The scripture reading comes from Genesis, Matthew, and John.
Please follow along in your bulletin or on the screen.
In Genesis chapter 12, we read,
Now the Lord said to Abraham,
Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you,
and I will make of you a great nation.
And I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
And in Matthew chapter 4, we read,
While walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
And he said to them,
Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
And in John chapter 20, we read,
On the evening of the day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked, where the disciples were for fear of the Jews.
Jesus came and stood among them and said to them,
Peace be with you.
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again,
Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me,
even so I am sending you.
And when he had said this,
he breathed on them and said to them,
Receive the Holy Spirit.
This is the word of God.
Great. Thank you, Jonah.
Will you join me as we pray together?
And we're going to pray this morning.
We often like to pray for other churches in Hong Kong.
We're going to pray for GCC, Gospel Community Church.
Ian Ma is one of the new leaders there.
And so, just so you know, when we pray for him,
that's who he is.
Ian is from GCC.
We're going to pray for them this morning.
But let's pray together.
Great and glorious God,
God, this morning we gather as a church family
to praise you and to glorify you,
to lift up your name,
and to give you the worship that you deserve.
Father, in this world,
we are constantly being pulled in a thousand directions
with innumerable concerns and worries on our hearts.
God, this morning we've gathered
to have our eyes set on you
and to focus,
to know you
and to know that our peace and our hope
is not found in any of the great things
that you've given us,
but it's found in you.
Father, this morning we acknowledge
that the one thing that deserves
our greatest attention and devotion,
the one thing for which we were made
is to glorify you
who have given us our being
and to be a blessing to those
that you've brought across our path.
And yet, Father, so seldom is that
our true motivation.
We live for ourselves
without much regard to your great glory and honor,
without thinking about the good of others.
Oh, Father, forgive us, we pray.
God, we pray that you will do a deep work in our hearts,
each one of us,
that we will truly learn to live for you
and your glory
and live the well-being of others.
God, particularly in times like this
when the brokenness of our world is so evident,
may we, your people,
be truly salt and light in the city at this time.
God, as we go from this place,
may we be sent by you into our city
as agents of healing and restoration.
God, we long for our city to experience your peace,
for the anxiety of our hearts, God,
to be stilled,
and for the restlessness, God,
with which we,
as so many of our city are struggling,
God, to be eased.
Father, come, we pray,
come to our city and use us.
God, as Isaiah said,
here we are, send us, God.
Use us, we pray.
Father, this morning,
as we look at your word,
we pray that you really will speak to us.
We've said it a thousand times,
but God, we're not interested
in just the opinions of man.
We're not here just to be inspired or encouraged.
We're here to encounter you, the living God.
We want you, God, to speak to us.
And so we pray, God, this morning
that your word will come alive.
God, we pray that the message of your scriptures
will speak to us today.
God, take my words,
and anything that's not of you,
we pray it will fall aside, Lord God.
Come and speak to us, we pray.
We want to meet with you, God,
in your word today.
God, this morning,
as we look across our city,
we want to pray for our friends
at GCC, Gospel Community Church.
We want to pray for Ian Marr,
the new pastor there.
And God, as he's getting established
in that church and finding his feet,
we do pray for him.
We bring him before you.
We pray for unity around the church leadership.
We pray that they will be on the same page
and there'll be deep levels of trust and oneness.
Thank you for bringing Ian there.
Thank you for the work of Rob and Joy Penner
over the last five years or so.
Thank you for that community
that really does love your gospel.
And God, we pray that as they go into this new season,
that you will lead them and guide them.
As they are seeking to establish vision
for the church this year,
we pray that they will capture your vision
for their church.
God, we pray for their mission
and their outreach,
that for their position near PolyU
and other campuses,
we pray to use them, God,
to really bless the city.
Establish them deeply on the gospel,
we pray.
And then finally, Father,
we pray for our great continent of Asia.
We pray in the,
as we are grappling with the middle
of the coronavirus.
Father, we pray,
especially this morning,
for South Korea and Japan
who have experienced unprecedented increases in cases.
We pray, God,
for profound wisdom
for the leaders of those countries.
We pray for the doctors
and the medical staff
that are working
and on the front lines
of encountering that.
We pray for government officials
and all decision makers.
God, we pray that you will give them wisdom
how to contain the virus
and see it come to an end.
And so we pray for our brothers
and our sisters
and our friends and family
and the people of South Korea and Japan,
especially this morning.
Be with them, we pray.
Pray for believers
to find their hope in you,
Lord God, today.
Pray for those that are sick and suffering.
