James Merritt - We Are Sent
Leo Tolstoy, if you know anything about literature, was a Russian writer in the late 19th to early 20th century, considered one of the greatest and most influential authors of all time. In fact, many Russians would say he is their greatest writer ever. He wrote a book that is called a classic, and every historian says everybody ought to read it. To be honest, I have not read it; it’s called War and Peace. Whether you’ve read it or not, it is one of the most famous works in the world. He grew up in Russia as a non-believer and not a follower of Jesus, but he went through a spiritual crisis and became a sold-out, all-in, fervent follower of Jesus Christ.
He describes his experience this way: «My question, which at the age of 50 brought me to the verge of suicide, was the simplest of questions lying in the soul of every man—a question without an answer to which one cannot live. It was: What will come of what I’m doing today or tomorrow? What will come of my whole life? Why should I live? Why wish for anything or do anything?» This can also be expressed as: «Is there any meaning in my life that the inevitable death awaiting me does not destroy?» Now, Tolstoy put it in a brilliant philosophical way; I’m just a country boy from Oakwood, Georgia. Let me simplify: here’s what he essentially said: You are not ready for the practice of life until you understand the purpose of life. Amen?
The question is not so much what are you doing here; it’s why are you here? I love philosophy, and I love to study philosophy. Philosophers generally say the greatest philosophical question of life is: Why is there something rather than nothing? In other words, why is this here? I would make it more personal. To me, the question is: Why is there someone rather than no one? Why am I here? Why are you here? Well, you might think this is your only purpose—just to work, draw a paycheck, retire, collect a pension, curl up your toes, and die. That’s it? That’s all? That’s not what I’m talking about. Why are you here? Ultimately, the only true answer to that question can be given by the God who gave us life to begin with.
The good news is this: there are many benefits to being a believer; there are many benefits to being a Christian. One of these benefits is that, as a follower of Jesus, in love with Jesus, and devoted to Jesus, you don’t have to wonder why you’re here. You don’t have to speculate on the purpose of your life. We are currently in a series, if you are a guest today, that we’re calling «Who We Are,» and it’s based on our mission statement as a church. You know what it is, most of you. We exist to point people to Jesus and inspire them to live the cross-shaped life. That’s our purpose; that’s why we have these buildings and why we do what we do—to fulfill this mission. We’ve been discussing what it means to live the cross-shaped life. We said there are four components to the cross-shaped life. Remember? The first one is worship.
That’s the first thing God desires; the first thing God wants from you is not your money, not your church attendance, and not even doing things for other people. The first thing God wants you to give Him every day is your worship. That’s the foundation. Then we said the second part is discipleship. Once you become a believer, you ought to grow as a believer; you ought to mature; you ought to be closer to Jesus today than you were a year ago and not as close today as you will be a year from now. We disciple, mature, and grow people through being in a small group. Last week, we said you’ve been put here to serve—not to sit, soak, and sour. You’ve been put here to serve—to do something for others, to benefit other people. Jesus came to serve us, and we are to serve Him by serving others.
Now, today we come to the last part. I’m going to be honest; for most of you, this is the hardest part. This is the part where you check out; this is the part that makes you uncomfortable and that you don’t really like to hear. That part is: we are sent. We are sent into this world to tell people how they can become followers of Jesus. We just celebrated Christmas, and we talked about the birth of Jesus. However, Jesus himself said he wasn’t just born; he said he was sent. I want you to take God’s Word today and turn to a gospel called John in the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I want you to turn to John chapter 20. In John chapter 20, Jesus made one of the most important and exciting statements I believe he made in his entire ministry because it has to do with you and me.
And here’s what Jesus said in John 20, verse 21: «As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.» Very simple. What the Father sent the Son to do, the Son sends the saints to do. What the Father sent Jesus to do, Jesus sends us to do. You say, «Well, what is that?» If you’re wondering, again, Jesus does us a favor. He says, «I’m going to tell you exactly what I was sent to do.» He said in Luke 19:10, «For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.» So let me tell you what that means: if you claim to be a follower of Jesus, you have been, you are, and you will be sent until the day you return to sender. From the day you return to sender, you are sent. As we learned last week, we’re saved to serve, but today we’re going to learn this: we are saved to seek those who are not.
