Vision Sunday 2023: God’s People Fulfilling God’s Plan • 01.08.23
Nick Lees   -   January 8, 2023

God’s People Fulfilling God’s Plan
Genesis 1:26-28, Matthew 28:18-20

Living out your identity and purpose in 2023

  1. Remember who you are (Identity)
  2. Pursue the mission you’ve been given (Imperative)

 

Good morning church family! For those who are visiting with us for the first time, welcome to Harvest! I’m thankful to be worshiping the Lord with you all this morning. My name is Nick Lees and I serve as the senior pastor here.

Dismiss 4th + 5th graders

At the beginning of the year for the past several years, we’ve kicked things off with what we’ve called “Vision Sunday”. This year we pushed it back one week to today because we assumed some folks might still be traveling last week. Now I don’t know what comes to your mind when you hear “Vision Sunday” so I want to explain it before we get into studying the Bible.

Vision Sunday is an opportunity to bring us all together to address some key truths. Specifically, who we are and why we’re here. Then we also get to address some practical ways we’re going to live out those truths in the new year – in previous years we’ve framed that up as – where we’re going and how you fit in. Today is a call to remember key truths from God’s Word about our identity and purpose and then to act upon them in 2023. It is an opportunity to revisit the foundations of our faith and to allow them to challenge us anew. That’s what Vision Sunday is.

Now let me tell you what Vision Sunday is not. It is not a time for flashy showmanship or to try to impress with a grandiose plan for the new year. It is not about new programs or projects. It is not about our own will and desires, but rather about God’s will and desires as expressed in the pages of Scripture.

It is about continuing to grow and mature as the men and women that God has created and called us to be. It is about pursuing godliness and identifying specific ways to do so this year. It is an opportunity for us to unite as the local church and run the race of faith together, arm-in-arm. It is also an invitation to join with us if you’re not a member of our church family. We see and believe the call to commit to Christ’s church is quite deep in the Scriptures.

So, with all that said, let’s turn our attention to the study of God’s Word. That’s why we’re here. To know God and make him known.

Ushers + Bibles

Today will again be a bit different than usual for us. Starting next week, we will be launching into our next sermon series in the book of Hebrews, “Jesus is Better”. We’ll kick that series off with an overview of the entire book and then slow down to go through it in smaller segments over the course of the spring. I’m very excited for this study. (Vision Sunday Slide)

For today, however, we’re going to move throughout a few passages in Scripture. Today is going to be tracing the bigger narrative of Scripture about God’s grand redemptive plan and how we are called to respond to it. If you have a bulletin, you’ll notice the aim or goal of our time together today is…

Living out your identity and purpose in 2023

My hope is that by studying and remembering key truths from the pages of Scripture, you will be better equipped to walk into 2023 in a purposeful and fruitful way. I believe this will glorify God, bless others, and bring much joy and satisfaction into your own lives. So, with that in mind, let’s turn in our Bibles to Genesis 1. If you were here last week, you might be able to guess where I’m taking us. Verses 26-28. I want to remind you again of who you are… Your identity.

Genesis 1:26–28 (ESV)

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27     So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

This passage recounts for us the very beginning of humanity. Before we were made, we were a desire in the heart of our God, our Creator. He was the one who desired and delighted to make us. And he made humans with intentionality. As you just heard, we are made in his image and after his likeness. This is a key passage in Scripture about your identity. And if you’re going to live out your identity and purpose in 2023, then you must start with…

  1. Remember who you are (Identity)

If you don’t know who you are, you will inevitably live a chaotic life. Understanding your identity is crucial for the rest of life – identity informs your daily choices, your purpose, your values, frankly, your entire life. We simply have to open our eyes and read the headlines or browse 15 minutes of social media or walk around the mall to see that our understanding of identity “who we are” dramatically influences the rest of life. As Christians, we firmly believe that God is the one who establishes our identity, as he is our creator. He is the only one who has the right or authority to give us our identity. And it is our calling to remember it! When I say remember, I’m not talking about some lackadaisical, “if it happens, it happens” kind of deal… I’m talking about an active, calling it to mind and holding firmly to it. “I am created by God in his image. I am created to represent and reflect him!”

