So I Send You ~ 20141228 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

12/28 So I Send You Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20141228_so-i-send-you.mp3



1 John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

We looked last week at what Christmas is all about, why the Father sent Jesus into the world, what he came to do. Today I want to look at the same thing from a different perspective. Listen to what Jesus says to his disciples in John 20

John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Did you hear that? As the Father sent me, so I am sending you. This is amazing; Jesus takes his own commission with which he was sent into the world by the Father, and he passes that on to us. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you. Jesus was sent on mission from the Father. He was very clear in the task he was sent to accomplish. He knew what he was sent to do, and he would not be sidetracked from his mission. If, as his followers, we are sent by Jesus on mission, we need to understand what we are sent to do, and be diligent to do it.

Jesus says to his Father in John 17

John 17:18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

Jesus sends us, his disciples, into the world, just as the Father sent Jesus into the world.

So we need to ask, why was Jesus sent? What was his mission and what is our mission? What is different about Jesus' mission from ours? What is the same? If we are sent by Jesus into the world, what should that look like? What does it mean for us to be followers of Jesus, in the sense that now we are to carry on doing what he was sent here to do? Through this lens we can look at what Jesus was sent to do, so that we can better understand what our lives are to look like.

I Only Do What The Father Sent Me To Do

Repeatedly Jesus said that he does only what the Father sent him to do.

John 5:30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

John 8:29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

John 12:49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.

Jesus did not do his own thing. He was sent for a purpose, and he did not deviate from that mission. He came to do the will of the Father.

Jesus said:

John 12:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

When Peter tried to turn Jesus from the cross,

Matthew 16:23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Jesus would not be thwarted from his purpose. He had his purpose fixed on the things of God. He let go of lesser things to pursue that which his Father had sent him to accomplish. We his followers must also learn to let go of lesser things and focus our attention and energy on that for which he sent us. We must learn to live with determination and purpose. “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Truth and Light

Jesus said to Pilate

John 18:37 ...For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world— to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Jesus was sent to testify to the truth. He told the truth to sinners, he told the truth to self-righteous religious leaders, he told the truth about himself and about the Father. He told the truth about hell and about eternal life. He claimed to be the way, the truth, the life, the only way to the Father. He made people aware of their sin and their need for a Savior. Jesus said:

John 8:31 So Jesus said ... “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Jesus came to bring the truth that sets people free. He came to bring truth to dispel the lies. He came to bring light to overcome the darkness.

John 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ...9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

Jesus came as the light of the world.

John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Jesus said in John 12:

John 12:46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

He brought truth and light to combat lies and darkness.

Mark 1:38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”

Jesus came to proclaim the truth about himself, about his Father, about hell and eternal life. We who have been set free by him must be proclaiming the truth and bringing light to the darkness. “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Confronting Hypocrisy

Jesus told the truth even when it was costly to himself. He gave strong warnings to those who rejected him. He confronted the self-righteous who considered themselves better than others. He challenged their thinking and reasoned with them from the scriptures. He offended those who would ultimately conspire to put him to death. He warned of the danger of following hypocritical religious leaders. He said things like 'woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!' and

Matthew 15:7 You hypocrites! ... 8 “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

He said:

Matthew 23:33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?

He said things like: “have you not read” (Mt.19:4) and “because of your hardness of heart” (Mt.19:8). He said:

Matthew 11:24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

He told the hard truth even when he knew it would cost him deeply. Jesus warned his followers:

Matthew 10:22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ...24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ...28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ...32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. ...39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

To Seek and To Save the Lost

Jesus went out of his way to pursue lost sinners and bring good news to them. Jesus invited a despised tax collector named Matthew to be one of his followers.

Matthew 9:10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus came for sinners. He spent time with sinners. He ate and drank with sinners. He damaged his own reputation associating with the lost, the low, the despised, the outcasts. He went out of his way to pursue lost people. In John 4, we are told,

John 4:4 And he had to pass through Samaria.

He had to pass through Samaria. Why? Because there was a woman who had been divorced and remarried 5 times and was now living with a man she was not married to, who needed the gift of living water that he came to freely give.

In Luke 18, Jesus said:

Luke 18:24 Jesus, ...said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

And in the next chapter,

Luke 19:1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.

Jesus came to Jericho to find a rich man.

Luke 19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”

I must stay at your house today.” Jesus came to Jericho to find a tax collector who had gotten rich by extorting his own people.

Luke 19:9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He went out of his way to pursue sinners and broken people that everyone else cast aside. We who have come to know our sin and our need for a Savior must go to those who are lost and broken. “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Physical and Spiritual Needs

Jesus cared for the immediate physical needs of many people. He fed the multitudes, he healed the sick and caused the lame to walk and the blind to see, he even raised the dead. But he went beyond the outward physical needs to the deeper spiritual disease of the heart. To the crowds who were looking for a free meal, he said

John 6:26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

To the woman caught in the very act of adultery and dragged out to be execute,

John 8:10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

To the paralyzed man who was lowered by his friends through the roof to be healed by Jesus, Jesus said:

Mark 2:5 ...he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

To the woman of the street who washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair he said:

Luke 7:48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

To the woman who had 5 husbands and was living with a man she was not married to, Jesus said:

John 4:10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

To the religious leader who came to him by night to ask a question,

John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 7 ... ‘You must be born again.’

To his own disciples who had been arguing about who was greatest, he said:

Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Jesus cared for the immediate needs of those around him, but he went deeper and addressed the disease of the heart. We should be concerned about the material and physical needs of those around us, but we must move beyond those to the deeper issues of the soul. “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Servant Leadership

Jesus demonstrated a different kind of leadership.

John 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

John 13:12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Jesus, fully conscious of his divine status as Lord, stooped to serve his followers. He acted with humility. Jesus said:

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We as his followers are sent by Jesus not to be served, not to lord it over others, but rather to stoop to serve others. He gave his very life as a ransom for us. We must be ready to serve others, to give of ourselves, even to give our very lives for the eternal good of others. “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

By The Spirit

Jesus was sent by the Father to accomplish the mission he was sent for. He came to testify to the truth, to bring light to the darkness, to confront religious hypocrisy, to seek and save the lost, to meet physical and spiritual needs, to give his life as a ransom for many. How? How did he accomplish the mission? John tells us:

John 1:32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.

Luke tells us:

Luke 4:1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.

Luke 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.

Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

Jesus was empowered and enabled by the Holy Spirit to do what he came to do. “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

If we are to live on mission sent by Jesus, to do only what pleases him, to testify to the truth, to bring light to darkness, to confront religious hypocrisy, to go out of our way to bring the good news to lost sinners, to meet both physical and spiritual needs, to serve others sacrificially, how can we do this? How can we possibly follow in Jesus footsteps? How can we live up to this high calling? “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” This is more than we can possibly do. Jesus goes on to tell us how.

John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Jesus sends us into the world on mission to rescue fallen humanity, to bring the good news to dying souls, to see lives transformed by the gospel, and he gives us the Holy Spirit to live inside so that we can fulfill our mission. We are not on our own. We have a high calling, but God is at work in us to enable us to do what he calls us to do.

How about you? Are you fulfilling your mission? Are you living passionately and purposefully, doing only the things that please him? What things need to go? What things need to start happening that aren't yet happening? As the Spirit prompts you, make a note and seek his help. Allow him to do his work in you and through you for his glory and for your good.



Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org