Let that sink in: we are saved to seek those who are not, and that is all of us—no exemptions, no exceptions, no excuses, no exclusions. Every one of us is sent. Now, before you check out, before you already in your mind say, «I can’t do that. I can be a small part of a small group. I can come to a worship service. I can go greet somebody at the door. I can’t go tell people about Jesus. I can’t be on mission for God. I can’t share the gospel. I can’t bring people to Jesus.» Before you say that, listen to what Jesus said, because what Jesus is about to tell us is not that we’re sent—that’s a fact. Now he’s going to tell us how we’re sent, and what I pray is that once you understand how you’re sent, you will gladly go. You ready? Ready? Four quick things. Here we go: number one, we are sent with the peace of God. We are sent with the peace of God.
We’re in John chapter 20. Let me tell you what’s going on. It is Sunday night after the crucifixion, after the resurrection. Peter and John have been to the tomb; they have seen the empty tomb, but they still haven’t seen Jesus, so they’re confused and afraid. So we pick up in John 20:19, «On the evening of that first day of the week,» Sunday night, «when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you.'»
Now here’s the picture: Sunday night, the disciples are in hiding; they’ve got the doors locked. They obviously are afraid. They think they’re probably public enemy number one. The CIA’s after them, the FBI is after them, the Pharisees are after them. They’re being hunted down like dogs, so they’ve got the door locked. Well, the door could keep the police out, but it couldn’t keep Jesus out. Amen? The risen Lord! This is what I love about this: He didn’t unlock the door; He didn’t knock on the door; He didn’t rock the door; He just walked through the door. And that should not surprise you for a simple reason: if a sealed tomb couldn’t keep Him in, a locked door can’t keep Him out.
So Jesus, in that resurrected state, comes walking into this tomb. This is what I love: What is the very first thing Jesus says when He walks in? Does He say, «Miss me yet? Hey mama and them, how’s the weather? What’s for supper?» No, the first word—what is it? Peace! Say it real loud—peace! Peace! The first thing—peace! Somebody used the Hebrew word «shalom.» If you go to Israel today—I’m going to Israel hopefully this year if it opens up—if you go to Israel, you’ll hear on the streets of Jerusalem a lot of «shalom.» That was kind of the Jewish way of saying, you know, «Hello,» or «Good morning,» or whatever. But it wasn’t just a simple greeting—not really to the Hebrews. Jesus wasn’t just saying hello.
Here’s what Jesus was saying with just one word: He said, «Guys, you don’t need to be perplexed. You don’t need to be panicked. You don’t need to lock doors. You don’t need to be looking behind your shoulder. You ought to be at perfect peace.» And He wasn’t talking about the peace that comes from below that won’t last; He was talking about the peace that comes from above. See, I really believe this: I believe the first thing that happens to someone when they’re truly born again, I believe the first thing that happens when someone truly gives their life to Jesus Christ—because it happened to me—I believe the first thing that happens is you receive peace.
Let me tell you why. You may not realize it, but before you came to Jesus, you were at war with God. Before you came to Jesus, the Bible says you were enemies of God. But the moment you gave your life, the moment you give your life to Jesus Christ, you immediately have a peace that comes from God that gives you peace with God. As a matter of fact, the man who hated the Church, hated Christianity, hated Jesus Christ, and did everything he could to stamp it out became the greatest missionary of all time. His name was Paul. Here’s what he wrote: «Therefore, since we’ve been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.»
Here’s how it works: You will have peace in your heart when you get the God of peace in your heart. Amen. When you have the God of peace in your heart, then you’ll have the peace of God within you. Now you have peace on God’s terms, and God’s terms are really simple. If you want to have peace with God, He says, «Okay, here’s how you find peace with Me: You must come on My terms. Here are My terms: You must realize you’re My enemy; you must acknowledge we are at war; you must understand you’re a sinner; you must repent of your sins; you must receive Jesus Christ into your life; you must surrender your life completely to Him, and when you do, you will have peace.»
The reason why these disciples were fearful is that their faith was faltering. You might say, «Well, Pastor, why didn’t they have faith?» Here was the problem: They had seen the tomb, but they hadn’t seen Jesus. It’s incredible, and this is what I want you to hear because this is not just a message for them; it’s a message for us. If Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, for those of you watching online or on TV, and for those of you in this room, if you believe with all your heart, «I do believe, Pastor; I believe with everything in me that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead,» then you must believe this: There is no need to fear anything. Amen. There is no need to fear anything—name it: demons, disease, disaster, death. We are living in a world right now that is filled with chaos, confusion, and conflict.
