The Four-Fold Commission: Are You Living as a Sent One?

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Are you all ready to lift up the name of Jesus in this place today?
[00:00:04] Come on, can somebody shout Jesus?

[00:01:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Let me see you put your hands together
[00:01:57] In the world of the Lord
[00:02:41] Come on!
[00:02:51] Come on!

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
All noise dies out Lord speak to me now You have all my attention I will linger and listen I can't miss a thing
[00:06:42] Lord, I know my heart wants more of you.

[00:06:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
My heart wants something new, so I surrender all.
[00:07:01] All I want is to live within your love, be undone by

[00:07:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
From my fears into the wind I am desperate for a touch of heaven

[00:08:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Let us pray.
[00:09:24] I open up my heart to you I open up my heart to you now So do what only you can
[00:09:47] Jesus have Your way in me now I open up my heart to You I open up my heart to You Do what only You can do Jesus have Your way
[00:11:46] My heart wants more of you My heart wants something new So I surrender all My heart wants more of you My heart wants something new So I surrender all I surrender all
[00:12:36] I surrender, I surrender My heart wants more My heart wants something new So I surrender, I surrender

[00:13:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Something else, surrender all, and all I, is to live within your love, be undone by you, my desire.

[00:13:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Come on worship it, worship it, worship it.
[00:14:12] And there's no one like my God No hay nadie como mi Dios No hay nadie No hay nadie No hay nadie I need the all I need Thee
[00:14:42] Oh every hour I need Thee Oh bless me now my Savior I come
[00:15:09] Come on, sing it again.
[00:15:22] We sing, I need Thee, oh, I need Thee Every hour I need Thee
[00:15:33] I'll say it all, I'll come true to Thee

[00:16:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
I am an instrument of exaltation And I was born to lift your name above all names You hear the melody of all creation But there's a song of praise that only I can bring

[00:16:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Who else is worthy?

[00:17:04] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
There is no one, only you Jesus Who else is worthy?
[00:17:06] There is no one, only you Jesus

[00:18:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
You're the Lamb of God, the anointed one You're the Lamb of God, the anointed one You're the Lamb of God, the anointed one Who was and is and needs to come

[00:19:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Come on TC, I know you can sing a little louder.

[00:19:23] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Come on.
[00:19:23] You proved to us the Father's love.
[00:19:24] And we sing hope.
[00:20:07] Rejoice!
[00:20:10] Rejoice!

[00:20:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
The Lamb of God anointed one Who was and is and is to come Seated on the throne of the Holy One
[00:22:25] Holy is the Lamb Oh worthy is the Lamb Holy is the Lamb Holy is the Lamb Oh righteous is the Lamb Oh righteous is the Lamb Oh faithful is the Lamb
[00:22:53] What faithful is the Lamb Him worthy is the Lamb The worthy is the Lamb The worthy is the Lamb The worthy is the Lamb

[00:23:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Come on, if you came to worship the Lamb, if you came to worship the King, if you came to worship the Savior, give Him a shout of praise like He deserves.

[00:23:32] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
He is worthy.
[00:23:32] He is righteous.
[00:23:33] We worship Him.

[00:23:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Come on, if you could lift your hands in this place just like this.
[00:23:47] Father, we surrender.
[00:23:52] We surrender it all.
[00:23:54] All the things we went through yesterday, all the things we went through this past week.
[00:24:00] All the things that are on our minds, that consume us day after day.
[00:24:06] May you fill us with your spirit, with your glory, with your power.
[00:24:10] Your word says it's the same power that rose Jesus from the grave is alive in us.

[00:24:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Would you transform our hearts?
[00:24:20] Transform our minds?
[00:24:24] We thank you for all that you've already done and all that you're about to do.
[00:24:30] We pray this in your powerful, mighty name.
[00:24:33] And everybody at TC said, come on, give them one last shout of praise.

[00:24:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Amen.
[00:24:43] You may be seated.
[00:24:44] Can we give it up for our team for leading us to worship through music today?
[00:24:50] It is so glad to see each and every one of you.
[00:24:52] My name is Paul Allen.
[00:24:53] I'm one of the elder pastors here.
[00:24:55] And I want to say thank you for being here with us today.
[00:24:58] If this is your first time with us, we want to say a special thank you to you for being here with us today.
[00:25:03] And we want to make sure to know about your time here.
[00:25:06] So if you would take the connection card on your worship guide, or there's a connection card in the seat back in front of you, fill that out.
[00:25:13] And at the end of the service, take it into the lobby to the Next Step area.
[00:25:18] Meet one of our team members and they have a special gift for you.
[00:25:21] And that's a copy of Pastor Derwin's book, The Good Life.
[00:25:24] And that's our way of saying thank you for joining us today and being a part of our service.
[00:25:29] For everyone else, if you want to connect, if you have questions about TC, you want to know your next step, you're looking for a place to serve, you're looking to be baptized or to be a part of a group, fill out that connection card as well and you can talk to some of our folks at the Next Steps area.
[00:25:44] So thank you for doing that.
[00:25:46] Well, this is our time that we continue our worship through generosity.
[00:25:50] Here at TC, we believe that generosity is an act of worship and an act of obedience.
[00:25:56] And we are so thankful that many of you Transformers are being faithful in your giving and your generosity.
[00:26:02] But I also want to encourage us during this season that this is a season that everybody's looking at buying gifts for different people, having different things to do, that the reason we celebrate this time of year is because God gave His first and best for us through His Son Jesus.
[00:26:19] and that each one of us as Christ followers can be examples of that word outflowing of what he did so I challenge and encourage us to give our first and best as well and if you've not done that yet and it's this season time take that step of obedience take that step of worship and see what God will do in your life today
[00:26:40] Another opportunity to be generous is through our Rollout Hope, and our Rollout Hope is a time that we provide for families who otherwise would not be able to celebrate Christmas.
[00:26:50] And so many of you have been faithful in that, and I want to remind you that today is the last day
[00:26:56] to pick up a gift for someone for Rollout Hope.
[00:26:59] So again, at the end of the service, go to the lobby to one of our Rollout Hope areas and pick up one of those cards so you can provide Christmas for someone who otherwise would not be able to have that.
[00:27:11] Now, there's several ways you can give here today.
[00:27:13] You can give through the app, you can give online, or you can give in one of the generosity boxes on your way out.
[00:27:19] Well, we have a special message now from Pastor Derwin and Vicki, so let's check it out.

