The Trinity and Mission

Welcome to Delighting in the Trinity with Michael Reeves brought to you by Union. This podcast brings you teaching and preaching from our archives and you can find more resources, audio, video and books at unionpublishing.org. You might be opening up God's Word to us and I'm just going to read passage. So it's John 20 and it's verse 19 to 23. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." So he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again, Jesus said, "Peace be with you." As the Father sent me, I am sending you. And with that, he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. Let me just pray for Mike. Lord God, we thank you so much for your Word. We thank you so much that you have revealed yourself to us. Lord, we thank you that we don't have to just guess about what you're like. And Lord God, I pray for Mike as he speaks to us now. Lord, would he open up the Scriptures? Would he be faithful to you? And would he show us your heart, Lord? In Jesus' name, I remember. Well, good morning, everyone. Let me start with a question for you. What is it, do you think, that God really wants from you? What is it that God really wants from you? Holiness? Service? That life devoted, wholly given over to glorifying him. Any thoughts? Well, I can fess. It's a trick question. What does God want from you? You see, start from there. Praise it like that. And for all the kind of right-sounding language you will use, the God you will start coming up with is basically a big blood-sucking parasite, a greedy God, a needy God, a cosmic leech who just wants to get stuff from you. The sort of God who thinks, "I love it when they grovel." Now drop and give me 20 prayers. Now God like that has always got a whopping PR problem and needs seriously gifted evangelists to try and talk him up. Because seriously, how do you sell a God like that? Would you like a big blood-sucking leech in your life? He's called God. You can give up everything for him or you can go to hell. And people think, "What's the difference?" The other thing about the leech God is that he thinks first about what a privilege it is to fall on him. He's quite self-obsessed. And Heaven's definitely not then for the riff-rath. But then what with hell-looming, that means that his people have got to be a load more concerned about evangelism than he is. And that means that evangelism becomes pure hard slog. Because if you care more than he does about evangelism, then you've got to be very self-motivated to keep it up. And therefore, bluntly, it can only be done. Evangelism can only be done by the superfast, wider drenneling junkies. You know the kind of manic salesmen types. The guy's extraordinarily able to go door to door telling rib ticklers and getting people to sign their lives away. Now, does any of this sound vaguely familiar? A gospel that bluntly ain't that attractive? That we've got to run around selling to people? Sound even slightly familiar? Isn't that what we dream regularly? What would Jesus say? John 2019, what would Jesus say? On evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, the risen Jesus walked into the room, AK-47 in hand, and fired a full ammo clip into that view of God. Peace be with you. Boom! The disciples were overjoyed. For after it done this, the insertitist spare magazine squeezed the trigger and said again, peace be with you. Now, those words of peace are pure destructive violence to the view of God as a leech. Here in Jesus is a God who has not come to take, but to bring peace. Jesus is making known to us a God entirely different to the monstrous bore we routinely imagine God to be. Now, that is what I want us to see now. I want us to see how Jesus reveals a God who is delightfully different. And I want us to see how when it comes to mission, that changes everything. Okay? Now, are you ready? Here's the real fire. In half of verse 21, "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." Now to get what is so nuclear about that, what I want to do is I want to flick to some other passages in John that talk about the Father sending his son Jesus. All right? Now, I want to try to build up a color picture of what this means. Okay? So stick your theology network card or a finger or a body part or a neighbor's body part or something in John 20 and flick with me to John 3, famous John 3, 16. John 3, 16. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life, for God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order the world might be saved through Him." Now, all I want to see here, all I want to see is so much I could see in those verses. All I want to see is the connection between loving and sending. You see it? God loved the world and so sent His Son. God sends because He loves. Now I flick down to verse 34, John 3, 34. "For He whom God has sent," that is the Son. The Son is the one God has sent. "For He whom God has sent," uttered the words of God, "For He gives the Spirit without measure, the Father loves the Son." And has given all things to Him to His hand. See? The Father loves the Son, the Father sends the Son. He's starting to see the connection between these two, between loving and sending. See, connection? What's going on there? What is the connection between loving and sending? I'll check it. John 5, 19. Here we go. John 5, 19. Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son could do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise." That is why Jesus says, "As the Father has sent me, so I'm sending you, because Jesus is all about revealing His Father." He does as the Father does, the Father sends, so the Son sends. But let's just read it again. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise, for the Father loves the Son." Now, to trace through what Jesus is saying here, the Father says, "The Son is all about That is what the father does, verse 19. That's what the father is doing, the father is sending Jesus. And the father does what he does, the father sends Jesus because, because the father loves Jesus, the father sends Jesus because he loves him. Now this is one of the most beautiful and grand themes of the Bible. That the father sends Jesus because he loves him before the world existed. The father so loved his son, Jesus, so enjoyed fellowship with his perfect son that he didn't want to contain it. And so his love overflowed, exploded outwards. And that, my friends, is why the cosmos exists. The father so loved the son that he sent him as his word to spread their love. In the beginning was the word, and God said, "Let there be everything." So when you look up at the stars in the moon tonight, wonder, "Why are they there? Why?" Because God loves cosmically. Because the father's love for the son has overflowed, meaning all this. The father so loved the son that his love overflowed. And creation was just the start. The father so loved the son that he wanted to adopt many sons, millions of children, to love through his great son, Jesus. And so he sent his son to accomplish salvation to that great end. And so the fellowship and love between the father and the son would overflow to be enjoyed by billions. Do you see? This God is no greedy life-sucking leech. This God is an overflowing fountain of love. The story of reality from creation onwards is the story of his love being poured out. And that is why God is all about sending. Because he is love gushing ever outward, uncontainable, brimming over. He is not a grasping, taking God as if he ever needed anything. He is full to overflowing, always giving, loving, going out. Let's just see a couple more verses. John 17, we'll get there eventually. John 17, let's dive in at verse 23. John 17, 23. I end them and you and me, the father that Jesus says to his father, I end them and you and me. May they become perfectly ones so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Seriously, verse 23. The father so loved the son that he sent him and all to spread their love so that those who believe in Jesus may be as loved by the father as the son is himself. There is no grudging father behind lovely Jesus. You know, the father is the origin of all this spreading love. He so loves the son that he sends him that that love might be shared and enjoyed. And the son likewise so loves us that he sends us that that love might be shared and enjoyed. One last one, verse 25. John 17, 25. And this I think pulls it all together. A righteous father, John 17, 25. A righteous father, even though the world does not know you, I know you. And these disciples know that you have sent me. I've made known to them your name and I will continue to make it known that the love with which you have loved me may be in them. And I in them. So the father sent the son ultimately that the love with which you have loved me may be in them. I've got to say that again. The father sent the son ultimately that the love with which you have loved me may be in them. Now my friends, this is why back in our passage, John 20, verse 22, this is why Jesus then breathes on them and says, receive the Holy Spirit. Because Jesus had already said back in chapter 16, what does the Spirit do? The Spirit takes what is mine and declares it to you. And what was declared to the son? What was declared to the son? Think of voice declaring something to the son from heaven. This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. And the Spirit takes what is his and declares it to us. So the eye with the same spirit that rested on Jesus when those words were declared with that spirit now resting on me, I hear from heaven. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. It is beyond words, isn't it? This God is beautiful. This God is not selfish and grabbing. This God is outgoing and generous and what does He give? He gives the right to be the children of God. Now, to be the child of a millionaire would be nice, to be the first born child of a wealthy king, but to be the beloved of the emperor of the universe. And that is what you are in Jesus. And it is not as if He grudgingly gives that privilege. You know, when someone is converted, people often quote that bit in Luke 15. You know, there is joy before the angels of God when one sinner a pence, yeah? And people go, "Hey, someone became a Christian last night and someone will say, 'Oh, I bet the angels were a joising.' Which is a nice thought, but it is kind of like the angels go, 'Well, this is brilliant and God is going, 'Oh, okay, this one can be my beloved child.' But no, what does it say, Luke 15? There is joy rejoicing before the angels of God. Who is before the angels of God? God! He is the one rejoicing. Not grudging, but delighting that by His Spirit, the love with which He has loved the Son now rests on another. Now, when you get that our living God is this fountain of outgoing, sending love that God sends out of the overflow of love, then it transforms mission. You see, first you see, this is what this God is all about, spreading His kindness. And so, going out and sharing the knowledge of His love reflects something very profound about who this God is. This is what He's like. But here I think is the key thing. Mission, sending comes from the overflow of love. Sending comes from the overflow of love. And Father so loves the Son that He sends Him, that that love might be shared and enjoyed. Now, that means mission is not something we whip ourselves up to. It is the overflow of love. '嚙, cael ie magmaillau er scary grace y bod wair m сво fel ei wedi'n hyn器. Dw Middw myna chel強 Salaf' Xael o'f yn ll filming o datundraeth a hynjod, zwy hynn. Bows cuwch hidden hyn di, wchyd ConstitieduanOR amlam ναau fryiadedd yn y ochi â felysgup. M anghyrall siwr y pleiklegeluu? Mae'r ffyn sy'n ymdyn sy'n fel ei ymdyn sy'n gweithio, sy'n ymdyn sy'n gweithio, sy'n gweithio, sy'n gweithio, sy'n gweithio, sy'n gweithio, sy'n gweithio, sy'n gweithio. Mae'n cwthysgwch i'n gweithio. Mae'n gweithio i'n gweithio yn gweithio, sy'n gweithio yn gweithio. Mae'n gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio. Mae'r ffyn sy'n gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio. Mae'r ffyn sy'n gweithio? Mae'r ffyn sy'n gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio. Mae'r ffyn sy'n gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio. Mae'r ffyn sy'n gweithio yn gweithio yn gweithio. bwysig yn fwy'n gwneud gwneud hyn yn y gweithafrwyth? Mae'n gwneud hyn yn y gweithafrwyth? Fysig'n gweithafrwyth? Now, if you don't enjoy Christ, let me put that to you as a question now, do you enjoy Christ? Well, if you don't, as you run around doing your events, what will happen? Well, if you don't enjoy Christ, why would anyone else want anything to do with Him? But then, why wouldn't you enjoy Him? Jesus Christ is the bright radiance of the Father's own loveliness. He is infinitely more desirable than any of the passing dreams that we lust after. Enjoy Him, His love and His fellowship, and the happiest mission will flow. And, you know, because this God is a constantly outgoing, love-spreading God, mission is not actually something separate from enjoying Him. Just flick with me to Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13. He was 13. Let's dive in at verse 12. You there? He was 13. 12. Jesus suffered outside the gate. That is, He went out beyond the city, beyond where the people of God are. He went out to the unclean world. He suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His blood. Therefore, let us go to Him outside the camp. See, see, it's not really that we enjoy Jesus and then go out in mission. Now, mission is an invitation to be where He is. Where is Jesus going out beyond the people of God, to the unclean place, to the place of rejection. And I'm sure most of you must have felt this at some stage. It is when you go outside with Him to live and speak for Him. That is when you enjoy a special closeness of communion with Him. Yeah? Well, okay, so far this has been quite abstract. From John's Gospel, we've got ourselves a theory. It is the love of Christ that fuels mission. The Father so enjoys His fellowship with His Son that the love overflows. He sends His Son to spread their fellowship. And just like that, it's when we enjoy that fellowship that we long to go out and spread the love. That's off the theory. What I want to show now is it really works in real life. I want to look very quickly at the New Testament church in Ephesus. Now, the story of the church in Ephesus is extraordinary. Now, Ephesus was home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the great temple of Artemis. And the temple of Artemis commanded a massive trade. It was this