Let me tell you what this world needs to see; let me tell you what America needs to see: They need to see people who claim to believe in Jesus and who claim to be followers of Jesus. They need to see people who are keeping their heads when everybody else is losing theirs. They need to see people who say, «Look, I’m not afraid if interest rates go to 21%.» I’m not afraid if inflation goes through the roof; I’m not afraid if the country goes broke. I’m not afraid because Jesus Christ is alive, and Jesus Christ is in control of every single thing. Let me share a true story: How many of you play chess? Raise your hand high if you play chess. Okay, you need therapy—just joking! I’ve never played, but I’d like to learn. I tell my buddy, Lee, «Lee, I want you to teach me to play sometime.» I don’t know how to play, but I would love to learn. You may know this story then, Lee.
In 1996, a worldwide event took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The whole world was focused on it. A man named Garry Kasparov, a Russian, was the best chess player in the world; as a matter of fact, people still say he’s the best chess player who’s ever lived. He did something in 1996 that nobody else has ever done. You know what I’m talking about, Lee. In 1996, he sat across a chess table—not from a man, but from a machine—an IBM computer. The world was transfixed by this event. The IBM computer was called Deep Blue. They played the first game, and he lost. It was a fluke, he thought.
In fact, over the first four games, the machine played Kasparov dead even: one win, one loss, one draw, one win, two draws. Then the champ finally rallied and won the final two games, so he won the match, but he was devastated. They said he was never the same because that game was never supposed to happen. Remember, this is back in the mid-'90s, long before the acceleration of computer technology. We wouldn’t be that surprised today, but Kasparov went in there arrogant and proud, thinking to himself, «There’s not a machine in the world that can beat the human mind. There’s not a machine that can be invented that can defeat me. I am the greatest chess player in the world.» He thought, «How can a machine that simply calculates moves and keeps score beat a champion with a lifetime of experience? How can it recognize every pattern of every play with unparalleled intuition and killer instinct?»
How did the machine do it? They performed a deep dive into Deep Blue; you ready for this? It could see about 200 million positions every second. As an average chess player, you can probably see one; the best can see three. It saw 200 million! In other words, he didn’t have a shot; he had no chance. He was beaten before he started. But then the real secret came from the words of a grandmaster who analyzed the whole situation. He went to see Kasparov, who was so depressed, and he said, «I want to tell you why you lost, Gary.»
Listen to this; this is so insightful, so powerful. The difference between you and the machine was this: the machine had no fear. You went in deep down, afraid you might lose. The machine had no fear; it had already determined its position. It already knew every move it was going to make before you made another move, and it was safe because it did not go in thinking about losing. In fact, it didn’t even think at all, and because it wasn’t even thinking at all, it could take attacking chances you would never think to take. When I read that, I thought to myself: we serve a risen Lord who lives in our hearts, who is in control of all things. We should have no fear; we should be at perfect peace. We should go and tell with the peace of knowing God is in us, God is with us, God is before us, God is for us. All of us can go; we go with the peace of God. But it gets better: we are sent with the plan of God. Jesus says in verse 21, «Peace be with you.»
Now watch this: peace be with you as the Father has sent me; I’m sending you. Jesus even said, «Hey, I’m just like you.» Believe it or not, I didn’t just come to earth; I was sent, and He’s already told us why He was sent: to seek and to save people who are lost. In other words, Jesus—watch this—Jesus left heaven and came to earth so He could tell people on earth how to get to heaven. We were brought for the same reason. Now that raises a question: where was Jesus sent? Easy answer: He was sent into the world. I’m going to emphasize at the end of this message why we ought to be inviting people to come to church. As a matter of fact, you may know this statistic hasn’t changed in about 40 years: any unbeliever or any church person that visits a church, 86% of the time, here’s why they came: you invited them. Nine out of ten people that visit a church came because somebody invited them to church.
In fact, this is really interesting; I bet you never thought about this: you will not find one sentence, not one Bible verse in the Bible, that ever commands an unbeliever to go to church because there’s not one in there. God never commands a lost person. You’d think that’d be—people say, «No, no, God never commands lost people to go to church.» I mean, to me, that’s amazing. Think about this: God never tells unbelievers to come to church; instead, He tells believers to leave the church and go into the world. Here’s my point: you came to church today; I’m glad that you came, but you don’t stay in the church. You’re going back to your home, but don’t stay in your home. You’re going to work in an office tomorrow, but you don’t stay in the office; you’re to go into the world.
