Resources

We’re here today on what we call “World Mission Sunday” – as a church we want to remember our place in God’s mission. As we listen to his Word week by week, we want to allow God to set the direction of our life together and we need him to teach us how to walk in it.

I’m sure many of us have seen a map of the world. But I wonder which map we looked at. Most of us have probably grown up used to seeing the UK at the center – and with Europe and Asia to the east and the Atlantic Ocean and America to the West. But maybe some of us have seen maps drawn from a different perspective. Maybe some of us have seen maps with Japan at the centre, then to the east the vast Pacific Ocean right up to the coast of America, only of course, Washington and California are West Coast, and New York and Florida are East Coast! And then way way way out on the edge of the world, little United Kingdom! I’m told maps in Australia put Australia at the top, so that the southern hemisphere appears in the North.

Well, World Mission Sunday is a time for us to get re-oriented with God’s mission, and see it from his perspective – according to his agenda. And the first thing we realise when we read the Bible is that God is at the centre. And when we see that, we can then start to see how close our idea of mission is to his idea. How appropriate for us in the 21st century meeting in Britain to hear God say to us through Isaiah (Isaiah 49.1):

Listen to me, O Coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar!

Because of course from Isaiah’s perspective, and from the perspective of God’s plans, that’s what the UK is – a coast land. A collection of small islands, on the way to the end of the earth. Isaiah 49 tells us about God’s Mission. It’s salvation to the end of the earth – Isaiah 49.6. The main agent is the Servant who speaks in Isaiah 49.1-6. And the outcome is that God is Glorified – Isaiah 49.3. So here’s a word association when we hear the word mission: God’s glory revealed in Salvation. If someone says aren’t the days of mission over? We say, no – mission is God’s glory revealed in Salvation. The days of God’s glory aren’t over, so the days of mission aren’t over. If someone says isn’t mission just imperialism? We say, no, mission is God’s glory revealed in Salvation. Mission isn’t subjugation and slavery – it’s salvation. Look with me at the verbs in Isaiah 49.6:

…My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel…

The rules of Hebrew speech (as in English in fact) mean that the idea of the first half of the sentence is carried into the second half. So Salvation here means the opposite of being subdued or enslaved, it means being raised up. It means the opposite of being banished or isolated – it means being brought back. God’s Glory is to raise up and restore the nations of the world to the freedom, happiness, privilege and peace he intended for them. And we can think of God’s mission accomplished in two Acts; Act 1, which Isaiah 49 describes in part – the coming of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, as the Servant. Act 2, which the book of Acts describes – the outpouring of the Spirit to the end of the earth. We are living in Act 2 of the God’s great mission plan. And here is the thing for us this morning: Though we are not the main agent of God’s salvation mission (that is Jesus Christ), God’s mission is to be the main ambition of our lives. To use Isaiah’s language, it is too small a thing for the follower of Jesus to use their life for anything less than the salvation of the nations through Jesus Christ.

Let’s frame our lives around these two acts:
Act 1: Jesus Christ the Main Agent of God’s Salvation Mission
Act 2: The outpouring of the Spirit – The Main Ambition of our lives.

Act 1: Jesus Christ the Main Agent.

Just listen to how the servant speaks of himself (Isaiah 49.1-3):

…The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.He made my mouth like a sharp sword;In the shadow of his hand he hid me;He made me a polished arrow;In his quiver he hid me away.And he said to me: “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

No Old Testament prophet spoke about himself this way. This is not Isaiah referring to his own ministry – this is the Son of God speaking through Isaiah telling us his own understanding of his own mission. God the Father commissioned God the Son to be his servant – for a task that no one else could do. Isaiah 49.2 talks about preparation and waiting; centuries of Israel’s history, Kings and prophets comes and go until the time is right and the miracle of miracles – the Son of God comes into the World as a man to save humanity. He is the true Israel – come to do what the people of Israel failed to do. The only thing Israel succeeded in doing was showing how hopelessly corrupt the human heart is. The history of Israel stands as a warning to us. They had every advantage over other nations when it came to revelation and knowledge of God. They had prophets. They had God’s law. They had the temple, they had the sacrificial system. In Isaiah’s language, they had so much light! And yet, they consistently turned away from God.

21st Century Britain has much light from God but we are repeating Israel’s history all over again. 21st century Britain thinks itself enlightened, while walking away from God the giver of light. I read a post on a discussion forum which said something like this: “Can’t we simply take the teachings we find in the Bible and live by them without the requirement of actually believing in God?” I.e. can’t we take the benefits of God (in this case, a good code of ethics) without God? And the answer from human history is a resounding No! The answer from my own history is a resounding No! Humanity is sick, we have a heart problem, and the people of Israel demonstrated it wasn’t just a lack of knowledge of God. It wasn’t for lack of help. It was that at a deep and fundamental level of human nature – none of us want God to be God. And so they turned away, and turned away, and turned away. Look at Isaiah 49.4. This is what the servant says:

“I have laboured in vain!I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity”

That’s what it felt like for Jesus. The Son of God took on a human nature like ours, capable of feeling discouraged – and my goodness there was a lot to be discouraged by! Because on the surface Jesus’ mission looked like a complete failure. The Son of God came to earth. He walked among us, the clearest revelation of God, the purest teaching of God. And yet, humanity rebelled against him to the point of executing him on a cross. And yet still (Isaiah 49.4):

…yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God.” And now the Lord says…

As we read Isaiah 49.4 from the perspective of the New Testament, we understand God’s Mission was accomplished at the moment the servant felt most abandoned and useless. Everything, we understand now, was leading up to the Cross where Jesus Christ died. In the eyes of the world – a failure. But in the plans of God – mission accomplished. And Now God says (Isaiah 49.6):

…It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel. I will make you a light for the nations…[And then literally] To be salvation to the end of the earth.