Remember your identity with the same fervor and intensity as you remember your favorite flavor of ice cream! I’m assuming no one has to remind you of your favorite flavor! For me, Raspberry Chocolate Chunk from Heavenly Delights! Ok more than that even. Who does God say that I am? Genesis 1:26-28 has given us some foundational truths to remember!

One of my former pastors puts it this way – God made you to be a visible representative of the invisible God. Meaning, God, who is not seen, has made human beings, who are seen, to represent and reflect him. It is your job to know God so well that you then live in a way that accurately shows him to the world around you. You were made to be an image-bearer of God.

Is anyone here familiar with the practices of ancient rulers after they conquered a rival nation in battle? When the ancient kings used to go out to war with an enemy nation, upon conquering that nation, they would typically build and leave behind a statue. Care to guess what the statue was of? It was the image and likeness of their new king. It was a reminder to the whole nation that this is whom they served and by whose power they were protected and provided for. Every time they looked at the statue, they were to be reminded of the king!

This is a helpful analogy for us as we consider our role as image-bearers of God. Everywhere you go, in all the work that you do, in the relationships that you form and cultivate, you are intended to point everyone else back to God, your Creator and theirs. When others look at you or hear you speak, they are meant to see and hear things that are pleasing to God and consistent with godliness. This ties into God’s plan for humans to have dominion over the earth. He has delegated some of his authority to us so that we would use it wisely to care for all that he has made and, in so doing, point all that he has made back to him!

Let me use my own life as an example. God has entrusted to me a family. This is part of his creation that I am called to care for! Every time I open my mouth and in every interaction with them, my wife and children ought to be able to see God in me. Now, do I do that perfectly? Unfortunately, no. I am a sinner in need of a Savior just like the rest of you. But is it my goal and aim to continually be refined into representing and reflecting God more accurately? Absolutely! Because that is what God created and called me to do! And that’s what he created and called you to do as well. Your aim must be to accurately represent and reflect God. This is a major component of your identity.

Now, if you were here last week, you heard from our overview of the Old Testament that humans didn’t live out this identity very well. In fact, they consistently turned away from their God-given identity and turned to all kinds of other self-created identities. They lived for their own pleasures and purposes. And this struggle didn’t stop in the closing pages of the Old Testament, in fact it continues to be the struggle of humanity to this day. Turning away from God-given identity to self-created identity.

Thankfully God has some incredible hope for us in the midst of our struggle. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue us from our sin and make it possible to live out our God-given identity. Let me turn your attention to Ephesians 2. (Page ______) Here’s what Paul writes to the church in Ephesus about their identity.

Ephesians 2:1–10 (ESV)

2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Paul is reminding the Ephesians that though they were once dead in their sins, they are now made alive by faith in Christ. This was a gracious gift of God. He has called them to be a part of the people of God!

What incredible identity statements! A dead sinner made alive in Christ! Forgiven. Saved from hell and the wrath of God. Raised to glory with Christ with the hope of heaven! Promised to enjoy the immeasurable riches of God’s grace. All because of Jesus and their faith in him!

Now take your finger and move down the page to verse 19, which gives us more identity statements:

Ephesians 2:19 (ESV)

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Remember who you are! If you’re in Christ, then you are no longer an enemy or stranger and alien to God. Now you are a citizen of his kingdom! You are a member of his family! He has forgiven you, adopted you, and promised you future exaltation in glory with him. If you’re here this morning and your faith is NOT in Jesus Christ, then I want you to know that faith in Him is the path to becoming a friend of God and citizen of his kingdom. I’d love to talk with you more about that after the service.

Now, all throughout this chapter, the pronouns are in the plural. Paul is speaking to the church at Ephesus. This is not just about God working in or being with individuals, but with his people! This is a corporate calling. So don’t just remember who you are, remember who WE are.