Won't you strengthen them
and encourage them
and bring loved ones around them
that can really point them
to the hope of Christ.
We pray these things, Lord Jesus,
in your wonderful
and your powerful name.
Amen.
Okay, I forgot to introduce myself.
If you don't know me,
my name is Kevin
and one of the leaders here.
Now, if you're new to Watermark,
to let you know what you're doing,
Chris mentioned it.
In fact, I don't feel like
I need to preach a whole lot
after Chris and Tiffany.
They kind of summarized
everything I was going to say.
Okay?
But just in case you weren't listening,
let me say it again.
We are working through our values
as a church,
those things that, you know,
are on websites and bulletins
and get referenced a lot.
But are seldom actually defined
or clarified.
And so we're spending
a couple of weeks,
12 weeks in total,
looking at these three topics.
The gospel.
What is the gospel?
What does it mean
to be centered on the gospel?
Community.
And mission.
And those three things
are really important
to each one of us individually,
but also to us
as a church family.
And so the gospel
is the heart of Watermark.
It really defines
who we are,
our identity,
why it's our reason
for existence.
Okay?
Without the gospel,
let's close shop.
We're done here.
Community is shaped
by the gospel
because God's worked
in our hearts.
We are now
a community of believers.
And community defines
how we relate
to one another.
Mission,
which is what we're going
to look at
for the next couple of weeks,
is what is our purpose?
Why has God put us here?
What are we to do,
those of us
that have encountered
this living God?
And so the next five weeks,
we're going to be looking
at this theme of mission.
Now, today's sermon
is a little bit different
to usual.
Normally,
we work through
a passage of scripture
and we expound it.
Today,
we're going to step back
and we're going to try
and get an overview
of the Bible story
from beginning to end.
We're going to look
a little bit at Genesis 12
that was read to us earlier.
And we're going to try
and get a thematic
understanding
of God's heart for mission
and what does that mean
for His people
by looking at the Bible.
Okay,
so a little bit different,
but that's where
we're going today.
Now,
how many of you
have bought a book
or been given a book,
fiction or non-fiction,
opened it up
halfway,
somewhere in the middle,
and started reading
at chapter 17?
Okay?
Now,
if it's a textbook
and you're cramming
for an exam,
you're allowed to do that.
But generally,
if it's a story,
that's not a good way
to read a book,
right?
Why is that?
Well,
because you're not going
to know what's going
on the plot line
of the book.
You might pick out
a few main characters,
you might sort of get
the plot line
of the book,
but even if you
kind of understand
what's happening,
you're going to have
a very superficial reading
of that book.
Many of us
make a similar mistake
when it comes
to the Scriptures.
We open up the Bible
at the New Testament
and we say,
okay,
let's get to the good news,
and yet,
we try to make sense
of what's going on
without understanding
the storyline
or the narrative arc
of the Bible.
The Scriptures
actually has
a storyline to it.
It's the story
of what God
is doing in the world,
and understanding
that story,
that narrative,
is critical
to understanding
all the individual
parts of the Bible.
And so,
let's briefly revisit
the storyline
of the Bible
and then see
how this idea
of God's mission
and our mission
fits into that.
So,
the storyline
of the Bible
starts off like this.
It starts off
in Genesis 1-2
with God's creation.
And there we see
that everything
that exists
from giant galaxies
and solar systems
to subatomic particles,
everything that exists,
exists because
the Creator God
has brought them
into existence.
Okay?
And the pinnacle
of this creation
is humankind.
I know,
sometimes it's hard
to believe,
but it's true.
God has said
that the pinnacle
of His creation
is humankind.
He has made us
for relationship
with Him.
And so,
the Bible's account
of creation
gives us
some of the answers
to the biggest questions
that we as humans
have.
Who am I?
Why am I here?
What's my purpose
in life?
What does it mean
to be human?
Are we gods
or are we merely animals
that have somehow
evolved more than
other animals?
And the answer
that creation
gives us
is that we are not gods.
Sorry to tell you that.
Sorry to disappoint.
We are not just animals
that have evolved
more than other animals.
We are a specific
type of creature,
a specific species,
made in God's image
to know Him
and enjoy Him
and be in a relationship
with Him,
but also to steward,
in other words,
to look after His creation
for His glory.
That's what it means
to be human.
We are made in God's image
to know Him deeply
and love Him
and enjoy Him
and to look after
His good creation
for His glory.
Now,
however,
not very long,
before we are almost
out of the starting blocks,
things go wrong
with the world
and with this order.
The good order
that God created
and designed
gets corrupted
and we call this
the fall of creation.