[00:27:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Hey, what's happening, Transformation Church family?
[00:27:28] This is Pastor Derwin, and this is Vicki, and she has an announcement.

[00:27:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Hey, Transformers, yes, December 14th, as a reminder, is All Give Sunday.
[00:27:38] We are praying for 100% participation for the entire TC community.
[00:27:45] Also, something fun we're going to do is we're all going to wear red just as a show of unity that we are expressing our thanks and gratitude back to God for everything He's done for us.

[00:27:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
That's right, all give Sunday, December 14th.
[00:27:59] And this Sunday, we got a special guest, the one and only Ed Stetzer.
[00:28:03] I'll call him Ed Lover.
[00:28:05] He is the Dean of the Talbot Seminary at Biola University.
[00:28:09] He is my homie.
[00:28:10] Hey, Transformation Church, let's give a big TC welcome to the one and only Dr. Ed Stetzer.

[00:28:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
You know, I tell you what, I've been here a few times, you never know what the introductions are going to sound like from your pastor.
[00:28:26] So, but it's good to be here, good to be back, and glad to be here today.
[00:28:29] You know, Pastor Durbin and I have actually been, the last year we've spoken at I think about five or six events together, and we just both happened to be invited to them, and a couple of them were doing the sessions together.
[00:28:40] and we've talked to over 10,000 pastors and church leaders in the last several months almost last year and so I know that Pastor Derwin and Vicki are a great blessing to your congregation but I want to just let you know that they're blessing actually thousands of congregations around the world and I hope you're yeah there you go there you go
[00:28:59] So, and I appreciate it so much.
[00:29:00] This is an interesting season that we're in.
[00:29:02] We're going to be looking at the commissions of Jesus, but it's a really pertinent time to look at the commissions of Jesus because we're about to go into December.
[00:29:10] We're in a really culturally significant moment.
[00:29:12] So we're going to look at the four commissions of Jesus today.
[00:29:15] I'm going to talk about
[00:29:16] Our neighbors and the nations and how we join Jesus on mission in the world.
[00:29:21] So if you have a Bible, take it out, open it up to John chapter 20.
[00:29:25] If you want to take one out and turn one on, you can do that as well.
[00:29:28] And we're going to look at four commissions that Jesus gives.
[00:29:31] We're going to look at them chronologically.
[00:29:33] Jesus gives them in this chronological order.
[00:29:36] And our desire is to kind of draw one major truth out of each of the four commissions of Jesus to encourage you.
[00:29:43] Now, I want to tell you, I told you it's a strange cultural moment that we're in.
[00:29:47] I don't know if you noticed, but the world's kind of confused, turbulent, tumultuous.
[00:29:52] It's culturally convulsive all around us, and we see that all around the world.
[00:29:57] And what's also interesting, though, is someone who does research in religion, you know, research in the trends in Christianity,
[00:30:04] We're actually at a time and a season that's unlike anything I've seen in the data that I've worked with for over 20 years.
[00:30:11] Some people are saying, is there a revival?
[00:30:12] Now, I don't think there's a revival.
[00:30:14] When you're asking, is there a revival, there's not yet a revival.
[00:30:18] When there's a revival, you'll know.
[00:30:20] because it'll be seen in all of our churches and impacted but there's definitely something going on in culture that's unlike anything we've seen in most of your lifetime.
[00:30:30] I wrote an article on Easter Sunday.
[00:30:32] There were two articles in major newspapers on Easter Sunday.
[00:30:35] One was in the New York Times and it was entitled America Wants a God which launched their series looking at the renewed interest in religion in America.
[00:30:44] And then I wrote the article in USA Today, which took a similar tack.
[00:30:48] Of course, I didn't know they were writing this.
[00:30:49] But I kind of looked at some of the trends that are pointing to an increased interest in spiritual matters and issues.
[00:30:57] In that case, particularly among Gen Z men, but across the board as well.
[00:31:02] So then we have been tracking the data and in September we actually saw increased movement, actually now with some church attendance numbers, increased interest in spiritual things.
[00:31:13] So I wrote another article in USA Today about that in September.
[00:31:16] But here's what I want you to hear.
[00:31:19] The data is pointing to the fact that we may be in the most receptive time spiritually in most of our lifetimes.
[00:31:25] But here's part of the reason why.
[00:31:27] The world's not working for people.
[00:31:28] Jesus, in the midst of shifting sands, Jesus is the rock upon which we can stand.
[00:31:34] So we know that to be true.
[00:31:36] Now, I say all that to say this may be the most receptive time in most of our lifetime.
[00:31:40] Simultaneously,
[00:31:42] I'm quoting some statistics, right?
[00:31:44] I love stats.
[00:31:45] Let's bring the energy up with more stats.
[00:31:47] I know that's what you're thinking.
[00:31:48] Give us more stats, right?
[00:31:51] But I used to run a research company called Lifeway Research, and we found that this time of year, 47% of people
[00:31:59] Say they're more open to an invitation to church in the holidays than any other time of the year.
[00:32:03] And it's the highest time that people are open.
[00:32:06] So, big picture, we are in the most receptive month of the year in what may be the most receptive time in your lifetime.
[00:32:14] What a great time to talk about Jesus sending us on mission in the world.
[00:32:17] Amen?
[00:32:18] All right, let's do it.
[00:32:18] So we're going to look at four commissions.
[00:32:20] I'm going to build a sentence.
[00:32:21] My sermon's a sentence.
[00:32:22] Here's the sentence.
[00:32:23] We are sent to all different kinds of people with a message empowered by the Spirit.
[00:32:28] Those are the four points to my message.
[00:32:30] We're going to walk through them together.
[00:32:31] If you're a note taker, we actually make that easy for you.
[00:32:34] You can follow along in the program.
[00:32:36] and follow along in the notes that are there so whether you're watching online we're glad you're here whether you're in our Fort Wiley location or here I want to invite you to follow along with us or type notes if you want to do that you're watching online as well so number one on our outline is we are sent we would you say that out loud with me it's on your screen ready we are sent
