What an exciting concept, to be on mission with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the creator of the universe. It is exciting to think that I can join Him in His work. Jesus is on a mission. Jesus mission in life is to influence people to have a life changing encounter with God. He came to bring people into a personal relationship with God. What can we learn from Him about being on mission? We find these principles in John 4, as Jesus ministered to the woman at the well.
I.Jesus knew His mission. In verse 14 he states His goal with the woman of Samaria. He desires to give her the gift of eternal life.
"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” Mt. 18:11
"for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.’’ Lk. 19:10
Win Arn a church growth consultant conducted a survey in which he interviewed the members of nearly one thousand churches in regard to what they perceived to be the mission of the church. Eighty-nine percent said the church exists ‘To take care of my families’s needs. Only 11 percent said it existed to win the world to Christ. This points to a disturbing reality: Many churches fail to have any sense of mission at all.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Michael McCartney)
A man named Dick Alexander wrote a piece entitled: Raw
It’s a word I never liked
Raw carrots are too hard
Raw oysters too slimy
Raw humor is too dirty
Raw skin is too painful
In fact raw applied to anything human sounds painful
But we live in a world of raw human need
It’s all around us
Do you ever wonder how many people struggle with homosexuality in your church
How many alcoholics
How many families with incest
How many addicts, how victims of violence and abuse
Will they find help
With the raw human need touching us every day
The church can scarcely afford business as usual
In practice many traditional churches view their mission
As holding Sunday services
Satisfying the members and doing a little good here & there
Such churches are on the way out
Within a few years they will be dinosaurs
Not because their doctrine is bad but because they lost their mission
Only churches serious about rescuing the hurting will survive and make a difference…
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Steve Malone)
II.Jesus mission was His life. In verse 6 we find Jesus at a well. What is His mission? It is the same as always. It was His life. Talking about faith and living His faith was not an add on. It was His life. Everywhere He went He lived His mission.
“Most people] act as if they were simply dropped down in creation and have to entertain themselves until they die. We were sent into the world by God, just as Jesus was. Each of us has a mission in life. Jesus prayed to His Father, for his followers, saying, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” We seldom fully realize that we are sent to fulfill God-given tasks.”
SOURCE: Henri J. N. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey, April 23 reading.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Dr. Bruce Emmert)
God never intended that your faith be an add on to your life. He intended that your faith be your life. It is to take center stage at home, at work, at the ball field, and everywhere you go. Sometimes we can allow a hobby, our job, our family situation, or our status in life to take priority over our mission. Jesus had to deal with this among those who followed him.
Our faith should be a total commitment. We observed such commitment at the Alamo. The Alamo was a Spanish mission. After Mexico won her independence from Spain, Texans wanted to be liberated from Mexico and join the United States. When they declared their independence, the Alamo went from mission to fortress, and Texans took their stand within her walls. The Mexican dictator, Santa Anna, marched toward the Alamo to crush the rebellion. Only 188 men were inside, but they included such legendary figures as Davy Crockett and Sam Bowie. Those men held off nearly four thousand Mexican troops for almost two weeks.
…All 188 men were eventually killed, but their resistance gave Texas time to assemble an army that would eventually defeat Mexico and give Texas her independence. The battle cry during that war was “Remember the Alamo!”
But there is a side to the story that many don’t know. The men of the Alamo know they were fighting against the odds. Their leader, Colonel William Barret Travis, gathered them together and told them they had a choice. They could leave the fort while there was still time, or they could stay and meet certain death. Then Travis unsheathed his sword, drew a line on the ground, and said these words: “Those prepared to give their lives in freedom’s cause, come over to me.”
Without hesitation, every man except one – which is how we know the story – crossed the line. Colonel James Bowie, inventor of the bowie knife, was ill with typhoid pneumonia and couldn’t walk across the line, but he asked for his bed to be carried over.
James Emery White, You Can Experience the Spiritual Life (Nashville: Word Pub., 1999), 202-203.