See, some people think—I’ve heard people say, «I just don’t understand why people don’t want to go to church. I just don’t understand why my next-door neighbor; I don’t understand why my brother and my sister; I don’t understand why people don’t want to go to church.» I’ll tell you what I think is odd, and I think God thinks it’s odd. I do not think it’s strange that unbelievers don’t want to go to church. What I think is odd is that believers want to come to church but don’t want to leave the church to invite other people to come to church. I find that odd; I find it strange.
I get that they don’t want to come; I don’t understand why we don’t want to go. I want to tell you a story. I don’t know if I’ve ever told it or not. This is one of the top five stories I’ve told. I’ve told a lot of stories in my life; this is a true one, by the way. I don’t know if I’m going to tell you a story that changed my life more than this story. About, gosh, it’s been probably 35 years ago, I went to a Bible conference. I remember where it was, and there was a preacher; he was an African American. His name was Fred Samson, Dr. Fred Samson, pastor of a church up in Detroit. I’d never heard of Dr. Samson, but he got up, and I mean, he was just a great preacher—one of the greatest preachers I ever heard. From the first word of the first sermon, I said, «Man, I was locked in.»
And he tells this story; it’s one of the greatest stories I’ve ever heard. He was a city boy, grew up in the inner city of Detroit, and his grandfather lived on a farm outside of Detroit. One particular summer, his dad thought it would be good for Fred to go live with his grandparents for a couple of months and learn what it’s like to live out in the country. So they got him in a car, they packed him up, they drove him out— I think about an hour or two out of town—and they dropped him off at his grandfather’s farm, let him out the door, and said, «We’ll see you in a couple of months.» When he got there, he loved his grandparents; he didn’t get to see them very much, but he was going to be with them for two months.
So when they got Fred up to his bedroom, his grandfather sat him down and said, «Now, Fred, I don’t know what you’re used to in the city, son, but around here we have to go to bed early and get up early because everybody’s got chores on the farm.» He said, «Fred, I just want you to know you may as well get ready for bed; you need to go to bed about 8:00 because we’re going to get up early.» Well, Fred said he was sound asleep, and all of a sudden, his grandfather walked in; it was still dark before the sun was up and he said, «Fred, time to get up! We got chores to do; let’s go.» Dr. Samson said, «Man, I was used to getting up at the crack of noon! I’d never gotten up before the sun was up; it was pitch black outside.» So he said he got ready, got dressed, and went downstairs. His grandfather said, «Your chore is to cut the wood. I’m going to show you how to do it because everything we do around here has to have heat, and the way we heat the house and cook the food is with wood.» So he took him out to a woodpile, showed him how to cut with the grain.
If you’ve ever cut wood, you know it’s not that hard; you cut with the grain. So he took him out and said, «Now, Fred, all this has to be chopped up.» Okay, so Fred chopped the wood. After Fred chopped the wood, he started back to the house and his grandfather said, «Fred, where are you going?» He said, «I’m going back to bed.» His grandfather said, «No, no, no, Fred, you got chores to do.» He said, «What I got to do now?» His grandfather replied, «Well, you got to milk the cows.» Fred said, «I don’t know how to milk the cows.» He said, «I’m going to show you how to grab the cow you’re going to milk.» So he took him and showed him how to milk the cow. Fred milked the cow, and I think he milked three or four cows. He started back to the house, and his grandfather said, «Fred, where are you going?» He said, «I’m going back to the house.» His grandfather asked, «Where you going?» Fred replied, «I’m going to bed.» «No, Fred, you got chores to do.» He said, «I’ve been doing chores.» His grandfather replied, «Fred, you got more chores.» «What’s my chores now?» Fred asked. He said, «Well, you got to feed the chickens.»
So he went out, and his grandfather said, «There’s a bucket of feed over there.» He said, «You throw a little feed here and throw it.» So he said, «Okay, you feed the chickens.» So he fed the chickens, and his grandfather said, «Now, Fred, we’re going back to the house; time to eat breakfast.» Fred said, «Oh boy, I want to eat breakfast!» So they went back to eat this big breakfast, and when he got through eating, he thanked his grandmother for the breakfast and started up the stairs. His grandfather said, «Fred, where are you going?» He replied, «I’m going to bed.» His grandfather asked, «Fred, why are you going to bed?» He said, «Because I’m tired.» His grandfather said, «Why are you tired?» He said, «Because I’ve been working.» His grandfather said, «Fred, you hadn’t been working.» He said, «Well, if I hadn’t been working, why am I so tired?» His grandfather said, «Fred, sit down; let me tell you something about the farm.»