[00:32:58] Now I want to start there because that's the first commission that Jesus gives.
[00:33:02] It's actually in John chapter 20.
[00:33:05] And in John chapter 20, Jesus has appeared to the disciples behind locked doors.
[00:33:10] They were hiding in fear of the Jewish leaders.
[00:33:13] This is the day of the resurrection.
[00:33:15] So it's Easter Sunday night.
[00:33:16] They're hiding away.
[00:33:18] Jesus appears to them, shows them his hands on his side, tells them, Peace be with you.
[00:33:23] And then we pick up the story in John chapter 20, verse 21, where it says this.
[00:33:29] It says, Jesus said to them again,
[00:33:31] Peace be with you.
[00:33:32] Second time he says it.
[00:33:33] And then he says, As the Father has sent me, I also send you.
[00:33:38] Now I want you to see that.
[00:33:39] I want you to look at that closely because it's a real key thing for us understanding who we are in Christ.
[00:33:46] Because again, we're a lot of things in Christ.
[00:33:47] We're forgiven, you know, we're sons and daughters of the King, we have new life, we're born again for eternal life.
[00:33:53] There's so many things we have as Christians, but one of the part of our identity is we are the sent people of God.
[00:34:01] If you're a follower of Jesus, you're part of the sent people of God.
[00:34:07] Not only that, so Jesus says, he sends us right here, he says, I also send you.
[00:34:12] But it's worth noting, he says before that, as the Father has sent me.
[00:34:16] Now I don't want you to miss this, because 40 times in the Gospel of John, Jesus identifies himself as sent by the Father.
[00:34:25] The Father sent me for this, I've been sent by the Father to do.
[00:34:28] And 40 times, so after saying he is sent, God the Father has sent God the Son, Jesus,
[00:34:35] Jesus has said he sent 40 times at the end of the Gospel of John.
[00:34:39] He then says to his disciples, as the Father has sent me, I also send you.
[00:34:47] So here's what that means.
[00:34:48] This is not the apostles.
[00:34:49] The apostles have been sent by Jesus in prior times in the Gospels, but this is all of the disciples in a room.
[00:34:56] So there's the apostles there and there's regular people doing regular jobs and just normal folks who follow Jesus.
[00:35:03] Jesus appears to them and says to normal disciples 2,000 years ago, as the Father has sent me, I also send you.
[00:35:13] So why is that important?
[00:35:14] Because 2,000 years later we're gathered in rooms as normal disciples and the words of Jesus are still true.
[00:35:20] As the Father has sent Jesus, Jesus has sent us.
[00:35:24] So if you're a follower of Jesus, you are sent on mission by Jesus into the world.
[00:35:30] Now this is important because it defines part of our identity.
[00:35:34] There's a very famous preacher, I'm actually going from here, later next week I'll be in England, and so I've got British things on the brain, but there's a very famous English preacher by the name of Charles Spurgeon, and he described the principle in this verse this way, he said, every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.
[00:35:55] Pretty strong, huh?
[00:35:56] Now, I would actually say it a little differently, but I would say every Christian is on mission or an imposter.
[00:36:03] Missionaries, we think of people, and I think rightly so, who cross cultures, who go to other places to plant churches or do missions work.
[00:36:12] But again, every Christian is on mission or not living into their full identity in Christ.
[00:36:18] Now, why does that matter?
[00:36:20] So at the end of the day, being faithful to what this text says, we have to focus on our lives as being sent.
[00:36:28] We are the sent people of God.
[00:36:31] You say, and I thought only missionaries were sent.
[00:36:33] Well, missionaries are sent, but so are Christians.
[00:36:36] This verse says we're all sent.
[00:36:39] And part of that's because God is a sender by his very nature.
[00:36:42] In the Old Testament, God sends Abram, later Abraham, blessed to be a blessing.
[00:36:47] We see throughout the pages of Scripture, God sending over and over again.
[00:36:52] We see Isaiah is sent.
[00:36:54] And Isaiah actually responds this way, he says, Here am I, send me.
[00:36:59] Here am I, send me.
[00:37:01] God sends Jonah.
[00:37:02] We see over and over again, God sends because he is a sender.
[00:37:09] So that's the call for all of us.
[00:37:11] Now, we're sent, but we're sent in the most open, receptive time and perhaps the most open and receptive month.
[00:37:18] What an opportunity for us to lean in on this reality.
[00:37:22] I don't know if you know, but Pastor Derwin, he used to play football.
[00:37:25] Does he?
[00:37:26] Do you know that?
[00:37:27] Did you know that?
[00:37:28] Yeah.
[00:37:28] I don't know if you heard that.
[00:37:29] I didn't know that.
[00:37:30] Did you share that?
[00:37:31] Do you share that with them?
[00:37:31] Okay.
[00:37:32] I never shared with you before today that I actually played football in high school because I was like eighth or ninth grade but I joined the team and I guess the rule was that everyone's got to play once in the season so that came my time.
[00:37:49] I think the team was ahead.
[00:37:50] My team was ahead like 70 points.
[00:37:52] And so, so far ahead.
[00:37:54] So they put me in.
[00:37:55] They called me in.
[00:37:56] They sent me in, Pastor Derwin.
[00:37:59] They said, Ed!
[00:38:00] And I ran out there and they put me in as nose guard.
[00:38:03] That's the guy who faces the center, Derwin.
[00:38:05] That's the guy right there.
[00:38:09] So I'm ready to go, right?
[00:38:11] And the coach sends me in, right?
[00:38:13] And I'm so super excited.
[00:38:14] I'm going to prove myself to the coach this day.
[00:38:17] I'm going to fulfill the mission.
[00:38:19] So I run up to there and I get right in the center.
[00:38:21] He's like an ox.
[00:38:22] I mean, I've never seen somebody this big.
[00:38:25] That's all right.
[00:38:26] I've seen other people do it.
[00:38:27] I can do it.
[00:38:27] So I heard him say hut or hike or whatever sports ball people say.
[00:38:31] I don't really...
[00:38:32] I don't really know.
[00:38:33] I know we were going for the Stanley Cup that day, but I don't know what actually happened.
[00:38:37] So I said, hut!
[00:38:38] Hike!
[00:38:39] And I heard that sound, and then the next thing I remember is waking up with my coach standing over me, and he said, Ed, good job.
[00:38:50] Sent me to the locker room, and I never played football again after that.
[00:38:54] So one play, one play could change your life, and it did for me.
[00:38:59] Here's the thing, right?
[00:39:00] So I was sent in, ready to go, but I was not in the right, I was not the right person for that.
[00:39:07] This little skinny Ed Stetzer wasn't gonna do much.