And so in Genesis 3,
we see that
rather than as human beings
we are living
a joyful relationship
with God,
our Creator,
rather than loving Him
and enjoying Him,
as human beings,
we decide
we want to be
our own gods.
Rather than
stewarding His creation,
we want to rule it.
We want to own it.
Rather than living
for His glory,
we want our own glory.
And that brings about
disastrous consequences.
The result is that
sin and wickedness
weaves its way
into every aspect
of life,
every aspect
of human experience
and existence.
And friends,
that's why there's
so much pain
and brokenness
in our world.
It's why there's
so much heartache
in our world.
And we see this
weaving of brokenness
in four dimensions.
Actually,
in every area,
but four primarily.
We see it physically.
And so now,
as human beings,
we are subject to
decay,
disease,
death.
Our bodies don't work
the way that we're meant to.
Our world is broken.
And so our physical world
is broken
and subject to decay
and death.
But also,
relationally,
where we're meant to
love and serve
one another
in relationship,
now we use
one another.
And so we see
as a result
things like sexism
and racism,
wars,
animosity,
bitterness,
resentment,
mistrust,
all these things.
Another way we see
it is personally.
So our relationship
with ourself
is broken.
And so now,
either we suffer
from self-exaltation,
self-worship,
I am God,
or we battle
things like anxiety,
insecurities,
depression,
and so our relationship
with ourselves
is broken.
But most significantly,
our relationship
with the God
that made us
for himself
is broken.
And so whereas
we were designed
to live in joyful
relationship with God,
loving and enjoying Him,
now we are alienated
from Him
and under His
just judgment.
And so the problem
with sin in the world
is not just that
we've broken
one or two rules,
it's not just that,
oh, you know,
we've kind of done
a few wrong things
and God's now
going to scold us.
The problem
with sin in the world
is that the whole world
is now out of sync.
There's a misalignment.
It's now out of kilter.
And as a result,
every aspect
reels under the effects
of this broken world
in which we live.
And we see this
straight after
the fall in Genesis 3.
So Genesis 3 happens
and the next couple
of chapters,
if you read Genesis,
are pretty depressing.
In chapter 4,
Adam and Eve's
first son,
Cain,
rises up
and murders his brother
because he's not
getting on with his brother
and so he just
kills him.
Then one of Cain's
descendants,
a guy called Lamech,
one day he's boasting
to his wives
and he's got two wives
and he's boasting to them
and he's saying,
you think Cain was bad?
You've seen nothing.
He's saying,
Cain killed a man,
I've killed a man
just because he wounded me.
If Cain's revenge
was sevenfold,
mine is 77.
So that's the descendants
of Cain.
And then we get to
chapter 6
and there's the flood
and the world is broken
and people die.
And then we carry on
in chapter 11.
Chapter 11's interesting.
There's the story
of the Tower of Babel.
Do you remember that story?
And the Tower of Babel
is interesting
because it's a story
of great unity.
God's people
come together,
the nations are united
but they're not united
for good,
they're united for evil.
They come together
in unison
and say,
let's fix our own world.
Let's solve our own problems.
We will make ourselves
great again.
And so they're united
in their rebellion
against God.
They say,
God, we don't need you.
We'll fix our own problems.
Thank you very much.
And they come together
and the result,
the same as Genesis 3,
is disastrous.
There's division,
there's disunity,
people are spread out.
And rather than unity
and joy and love,
division and disunity ensues.
And so when we read
the scriptures
from the beginning,
not just starting
somewhere in the middle,
the storyline we encounter
is that the God
who made us in the world,
made a beautiful world,
as we sang earlier,
a good world,
a world of good creation
for us to enjoy
and to steward
and to enjoy Him.
But because of sin,
that world has become corrupted.
And now our relationship
with ourselves,
with our world,
with each other,
and with our God
is broken.
Now,
the incredible message
of the Bible
is that God gives us
not just good advice
how to fix our world ourselves,
God comes with some good news,
or biblical word,
with the gospel.
God comes with some good news
that is big enough
and comprehensive enough
to address every dimension
and every aspect
of the brokenness
and the fallenness
of our world.
In other words,
the Bible shows us
that rather than God
abandoning the world,
saying,
well, that didn't work very well,
let's try again,
God moves into His world
to redeem
and to rescue
and to put right
that which is wrong
with the world.
And that's almost
what the entire Bible
is all about.
Other than chapters 1 and 3
in Genesis
that talk about
how the world
got to the state
that it's in,
other than right at the end,
Revelation 21 and 22
that talks about
how it's all going to end,
almost the entire story
of the Bible
is the story
of what God is doing
to put the world
right again.
