Born to Those Far Off

Revelation 7:9-10 December 6, 2020 Pastor Ricky Alcantar

Thesis Christ was born for those far off, and the church is called to be faithful messengers who carry the gospel to unlikely people, confident that God will gather a glorious multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language.

Series

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Type

Expository

Tone

pastoralevangelisticcelebratory

Method

redemptive-historicalcanonical

What's in this sermon

The shape of the argument

26 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.

Pastoral correction · unit #17

"Ricky applies the urgency of the moment to 2020's experience of death. He notes that people are constantly passing into eternity—every 12 seconds in America, 15 people per day in El Paso. This brief moment is our opportunity to invite people into the multitude."

Doctrinal loci· 6 surfaced

Ecclesiology · 12 Soteriology · 9 Christology · 4 Eschatology · 4 Sanctification · 4 Providence / Sovereignty · 3

Bible citations· 7

Revelation 7:9-10 | Matthew 2:1-2 | Isaiah 60:1-3 | Romans 10:13-15 | 1 Corinthians 11:23-25

Illustrations· 4

personal story · unit #1 — Ricky uses the illustration of looking at old family photos and encountering unfamiliar faces to set up the oddness of the Magi in the Christmas narrative. The illustration makes the congregation feel the strangeness of outsiders appearing in a familiar story.
personal story · unit #9 — Ricky tells a personal story of eating in an airport with a diverse group of pastors who were acting like long-lost family. A couple nearby was baffled by the diversity and warmth, asking what brought them together. The answer—Jesus—illustrates the attractive, world-defying unity of the multitude.
analogy · unit #19 — Ricky uses the analogy of watching a Cowboys game after knowing the final score to illustrate the confidence we should have in mission. He's at peace watching the ups and downs because he knows the outcome. Similarly, we can be confident in mission because we know the final score: a massive, diverse multitude worshiping Jesus. This should embolden us to engage unlikely people.
personal story · unit #20 — Ricky tells the story of Maggie, a church member who recently passed away. She came to the church through the neighborhood outreach team's faithful witness. They didn't know they had limited time, but they went faithfully. Now Maggie is part of the multitude, illustrating the power and fruit of faithful evangelism.

Theological claims· 5

Christ was born for those far off, and this truth pushes the church outward to mission rather than inward reflection only. unit #3
The multitude is united by their shared experience of salvation through the Lamb's blood and their shared allegiance to God as King, not by earthly identities. unit #6
The movement of Christmas is not just inward toward cozy personal reflection, but also outward toward mission. unit #12
We live in a unique moment in redemptive history—a dot on the line of eternity—where eternal destinies are decided, and this urgency should drive our mission. unit #16
The multitude gives us confidence to seize the moment because we know Christ will save many, including the most unlikely people. unit #18

Quotations· 3

"Had not Isaiah foretold something very similar? Then he quotes Isaiah, 'The Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.'" — Green (commentator) (unit #5)

"The movement began with the visit of the Magi. It has continued like a swelling river to this day." — Green (commentator) (unit #5)

"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news." — Paul (unit #11)

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Full transcript

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0 · Ricky opens with logistical announcements about children's ministry and introduces himself

the new check-in area. You're gonna walk on the right side of the special Christmas— what is that, pylons? I don't know. Walk on the special Christmas pylons, walk on the right side, and try to space out just a bit. And this is our first time doing, bringing kids back into kids ministry upstairs. So give us a little bit of grace there as we learn how to do that. But we are so excited. And it's decorated for Christmas up there, guys, which I think you will love. Okay. So, uh, I'll let everybody else do that. And, uh, the rest of us, if you're staying in here, kids, great. We'd love to have you here as well. Uh, if you're new here, my name is Ricky. I'm one of the pastors here, and it is so great to see you guys. Um, we're going to be in the book of Revelation today. So if you have a Bible, open up to Revelation chapter 19. 7. But while I want you to turn there, that's where we're going to spend most of our time, but we're going to begin our journey in Matthew chapter 2, which I believe we've got on the screen for you. So keep your, keep your Bible open to Revelation 7, but we are going to read Matthew chapter 2 together, and this is on the screen in front of you. Matthew chapter 2, this is God's Word. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.' This is God's Word. Father, we pray that you would be with us, open our eyes, open our ears. God, I pray that you would encourage our hearts this Advent season. It's a unique one, but I believe, God, you've got a unique encouragement for us. I pray that we would receive that. In your name we pray, amen. Amen.