[00:39:10] But as followers of Jesus, we're actually been born again, changed by the power of the gospel, filled with the Holy Spirit, and then sent on a mission that we don't fulfill in our own might, but in the power of the Holy Spirit, which is where we will end this message today.
[00:39:24] So number one, we are sent.
[00:39:27] Number two is to all different kinds of people.
[00:39:31] We're sent to all different kinds of people.
[00:39:34] Now, I want you not to miss this.
[00:39:35] This is actually what's called the Great Commission.
[00:39:39] Remember, we're going through the four commissions of Jesus in chronological order.
[00:39:43] Number one is we are sent.
[00:39:44] That's John 20, 21.
[00:39:45] It emphasized the sentness of us as disciples.
[00:39:49] Number two emphasized that we're going to all different kinds of people.
[00:39:53] Here's what it says.
[00:39:54] It says, Jesus came near and said to them, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
[00:40:00] By the way, at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew records Jesus being taken up to a high pinnacle and Satan saying, if you worship me, you can have all this.
[00:40:09] At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus reminds people who's who.
[00:40:13] He says, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
[00:40:16] Go therefore and make disciples.
[00:40:20] Now it's important that you know that this phrase, there's only one primary verb in the Great Commission.
[00:40:25] It's make disciples.
[00:40:27] It's what we call in the Greek an aorist participle.
[00:40:30] Go make disciples might be how we translate.
[00:40:32] Go make disciples.
[00:40:33] So partly it's as you're going, but also go to other places you might not be planning to go.
[00:40:38] So go therefore and make disciples of all nations.
[00:40:43] Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:40:46] So the church and its role in baptism and the Lord's Supper is all mentioned in this context.
[00:40:51] Teaching them to observe everything I commanded you.
[00:40:55] And then this promise is beautiful.
[00:40:57] And remember, I'm with you always to the end of the age.
[00:41:01] Now, I want to focus in specifically, it says, go therefore and make disciples, right?
[00:41:06] Remember, the central verb is make disciples.
[00:41:09] And then it says, of all nations.
[00:41:12] So let's look at two parts of that.
[00:41:14] First, let's look at the make disciples part.
[00:41:16] Go therefore and make disciples.
[00:41:17] So that's the commission, the great commission, central verb is to make disciples.
[00:41:22] So 2000 years ago, somebody heard that and they made a disciple and they made a disciple and they told someone and they told someone and eventually 2000 years later, somebody told you.
[00:41:33] If you're a follower of Jesus, you're a follower of Jesus because somebody told you.
[00:41:37] And there's been a great commission highway that goes back 2000 years of making disciples, of making disciples, of making disciples.
[00:41:44] So, let me talk about that just a bit.
[00:41:47] Donna, my wife, is here today, and so always great to have her there.
[00:41:51] I expected a little more enthusiasm.
[00:41:52] Let me give that again.
[00:41:53] Donna's here.
[00:41:53] Donna's here.
[00:41:54] Exactly.
[00:41:56] Donna's here.
[00:41:57] That's right.
[00:41:57] You are more blessed than you have ever been until this moment.
[00:42:02] So, Donna and I, one day, we were living in Chicago at the time, and man, Chicago's cold.
[00:42:07] Chicago's colder, sometimes it's colder than a legalist's heart.
[00:42:12] and that's gold.
[00:42:13] And if that offends you, you need to do a little soul searching.
[00:42:15] But anyway, so one day I was speaking at an event in Fort Lauderdale, it was in February, and so Donna's like, Fort Lauderdale, February, Chicago, I wanna go with you.
[00:42:23] So we called the Uber and picked us up and the Uber driver came up, her name was Jane, it said so on the app.
[00:42:31] She greeted me and she had my name, my name was Ed.
[00:42:34] She said, come on in, and I introduced Donna, and Jane said, you know, if you need any electrical cords, I got plugs.
[00:42:41] If you want any water, they're behind the seat, and take anything you want from between the seats.
[00:42:45] And between the seats was a strategically placed basket filled with candy and kind of an obviously placed New Testament of the Bible.
[00:42:58] So I knew something was about to be afoot.
[00:43:01] Now Donna and I, next August, Donna and I will have been married 40 years.
[00:43:09] Very godly woman, that Donna, that's her, very patient.
[00:43:13] But we have been married for a few decades, maybe more than three decades at that point.
[00:43:17] So once you've been married about 30 years, you actually have the ability to have entire conversations without using your vocal cords, just with your eyebrows.
[00:43:29] So when Jane said, take anything you want, and there was the Bible was right there, my left eyebrow, she was sitting over here, so my left eyebrow looked at Donna and said, hey,
[00:43:39] Let's have a little fun with this and not tell her what we do.
[00:43:43] Because at the time I was leading the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, which Billy Graham was the most famous graduate of Wheaton College as a center that studies evangelism there.
[00:43:51] So I literally teach evangelism at the graduate level.
[00:43:54] So my eyebrow, without any communication, said, let's have a little mischievous fun with this.
[00:44:00] And Donna's eyebrow responded, okay, but I've known you for 40 years, don't take this too far.
[00:44:07] The eyebrows.
[00:44:07] Give me a kid.
[00:44:08] So I said, okay.
[00:44:09] So Jane starts saying, so where are you from?
[00:44:12] And I'm from outside New York City.
[00:44:14] Donna grew up in Canada and talked about, you know, you have kids with three amazing daughters, three great daughters.
[00:44:20] And then she asked, well, what brought you to town?
[00:44:23] I said, well, my job.
[00:44:24] But I had to change the subject quickly so she couldn't ask what I did.
[00:44:27] So I said, well, I'm a teacher.
[00:44:28] She asked, what's your job?
[00:44:29] I said, I'm a teacher.
[00:44:30] What do you do?
[00:44:31] I found out she's a realtor and she drives Uber during the cold months in Chicago.
[00:44:37] No one's buying houses in Chicago in February.
[00:44:40] But eventually she got to the place.
[00:44:42] I mean, we talked for 10 minutes and I kept dodging the questions without being dishonest or anything.
[00:44:48] But then she actually asked the question, she says, well, do you guys have any like religious upbringing or spiritual beliefs?
[00:44:56] And Donna's eyebrow said to me, you have to tell her, you can't keep this up anymore.