The main agent of God’s salvation is Jesus Christ, the servant. And his mission was to come as a man, and die on behalf of humanity, the death that we deserve for our sins and evil deeds. And then to rise again to be the head of the new humanity, and to pour out his Spirit into our lives to give us new life and the fresh start we need with God. That, is the beginning of Act 2 – the age in which we now live.

Act 2: The Outpouring of the Spirit

If we imagine Jesus’ death like the cure for cancer, the outpouring of the Spirit is like the application of that cure to the world. That is, once the cure has been discovered the disease loses its terror. There is hope again. Resources would shift from developing a cure to distributing the cure. That’s the situation we’re in now. Jesus’ death on the cross, and his resurrection, were the effective cure, not just for Israel, but for all people. And he pours out his Spirit to apply his Salvation to all people. Turn over to Acts 13 – and listen to how Paul and Barnabus interpret Isaiah 49. We’ll pick up at Acts 13.46-47, this is after they’ve spoken at a Jewish meeting in a place called Antioch:

Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

Commanded us? I have made you a light for the Gentiles? That you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth? Firstly, how is Paul applying these words to himself when they are about the Servant, and when the rest of the New Testament, including Jesus himself, say that the Servant is Jesus? And secondly, why is Paul quoting Isaiah at all to justify his missionary work? After all, God spoke directly to him telling him to preach the Gospel – why does he need to go to Isaiah in the first place? Paul and Barnabus aren’t claiming to be the saviour of the world instead of Jesus. They’re not twisting God’s Word to make it all about them. Instead they are showing all of us that it is passages like Isaiah 49 which should be sending us out into God’s world on God’s mission – to tell people about Jesus Christ – who IS the Saviour of the World. They are quoting this passage so that we don’t think participating in God’s Mission is only for the keen beans like Paul and Barnabus. Rather, it is supposed to be the main ambition of every follower of Jesus.

Paul could have pointed to his dramatic conversion and Damascus road experience to justify his missionary work, but instead, he points to this passage in Isaiah. It’s as if he says – look guys, Jesus has come. He’s accomplished his mission by dying on the cross making it possible for all people everywhere to receive forgiveness from God and new life. Any ambition I have that doesn’t include getting this message to the end of the earth just isn’t good enough.

God says it is too small a thing that salvation stops with me. Jesus has died for my sins and risen again to new life and he has poured out his Spirit to give that new life to me. I cannot just keep it to myself. I cannot just keep it to my family or my neighbourhood and say that’s enough God. I’m satisfied with this much. God says: “that is too small a thing. I sent my Son to die for the sins of the world. I intend for him to be salvation to all nations.” And the Spirit he pours into us will enable us to proclaim this message about the Son to all people. And it is in that way that followers of Jesus are a light to the nations and that salvation will reach the end of the earth.

So on this World Mission Sunday, can I ask us “Will you make the mission of God the main ambition of your life?” May we all go home saying to God “God whatever else I do with my life, please help me be a light to the nations. Help me get the message of Jesus to the end of the earth”.

At JPC we talk about 3 ways we do this together as a church. We didn’t invent them, we’re so glad to join with other churches in God’s mission. First of all, we can be part of God’s mission by praying. Jesus said (Matthew 9.37): The Harvest is Plentiful, but the workers are few, therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out more labourers into his harvest field. I’ve said before I’ve enjoyed watching Clarkson’s Farm. I did not appreciate how much hard work farming is – it seems to be a constant battle against time. As soon as the grain is dry enough to harvest it is all hands on deck! All round the clock. Clarkson and Cooper are in their tractors all day, even into the night. Jesus teaches us that the time we live in now, the harvest is plentiful. It is workers that are lacking. So will we pray that God will raise up, and send out more workers into his world, taking the good news about Jesus to the end of the earth.

Secondly, we can give money. We can support those workers who are going or have gone. Ramzi has mentioned two projects we can give towards. The Apostle Paul talked about his missionary work as a partnership in the Gospel with the churches that support him. That is why we call those overseas “Mission Partners”, because, whether that is translating the Bible, church planting, maintaining the aircraft that carry vital equipment and missionaries to remote places or supporting financially – together we have a share in God’s mission of getting the Gospel to the end of the earth.

Thirdly, could you be someone who goes? We are blessed to be supporting many missionaries who have been on the field in one way or another for decades – and many are coming to the end of their service. Could you be part of the next generation of missionaries sent out from JPC? The Biblical pattern that we see in Acts is that the missionaries are sent out by the church. They don’t just appoint themselves. A local church obeys the great commission by identifying, equipping and training and then sending out agents to make the Gospel known to the end of the earth. And I pray that some of us here today might be some of those agents. You may be young, at school or at university and you’re learning and training for a career – could you start thinking now how you would play your part in reaching those people in the world who are living and dying without hearing about Jesus? What skills would you need to reach them? What opportunities are there for a young person like yourself to explore that area? You might consider going short term with a mission society. You may have opportunities through university to learn language or go on placement. Or you may be older, but as you look back over your life so far, you might be able to identify certain skills or opportunities God has given you that would give you access to people in the world who need to hear about Jesus. You might be one among us from a country where there are very few Christians, and relatively little access to theological training. And it might be that God has brought you to the UK and to JPC for the purpose of sending you back home as a missionary.

I don’t know what your circumstances are, but I am praying that God will impress on all of us that his will for your life is to give you a share in declaring his Glory through Salvation to the end of the earth. And it is the most noble, thrilling, consuming, terrifying, joyful task we can be involved in. There are good works that God has prepared in advance specifically for you to walk in, some that can only be done by you, to declare his glory in salvation. So can all of us pray, may we all consider how we may give, and may God lead some of us to go - for his glory and the happiness of the nations.