That's what the Bible
is all about.
God's mission
to rescue
and redeem
and reconcile
His broken world.
And then finally,
we get to the last story
of the last chapter
of the storyline
which is the new creation.
God moves
and Jesus returns
and everything
that is wrong
and broken with the world,
He makes untrue
and He brings about
His new creation.
No more tears,
no more pain
or agony
or anguish
anymore.
Okay,
so you got the storyline
of the Bible,
right?
Okay.
Now here's the question
we need to ask.
That chapter 3,
God's mission
to put right
a broken world,
how is that going to happen?
How does God go
about doing it?
Well,
the answer we find
in Genesis 12,
which we read earlier,
is not what we first expect
because the answer
is that God
is going about
rescuing
and redeeming
His world
but He's going to do it
through His chosen people.
Let's read Genesis 12
together
and take a look at it.
Okay,
so if you've got your bulletin,
look at Genesis 12
with me.
It all starts off
with this man
called Abraham
and so one day
God appears
to this man
called Abraham
and He reveals Himself
to him
and He calls Abraham
to be part
of his mission,
his plan
to rescue
and redeem
this broken
and fallen world.
And so look at verse 1,
look at the first thing
God says.
He calls Abraham
and He says,
Abraham,
go from your country,
from your family
and from your father's house
to the land
that I will show you.
So the first thing
He does
is He sends him away.
Okay,
He sends him on a mission.
He says,
I know you're from this area,
Ur of the Chaldeans.
I want you to leave
your family background
and go to a land
that's not your own
but that I'm sending you to
and I will lead
and guide you.
And so He sends him out.
But that's not all
that God says
because look at verse 2.
God accompanies
this commission,
this call to trust Him
and obey Him
with a promise
or in the biblical word
a covenant.
A covenant is a solemn oath.
It's a promise
that God makes
and it's a promise
that's full of grace
because look what He says here
in verse 2.
He says,
Go leave your family
and I will make of you
a great nation.
I will bless you
and make your name great
so that you
will be a blessing.
Now remember,
Genesis chapter 11,
we've got the story
of the Tower of Babel,
right?
And what is the thing
that the people
that are building
the Tower of Babel,
what is their motivation?
We will make ourselves
great again.
Okay?
God comes to Abraham
and he says,
I will make you great.
See,
when the people say
we will make ourselves great,
the result is destruction
and heartache
and pain.
God comes along to Abraham
and says,
Abraham,
I'm not here to give you
good advice
how you can make yourself great.
I will make you great.
And that, friends,
is the gospel.
See,
whenever we try
and make ourselves great,
whenever we try
and rescue
or redeem ourselves,
whenever our life ambition
is I will save myself,
friends,
that is always,
always going to end up
in destruction
and heartache
and pain.
The way to encounter
the God of the Bible
is to come to him
on our knees
and say,
God,
have your will
in my life.
And so God comes to Abraham
and says,
Abraham,
not you will make yourself great,
I will make you great.
And what does that mean?
He says,
I will make you
a great nation.
That means
I will give you
a large family.
You will be fruitful
and abundant.
And so he's talking
about Abraham's descendants,
his offspring.
Now,
in some ways,
it's a little random,
right?
I mean,
God chooses
this one 75-year-old man
who's married to Sarah.
They are barren.
They cannot have any children
in the middle of Iraq.
And he says,
Abraham,
I want you to leave your family,
go across the Arabian Peninsula
and go and settle
in a land
that I will tell you
and I will give you
a great family.
Pretty random.
Why would God do that?
What's the point?
Well,
let's look at what he says.
He says,
I will make you
a great nation.
I will bless you
and make your name great.
Why?
So that
you will be
a blessing.
So why is God
doing this?
God's pouring out
his blessing on Abraham
in order
that through Abraham
blessing
might come
to the world.
He says,
I will bless
those that bless you.
I will curse
those that curse you.
And through you
or through your descendants,
through your offspring,
all the families
of the world
will be blessed.
So Abraham,
I'm going to rescue you.
I'm going to redeem you.
I'm going to save you
and bless you.
I'm going to draw you
into my story.
I'm going to turn
your life around.
But my blessing
is not to end with you.
You are to be a conduit
through which
my blessing
then flows
to the people
of all the world,
all the nations
of the earth.
One author
put it like this.
Abraham's blessing
was intrinsically
tied
to the blessing
of other people.
In God's call,
these two things
could never be separated.
He could not just
take the one,
the blessing
that God gave him,
and leave the other one.
