Our Upside Down Mission

Message begins around 35 minutes

Our Upside Down Mission

Dave Riddle • 04/03/2022

Key Passage: Matthew 4:19

Our God is both Sent and Sender

• John 3:16-17

• John 17:1-4, 18

• John 20:21

Jesus followers are “sent ones”

• Matthew 4:19

  • A challenge and a new identity

• Mark 3:14

  • Why? To send them out.

  • Not to continue living their lives the same way they were before.

    • We say we believe… but we live like universalists.

• Do we see ourselves as “sent ones”?

  • To whom are you sent?

What does this calling look like?

• Matthew 28:18-20

  • Salt and light

• Acts 1:18

  • You will receive power…

  • You will be my witnesses…

• Matthew 28:19

  • Therefore go and make disciples…

• 2 Corinthians 5:20

  • We are Christ’s Ambassadors

Our Content and Our Conduct

• both must be in line with God’s calling for our life.

• We can stand for everything that’s true, but does our conduct repel people before they can hear our words?

• Philippians 2:14-16

  • Blameless, pure, faultless…

    • A high calling!

  • Hold firm to the word of life and hold it out to the world.

Hearts for Redemption and Restoration

• We are citizens of God right now… But it’s not yet fully realized

  • An “Already… not yet” reality.

  • Citizen of the Kingdom of God should be our primary identity here on earth.

• Revelation 21:5

Do Not Love the World

Message begins around 32:00

Do Not Love the World

02/13/2021 - Dave Riddle 

Key Passage: 1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world

• 1 John 2:15a Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world.

• James says it, Paul says it, John says it…

• “Love” agapaō (ἀγαπάω) - unconditional love.

• 1 John 2:15b If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.

  • You can’t serve two masters.

  • There’s gotta be one Lord, Master, priority, affection of your life.

What are the aspects of the world that are most tempting to give my undivided attention to?

• James 4:4 Adulterers! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.

• We need to be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit to recognize when things of the world begin to displace our focus on God.

  • Revelation 2:4 - …you have abandoned your first love…

Everything that belongs to the world

1 John 2:16 For everything that belongs to  the world—the lust of the flesh,  the lust of the eyes,  and the pride  in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 

• Not an exhaustive list

• Flesh - Our base physical passions (Hedonism)

  • 1 Peter 2:11

    • We are foreigners and strangers here on Earth. Temporary residents.

    • Our life is not solely about what happens between birth and death.

• Eyes - The tendency to be captivated by the outward appearance of things. An inordinate desire for the finer things in life. (Materialism)

  • Proverbs 27:20 - Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and people’s eyes are never satisfied. (CSB)

  • Human desires are like the world of the dead - there’s always room for more. (GNT)

• Pride - the trust that we have in our own power, resources, abilities, insight. (Self-sufficiency)

  • Luke 14:11 - Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Why don’t we care about those things?

• 1 John 2:17 the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.

  • Paul says the same thing in Romans 7:31

  • Jesus reframes our thinking in Mark 3:35

We need to do a heart check

• What has your heart?

  • If it’s something other than God… it’s the wrong answer.

• Mathew 6:21 - Your heart will always be where your treasure is.

Hello My Name is... Wonderful Counselor

Hello my name is: Wonderful Counselor

Dave Riddle - 12/01/19

Key Passage: Isaiah 9:6

Counselor

• ya’ats (Hebrew: יָעַץ) - to advise, counsel, admonish, direct, resolve, decide, plan and/or purpose. To counsel together; to be advised.

  • Isaiah 9:6 - “counselor”

  • First usage: Exodus - Moses meets with his father-in-law to seek advice.

Wonderful

• pele’ (Hebrew: פֶּלֶא) - a miracle, a wonder; a wonderful thing or deed.

  • Isaiah 9:6 - “Wonderful”

  • Other than a single time in the book of Lamentations, it always appears in the context of God’s acts or words. 37 of the 84 occurrences of pele’ are found in the Psalms.

What kind of Wonderful Counselor?

Other-worldly

• John 12:49 - He came with divine wisdom from Heaven itself

• John 14:10 - He spoke with authority of God

Authoritative

• Mark 1:21-22 - He taught with an authority unlike anything the world had seen.

• Luke 4:32 - The people were amazed... slack-jawed

  • ekplēssō (Greek: ἐκπλήσσω) - to be struck with amazement, astonished, amazed

Piercing & Gentle

• Piercing

  • Matthew 16:23

  • Matthew 23:27

• Gentle

  • John 8:7-11

Inviting & Challenging

• Mark 1:17 - “come, follow me”

  • Not just a call, but a purpose.

    • “And I’ll show you how to fish for people”

• Mark 3:13-14

  • With Him, and Sent Out

Truth

• John 14:6 - “I am... the truth”

• John 1:14 - truth in the flesh

Life-giving

• John 14:6- The truth AND the life.

• John 4:4-14 - living water!

Infinite

• Luke 21:33 - His words will never pass away.

• 1 Peter 1:24-25 - the Good News remains forever.

Sent in His Name

Sent in His Name

Dave Riddle - 11/10/19

Key Passage: John 3:14-17

God is both Sent and Sender

• John 17:18 - “As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world”

Jesus Followers are “Sent Ones”

• Matthew 4:19 - follow me and I will make you fish for people.

  • Not, “I will make you perfect people”

• Mark 3:13-14 - apostles (sent ones)

  • They were with him

  • They were sent out

Salt & Light

• Matthew 5:13-16

  • Useful

  • Representatives of Christ

• Philippians 2:15

Ambassadors

• 2 Corinthians 5:20

• Representing Jesus in everything we do.

• He is making his appeal through us

Witnesses 

• Acts 1:8

  • As witnesses, the only thing we’re called to be is truth tellers.

  • Not the judge, jury, prosecution, or defense.

  • We are witnesses that Jesus is alive and that he has changed our lives.

Disciple-Makers

• Matthew 28:19 - therefore go and make disciples of all nations...

Content and Conduct

• We have something to tell

  • euaggelizō (Greek: εὐαγγελίζω) - to announce good news ("evangelize") especially the gospel.

• The way we live should show evidence of the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

  • The life of a Jesus follower should be aligned with the truth of God’s word.

Redeem and Restore

• Has the Kingdom been fully realized? No. But we’re called, as members of the Kingdom, to play a role in that restoration.

  • Revelation 21:5 - “Look, I am making everything new”

What does it look like to live life as a Sent One?

• That’s going to look different in each of our lives. One thing is certain though, for followers of Jesus, it isn’t optional.