You Were Created to Be God's Voice

Created to Be God’s Voice

Inspired by Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life"

What’s the Mission of God?
OK, we’ve worked our way from what a baby Christian looks like toward this point, when we examine the ultimate mission of God and in the process, discover the ultimate mission of our lives. Last week we talked about service and ministry and how important it is to under5stnad your assignment. This week we are going to finish our series by examining the truest indication of spiritual maturity. The call to join God in his work here on earth!

We’ve often talked about how often Jesus uses parables from nature to describe spiritual maturity and the Kingdom of God. And we’ve also talked about how trees give us a fine example of what it means to be mature. After all, how do you know when the tree is mature? It is mature when it first begins to bear fruit! And what is the fruit for? Not to make the tree look pretty, that’s for sure! The fruit is designed to drop from the tree and produce yet another tree! The tree is therefore mature when it is able to reproduce itself! and we are truly mature when we are willing and able to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and reproduce more Christians, just like ourselves! That is the heart of Evangelism and yet another reason why we were created! Let’s take a look at what God created us to do:

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

God is calling us to do more than bake in our Christianity. He is calling us to shale the world for Christ! He wants to send us! So often, though, we fail to hear him clearly when he calls us to reach out and evangelize a lost world. Maybe we’re just not familiar with the words of Jesus, maybe we’re just too distracted! But if you are at all familiar with scripture, you know that God has a heart for the Lost and he commands us to pick up his cause and carry it into our generation and into our world!

His Mission, Your Mission
Jesus lived a life of purpose, and he wants us to live that kind of life as well, in fact, he wants us to live HIS life of purpose. HIS mission is also OUR mission! Maybe you weren’t paying attention when Jesus gave us the mission, but he was he was pretty clear. If he was here right now, he’d tell you that your mission is simply a continuation of His Mission! Throughout Scripture you see this commandment to join him in the mission of God. It can be seen again and again! Take a look at Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47, Acts 1:8, and John 20:21! Over and over again God seems to be telling us the same thing! Get out there and get to work! There is very little else that gets this much repeated attention! So, what exactly is he calling us to do? Let’s just take a look at the simplest and most straight forward of these scriptures and commandments, OK?

Matthew 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit

Great Suggestion or Great Commission?
That sure sounds a lot like a commandment doesn’t it? Then why do we usually treat it like a suggestion? After all, God sure took the time to say it in enough different ways! It must not only be a commandment, but an important one at that! If Jesus was here right now, he would be telling you that His mission is the same as your mission. That’s why it is called a commission! It is something we are supposed to do together!

Your Mission is a Great Privilege
And can you imagine what an honor it is to get to work with great people on something? Wouldn’t it be great to say that you were on the team with Shaq? Wouldn’t it be great just to play for a few minutes during the season and then when it’s all over, get to wear the championship ring at the end of the playoffs? it wouldn’t even matter that you didn’t contribute much, just so you could say, “I was on the team!” It would be a PRIVILEGE, and that’s what Jesus would tell you if he was here right now! Let’s read scripture:

2 Corinthians 5:18
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation

See there are people who will work their entire lives to get the chance to represent the American People in office. We are in an election year right now and you can see how bad people want it! Some of them are motivated by the wrong attitude, but the best of them are motivated by a desire to represent us in Government! That’s why they call it the House of Representatives! What a privilege it is to have the greatest gift you can give anyone! And that is exactly what we have! We hold the cure to the greatest disease ever known to mankind. It kills everyone! You don’t know anyone who has ever survived it! It is the death that 100% of us will experience! All of us will eventually die, and if we don’t know Jesus, we will be eternally separated from God. That’s not good. But there is a cure. You know it, you can provide it and it’s a privilege to be the one who gets to heal a hurting and desperate world. Jesus knows that He gave us the key to eternity and this key is also the key to significance!

Your Mission Has Eternal Significance
Significance is connected to time! We talked about that a long time ago. Things that last a minute are far less fulfilling than things that last an hour. Jesus wants us to focus on eternity, because it lasts longer than anything else and is far more significant!!! Let’s look at some scripture:

John 9:4
We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.

When you really think about it, everything that distracts us here is SO temporary and fleeting. We really need to focus on the long term important stuff. Our mission with Jesus has eternal significance! Now think about it, a cheeseburger is less significant and fulfilling than a good movie, a movie less than a vacation, a vacation less than a great career, a career less than a good marriage! Do your best to dedicate yourself to eternity instead of what is temporary! As you begin to dedicate your self to God’s Mission, you are going to realize that everything now makes sense! all the gifts you were given but never really put to use, all the quirky personality traits, everything about you will now make sense as you realize that all of it was given to you for a reason. Everything you are was designed to join God in his work here on planet earth!

Your Mission Gives Your Life Meaning
God know that when you join God in his mission, your life will finally have meaning! Let me share a verse with you that is my personal LIFE VERSE. Do you have one of those? It’s a verse that has so much meaning for me and has helped me to shape my own life and direct it toward the work of God:

Acts 20:24
But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

I’ve come to understand that my life has worth and meaning because I was created to do exactly what I am doing now: growing the Kingdom and working for the God who created me. And make no mistake about it, what we do here is connected to history in an important way! There is a mysterious relationship between our mission and God’s plan.

Your Mission is Connected to the Return of Jesus
Jesus told us that it was God’s desire to send the message of salvation to all the earth, and he desires to do this in connection with his return. Check this out:

Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.