Jesus drew the line in the sand for his followers then and now. When we acknowledge him as Christ and the Son of God, he asks who’s willing to follow him. He was headed to a cross which meant certain death, but a victory would be won through that sacrifice. To them and to us he said, “Those prepared to give their lives for my sake, pick up your cross and follow me.” When you truly recognize who Jesus is, you will follow him wherever he goes.
The late Roland Q. Leavell in his book, Evangelism: Christ’s Imperative Commission, stated that of all the reported Church members:
15 per cent cannot be found,
20 per cent never pray,
25 per cent never read the Bible,
30 per cent never attend Church services,
40 per cent never give to the church,
50 per cent never go to Sunday School,
80 per cent never go to prayer meeting,
90 per cent never have family worship, and
95 per cent never win a soul to Christ.
If these statistics are correct, they simply mean that only 5 per cent of the Church members are obedient to Christ.
Randy Aly
Jesus dealt with people who misunderstood commitment. “Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’’ And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’’ Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’’ But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’’ Mt. 8:19-22
“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.” Lk. 14:26 NLT
III. Jesus achieved the strategic by means of a simple deed.
(A) Jesus actions were simple. He had a conversation with one lady. In fact, had you lived in the city of Sychar you would never have suspected that something significant was taking place. Jesus, the Son of God, was having a life changing conversation with a lady at a well. No one would have ever suspected that a lady’s life was being changed. No one would have ever suspected that a number of people in the city of Sychar would be changed because of the word of this lady. Sometimes the greatest accomplishments are taking place behind the scenes. Jesus work was similar to a “silent revolution.” We live in a society that tends to magnify the spectacular. We tend to think that nothing is being done if you cannot measure it on the richter scale. However, in God’s work it is often the simple things that make the huge difference.
In Mt. 25 Jesus discussed the importance of simple things.
He spoke of feeding the hungry.
He spoke of clothing the naked.
He spoke of giving a drink of water.
He spoke of visiting the sick.
(B) Jesus actions were specific. He had a conversation with one lady. Nothing ever becomes a goal until it becomes specific. How many people are you praying for by name? How many people are you cultivating for Christ? The apostle Paul followed this principle. He followed God’s leadership in going to specific places.
(C) Jesus actions were strategic. He had a conversation with one lady but his actions influenced an entire city. That is strategic. Every time you and I invite a neighbor to church, share our faith, or perform a ministry deed we are doing something strategic for God.
Illustration: In fact, I want to take a look for a moment at an interesting chain of events in Christian history.
• Sunday School teacher Edward Kimball helped lead Dwight L. Moody to Christ;
• J. Wilbur Chapman attended a Dwight L. Moody evangelistic meeting in Chicago in the 1870’s and received personal counseling and an assurance of his salvation from Mr. Moody. He later became a friend and coworker of DL Moody, hiring a former baseball star named Billy Sunday as an advance man for him;
• Billy Sunday held an evangelistic campaign in Charlotte in 1924 and a men’s prayer and fellowship group, originally known as the Billy Sunday Layman’s Evangelistic Club and later renamed as Charlotte Businessmen’s Club (CBMC), grew out of those meetings It was this group that invited Mordecai Ham to Charlotte to hold evangelistic meetings in 1934;
• Mordecai Ham preached a sermon where a 16 year-old young man now known as Billy Graham went forward and received Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior;
• And, Billy Graham has preached to hundreds of millions of people all over the world and seen literally millions won to Christ.
See the lineage of salvation that continues to radiate today from the faithfulness of one humble, quiet man witnessing to a shoe salesman? See the impact that even a quiet life given over to Jesus Christ can have on the world around them?
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Warren Lamb)
IV. Jesus established His identity. There comes a point when we have to establish our identity. In recent years a phrase that has become all too common is the phrase “coming out of the closet.” This phrase is used in referring to the homosexual lifestyle. The term could be equally used in challenging God’s people. We need to come out of the closet. Jesus spoke to this need. He said “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mt. 5:15-17 NKJV)
Dr. Robert Moorehead penned a declaration that we should embrace.
I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotion, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me…my banner will be clear!"
— by Dr. Robert Moorehead
(Contributed to Sermon Central by John Gullick)
Jesus made a difference in the life of this lady. He in turn made a difference in her city. That should be our goal.