1 · Ricky uses the illustration of looking at old family photos and encountering unfamiliar faces to set up the oddness of the Magi in the Christmas narrative

Well, around the holidays, you may do what we do, which is to look at old family pictures. Maybe you find some pictures from Christmas past or Thanksgiving past, and maybe you have the experience that we often do at times, where you look through these old sort of photo albums or your, I don't know, your Instagram from a few years ago around the holidays and you see your mom, your dad, your cousins, your, you know, great uncle or whatever. And then maybe you have the experience that I often do when I look at old family photos. You think, okay, I know Aunt, you know, this person and Uncle Lefty and who is that guy? And so you end up asking your mom, who is this guy? Like, is that cousin Albert's Is that somebody's brother, you know, or is that somebody's neighbor? Or, no, I think that was somebody, one of our cousins from California, they were visiting at the time. And I think that was their adopted stepdaughter, you know, like, and you're trying to figure out who are those people, right? Every once in a while. We recently had this where we found a picture. It was like, oh, it was an adorable picture. And then there was one person like, who is that? Like, I don't wanna know if I wanna put that on the fridge. I don't even know who that is.

2 · Ricky explains the oddness of the Magi's presence in Matthew's Gospel, given that Matthew emphasizes Jesus as the Jewish Messiah

Now, this text, this story of the wise men is a little bit like that in the story of Christmas, right? We're used to sort of the cast of Christmas, which is Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the angels. And if you notice all of these people, while they're different and have important differences, they're all kind of the same. They all have from the same places, from the same skin color, same languages. And yet then off to the side of the Christmas photo is this other group that you're like, how did they get in the photo? Matthew's Gospel is very concerned with the sort of the Jewishness of Jesus, the fulfillment of Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. And it's odd that right in the beginning of Matthew's Gospel is this whole section about these men from the East. What is going on with these guys?

3 · Ricky states the sermon's controlling thesis: Christ was born for those far off, and this truth pushes the church outward to mission

Well, here's why I think they're in the Bible. And I think this is what we are meant to learn this morning, that Christ was born for those far off, not just for those who were near. Christ was born for people outside of the ethnic or political or social or national lines. And this truth has an effect on us. If we see these men, see this full Christmas photo, as it were, we aren't just drawn to meditate on Christmas for ourselves and treasure it up in our hearts, as we should. We're meant to be pushed outward to mission, to see who are the far-off people around us that could be invited to Jesus.

4 · Ricky applies the truth of Christ inviting the far off to the congregation's experience of 2020

And so one of the things I think that's happened this year, at least in my heart, is this year has sort of shrunk my world. It's shrunk our world to the four walls of our home in so many ways. And if we stay there, if our hearts stay there, we will shrivel up. As it were. But if we take this journey and see Christ inviting the far off, I think our sense of purpose will be restored and the Lord will expand our horizons this Christmas season.

5 · Ricky establishes the first stop on the journey: the multitude in Revelation 7

So 3 stops on our journey this morning. First is the multitude, which is why I had you turn to Revelation 7, the multitude. Now, the reason that Matthew's gospel is so, the reason that Matthew's gospel, which is so concerned with Jewish tradition and scripture, includes these men is that these men are fulfillment of a long Old Testament theme. From the very beginning of God's people, when God calls this pagan guy named Abraham and promises that through him all the people of the earth will be blessed, from there to the reign of Solomon where many nations are coming into Israel, all the way through the prophecies of the Old Testament promising that one day all the nations would be gathered to the rule and reign of God, we see that theme. In essence, fulfilled through these magi, but also see that theme continue through them all the way to the very end of the story. Because what begins in the magi ends in a multitude. Revelation chapter 7, look at verses 9 and 10 with me. It says this, 'After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.' Right? The end of the story is that this group of far-off people from all corners of the world come and are gathered to Jesus and his kingdom. Notice even just the words here. It says every nation, that means nationality, that means Mexicans, Ghanaians, Filipinos, Aussies, Iranians, and yes, even Canadians. If you're from Canada, this service is for you. We hope it's a blessing. It says every tribe, which means culture, right? In India, Perhaps like with the Villatoro family's ministering, that you're talking about the various castes, the various classes, the traditional Hindus and the traditional Muslims. In America, the cultures are diverse. It may mean people with skinny jeans and people with baggy jeans, people with pickup trucks and people with Priuses, people who listen to K-pop on the way here and people who listen to country music. Even those two groups, yes, even them are gathered I think at the end of history. Every people means ethnicity, people with last names like Villatoro or O'Malley, people with first names like Jayaprakash and Song Hwan. Every tongue, every language, every dialect, that means Tagalog and Greek and the Queen's English. This is God's design, guys. This is his plan, this is his purpose. And you see how strange and beautiful it is when you imagine these magi finally coming to Mary, meet Jesus. And we picture that as like all this, this sweet moment. Listen, this was a weird moment. They would have seen these guys coming down the road dressed in a different way, looking different. Maybe their Hebrew wasn't the best, right? They could obviously talk to Herod and others, but it was not a first language for them. So maybe they were struggling to communicate like, wait, why are you here? Like, we've come to see the child. Like, who are you? Right? Moment of this clash of cultures, but that clash of cultures is both a fulfillment of the Old Testament and a promise of what will come. Green, one of the commentators on this text, says, 'Had not Isaiah foretold something very similar?' Then he quotes Isaiah, 'The Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.' Dawn, and Green comments this, 'The movement began with the visit of the Magi. It has continued like a swelling river to this day.' And at the end of history, we'll see that swelling river is overflowing with a diverse multitude.