God is simply making an observation and telling us the truth. He will use us to preach to all the world, then he will come back to collect his own. Our mission is part of God’s timing. A mysterious part, for sure, but he is certainly calling us to step out and join the mission.

The Good News
But sometimes it is hard to get out and join the mission, because we are so comfortable. Let’s face it, the American dream we are often fed is to BE blessed, rather than be a BLESSING to the lost. But if we are going to join God here, we are going to have to face our fears and release our earthly desires! It’s time for us to finalize and confirm our relationship with God by steeping up and stepping out. You were designed to tell others the Good News! Ask yourself this question, “Do you know HOW to describe the Good News?”

Now let’s talk specifically about how we can effectively tell people the Good News of Jesus Christ. It can sometimes be a challenge, that’s for sure, but if you will remember some simple principles, it can make it a lot easier!

Your Testimony
Your ability t connect with a lost world is connected to the Life Message that God has already given you. Each of us has a Life Message, and this message has the power to change your friends and change your world! There are four parts to this Life Message, and the first is your simple story of personal transformation! See, all of us have a story, and stories are very powerful. You may listen to what I have to say about God, but if I share a personal story from my life, you will probably be far more interested. God knows that is true, and that’s why the first part of your Life Message is your PERSONAL TESTIMONY! God has given you a personal story of transformation for a reason:

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light

We are called to use our stories to talk to others about God! We are called to be witnesses! Now a witness is simply asked to describe the facts. Describe what happened! Describe what they saw! That’s what a good witness does! And if we are going to be a good witness for God, we need to begin by describing what we saw in our own lives! There are four elements of your personal testimony and they are equally important. First, you need to talk about what your life was like before you met Jesus. Second, you need to recall how you realized you needed Jesus. Then thirdly, you need to tell how you committed your life to Jesus, and finally, you need to talk about the difference Jesus is making in your life today! this represents a very balanced approach to witnessing to your friends and describes for them your life before, during, and after meeting Jesus!

Your Life Lessons
But there is another part of your Life Message that is also important. Along the way, as God was taking you through the remarkable transformation of salvation, I’m sure that he taught you several important lessons! These are your LIFE LESSONS, ways that God confirmed his existence and showed you a better way to live. Most of what we learn in life is NOT learned in the classroom, wouldn’t you agree? most of what we learn comes instead from our every day experiences in LIFE! God is there with you all along, teach you everything you need by combining HIS WORD with YOUR LIFE. Along the way, we eventually ask God to teach us! That’s exactly what David did in his own life:

Psalm 119:33
Teach me, O LORD, the way of Thy statutes, And I shall observe it to the end.

David also recognized the fact that God’s own people sometimes ignored the lessons they were trying to teach them:

Psalm 106:43
Many times He would deliver them; They, however, were rebellious in their counsel, And so sank down in their iniquity.

We certainly don’t want to be like these folks from the Old Testament, but there were probably times in your own life when you ignored God and paid a price for it! These stories are your life lessons and they are a powerful part of your life message! They have the ability to impact your friends and turn them toward God!

Your Godly Passions
Once you were saved, there were certain things that you became passionate about and these things are yet another part of your Life Message! Over time, we come to realize that the stuff that much of the stuff that mattered to us before we knew God, doesn’t really matter any more. Our passions became more like God’s passions. Our heart started to resemble his. People resonate with passion, and they want to follow passionate causes and passionate leaders; it’s really that simple! We, as Christians should have that kind of passion:

Jeremiah 20:9
But if I say, "I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name," Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.

Are you a saved Christian that is silently holding on to the best News you could possibly share?

His Good News
That Good News is the best part of your Life Message! It is the part of your message that has the true power to transform. It is God’s incredible story and something that He has given you to share with the world! And that part of the message is simple! God created us, and in our disobedience we have turned from him. Our continuing sin separates us from God. Everyone sins, everyday and this condition is unacceptable to a Holy and Perfect God. There is always a penalty for sin, and the penalty for our sin is quite simple. It is DEATH. But there was a plan in God’s mind from the very beginning. God came to earth in the form of man, Jesus Christ. He lived a perfect life here, never sinned, yet still died a brutal death on the cross. Why? He never sinned and was holy and pure. He died that death not because HE deserved it but because WE deserved it. He died to pay our penalty and all we have to do is to come to God with sorrow, tell him that we want to change our lives forever, and believe that Jesus IS God, died for our sin, was resurrected on the third day, and now sits at the right hand of the Father, with for us to come home. We simply have to believe and accept Jesus as Lord, following the commandments he has for our lives, surrendering to him at every turn. Look at what God tells us in His Word:

2 Corinthians 5:19
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

These four elements of your Life Message are an important part of your story to a lost world. And your story is powerful. It needs to be shared. It is a simple but powerful combination of the Story of Your Life and the Story of God’s Life!

It’s About Stepping Out
We simply need to step out and tell the story that God has already given us. Just tell your story, and then tell His Story. God knows that this kind of evangelism, the kind that reaches out to the furthest corners of the world, doesn’t come without a cost. Yet we are still called to pay that price. Why? Because God knows that the greatest reward is discovered not in what we receive, but in what we give. God wants you to reach out and discover that His strength is found in your weakness and fear. God will give you the opportunities, you just have to say yes. Be what you were designed to be. Be God’s Joy, His family, His Likeness, His Tool and His Voice. Join us as we reach out to a lost world for Jesus Christ.