[00:45:01] I listened to Donna's eyebrow and I said, Jane, yes, yes, we're Christians, Jane.
[00:45:07] Actually, I'm a professor of evangelism, Jane, and you are doing so great right now.
[00:45:14] You're killing it.
[00:45:16] And she was.
[00:45:17] And she laughed, and we laughed, and I said, can I record an interview with you?
[00:45:20] And I did.
[00:45:21] And you can actually, if you Google Jane the Uber driver, it kind of went viral.
[00:45:25] Because Jane actually, she works real estate, right?
[00:45:29] But she would drive Uber during slow months in real estate so she could meet people and tell them about Jesus.
[00:45:37] Isn't that amazing?
[00:45:38] Isn't that amazing?
[00:45:39] So here's the thing I don't want you to miss, right?
[00:45:41] So Jane was driving the highway, but she was on a Great Commission highway that goes back 2,000 years.
[00:45:45] Somebody told somebody who told somebody who told Jane, and then Jane is finding time in her calendar and her schedule to tell other people about Jesus.
[00:45:54] And what I'm saying to you is if it's true that we live
[00:45:57] In the most receptive time in our lifetime, and statistically it looks like it, and December is the most receptive month for a church invitation, is there no better time for you to live on mission, to show and share the love of Jesus, and to not, if there's a Great Commission Highway that goes back 2,000 years, don't let your December be a cul-de-sac on God's Great Commission Highway.
[00:46:22] So, make disciples.
[00:46:24] Go make disciples.
[00:46:25] And then it says, of all nations.
[00:46:27] Now here's the thing.
[00:46:28] When Jesus said to make disciples of all nations, he didn't mean of all nations.
[00:46:32] I know that sounds like, who are you, this guy you're inviting to church that doesn't believe Jesus mean what he said.
[00:46:37] If I were to ask you to shout out the names of nations, you would, and you're a diverse church, so someone might shout out, someone might shout out India, someone might shout out Brazil, someone might shout out Angola, because we come from different nations, and we think of nations as countries.
[00:46:53] But 2,000 years ago, nobody thought of a country when Jesus said nations.
[00:46:58] In the Greek, it's panta ta ethne.
[00:47:00] Would you say that with me?
[00:47:01] Panta ta ethne.
[00:47:03] One more time.
[00:47:04] Panta ta ethne.
[00:47:06] Ethne comes from the same root word in English as ethnic.
[00:47:11] And so what the disciples would have heard is Gentiles.
[00:47:13] Like they would have heard, go to all the different kinds of Gentiles.
[00:47:17] And I love that because here's the reality.
[00:47:20] 2,000 years later, we're still called to go to
[00:47:22] all different kinds of people and represented in this church is a wonderful expression of that revelation chapter 7 vision of all different kinds of people where there are men and women from every tongue tribe and nation so still 2 000 years later we're still called to go to people like us and unlike us to go to the patata ethne sometimes that includes missionaries to the pokat in africa or the quechua in the highlands of peru
[00:47:48] and sometimes it means engaging my neighbor who's like me or unlike me but in all cases is to go to all different kinds of peoples.
[00:47:56] And this church is a beautiful picture of that.
[00:48:00] You know your pastor and your church have influenced a lot of us to think more deeply about the multi-ethnic church.
[00:48:05] I'm of the view, man, if you don't like a multi-ethnic church you're really gonna hate heaven.
[00:48:11] It's gonna be hard for you.
[00:48:13] But here's the thing.
[00:48:14] The inbreaking of the kingdom of God.
[00:48:16] Part of the mystery of the gospel itself is actually contained when men and women from different cultures and contexts come together in one body of Christ.
[00:48:23] So Jesus says to go and make disciples of all nations.
[00:48:29] And for us, that's our call.
[00:48:31] And what I want to exhort you to is to not let your life be a cul-de-sac on God's Great Commission Highway.
[00:48:38] Number three.
[00:48:38] Number one, we are sent.
[00:48:39] Number two, to all different kinds of people.
[00:48:42] Number three, with a message.
[00:48:46] Now these are four commissions given in chronological order.
[00:48:48] Luke actually records two of them.
[00:48:50] Luke and then Luke writes the book of Acts, we'll get to in just a minute.
[00:48:53] But here's what Luke writes about the message of the commissions.
[00:48:57] He says, he, Jesus, also said to them, the disciples, this is what is written.
[00:49:03] The Messiah, some translations say Christ, you use the CSB, it's my favorite translation, it says the Messiah, that's a more Jewish translation, the Jewish Messiah.
[00:49:11] The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.
[00:49:17] That's the gospel, that's the gospel.
[00:49:19] The Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.
[00:49:22] I want you to hear this, right?
[00:49:24] If you're at our Lake Wiley location, if you're here, if you're watching online and you're not a Christian, we are glad you're here.
[00:49:30] You are welcome here.
[00:49:32] Maybe you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
[00:49:34] Maybe you got in a big fight with your family and you're here saying, I need a little God in my life.
[00:49:39] Okay, but here's what I want you not to miss, right?
[00:49:42] The message we have for you at Transformation Church is not try harder or be religious.
[00:49:48] It's not come to church to turn over a new leaf and be a better person.
[00:49:51] The Christian life is not about turning over a new leaf, it's about receiving new life.
[00:49:57] I want you not to miss that.
[00:49:59] So the gospel is not what you do, the gospel is what Jesus did, and this is what Jesus did.
[00:50:05] The Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.
[00:50:10] And, the next word is and, repentance for forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem.
[00:50:19] You are witnesses of these things.
[00:50:22] The Messiah suffer and rise from the dead.
[00:50:25] That's what Jesus did.
[00:50:26] God raised him from the dead.
[00:50:28] And repentance for forgiveness of sins being proclaimed.
[00:50:32] That's the message.
[00:50:34] So if you're a Christian, that's the message you proclaim.
[00:50:37] If you're a non-Christian, we're super glad you're here.
[00:50:40] That's the message you receive.
[00:50:43] And I want you not to miss this.
[00:50:44] At the end of the message, I'm actually going to invite you to receive.
[00:50:47] By grace and through faith, new life in Christ.
[00:50:50] And if you're not a follower of Jesus or you're not sure, you can say to him, Lord, forgive me of my sins.
[00:50:55] I repent.
[00:50:56] It means to make a 180.