And this is what Fred heard his grandfather say: «Son, chopping wood, milking cows, and feeding chickens—those are chores. The work is in the fields. Amen.» We have a staff that comes to this church every week, and they spend many hours here. We have to because we’ve got chores to do to keep the church running. We’ve got chores to ensure that we are everything we need to be for you all. But I tell my staff all the time, those chores—the work is in the fields. Lost people are not in our offices Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Most lost people are not sitting in this room right now; they’re out there. I’m glad you come. I’m glad you serve. I’m glad we have people in the praise band. I’m glad we have people who greet others as they walk in. I’m glad we have people working in our NextGen area. I’m glad we’ve got people doing all kinds of things. Read my lips: these are chores. The work is in the fields. Jesus said that’s where the work is; that’s where we are to go. Now, we ought to come to church. We ought to worship. We ought to disciple. We ought to serve. But those are chores. We are sent to do the work in the fields; that’s the plan of God. It was for His Son, and it is for us.
Alright, so first of all, we go with the peace of God. Number two, we go with the plan of God. I know what the plan is: get out there and go into the world. But if I stop right there, most of you still aren’t going to do it because you’re going to sit there and say, «I know I’m supposed to do it. I know I ought to do it. I know I don’t get a pass, but I’m just telling you, man, I just can’t do it.» Wait a minute. The third thing: we are sent with the power of God. Now look what happens next: Jesus says, «As the Father has sent me, so send I you.» Now, what does He do next? Does He say, «Okay, good luck; hope you get it done. I’ll be pulling for you»? No, here’s what He says: «And with that, He breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'» I’m not going to lie to you. If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, when you walk out that door, you’re going to war. But you’re not going without weapons; you’re going with every weapon you need. You’re going with all the strength you need because Jesus never expects us to do what we are not empowered to do. The will of God will never lead you where the Holy Spirit cannot help you, and that’s why every time I get up here and talk about witnessing, sharing, and preaching the gospel, it should always be done in the power of the Holy Spirit.
This is the way it works: God the Father sent God the Son to find you. God the Son finds you so He can forgive you, and God the Holy Spirit fills you so you’ll find others who need to be forgiven as well. That’s the way it works. See, listen to me: you never, ever do God’s work on your own. You never do God’s work by yourself. You may think up here, «Well, now, pastor, you’re up there preaching by yourself.» If I thought I was, I’d walk off this platform. I believe with all my heart I’m preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit. I’m preaching with the power of God in my life; otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. You never do God’s work alone; you are never by yourself. You never share the gospel alone; you never try to win people to Christ alone. You always do what you do with and through the power of the Holy Spirit. I was thinking about this as I was working on this sermon not long ago, and then as I went over it last night, I got to thinking—it’s interesting we’re talking about this because, as you well know, the two main symbols in the Bible for the Holy Spirit are wind and fire.
It’s so interesting that we’re discussing this while Los Angeles is going up in flames; it’s on the news every single day. But I learned something, and if you’ve been paying attention, you learned something too. The greatest thing firefighters fear right now in Los Angeles is not the fire. What is their greatest fear? Somebody tell me—the wind. The only way a brush fire becomes a forest fire is the wind. The only thing that can keep a fire going, spreading so fast you can’t keep up with it, is wind. It’s the wind that fuels the flames; it’s the wind that fortifies the fire; it’s the wind that turns a brush fire into a wildfire. And you say, «What’s that got to do with me?»
I’ll tell you what it has to do with you: if you are filled with the wind of the Holy Spirit, your heart will be on fire for lost people. Come on now! Your heart will be on fire for those who need Jesus; you won’t have to go—you’ll want to go. You don’t have to share the gospel—you’ll want to share the gospel. It will fuel the passion of your soul; it will motivate and move you to do what Jesus did: to seek people without Christ, to share with people without Christ, to show people what their lives can be with Christ. Now here’s the good news: you ready? The Holy Spirit lives in all of us; He wants to fill all of us; He empowers all of us; He encourages all of us—not just to know that we’re sent, but that we’re sent with power. And then here’s the last thing; we’ll be finished—ready? Do this quickly. We are sent with the purpose of God.
