Ignite-Part 5, Passionate About the Commission

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S.O.A.P. – “Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer”

Have you ever been given a “commission” (formal or informal)? Did you follow through?

Scripture:

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18–20 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Note Jesus is commissioning his followers. Did you notice that Jesus didn’t say ministers or professional clergy? It is all inclusive!

In the original language, the charge “to go” means “as you go.” In other words, through our normal activities…our job, our family, our neighborhood, our shopping, in all our connections with people…we are to share the Good News and make disciples (or “followers”) of Jesus.

Matthew 28 records Jesus’ last words before leaving the earth to go back to Heaven. Surrounding this “Great Commission” is some very great and precious promises, namely that Jesus would be present with us as we obey and make disciples. He would fulfill this through the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

Have you surrendered to Jesus purposefully?

Are you surrendering to the Holy Spirit daily?

Name the places you ordinarily travel…”as you go,” who is observing your way of living?

Will they be drawn to Jesus because of you? Why or why not?

Lord, thank you for giving us great and precious promises. Thank you for inviting me to build my security on your love and acceptance of me. Help me to live a significant life by impacting those “as I go” with your good news!

What in your life are you curious about?

Scripture:

God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:6–14 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Spiritually, we are in one of three stages. The first stage is “seeker.” The second is “receiver.”

Your role, if you are a follower of Jesus, is to spot the seekers around you in your arena of influence.

A starting point may be inviting them to Antioch or to your Life Group or you may just start having conversations with them about the purpose of life.

How does God communicate?

Have you ever been clueless about what was good for you and missed an important opportunity?

If you have surrendered to Jesus, how would you describe what it is like to “become a child of God”?

How can you become better at “spotting seekers”? What are you looking for?

Have you embraced the reality that Jesus lives IN and THROUGH you, if you are a believer (not just ideas, but the power-filled, live presence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit)?

Lord, help me to humble myself so that I can be washed and usable for your great purposes. Thank you for seeking me far before I knew to seek you. Help me have open eyes, an open heart, and opportunities to connect with seekers.

Is there an important difference between “believing” and “receiving”?

Scripture:

God’s urging to the Hebrews that he saved from slavery in Egypt and led towards the Promised Land:

“In the future, when you have children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time, do not corrupt yourselves by making idols of any kind. This is evil in the sight of the LORD your God and will arouse his anger.

“Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you. If you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed. For the LORD will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive. There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. But from there you will search again for the LORD your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.

“In the distant future, when you are suffering all these things, you will finally return to the LORD your God and listen to what he tells you. For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.” Deuteronomy 4:25–31 NLT

Sermon Insights:

There are five steps to being a fully a devoted follower of Jesus. NOTE: this doesn’t make God love you more! That is who God is: love. But each of these steps will draw you closer to Jesus.

Step One: DAILY PURSUIT OF JESUS. If you are pursuing Jesus then you can’t be pursuing sin at the same time!

Why is it important to remember what God has done?

Are you “searching for God” with all your heart and soul?

Why is it important to assist the next generation not only with information and stories of what God has done…but an authentic personal experience of the goodness of God?

What are you doing to pursue Jesus daily?

Lord, teach me your ways. Help me to have an authentic and developing reliance on you so that I can realize the power of your comfort and love more than what the world offers—that doesn’t truly satisfy. Use me to help others pursue Jesus!

What is the nature of real power-forcible control or powerful influence?

Scripture:

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 1 John 1:5–10 NLT

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. James 5:16–18 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Step TWO to being a fully a devoted follower of Jesus: CONFESSION AND REPENTANCE.

When we are willing to confess sin, the power it has over us is broken!

Repentance means agreeing with God about our sin, grieving over our sin, and then turning away from the sin and changing the direction of our lives.

What do you need to confess?

What do you need to repent of, grieve, and turn away from?

The answer is not just turning AWAY from sin…the real power comes when we turn TO God and ask for his wisdom, power, and mercy to walk a new path. Be honest with him about where you are at. If you admit you cannot make yourself willing…congratulate yourself on that first step of genuine honesty! THEN, ask God to make you willing. Simply give God permission to change your heart…and he will!

Lord, sometimes I cannot understand or correct what I do that is wrong. Sometimes I simply don’t even understand myself. I am willing for you to make me willing.

What area of your life are you actively pursuing?

Scripture:

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:19–21 NLT

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34–35 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Step THREE to being a fully a devoted follower of Jesus: FINANCIAL SURRENDER!

Step FOUR to being a fully a devoted follower of Jesus: BE INVOLVED IN CHURCH!

Step FIVE: a fully a devoted follower of Jesus LOVES PEOPLE!

Since God owns everything, and you are managing what he has temporarily put in your hands, how can your choice to be generous increase your faith in God and enhance your relationships and provide you peace?

What next step do you need to take to be involved in church?

Who are you going to consider more important than yourself this week? How are you going to show God’s love to them?

Lord, help me take my next step of becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus!

Ignite-Part 5, Passionate About the Commission

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