The Mission [Fuge 2018 Louisville]

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I had the privilege to serve as the camp pastor at the Fuge Camp at Southern Seminary in Louisville on July 9-13, 2018.  Here is the outline of the sermons I preached.  Pray these notes drive you to reflect on the truths of God’s Word as it propels us to His mission!

OPENING: THE MISSION

  • 2 Tim. 2:1-4; 4:9-10
  • Make sure whatever you are living for is worth the one life you have to offer.
  • You must learn how to live from Christ’s love rather than for Christ’s love (2:1).
  • If there is a true profession of faith, there must be a true progression of faith (2:2).
  • Discipleship is taking everything you know about Jesus and passing it on to another (2:2).
  • Soldiers who forget they are at war are those most prone to become a casualty (2:4).
  • Make your life’s sole obsession is to be pleasing to Jesus (2:4).
  • Don’t be a Demas. – Col. 4:14, Phile. 1:23-24; 2 Tim. 4:9-10
  • You cannot love the perfect Savior and the present world at the same time (4:10).

DAY 1 AM: ACCEPTING THE MISSION

  • Rom. 5:6-8
  • Paul changed from someone who persecuted Christians to someone who was persecuted as a Christian.
  • Paul accepted the mission to spread the very gospel that dramatically changed him.
  • Jesus sought Paul in his rebellion – not his repentance.
  • Jesus’ love for you is not dependent upon your love for Him.
  • Jesus didn’t postpone His death until we could validate our worth.
  • But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

DAY 1 PM: COUNT IT AS LOSS

  • Phil. 3:4-11
  • Bad Reasons to Have Confidence in the Flesh
    • Family’s Faith
    • Religious Involvement
    • Biblical Knowledge
    • Passionate Convictions
    • Morally Superior
  • Confidence in your flesh does not provide assurance of your faith.
  • Salvation is knowing Christ – not knowing about Christ.
  • Our greatest attempts at righteousness are rubbish compared to knowing Christ.
  • Salvation doesn’t come by doing good things but by believing the good news
  • Righteousness comes from God and obtained through faith.
  • The gospel in 15 words:
    1. God creates us.
    2. God convicts us.
    3. God saves us.
    4. God sends us.
    5. God rescues us.

DAY 2 AM: LIVING THE MISSION

  • 1 Cor. 11:1
  • The Great Commission is go into all the nations and make disciples – not converts.
  • You cannot be living the mission if you are not making disciples.
  • Col. 1:27-29
  • 6 Categories of Discipleship
    1. Delight – “Christ in you, the hope of glory” – How can I ensure that one’s delight is in knowing Jesus?
    2. Disobedience – “warning everyone” – What are the most dangerous leanings of disobedience in that specific person?
    3. Doctrine – “teaching everyone with all wisdom” – What are the key areas of doctrine that need to be studied?
    4. Development – “present everyone mature in Christ” – How does this person need to be equipped for ministry development?
    5. Discipline – “For this I toil” – Which specific spiritual disciplines are essential to growth?
    6. Dependence – “struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” – What are we depending on God to do through prayer?

DAY 2 PM: RACISM AND THE MISSION

  • Eph. 2:11-22
  • The greatest roadblock to the mission in the early Church was racism.
    • The early Church was originally predominately Jewish, and they initially struggled with how to accept Gentiles.
  • The Church is full of closet racists who justify inward prejudices and separate from different people.
  • The Jews unfortunately believed themselves to be the end rather than a means of God’s redemption (Eph. 2:11-13).
  • Racism is not a skin problem but a sin problem (Eph. 2:14-16).
  • God doesn’t play favorites in His family (Eph. 2:17-18).
  • The Church is a multiracial family that should celebrate diversity rather than condemning it (Eph. 2:19-20).
  • The closer we are to Jesus, the closer we are to all people (Eph. 2:21-22).
  • Stop desensitizing feelings that you have never felt.
  • Don’t rebuild racial walls where the cross of Christ has knocked them down.
  • Don’t let your associations become your identity.
  • Beware of the youth group clique that keeps people made in God’s image on the fringes.
  • Repent of the closet or blatant racism present in your life.
  • If you are a racist, Heaven is going to feel like Hell to you.

DAY 3 AM: ROADBLOCKS TO THE MISSION

  • 2 Cor. 12:7-10
  • If God is testing me, let me be found faithful.
  • If Satan is tempting me, let me be found faithful.
  • If enemies are trying me, let me be found faithful.
  • If consequences are troubling me, let me be found faithful.
  • How could I ever resent anything that pushes me closer to Jesus?
  • When reasons for the roadblocks seem non-existent, I trust that His grace is still sufficient.

DAY 3 PM: REFUSING MEDIOCRITY

  • 2 Cor. 5
  • Don’t put significant effort into merely temporal matters.
  • Live for that which outlives you.
  • Your faith should direct you more than your sight guides you.
  • Missional Christians integrate the unseen areas of faith into the routine areas of life.
  • If Christ was pleased to die for your soul, you should be pleased to live for His cause.
  • By receiving the reward of Christ’s death, I am surrendering the rights to my life.
  • How can we be mediocre Christians if we follow such an incredible Christ?It is a pathetic goal to live for myself if I have been loved by Jesus.
  • Salvation rids us of our old ways and recreates us to His new purposes.
  • We shouldn’t have to convince ourselves to change others with the gospel if it has changed us.
  • You will find the meaning of your life in the mission of Christ.

CLOSING: CONTINUING THE MISSION

  • 2 Tim. 2:22
  • Run From
    • “Fleeing” doesn’t mean seeing how close you can get to something without actually touching it.
    • How could I live for what Christ died for?
  • Run To
    • Fleeing lusts and pursuing righteousness is one motion.
    • Replace your unrighteous habits with righteous pursuits.
  • Run With
    • In pursuing Jesus, you must align yourself with relationships who are going in the same direction.
    • Which relationships are taking you closer to Jesus or further from Jesus?
  • In order to flee youthful lusts, you have to run somewhere with somebody.