We are the church, Christ’s bride, the family of God, brothers and sisters in Christ. Rescued and redeemed by our resurrected Savior. Forgiven, adopted, and made new in Christ and united together in him. Consider verse 22:

Ephesians 2:22 (ESV)

22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

God is doing a work in us corporately, as the church, so that he can be with us. And that’s what I want to spend the rest of our time this morning talking to you about. God is at work in us, building us up, unifying us, equipping us to be his image-bearers and ambassadors, but it is not so we can sit around and keep all this incredible truth and transformation to ourselves. No, as you heard in verse 10, God has created us for good works, which he prepared long ago for us so that we would walk in them! God has a MISSION for you and for this local church! This morning I’m calling all of you to…

  1. Pursue the mission you’ve been given (Imperative)

This of course, requires you to know your mission! What has God called you to do? Why are we here? What is our mission? To put it very simply our mission is to glorify God. Which means to make much of God by accurately reflecting his perfect beauty/worth/holiness/splendor. Glorifying God is not about us adding anything to God but rather revealing the truth about who He is, his perfect nature. We are acknowledging how great God is by our words, thoughts, and actions. We know this is our mission by the repeated focus of the Scriptures on this issue. I don’t know if you realize this or not, but the Bible isn’t about you or me. It’s ultimately about God. That he exists and is perfect in every way, and he is worthy of all glory and honor and praise. In the grand narrative of life and our universe, God is the main character, and we are supporting actors.

That’s why we repeatedly read in the pages of Scripture, things like:

1 Chronicles 16:29 (ESV)

29     Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

bring an offering and come before him!

        Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;

Psalm 96:3 (ESV)

  3     Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous works among all the peoples!

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Revelation 4:11 (ESV)

11     “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

        for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”

From start to finish, the Bible reveals that God is worthy of glory and honor, and it is our mission as his image-bearers and ambassadors to glorify him. We sought to capture this in our church’s mission statement. Now I’m sure you all have this memorized and possibly over the mantle of your home, but here it is again:

Harvest Bible Chapel exists to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment.

We exist to glorify God. We are the visible representatives of the invisible God in the Des Moines metro. And our metro is exploding in growth. Do you desire to be ready for it? I sure hope so! We got some glorifying to do!!!

So how do we pursue this mission!? That’s what you were about to ask next. Took the words right out of my mouth! Just as our mission statement said, by fulfilling the great commission, which means making disciples. This is the command that Jesus gave his disciples and the church to carry out until he returns!

Let’s read the Great Commission in the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV)

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This is the final command of Jesus before his ascension into heaven. This is the mission he has given his people to pursue until he returns. Let’s look at some of the details of it.

First, notice that we do not go in our own authority. Jesus sends us with his authority. He is the one with all authority and he has given you this command. Will you obey him?

The primary command in this passage is to make disciples. We know this because this is the only verb in the passage. Go, baptizing, and teaching are all participles that support the main verb of making disciples! These are the ways in which we make disciples. Jesus is giving us the steps for success in our mission.

First, you must go to them. Our faith is not primarily a “come and see” faith but a “go and tell” faith. We are to take the good news of salvation through Jesus to the world.

Now I don’t know if you realize this, but we have a set of six pillars that we say defines our church. These six pillars are intended to be core principles that guide how we seek to accomplish this mission. And they tie into the very things we’re learning about in Matthew 28.

For example, one of our pillars is Courageous Evangelism. This pillar fits perfectly with the call to go to the world with the message of salvation in Christ. Did you know that, as a church, we have some initiatives to grow in courageous evangelism this year? Let me share them with you.

  • Develop the current door-to-door evangelism team in Grimes

Comment on Witness on Wednesdays. Invite them to join.

  • Encourage everyone to invite at least one person/family to church each quarter

If we invite people, what will they experience when they come?

  • People who will engage them in conversation?
  • People who will invite them into worship?
  • People who will have them into their home?
  • People who love them in spite of their differences/worldviews?

 

  • Look for opportunities to grow our missions engagement and involvement across the church
    • Dallas Missions Trip (For the Nations Refugee Outreach) Info Meeting on 1/15
    • Missions webpage now live, you can pray for our supported missionaries, sign up for their newsletters, see our local ministry partners in the metro to serve alongside of…

These are practical ways for us all to grow in courageous evangelism by going to our neighbors and family/friends/co-workers to invite them to hear about Jesus. How will they hear if someone doesn’t go to them?

We also make disciples by baptizing them in the faith. Baptism is a public profession of an inward heart reality – namely that you’ve trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation. Baptism is the step of going public with that declaration. I want the whole world to know I’m following Jesus! If you’ve never taken this step of obedience to Jesus, I want to invite you to do so in 2023. Last year we had both children and adults take this important step, you’re never too old to obey!