[00:50:57] It means to make a change of direction.
[00:50:59] I'm going to not go my way.
[00:51:00] I'm going to go your way and receive forgiveness of sins and new life in Christ.
[00:51:06] Now for us, it's also a call to share the gospel in the most receptive month and perhaps the most receptive time in our lifetime.
[00:51:14] But I want us to forget that.
[00:51:15] We get very busy at Christmas.
[00:51:17] Now, I'm actually here.
[00:51:18] I've spent the entire Thanksgiving holidays in Charlotte.
[00:51:22] It's a wonderful place to be.
[00:51:24] My daughter lives here.
[00:51:26] My brother lives here.
[00:51:27] My brother's in law enforcement, so if you know his name, that might not be a good sign.
[00:51:31] So we've had all Thanksgiving, and I've been there with Donna, who's here, my three daughters, my mom, my brother, his wife, my sister-in-law.
[00:51:41] We've been all together, and I've been with my girls, my daughters for
[00:51:45] Four days, and I love them so much, but they have so many words.
[00:51:52] A lot of words.
[00:51:53] I love them so much.
[00:51:54] Like, I have a tattoo here.
[00:51:55] People always ask me what my tattoos are.
[00:51:57] So this is my wedding ring, and this is a turtle.
[00:51:59] And the reason I have a turtle is that my daughters and I, and Donna, we all have matching turtles.
[00:52:03] They don't have it on their fingers.
[00:52:04] They got it on, like, their ankles.
[00:52:05] But since they were little, we call them the herd of turtles, because, you know, three little girls trying to get ready for anything was like a herd of turtles.
[00:52:11] And what pastor 30 years ago would get up and talk about having matching tattoos with his daughters?
[00:52:16] But here we are.
[00:52:16] Derwin, you invited me to church and I'm a bad influence on some of these people.
[00:52:20] I'm a bad influence.
[00:52:22] But I love my daughters.
[00:52:23] My oldest daughter, when she, this was maybe 10, 15 years ago, I remember I was in our house and I had to tell her something.
[00:52:29] It was important, not urgent, but I went up the stairs with, I'm kind of a big guy, so she could hear me going up the stairs.
[00:52:34] And I went down the hall to her room.
[00:52:36] And by the time I got to her room, she was at the door and she opened the door and said, yes, dad?
[00:52:41] It kind of startled me.
[00:52:42] And I forgot why I was there.
[00:52:47] This has happened more frequently as I've gotten older, but I'm standing in front of her door and she says, yes, dad.
[00:52:52] And I just, I just said, I just came to tell you, I love you.
[00:52:54] And she totally bought it.
[00:52:55] So that's good.
[00:52:57] I mean, I do love her, but, but so, but here's the thing.
[00:52:59] You don't want to be on a mission and forget the message.
[00:53:03] and Christmastime is about Jesus coming to earth.
[00:53:06] God the Father sends God the Son, born Jesus the Christ, lives a sinless life, dies on the cross for our sin and in our place and then at Christmastime we get so busy with everything else you don't want to be on a mission and forget the message and the message is repentance for forgiveness of sins.
[00:53:23] and we may be in the most receptive time in your lifetime this is the most receptive month of the year and here's the crazy thing if you start bringing people to Christmas and they sing some Christmas carols some of them are so rich with the gospel they're going to be singing about repentance and forgiveness of sins thinking they're Christmas carols and singing the gospel to themselves
[00:53:44] The most receptive time in our lifetime, probably.
[00:53:47] Certainly the most receptive month.
[00:53:49] And the opportunity for us is to go with a message.
[00:53:53] At the cross, sin is paid for, but repentance is called for.
[00:53:59] So for us, we want to recognize that we're sent, right?
[00:54:01] We're sent in this cultural moment.
[00:54:03] We didn't pick the moment we're in.
[00:54:04] We're sent in this cultural moment to all different kinds of people with a message.
[00:54:08] Number four, and finally, empowered by the Spirit.
[00:54:11] I'll close with this.
[00:54:13] You know what it means when a guest speaker says, I'll close with this?
[00:54:16] Absolutely nothing.
[00:54:17] Just nothing.
[00:54:18] So, because what are you going to do?
[00:54:20] It's the last service.
[00:54:20] Did you pack a lunch?
[00:54:21] I hope you packed a lunch.
[00:54:22] I'm just kidding.
[00:54:24] Number four is empowered by the Holy Spirit.
[00:54:29] Now this is the key.
[00:54:29] If we're gonna live on mission, if we're gonna live sent to all different kinds of people with a message, all that's counter to the values of the world.
[00:54:37] We need the power of the Holy Spirit.
[00:54:39] Let's look at Acts chapter one.
[00:54:41] If you've not turned to any Bibles verses yet, turn to this one because I'm gonna read a paraphrase of verse six.
[00:54:48] So just turn there to Acts chapter 1.
[00:54:50] And in Acts chapter 1, it says, this is my paraphrase of verse 6, it says, So when the disciples had come together, they asked Jesus, Lord, have you read the latest installment of the Left Behind series?
[00:55:07] Now, if you know what that is, that's a series of speculative fiction about the end times.
[00:55:12] People are obsessed with the end times.
[00:55:14] I got a phone call from a reporter, a major newspaper, a couple of weeks ago, about a month ago.
[00:55:18] Somebody else had a prediction that Jesus was coming back on this day.
[00:55:21] And I said, well, I can tell you for sure it's not that day.
[00:55:25] And she said, well, why do you say that day?
[00:55:26] Because nobody knows the day or the hour.
[00:55:28] So that's not the day.
[00:55:30] But I said to her, I said, I'm not sure that, I mean, you guys keep reporting these things.
[00:55:33] I think you're making news.
[00:55:34] I think it's rather fringy.
[00:55:35] But I do know that people love the end times.
[00:55:38] You can fill up a church.
[00:55:40] About the end times, right?
[00:55:42] Nancy Ortberg once said this about the end times.
[00:55:44] She said, if you want to fill up a crowd of young adults, she said specifically, you preach on three topics.
[00:55:48] Number one is sex.
[00:55:50] Number two is the end times.
[00:55:51] And number three is, will there be sex in the end times?
[00:55:54] So those are the...
[00:55:56] I hope that didn't offend you.
[00:55:57] I'm sorry.
[00:55:59] Nancy Ortberg, not me.
[00:56:02] Here's the thing.
[00:56:02] 2,000 years ago, they wanted to know.
[00:56:04] Here's what they actually said.
[00:56:05] They said, Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel?
[00:56:08] In other words, is this the end times?
[00:56:09] Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel?