What do you mean? What’s the purpose? Well, Jesus closes with an incredible statement, and I’m going to tell you something you have to think about because it’s really wild and kind of confusing. Here’s what Jesus said: if you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; but if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. Whoa! If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. What in the world does that mean? Well, let me tell you what it doesn’t mean: it doesn’t mean that if you don’t forgive people, God won’t forgive. It doesn’t mean that He’s depending on us to forgive before He forgives. We don’t have the power to forgive. I can’t forgive you for what you’ve done to me; I cannot forgive you for what you’ve done to God. We can’t forgive people—only God has the power to forgive sins.
You say, «What did Jesus mean by that?» Here’s what He meant: I cannot deliver a sinner from his sin, but I can declare that a sinner has been delivered from his sin if he tells me sincerely that he’s given his life to Jesus Christ. So I can say to that person, «You are forgiven because God says you are forgiven.» I cannot tell who possesses salvation; I can’t tell who professes salvation. And here’s what I love: I love to lead somebody to Jesus, and I love to look them in the eye and tell them, «I am telling you right now, not on the authority of our church, not on the authority of my ordination, not on the authority of my PhD; I’m telling you in the authority of God, you’re forgiven.»
Come on now, you are saved; you have a home in heaven because that’s exactly what God says. Here’s what I can say to people: you say yes to Jesus, He’ll say yes to you; you say no to Jesus, He’ll say no to you. You want to be forgiven? You can be. You don’t want to be? You won’t be. I can say that’s exactly what Jesus meant: you forgive them, I forgive them. I have that God-given authority to tell anyone— I don’t care if they’re on death row for 15 murders; if they’ve given their life to Christ, they have been forgiven. Our purpose is to declare to this world that anyone, any time, any place, regardless of race, color, creed, or religion, can be forgiven if they want to be forgiven.
So I’m going to wrap this up by saying two things, and then we’re done. I want you to change your terminology starting today: do not ever say again that you’re going to church. Don’t ever say that again! God does not want you to go to church, and I don’t want you to go to church. I want you to come to church so you’ll go from the church and invite other people to come to church. So you don’t go to church; you come to church! The purpose of our coming is so we can turn around and go.
I love the story about a dad who was going to the store and wanted his son to go with him, but his son was playing a video game. He said, «Hey son, I’m going to the store; would you like to go with me?» The son replied, «I ain’t going.» The dad said, «What did you say?» The son repeated, «I ain’t going.» The dad thought, «You know what? This is a good time to teach my kids some grammar.» He said, «Son, come over here; I’m gonna teach you something.» He sat down and said, «I’m going to teach you some proper grammar. First person singular: I am not going. Second person singular: you are not going. Third person singular: he is not going. First person plural: we are not going. Second person plural: you all are not going. Third person plural: they are not going. You understand that?»
The son replied, «Yes, sir.» The dad continued, «Sounds to me like ain’t nobody going!» We have too many people in this church that ain’t going. Whether you go or not, you’ve been sent! You weren’t just put here to go to college, get a degree, get a paycheck, get a pension, sit on your tail, curl up your toes, and die. You were here to be sent.
So here’s my last question: I didn’t do that. I like that, Justin; come up here! I love your cap. Come up here, Justin. Alright, stand right there and turn to face me. You’re a big boy. You’re on my side, right? You’re justified for the moment. I’m Jesus! I want you to imagine Jesus puts His hands on your shoulders and looks at you. Here’s what He says: «As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.» Then I want you to ask yourself this one question, and we’ll pray: if that were you and He said, «As the Father has sent me, so send I you,» will you go? Let’s pray together: heads bowed, eyes closed. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can’t go! You can’t be sent until you become part of God’s family. If you’re watching by live stream or TV, or if you’re in this room right now and you’ve never given your life to Jesus Christ, you can’t go until you come. You can’t be sent until you come. If you’ve never come to Jesus, I just want to invite you today to do it, and you can do it right now with a simple prayer:
Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner and I’m lost, and I need to be saved. I cannot save myself, but I believe You died for my sins. I believe God raised You from the dead. I believe You’re alive right now. Lord Jesus, come into my heart, save me, forgive me, and give me eternal life. And Lord Jesus, because You’ve just done that for me, now, Lord, just as the Father sent You, yes, Lord Jesus, send me to tell others about Him.