We also saw the call to make disciples by teaching them to observe or obey all that Jesus commanded. Now there are so many ways this could be fulfilled. I can’t possibly touch on all of them, but I want to present some of them again in the format of living out our six pillars. If we say these things are essential to our mission, then we need to make them a priority in our daily lives.

So, let’s think about teaching others through the pillar of Bold Preaching. Every week we gather together to hear the Word of God taught publicly from this pulpit. We gather to study and apply what God has taught us so that we might be mature disciples who make disciples. Here’s how we’re aiming to do that this year at Harvest:

  • Preach through Hebrews and overviews of the Old and New Testaments

Some primary goals in these studies are to equip you with a high view of Christ and a better understanding of God’s grand plan of redemption. My hope is that you would be confident in studying your Bibles. Introduce the Hebrews Scripture Journal. In understanding how it is put together and the message of salvation and redemption it teaches, so that you can in turn boldly teach that to others in your spheres of influence.

  • Preach through 1 Peter, biblical communication and conflict resolution, and stewardship of the gospel to prepare us to live winsomely in a hostile world

Our world and nation continue to grow increasingly hostile to the teachings of the Bible. Truth is no longer considered objective but subjective. Biblical morality is considered bigotry. And yet, God’s truth is the only truth. Just because people don’t like it doesn’t make it so.

So, Christians need to learn to live winsomely or attractively in a hostile environment. As the world continues to fall apart, it will be our opportunity to represent God well. We must respond well to suffering and conflict. We must use our words in a way that builds up and heals rather than tears down and destroys. We must remember our identity as ambassadors for God and respond accordingly. These series will ideally help us to handle our relationships with authorities, with our family, and within the church in a godly manner. Which then equips you to live boldly and teach the same truths to others when they take notice of the peace and joy that your life is defined by.

Then there is the call to teach others through the pillar of Purposeful Discipleship. I really want to challenge you to take ownership of these initiatives.

  • Encourage folks to have a 5-3-1 mentality (5 for prayer, 3 for evangelism, 1 for discipleship)

Show 5-3-1 Card. We’ve used these for the past 3 years now. They are incredibly helpful tools for accountability and planning to engage in intentional ministry. I truly believe it would be pleasing to Jesus to have everyone in our church taking one of these cards and encouraging one another in this mentality. To be faithful in prayer, evangelism, and discipleship.

  • Strengthen small group ministry by raising up additional leaders

We had our SG leader training on Friday night here at the church. In that training, Pastor Jack mentioned that he’d really like to see more folks view small group leadership as a goal or aspiration for growth. That you would take time to honestly assess yourself at the start of the year and see if there are areas of your walk with Christ that could mature this year so that you’re able to lead others. SG leadership isn’t going to be for everyone, but I do think the mentality of continually maturing in our faith ought to be in everyone’s mind and DNA. We must never rest complacent but always strive for growth. How will you take steps of growth this year? This ties into the last one under purposeful discipleship…

  • Produce or provide discipleship resources such as podcasts, conferences, online trainings, etc.,

There is already a lot of discipleship resources available on our website on the Resources page. I want to encourage you to become familiar with those resources and avail yourself of them. In fact, why not invite someone else to work through one of them with you? That’s an easy way to begin discipling someone. It could be joining the annual bible reading plan with the church, what better way to teach someone all that Jesus commanded than to study his words all year long!?

Or you could pick a study on a particular topic – we have a list of recommended resources for all kinds of things… you could find a conference to watch together, a podcast to listen to and discuss… It could be getting your finances in order by doing Financial Peace University together! These are all opportunities to mature in your faith and the practical outworking of it!

Then there is the pillar of Passionate Worship. Did you realize this is an area for teaching as well? Every week when we gather together, we are singing truths from God’s Word to one another and back to the Lord. We are reminding ourselves of what we believe and how it changes our lives. There are some specific ways we’re seeking to grow in this area this year. (Slide comes in all at once)

  • Promote weekly worship playlist to prepare the body for Sunday
  • Help form a biblical perspective on worship through worship night teaching videos
  • Consider ways to encourage ministry leaders/parents to model passionate worship
  • Teach songs that cover biblical truths that are not currently found in our song catalog

I want to encourage you to make growing in passionate worship a priority this year. Make it your aim to be here on Sundays for corporate worship and for the quarterly Prayer & Praise nights on 5th Wednesdays. Utilize the worship playlists in your car and home to help your family unit worship the Lord throughout the week! By doing this faithfully, we will be teaching ourselves and the next generation incredible truths about our God.