They are one
and the same thing.
So God promises
to bless Abraham.
That's only one side
of the coin.
The other side
of the coin is
I'm going to send you
to be a blessing.
And what does that mean
in the grand storyline
of the Bible?
What does it mean
when God says
you are going to be
my blessing?
Well it means
he's going to send him out
to be part of God's mission
to rescue and redeem
the world.
So do you follow
the logic here?
The storyline
of the Bible is
God is at work
rescuing and redeeming
a fallen world.
God chooses
some people
and then blesses them.
He then says
the blessing
isn't to stop with you.
It is to go
through you.
You are to be
my agents
through which I redeem
and rescue the world.
So God comes to Abraham
and says Abraham
I'm going to pull you
into my story
and through you
I will accomplish
my mission
to rescue
and redeem
a broken world.
Does that make
any sense?
Okay
I'm going to have
to work a little harder.
Okay
Do you follow
that storyline?
Okay
great
thank you.
Okay
now you might say
okay
boomer
that's all
very interesting
or maybe
not very interesting
but what does it
have to do
with me?
If you're a Christian
this morning
okay
and that may not
be the case
you might be
a spiritual seeker
in which case
you're so welcome
great to have you here
if you're a Christian
this morning
that has
everything
to do with you
because this passage
in Genesis 12
becomes the defining
paradigm
by which the people
of God
are then defined
in the rest of scripture
in the rest of the Old Testament
and the New Testament
God's call to Abraham
is God's call
to every one of his people
that he will bless us
in the gospel
in other words
that through us
his blessing
his redemption
reconciling
mission in the world
can come to pass
this is what it means
to be the people
of God
to be part
of God's people
means to be part
of God's redemptive
plan in the world
every person
that God calls
to know
and love him
he also sends out
as his missionary
into the world
and so throughout
the Old Testament
this is what
the nation of Israel
is all about
they are meant
to be a light
to the nations
okay
God's chosen people
who are called
to be a light
to nations
and so
look at Psalm 67
with me
I think I've got it
on the slides
look at this amazing
scripture
Psalm 67
if you ever want
to pray a prayer
for watermark
this is a great
prayer to pray
okay
look at what it says
may God be gracious
to us
and bless us
yes please
may you make
your face
shine upon us
glory
okay
God shine
your face upon us
why
that we may get
bigger and bigger
that our finances
may increase
that people
may look at us
and say
wow
that's an amazing
church
look at watermark
why should God
bless us
why should he
pour his face
out upon us
why should he
be gracious
to us
look at verse 2
that your ways
oh God
may be known
on the earth
your saving power
amongst all the nations
so in Afghanistan
and in Iraq
and in Indonesia
and in Bangladesh
and in South Korea
and Japan
and Indonesia
and Myanmar
and Laos
in every country
in Asia
may your ways
be known
oh God
your saving power
amongst Asia
let all the peoples
that's not just
watermarkers
and Christians
that's those people
out there
may all the nations
praise you
oh God
may the peoples
praise you
let all the nations
in the furthest
corners of the world
be glad
and sing for joy
because they've
encountered
your good news gospel
isn't that an amazing verse
look at Isaiah 42
God says to Israel
I am the Lord
I have called you
in righteousness
I will take you
by the hand
and I will lead you
I will give you
as a covenant
for the people
to be a light
to the nations
to open the eyes
that are blind
to bring out
the prisoners
from the dungeon
from the prison
those who sit
in darkness
friends isn't that
what Tiffany said earlier
there are people
in our city
that are trapped
in the prisons
and the dungeons
not physical prisons
but in the dungeon
of despair
in the prison
of despondency
and anxiety
and depression
and God's got
a good news message
a gospel
to bring them
deliverance
and healing
and freedom
and restoration
to bring good news
to our world
but how's he gonna do it
he's gonna do it
by causing his people
to be a light
to the nations
or think of Jonah
God sends Jonah
to Nineveh
and so Christopher Wright
he's one of the foremost
theologians
on this subject
he says this
at the most fundamental level
who were these people
called Israel
in the Old Testament
and what were they there
for anyway
to be a vehicle
of God's mission
for extending
God's blessing
to the nations
and for Christians
who are we
and what are we here for
the answer
is the same
the answer
has to be
sorry
the same answer
has to be given
and indeed is given
we are also
to be the people
through whom
the nations
are blessed
so in other words
of saying that
to be part of God's people
is to be part
of God's mission
to be part of God's people
is to be part
of his redemption plan
to bring healing
to the world
now
as we read
the Old Testament
one of the things
we quickly read
quickly realize
is that Israel
God's people
who are meant
to be a light
to the nations
rather than
bringing healing
and redemption
to the nations
pretty soon