[00:56:12] Jesus' response to their quick question, is this it, is this the end, might be helpful for us 2,000 years later.
[00:56:18] Jesus says, it's not for you to know.
[00:56:19] The times are the periods the Father has set by his own authority.
[00:56:23] You're not on the time and date committee.
[00:56:26] You're on the welcoming committee.
[00:56:27] They want to talk about the end times.
[00:56:29] Jesus then says, but you'll receive power and the Holy Spirit will come upon you and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
[00:56:41] So my paraphrase was silly.
[00:56:43] I call that the Ed Stetzer version, the ESV.
[00:56:47] It's a silly paraphrase.
[00:56:49] But when they wouldn't ask about the end time, Jesus sent them on mission 2,000 years later.
[00:56:53] By the way, the Bible says that since Jesus' resurrection, we're living in the end times.
[00:56:59] It's been a long end times, but we're living in the end times right now.
[00:57:03] So what do we do?
[00:57:03] You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.
[00:57:10] So my question for you today is, how will you live in what is perhaps the most receptive month?
[00:57:19] and perhaps the most receptive time in most of your lifetime.
[00:57:22] We might be able to go back to the late 60s, early 70s to see a more receptive time.
[00:57:26] But perhaps the most receptive time where Gen Zers are even more spiritually receptive than older generations, where people are unsure what the future holds.
[00:57:34] The sifting, shifting sands are all around them and for us on Christ the solid rock we stand.
[00:57:41] All other ground is sinking sand.
[00:57:44] So I want to invite you, if you're a follower of Jesus,
[00:57:47] to say yes to Jesus' mission afresh and anew as we enter into the most open month in what may be the most open time in your lifetime.
[00:57:56] And I want to invite you to respond to that with the words of Jesus.
[00:58:00] Hear the words of Jesus.
[00:58:00] He says, As the Father has sent me, I also send you.
[00:58:04] And what a way to respond could be the words of Isaiah.
[00:58:07] Isaiah said, Here am I, send me.
[00:58:10] Five words.
[00:58:10] Could you say those out loud with me?
[00:58:11] Let's do it.
[00:58:12] Here am I, send me.
[00:58:14] One more time.
[00:58:15] Here am I, send me.
[00:58:18] So if you're a follower of Jesus, I'm gonna invite you in prayer to respond to that.
[00:58:21] If you're not a follower of Jesus, I'm going to invite you during our time of prayer to receive by grace and through faith the good news of the gospel.
[00:58:30] To today, to receive new, everlasting, and eternal life by trusting and following Jesus.
[00:58:36] That's the message we have for you at Transformation Church.
[00:58:39] So let's take just a moment.
[00:58:40] Let's bow our heads and let's pray together.
[00:58:42] Father, we thank you.
[00:58:44] We acknowledge that by your grace,
[00:58:47] and your goodness as followers of Jesus, you've redeemed us and called us by name.
[00:58:53] If you're a follower of Jesus, just take just a moment and just acknowledge the beauty and the wonder that you are in Christ.
[00:59:02] Lord Jesus, thank you for that truth, that beautiful reality.
[00:59:06] If you're a follower of Jesus, I want you to think for just a moment, if you could, I want you to think about where you're sent.
[00:59:11] Because we're sent, the only question is where, among whom, and doing what, so maybe
[00:59:15] You're sent to your workplace.
[00:59:16] Maybe you're driving a truck.
[00:59:17] Maybe you're working at a bank.
[00:59:18] Maybe you're a homemaker.
[00:59:20] But you're sent to that context.
[00:59:21] Would you, in your mind's eye, just think about those places where you are sent?
[00:59:27] And just to think on, Lord Jesus, burden me more deeply for people and places.
[00:59:32] Maybe it's a context that's broken that needs you to go to repair in the name of Jesus.
[00:59:36] Maybe it's a person without Christ that's maybe open, or you're praying for them to be open.
[00:59:42] But as a follower of Jesus, would you just take just a moment and think in your mind's eye?
[00:59:48] Lord Jesus, as we're thinking through in this moment, I pray that you might indeed cause us to think deeply about what it means to live sent in this moment.
[00:59:59] All different kinds of people with a message empowered by the Spirit.
[01:00:03] Father, as people have something in their mind's eye, maybe a place, maybe a person, maybe a context, maybe a family member or workplace,
[01:00:11] And if that's what God's pressing on you, if that's what's in your mind's eye, maybe just pray with me the words of Isaiah.
[01:00:18] And if you don't have a place in mind, but maybe just say it generically.
[01:00:21] Just say to the Lord, you put your yes on the table, let God put it on the map.
[01:00:25] Just hear the words of Isaiah.
[01:00:26] He says, Here am I, send me.
[01:00:30] If that's a prayer of your heart, thinking about a place, a person, a situation, a context, a broken spot, would you say those five words just quietly but out loud to the Lord?
[01:00:38] Let's say them together.
[01:00:39] Here am I.
[01:00:42] Send me.
[01:00:42] Let's say it again together.
[01:00:44] Here am I.
[01:00:45] Send me.
[01:00:48] Father, thank you that we can live on mission in this broken and hurting world.
[01:00:51] Thank you that this may indeed be the most open time in our lifetimes, the most open month of the year.
[01:00:56] Help us not to let our lives be cul-de-sacs on God's Great Commission Highway.
[01:01:01] Still with your head bowed, if you're not a follower of Jesus, man, I don't want to leave today without inviting you to trust and follow Jesus as your Savior and your Lord.
[01:01:09] If you're unsure and you're uncertain, man, we want to walk that journey with you.
[01:01:12] We're going to give you ways to respond after my prayer.
[01:01:15] But right now, you can pray to the Lord.
[01:01:17] Now, this prayer of your heart, just repeat it silently to the Lord after me.
[01:01:21] Say, Lord Jesus, forgive me of my sin.
[01:01:26] Lord Jesus, I turn from my ways and I turn towards yours.
[01:01:31] I repent.
[01:01:34] I ask your forgiveness.
[01:01:36] I receive the new life you have for me in Christ.
[01:01:40] I trust you as my Savior and I follow you as my Lord.
[01:01:44] Father, I pray for those who just prayed that prayer, Lord, that as they have indeed trusted in you, they've received new life in Christ, new and everlasting life.
[01:01:54] May we be the warm family that loves them and welcomes them on their new spiritual journey.
[01:01:59] And for all of us, Lord, may we live on mission in these tumultuous and turbulent times.
[01:02:03] May we make much of Jesus.
[01:02:05] And may your name and your fame be more widely known.
[01:02:08] For it's in Jesus' name and for His sake we pray.
[01:02:11] Amen and amen.

