joyful. If it is important, then it bears repeating. That’s why most every week when we gather for worship, you will hear, “Our mission is to make more and better followers of Jesus.” That’s why at the end of every monthly report I submit to our elders and deacons, I close with, “Thank you for your partnership in making more and better followers of Jesus.” We repeat what is important. If we drift off mission, then the results could be deadly.
Pilots have the rule of one in 60. For every one degree off course over a distance of 60 miles they will be one mile off course. On November 28, 1979, a sightseeing plane flying over the Antarctic was only 2 degrees off course. However, when they were approaching 27 miles of their intending destination, the plane crashed in Mt. Erebus killed all 257 people on board.
We repeat what is important so we can stay on course. In a world of shifting sands of truth, we continue to remain faithful to the mission to make more and better followers of Jesus.
We live on mission by serving God by His Spirit (Philippians 3.3). Some translations will use the word “worship” to describe what the NIV translates as “serve.” It is the word for the priestly service. Paul reminds the Philippians we worship or serve by the Spirit of God who boast in Christ Jesus. On November 8, 2023, I delivered some fruit and bottles of water to Helping Hands of Springfield. It was left over from a Girls on the Run community impact project. As I walk up to the building, I see a man sitting on the ground in sandals. His feet are calloused and caked with dirt. I went inside to wait patiently for my turn at the window. I overheard a man asking for help with getting some paperwork in order. He was glad he had a job. I told them I had some water and fruit. They said, “Bring it in.” The man who was in line in front of me asked me if I needed any help to bring the water inside. I said, “Yes, that’d be great.” He said, “I am a helping hand here at helping hands.” That interaction helped me see life clearly that day. By serving in the name of Jesus, we live out the mission and heartbeat of our Savior.
We live on mission by serving by discovering our gifts. That’s why we offer classes like, “The 3 Colors of Your Gifts” to help people discover their spiritual gifts and serve in ways they are gifted.
In a couple of weeks, we’ll enter a float for the Christmas parade in New Berlin on December 9th at 6 p.m. Maybe God is prompting you to serve in the name of Jesus through that opportunity. Those are some ways to serve in the Spirit and glory in Christ.
We also live on mission by sacrificing for Christ (Philippians 3.7). Paul writes, “whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” The things of this world pale in comparison to what Christ offers. Missionary Jim Elliot is remembered for saying, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Maybe you need to take an inventory of your achievements like Paul and put them in reference to Jesus. Are they worth losing for the sake of Christ.
We live on mission by modeling for others the life of Christ (Philippians 3.15-21). Paul instructs the church join together to follow his example. Remember, we join a long history of faithful followers of Jesus since the days of Paul. True the church has had some dark chapters. However, we’ve had wonderful examples of Christ followers to follow. We stand on their shoulders.
The Church makes more and better followers of Jesus by living on mission.
Second, we make more and better followers of Jesus by growing in Christ (Philippians 3.8-14).
We grow in Christ by recognizing the surpassing worth of knowing Christ (Philippians 3.8). When stacked up against everything else, knowing Christ outweighs the value of anything else this world has to offer. Knowing Christ deals more than just head knowledge. Knowing Christ involves intimate relationship with Jesus. I can still remember how freeing it was to actually tell Jesus, “I love you Jesus and really meant it and felt it.”
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Paul counts everything else as loss and rubbish compared to knowing Christ.
Here’s how Eugene Peterson paraphrases Philippians 3.8.
Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ
The value of knowing Christ is having a righteousness that comes through faith in Christ (Philippians 3.9). We can’t make ourselves right before God. The gift we receive through Christ to be made right and declared right is a priceless gift Christ purchased for us.
We grow in Christ by sharing in His sufferings (Philippians 3.10). Paul wants to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings. That is not a popular topic in any age. Yet, suffering in the name of Jesus produces a depth of character and opportunities to witness to the grace of God and the support of the church family. For the Christian, death is not the end. Death does not win. For those in Christ, resurrection life awaits.
On Wednesday nights, our children are learning the story of John Paton. He would eventually become a missionary to the island of Vanuatu, an island of cannibals. Before going to Vanuatu, he served Jesus in Glasgow, Scotland telling people the good news of Jesus. One day when he was walking through town he was hit in the head by a rock. On other occasions, people attempting to pour boiling water on him as he walked under their windows (See Child Evangelism Fellowship, missionary story for John Paton).
We grow in Christ by pressing on toward the goal (Philippians 3.12-14). “To press on” or to “push, drive, set in motion” was one of Paul’s favorite words to describe following after Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5.15; 1 Cor. 14.1; Romans 9. 30-31 ; 12.13; 14.19; 1 Timothy 6.11; 2 Timothy 2.22). In Philippians 3.13-14, Paul offers three keys to pursuing the goal of Christ: 1) Focus on what is ahead. 2) Strain toward the goal. 3) Remember God’s call.
God’s call in your life will sustain you through the suffering and trials of this world. I still remember sitting in class at Lincoln Christian Seminary during a challenging season of ministry and one of my classmates asked me, “How are you making it through?” I replied, “God…and my wife.” When you can frame your life from God’s perspective, you will have immeasurable resources to lead you through.
God invites His church to make more and better followers of Jesus by living on mission and growing in Christ.