Our aim, in all of this, is to be obedient to our Savior by fulfilling his great commission to us. And as we’re obedient to carrying out this mission, we will glorify God. But it’s also important to pay attention to the manner in which we carry it out. That’s where the last portion of our mission statement comes into play, “in the spirit of the Great Commandment.” This is referencing Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 22:37-40 when he was questioned about the greatest commandment in the Law. Listen to his answer.

Matthew 22:37–40 (ESV)

37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus surprises them with a dual answer! If you want to obey God and glorify him, then you must first love God with your whole body and whole soul. Everything you’ve got. It cannot be half-hearted. This is not a faith of convenience for us that we pick up when we want and lay down when we’d rather do things our way. Our first and primary goal in life must be to please him!

Out of our whole-bodied and whole-souled love for the Lord comes a deep love for our neighbor (meaning those we share the world with). We know from Jesus’ own example and teaching that he is calling us to a life of sacrificial service for the benefit of others and glory of God! Life isn’t about me! It’s not about you! It’s about loving God and loving others. This must drive the way we live each day and carry out our mission of making disciples.

Let me share some of the pillars and initiatives that I believe will help us carry this out more effectively in 2023. Let’s talk about our pillar of Compelling Community.

  • Encourage the body to be on the lookout for new visitors and welcome them

Share praises for growth in this area and encouragement to continue in it.

  • Look for ways to strengthen the 11am service (reopening Harvest Kids, etc.,)

We’ve been struggling in this area since 2020!!!

If you are not currently serving anywhere, remember that the body of Christ is built up by each member. God has uniquely gifted you to be able to serve the church, so we would love to get you connected to a role that utilizes your gifts. And if you’re not sure what your gifts are, there is no better way than to jump in and start filling a need. Draw attention to the Connect Cards to indicate desire to serve.

  • Multiply small groups to effectively serve new attenders

Now let’s discuss the last pillar of Fervent Prayer. How can we grow in our love of God and others through this area this year? (Slide comes in all at once)

  • Restart the after-service prayer ministry
  • Provide monthly prayer emphases through our six pillars and spiritual disciplines
  • Encourage church members to regularly pray for one another (either in person or via the membership directory)

Now these plans and initiatives are only as effective as the people carrying them out. Each one of us must be willing to do our part in accomplishing the mission God has given us. My hope is that today would serve as a time of remembrance and exhortation for us as the church, the bride of Christ, to be about the mission we have been given in 2023.

Something each one of us must understand is that this begins with personal holiness. For those who profess faith in Christ, we are called to have our focus on the Lord and to pursue him. As we do this with commitment and zeal, it will overflow into our interactions with others. I want to end our time together by exhorting you personally to plan for growth in 2023.

Let me remind you of the exhortation that Paul gave Timothy, which we studied last year.

1 Timothy 6:11–12 (ESV)

11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Flee distractions and sin! Pursue righteousness and godliness! Fight the good fight of the faith! Take hold of eternal life!

How many of the things you do each week move you closer to God? How many draws you away from him?

Flee from distractions to pursue what is truly life. For some, that means committing to the church this year. Making time for the Next Steps process so you can dive into community here via small groups and church membership. For all of us it means pursuing godliness so that you’re able to invest in others.

Make a plan to put off sin by inviting others into your life. Ask for accountability from your SG. Make a personal growth plan for the new year. Apply for biblical counseling at our church if that would benefit you. There are many resources available to you in the church to help you grow in godliness this year.

At the end of the day, there are so many souls all around us… And everyone will spend eternity somewhere. Our effectiveness for the mission Christ has given us matters! And we too will stand before Jesus one day and give an account for how we’ve lived and used the resources he entrusted to us. May we be faithful stewards of what He has entrusted to us who hear “well done, enter into the joy of your Master!”

Let’s pray and ask God for help.