[01:02:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Thank you so much, Dr. Ed.
[01:02:19] Before we do our soul tattoo and our action step, I want to remind those of you who prayed that prayer today that we want to celebrate that with you.
[01:02:28] So if you would, again, take your connection card, fill that information out, go to the next steps area and some of our team there will help you to know what's your next step with that part of the journey.
[01:02:37] So what is our soul tattoo today?
[01:02:40] It's in remember, you are empowered and sent.
[01:02:45] I love those four commissions.
[01:02:46] And the reality is that we don't have to go in our own strength, but we're empowered by the Holy Spirit to do that.
[01:02:52] May we do that today.
[01:02:53] And then our action step, take your next step of baptism on December 21st.
[01:02:58] We're holding our next baptism on that date and we want to encourage and challenge you.
[01:03:04] If you've made a decision to follow Christ today or before this time and you've not yet been baptized, go ahead and take that step.
[01:03:12] You can go to our website, you can register there, but it would be a great time for us to celebrate with you that decision you made to follow Christ.
[01:03:20] So that's on December 21st.
[01:03:22] I want to ask everyone to stand now.
[01:03:24] And this is our time for our benediction.
[01:03:26] And our benediction is a good word.
[01:03:28] And our good word reflects our vision.
[01:03:32] And our vision is upward, inward, outward.
[01:03:35] Upward for loving God completely.
[01:03:38] Inward for loving ourselves correctly.
[01:03:41] And outward for loving our neighbors compassionately.
[01:03:44] I point at you.
[01:03:45] You point at me.
[01:03:46] And we say, Transformers, roll out.
[01:03:49] Why?
[01:03:49] Because this is just the...
[01:03:51] And now it's time to go play the... Alright, on the count of three.
[01:03:55] One, two, three.
[01:03:57] Upward, inward, outward.
[01:04:00] Transformers, roll out.