world center. People came from everywhere to worship. But in Acts 19, you read that the church in Ephesus grew so quickly and so widely that the trade of this world center was under threat. The temple, the great temple of Artemis, was emptied as people quite simply left Artemis for Christ. Now, historians have long puzzled over why exactly? How exactly? The early church grew so fast like that. How? Wow. You know, there's an intriguing clue in Revelation 2. How will look at Revelation 2? Now, this is a few years later, Revelation 2. And Jesus speaks to the church in Ephesus. Revelation 2. And He says this to the church in Ephesus. I know your works, your toil, your patient endurance. I know how you cannot bear with those who are evil but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be false. I know you're enduring patiently and of bearing up for my namesake and you've not grown weary. But I have this against you. You have abandoned the love you had at first. That was what first marked out the church in Ephesus. The love for Jesus. That was why it grew so fast. Clearly, they so loved Jesus that they loved to speak of Him. And so, on mass, people turned from the chains of Artemis to the warm embrace of Christ. And now, here in Revelation 2, what had clearly happened since then is over time. That first love was replaced by a sense of duty. Heart felt love for Christ was replaced by the mere moral expectation that Christians do certain things like mission. Hearts that had been warmed by the very thought of Christ now were no more. I would guess, almost certainly, they therefore handed mission over to the professionals. And so, it became the duty of the few rather than the delight of all. And so, of course, mission died. Now, what's the lesson for us? How do we cultivate mission? Well, our first instinct is probably to work at verses 2 to 3, right? Let's do hard work. Let's persevere. Let's not tolerate false teaching. Let's not grow weary. All good things. But they miss the most essential thing. You see, we could go through the motions and be very verses 2 to 3. But if we can reawaken our first love, then my friends were into a new world. Rejoicing in Christ and His love, you will want to speak of Him. And you'll do so with an attractive winning spirit. warmth because you love him. Brothers and sisters, let us reawaken our first love. Before anything else, before any programs, before any events, more than anything, that very simply is the marrow and the main spring of mission. It just leaves one last vital question. How? How can we reawaken our first love? Well, very simply. Think, what was it that first awoke your love for this Lord? Was it not you simply heard the gospel? Was it not that? You heard the scriptures opened, you heard the love of God in Christ and your heart was one. Now, want to reawaken your love? Do it again. That's it. Dig into the scriptures, hold up Christ, a fresh before your eyes. And that vision will warm you. It is an intrinsically warming vision, the vision of Christ in His loveliness, in His love for us. This is why it is imperative that you have good, constant Bible teaching in your CU. If you don't, love for Christ cannot be roused. And then I'll tell you, the majority will just run a mile come events week. The majority simply won't want to speak of their friends, speak of Jesus to their friends. And those who do still do so will do so with an increasingly off-putting harshness and sense of duty. And people will sense that they're not loved. Without the scriptures that proclaim Christ being taught, you see use of Angiolism will keep going for a few terms. You will. But without being fueled by the love of Christ, as shown to us so richly in the scriptures, without that, then people won't be wanting to do it and people won't be wanting to hear your ever more loveless message. But just consider the birds every morning. It is when the sun rises and starts to warm them. That's when they sing. Just so it is with Christians, shine the light of the world on them. Let them know the warmth of the love of God in Christ and you won't be able to stop them from singing of Him. My friends, our Father is all about spreading His love through His Son Jesus Christ, bathed in that sunshine and you'll love to spread it to. Let me pray. Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us that we should be called the children of God. My Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters now may we be people who abide in Christ, who daily reawaken our first love for Him by seeing your love for us in Him. And so may the student world be filled with the sound of hearts overflowing, rejoicing to speak to all of the one they cherish in His incomparable name. Oh man. You've been listening to Delighting in the Trinity with Michael Reeves brought to you by Union. 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