6 · Ricky explains what unites the diverse multitude: their shared experience of salvation through the Lamb's blood and their shared allegiance to God as King

So what brings this multitude together, right? We know well how easy it is for our world and our country and our lives to be divided along these lines. What unites this group? Listen to their song. They sing, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.' Right? The multitude is united by their experience of salvation. It references them having their robes washed in the Lamb's blood. All of us, all of us who come to Christ, have in and of ourselves dark and dirty and stained robes, but the Lamb, the Lamb changes everything. The Lamb offered in our place cleanses us from sin and brings us back to God. We are united both in our experience of, man, we're all dirty, we're all stained, nobody's standing above anybody else, and we're all united by being washed completely clean, the same shade of clean as the person next to us. The multitude is also united by the King itself. Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, right? Everyone in these nations and cultures and peoples would have different rulers, different kings, different culture shapers. And— but this multitude is united under the banner of God himself. The multitude is not united under an American flag or under an ideal level of melanin or a set of national borders. The multitude is united by one thing, by the king on the throne. They all have the same king, the same laws, the same allegiance.

7 · Ricky applies the truth of the multitude to seekers or those who feel far from God

Now, what does this mean for us today? Well, first, listen, if you're here, maybe you're here today, or maybe you're watching online, And you, you're intrigued by Jesus. Maybe you even grew up going to church, but you have been standing far off from Jesus because you have this deep kind of underlying suspicion that Jesus didn't come for people like me. Maybe you're tempted to think, well, church people look this way. Christian people all look this way. Look, if you are hearing this, Christ is inviting you. Christ did not just come for one passport color or one skin color or one income bracket. Christ is for all these peoples and he is for you. And you, through the blood of the Lamb, can come and live under the good reign of Jesus today. The magi are an invitation for even you to come.

8 · Ricky applies the truth of the multitude to believers, urging them to remember that Christ is for 'them'—the others who are furthest from us

But second, this means for all of us who are in Christ that we must remember that Christ is for them, whoever they are. The special emphasis of the text is that the multitude includes those furthest from us, right? Not just the us, the people that look like us, think like us, make money like us, live like us, but the others, whoever they are. And in fact, This emphasizes that those naturally opposed to us by ethnicity or culture or income or political persuasion, Christ is for them as well. We do not know who God will save in his providence, but we know that the multitude will include some of each of them, whoever they are. And when we see the multitude, church, our heart rejoices. We long for the multitude. It is simultaneously intriguing and bizarre and attractive.

9 · Ricky tells a personal story of eating in an airport with a diverse group of pastors who were acting like long-lost family