they become
just like the nations
and so they're meant
to go out
to influence
the nations
and to point them
to the good news
of Yahweh
the saving God
but pretty soon
rather than
influencing the nations
they are influenced
by the nations
and so
throughout the Old Testament
they become
more and more
like the people
around them
they eventually
start making
alliances
political alliances
they start marrying
the people
of the other cultures
they take on
their practices
and their customs
and very soon
they start taking
on their idols
and their gods
and so while
there are a few
bright moments
Joshua and King David
by and large
things get progressively
worse and worse
and worse
until Israel
is almost extinct
they get taken
into exile
Jerusalem is in ruins
the temple
is destroyed
and Israel
is almost extinct
and so you get
to the end
of the Old Testament
you think
is there any hope
I mean
are God's plans
just lying on the floor
and tatters
what happened
to the people
of Abraham
what happened
to his great descendants
that were going
to rescue the world
what happens
to God's mission
to bring hope
and healing
to this broken world
are God's plans
for redemption
ruined forever
throughout the Old Testament
especially the prophets
God continues to speak
and in the midst
of some of the most
dire and broken
situations
God makes a promise
and his promise
is this
that his word
to Abraham
is still intact
that God
is still
through the nation
of Israel
through the people
of Abraham
going to bring hope
and healing
to a broken world
but how is he
going to do that
into this context
the stunning announcement
of the New Testament
comes
and the New Testament
tells us
that the answer
to what the whole
of the Old Testament
has been painting
is this
that God
will once again
send
a descendant
of Abraham
someone from
within Israel
and yet who is
completely different
to Israel
someone who would be
so faithful
when they had been
rebellious
one who would be
obedient to God
even in the midst
of desert temptations
and even to the point
of death
on a cross
one who didn't grasp
and seek blessing
for himself
but who poured out
his life
for the blessing
of the whole world
one who
through his death
and subsequent resurrection
would bring about
not only the restoration
of Israel
but the promised salvation
to the ends
of the earth
and who was that one
the Messiah
right
Jesus Christ
and that's why
the gospel writers
and Jesus himself
make such a big deal
about the fact
that Jesus
is an Israelite
he's a Jew
he's a descendant
of Abraham
he's one from Israel
one of Abraham's
offsprings
that is going to bring
true hope
and true healing
to this broken world
and so Jesus
true Israel
does what God's people
were meant to do
but could never do
in fact Jesus
does so much more
and so how does he do it
Jesus takes upon himself
one day
all the brokenness
of the entire world
upon himself
and he swallows death
and he swallows destruction
and he reverses
and he deals a death blow
to the curse of sin
so that healing
and redemption
may really come
on the cross
Jesus experiences
the full consequences
of sin
in a broken world
physically
his body is left there
for decay
and he experiences death
socially
he's cut off
from relationships
and even his best friends
are denying him
betraying him
selling him
for 30 pieces of silver
personally
he experiences
the depth
of anxiety
as he cries out
to his father
and says
father where are you
do I really have
to drink this cup
but ultimately
spiritually
he is cut off
from the God
that
from his father
he's cut off
from God
as he faces
God's wrath
and his judgment
and so on the cross
and the resurrection
Jesus brings
the central point
of the story
of redemption
that God
would accomplish
for us
on our behalf
what we could
never do
for ourselves
that Jesus
the perfect Israel
the sinless one
would stand condemned
in our place
that we the imperfect
people
could still be included
in God's redemption
and reconciliation
purposes
and so when Jesus
dies on the cross
he doesn't just die
for Israel
he dies to the whole world
so that now
every nation
including South Africans
and Chinese
and Koreans
and Australians
and Americans
and everyone else
can be included
in the people
of God
so that now
salvation can come
to us
and as the New Testament
says
we now are part
of the people
of Abraham
and so what does it
mean for you and I
if you're a follower
of Jesus
to be part of
the people of God
to be part of
the people of God
means to be part
of the mission
of God
to be part of
his redemption
purposes
and that's exactly
what we see
when we get
to the New Testament
and the Gospels
throughout the New Testament
becoming a Christian
is not just
joining a religion
it's being reconciled
to God
and then joining
his redemption plan
to bring healing
and hope
to a broken world
and so
in Matthew chapter 4
Chris referenced it earlier
Jonah read it to us earlier
in Matthew chapter 4
Jesus comes along
and he calls
his very first disciples
so Jesus
he's on his own
and he's about
to launch
his public ministry
he's about
to call
his first disciples
and they happen
to be fishermen
and so what does
he say to them
he says
come and follow me
and then what
and I will make you
fishers of men
to the very first
disciples
he says
come and follow me
and I'm going to
send you out
to be my people
through whom
the world is blessed
I will bless you
so that you can be
a blessing to the world
and in the next chapter
in chapter 5
Jesus says to his disciples
you are the light
of the world
or isn't that what
God has been saying
to Israel
throughout the whole
of the Old Testament
you are to be a light
to the nations
a light to the nations
and Israel
can't do it
but Jesus comes
and he says to his disciples
you are the light
of the world
you're the people
through whom
redemption
and reconciliation
is going to come
as you point to me
and then at the end
of Matthew's gospel
Matthew 28
what is the last thing
that Jesus says
to his disciples
as he is about
to go to heaven
all authority
in heaven
and on earth
has been given to me
go therefore
and make disciples
of all nations
baptizing them
in the name of the Father
the Son
and the Holy Spirit
and know that I am with you
to the ends of the age
so notice this
the very first thing
that Jesus says
to his disciples
is follow me
and I will send you out
the very last thing
that Jesus says
to his disciples
is wait in Jerusalem
for the Holy Spirit
and then go
throughout the story
of the Bible
from beginning to end
God is at work
resting and redeeming
his broken and fallen world
how is he going to do it
he is going to do it
through his people
those that have encountered
the grace
and the glory of God
those whose lives
have been changed
by Jesus
and the gospel
and who now take
the gospel
to the ends
of the earth
and so finally
in John
we read that
Jesus after
he dies on the cross
he comes to his disciples
after his resurrection
and he says
surprise
no he doesn't say that
he says
as the Father
has sent me
so I am sending you
friends
God's mission
is the starting place
for understanding
the church
and so what that means
friends
is that to be part
of the people
of God
is to be part
of God's mission
and so part
of what it means
to be a Christian
and this isn't just
true for the pastors
or the elders
or the staff
or the young lifers
or those that are
in ministry
part of what it means
to be a follower
of Jesus
is that in each
and every aspect
of life
whether you are
walking the dog
whether you are
sitting on the bus
whether you are
having coffee
at your favorite
coffee shop
whether you are
teaching a class
whether you are
teaching your children
at home
because they have
been off school
for six months
whether you are
on a date
with your wife
or a date
with your future wife
whether you are
considering moving
countries
whether you are
considering what
school to send
your children to
whether you are
having a barbecue
with friends
whether you are
taking care
of your elderly
parents
whether you are
meeting your new
neighbors
or making a
business deal
God's call
to those that
have encountered
his grace
is to be
those that
have been
blessed
so that they
can be a
blessing to
others
to join
God's
redemption
and reconciliation
plan
to bring healing
to this hurting
world
and so
Christopher Wright
again says it
like this
when God
said about
his great
project of
world redemption
in the wake
of Genesis 12
he chose to do
so not by
whisking
individuals up
into heaven
but by
calling into
existence
a community
of blessing
starting
starting with
one man
and his
barren wife
and then
miraculously
transforming them
into a large
family within
several generations
and then into
a nation
called Israel
and then through
Christ into a
multinational community
of believers
from every nation
all through the
story
God has been
molding a people
for himself
but also
a people for
others
as Genesis 12
says
I will bless
you
so that
you will be
a blessing
and through
you
all the
nations
of the
world
will be
blessed
friends
this is
what God
is doing
in this
world
and this
is what
he's called
us
to join
him
on
now
as we
come to
a close
what does
this mean
for us
firstly
if you're
not a follower
of Jesus
this morning
we're so
glad you're
here
I hope
that in
some ways
you've
come to
see the
essence
of what
the Bible
is all
about
the Bible
is not
a book
of good
advice
how to
improve
your life
the Bible
is not
a self
help
project
the heart
of Christianity
is that
every one
of us
are broken
because of
the consequences
of sin
but God
hasn't left
us there
out of his
profound
love for us
his magnificent
love
God has
moved towards
us in grace
and he's
healing and
reconciling and
redeeming a
broken world
and that means
the world at
large but also
means your
life and my
life
and primarily
that happened
when Jesus
went to
the cross
and he took
my sin
and he took
your sin
upon himself
so that you
can know him
and be
reconciled to him
that your sin
can be removed
and you can
come back into
joyful relationship
with the God
who made you
for himself
and who loves
you more than
you'll ever know
friends if you're
not a follower of
Jesus this morning
don't leave this
place the same
way you came
know him
look to him
turn to him
find hope and
healing and
reconciliation
in Jesus
Jesus came
for you
and for
I
you can
know him
this morning
come to him