A couple years ago, I was returning from a pastor's conference and we were— a group of us were eating in the airport on the way home. We're all going to catch flights to various places. And so, but we had a couple hours to kill. So we go to the restaurant in the airport and we're eating there. And we end up sharing a table with another couple because they were short on tables. And so, So we're kind of shoved up with this other couple, and we start chatting with them, and they're friendly, and we're talking to them. And finally, they kind of pause, and they look over, and they ask us, 'So, who are you guys?' And I was like, 'What do you mean?' And they were like kind of motioning to the table, like, 'Well, how did you, I mean, what is, like, is this, what are you? I mean, how did you come together?' And I was like, 'What do you mean?' So I look over, and I realize at our table, There's an Australian guy who's not actually Australian. He moved from England to plant a church in Australia. So we got that guy. We've got 2 Mexican guys. We've got a Middle Eastern bi-ethnicity guy who pastors in Midland, our friend Billy. We've got a tall, white, suburban pastor. We've got me, a shorter, Hispanic-ish pastor. And we're all sitting at this table. And the funny thing is, we're talking like, and I realized these guys are talking like long-lost relatives reunited at like a 20-year family reunion. It's not like a business, going like, 'Oh, well, it's nice to,' like, we're, you know, slapping each other on the back and hugging each other and laughing. And I could see this couple is looking at us and going, 'I don't understand this, whatever this is.' Whatever is happening here, I'm not getting— I'm not understanding what brought you together. Is this a business of some kind? Like, no, it's Jesus, right? We're pastors. And they were like, wow, right? There's something uniquely attractive. There's something in our hearts that goes, yes, that is it. That's what I long for. That is where Jesus is taking us. Isn't that good news? That's Christ's heart at Christmas.

10 · Ricky transitions from the first point (the multitude) to the second point (the messengers), summarizing the first and signaling the structural shift

The magi are a reminder that the far off are brought near and when they're brought near, a multitude of people form that's beyond what the world can make. That's the first stop, the multitude. Second, the messengers.

11 · Ricky establishes the second stop: the messengers

Now, we live between the magi and the multitude, right? The first advent of Christ reminds us of the magi, The second advent of Christ that we look forward to reminds us of the multitude, but we live right now in a constant age of strife between ethnicities and cultures and nations and people even within their nation. So how do we get from where we are to the multitude? The clue again is in the song that they sing. Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, right? These people have been united by the message of the Lamb and his just and good and joyful rule. So how then did these peoples hear it? How were they gathered? We know the Magi were gathered by this star appearing, but how did these people all gather around the Lamb? In the Old Testament, the movement is largely that people are drawn in to God as King. But in the New Testament, there's a shift. The movement is largely that people are sent out with the message of God as King. The way the nations are drawn in is by the church going out. Romans 10 says this, 'For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' And that emphasizes in Revelation 7, the everyone. 'How then,' Paul says, 'will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news.' Right? These Old Testament quotations are tied together with the critical connection that the message goes out when people who have been saved by Jesus, transformed by Jesus, under the banner of Jesus, go out and lift high, as it were, the light of Christ as King and Savior to those around them.

12 · Ricky argues that the nativity tempts us to shrink Christmas inward—cozy, personal, for us alone

For each of us, I think when we look at the nativity, right? Look at that beautiful serene scene that maybe is in our yards or our homes, we often shrink it to just be for us, like, oh, I just love Christmas, right? And the emphasis and kind of the movement of Christmas is often like being cozy in at home. And it's like, oh, I just love being cozy, right? And we buy these blankets and the ugly sweaters and it's great, we sit around and watch a movie. And that fits part of it, right? You do have Mary treasuring up these things in her heart, that's part of Christmas. But the magi are sort of this stubborn reminder that go every Christmas, what about us? What about us, right? The movement of Christmas is not just inward, it is also outward.

13 · Ricky explains how the Magi likely came to Jesus: through the faithful witness of exiled Jews like Daniel who brought the Scriptures and told of Yahweh to foreign cultures

And Vince and I were talking this week and he was reminding me, you know how the Magi probably, I mean, you think it's so bizarre. How did they see this star rising and then they come to Jesus' land? How did they even get there? You know how they got there? Vince was reminding me that it was very likely that when God's people went into exile, one of the purposes of God was that they would be faithful messengers to a foreign culture of the good rule and reign of God. That people like Daniel, remember Daniel in the lion's den and all that? People like Daniel were brought in as magicians, scholars, you know, prophets who were interacting with all these people. They brought the Jewish scriptures and they delivered them. And I'm sure they told other people about Yahweh, about their God faithfully. And then they left and the message continued to work. And these men somehow hundreds of years later with that faithful delivery of the rule and reign of God and character of God were making connections between the stars and the Old Testament prophecies and they came, right? The Magi were only there in a sense because God's people were faithful messengers of who God is and what God is like to them.