this morning
for those of us
that are
Christians
the story of the
Bible means that
part of being
part of God's
family
or his people
is being part of
his mission
and like we said
earlier that's not
just for the staff
or the elders
it's for every
follower of Jesus
and so the question
I want to ask you
very gently is
are you part of
God's mission
in each and every
aspect of life
are you saying
yes to joining
God in what he's
doing in the
world
and then thirdly
for those of us
that are part of
Watermark
if this is your
church family
what does this
mean for us
well as a church
family we are
very far from
perfect obviously
right
if you're here for
a couple of weeks
you'll know that
one of the things
we want to try and
do is we want to
orientate our whole
church around who
God is and what
he's doing in the
world
and if God
if mission is
central to what
God is doing
it means it must
be central to who
we are as a
church
as has often
been said
it's not that
God's church
has a missions
program
it's that God's
mission has a
church
God is doing
something in the
world and that
mission has a
church by which
to carry that
mission
and that's going to
mean a couple of
things and so let
me just give us
two of them
it means firstly
that some things
might need a
change
I don't know
what those are
I'm not announcing
any new plans
here but there
might be some
adjustments for us
as a church over
the next few
months or years
it might mean we
need to change the
way that we do
community groups as
we say yes to
God's mission
it might mean we
need to change the
way we do our
budget both
individually and as
a church as we
prioritize God's
mission in the
world it might mean
we need to say yes
to some programs and
no to other
programs but chances
are as we align
ourselves to God's
mission that might
mean some
adjustments and
they might not
be comfortable but
we want to say yes
to Jesus
the second thing it
means is this
is that it might
mean that our
comfort and our
convenience is going
to be challenged as
we say yes to
joining God in his
mission
at times things will
be difficult at
times things will be
uncomfortable no
doubt God is going to
ask us to embrace
suffering remember in
the book of
revelation the
witnesses always end
up dead for some
reason their heads
always get beheaded
but don't worry
they come alive
again but no doubt
as we say yes to
Jesus that's going to
mean some of us being
sent as missionaries
to the furthest
corners of the world
it may mean some of
us saying no to
high paying careers
it may mean some of
us just doing our
ordinary jobs but
with a different
purpose and goal in
mind no doubt as we
say yes to Jesus
it's going to involve
some challenge but
you know what friends
it's going to be a
glorious and wonderful
adventure and we'll
get to the end of our
lives with very few
regrets
Jeremy Julie can I
call you guys up here
let's I don't really
know how to respond I
was thinking about this
all morning I feel like
we need to respond we
going to respond in
song but maybe you can
maybe just come before
our God and let's
respond in prayer let's
come before our Father
sorry I know that was a
little clumsy but
let's come before God
Heavenly Father great
and glorious God you
are rescuing and
redeeming this broken
world and God that is
good news for us because
each one of us here need
your rescue work done
our own hearts God we
feel the effects of a
broken world we see it
in ourselves we see it in
our relationships we see
it all around us
Father for those of us
that are Christians we
start off saying thank
you praise you God all
glory to you for moving
into our world God thank
you God that you sent
your son Jesus thank you
Jesus for sending the
Holy Spirit to come and
rescue us and change us
but God like Isaiah we
hear you saying whom will
I send Father we want to
respond and saying here we
are send us God include
us in your rescue plan
include us in your plan
to redeem and reconcile
this broken world
Father if we honest as
Chris was saying earlier
so often we don't do this
because of all sorts of
things in our lives it's
not because of lack of
information we know the
gospel it's not because of
lack of opportunities it's
God because our hearts are
often turned in on
ourselves
Father we want to come
before you this morning in
repentance we want to say
we're sorry God
we're sorry for the many
times we've lived for
ourselves rather than you
we're sorry God for the
many times we've lived for
our own glory rather than
you
God where we've received
your extravagant blessing
but haven't wanted to be a
blessing to others because
it's uncomfortable
Father forgive us we pray
but don't just forgive us
change us God
God send us out as a light
to this nation
to this great city
and to the nations of the
world
Father I pray for businessmen
and businesswomen here God
that as we go from Hong Kong
maybe this week as you send
us out to the cities across
Asia
Singapore and Japan and
Indonesia wherever we go
God may we go with a
sense of your commissioning
it's not just our
companies that's sending us
you sending us to be a
light to the nations
use us we pray Father
Father have your way in us
we pray
Amen