14 · Ricky applies the truth of the messengers to the congregation, urging them to proclaim the gospel and live transformed lives that point to King Jesus

The multitude will only be gathered if we, if the church as we are, go out and do the same thing as faithful messengers of who God is. We proclaim the best news in the world, the news we've been singing about, the news that there is a God who saves, that no matter who you are, no matter what you've done, no matter how far off you feel, The Lord has come for people like you. And we not only proclaim it, we live transformed lives under the rule of King Jesus. When we do simple things that are simple for Christians, they are not simple. They are radical acts of testifying to God as King. When we live at peace in an anxious world, we point to the King. When we serve in a selfish world, we point to the King. When we invite the different or the outcast or the far-off, we point to the King. The only way, church, that we get from the Magi to the multitude is when we, as the messengers of Jesus, faithfully deliver that good news.

15 · Ricky transitions from the second point (the messengers) to the third point (the moment), signaling the structural shift

Third stop on our journey today then is the moment. The moment out of all eternity.

16 · Ricky establishes the third stop: the moment

We live in a unique time in redemptive history between the first advent and the second advent. And Randy Alcorn is an author, talks a lot about heaven. He uses this illustration of the dot and the line, right? What our lives truly are is a dot on the line that is that goes on forever of eternity. So imagine there's a dot, remember there's a line, imagine there's a line coming out with an arrow that just keeps going forever, right? That's eternity, that's what we will live. But we live right now in this dot, in this unique moment where eternal destinies of people can be decided. And we must remember this year as we celebrate Advent, I believe the Lord would have us remember the the urgency of our message, the urgency of our task as messengers.

17 · Ricky applies the urgency of the moment to 2020's experience of death

Look, one of the things that people have talked a lot about this year are the numbers of people dying from various things, right? And you see these wonky sort of policy arguments of like, well, you know, this is how many people have died from COVID Well, these are just qualifications or this, you know, well, and this number, how big is the number going to be? And what is this number going to look like? And it's all just numbers until you know somebody that passes away, right? And here's the reality, COVID's not the only thing killing people. There's people passing away into eternity all the time. I think in America, it's every, something like every 12 seconds, somebody passes into eternity. In our city, apart from all of this, an El Paso, 15 El Pasoans pass away every day. Right? We live in this brief moment where we have the opportunity to invite people to be part of the multitude, the glorious joyful multitude that Christ is gathering.

18 · Ricky argues that the multitude gives us confidence to seize the moment

But you know what else the multitude does for us in this moment? It reminds us that Christ will save many, and he will save many who are gloriously unexpected. Now, the Lord doesn't give us exactly the details of how many will be saved, or which ones, or when, or how, but we do know this from staring at the multitude in Revelation 7: the multitude will be massive, right? A number that nobody can count. And the multitude will be incredibly diverse with representatives from all over, even from the most unlikely peoples, and cultures, and nations. So that should give us confidence to seize the moment. We know many will be saved. We know God will create this endless multitude. So why not go?

19 · Ricky uses the analogy of watching a Cowboys game after knowing the final score to illustrate the confidence we should have in mission

Look, this illustration is not as valid this year, but it is still valid. So don't criticize me, okay? Here's the illustration. Often on Sunday afternoons, I'll come over to my dad's house and find him watching the Cowboys game. Now, if I'm not aware he's going to be watching the Cowboys game, he always faithfully tapes it and then watches it after church so he's undistracted in his focus on the Lord because it would be a temptation for him if he was getting updates. Some of you are stronger than him, just this is the way he does it. And I'll go home and then go over to my dad's house and I'll find him watching the game but I have already seen the score, right? Now this year, I've stopped looking at the score, but in years past, I would look at the score, and you know, when I see that win, that final score come in, I'd be like, yes. And then I'd go to my dad's house, and my dad though doesn't know who's gonna win, right? He's like, you know, he's the best at like, nope, I don't want anybody to tell me anything, don't spoil anything. And so he's just going through the experience watching, 'Oh, oh, oh, come on!' Like he's pounding the couch. And privately, I'm just thinking, 'Oh, don't worry. They're going to win.' And he's in this anguish of, 'Maybe. Oh, yes. No. Oh, yeah. Oh.' And I'm just on the other couch just thinking, 'Oh, this is great. This is so great.' Ups and downs and twists and turns, but like, 'Oh, I know it's coming.' And there's been some games that I think, 'Did I read the right score?' Right? Because, you know, late in the fourth quarter, it doesn't look great. We're down 2 touchdowns. But I check the score and I'm like, 'We did win.' You know? So then all of a sudden I'm at peace. I'm calm. My dad's in anguish. And I'm just like, 'I think we got this, Dad.' And he's like, 'I don't know. It doesn't look—' You know? 'I think we got this.' Privately, why? Because I know that we got this. I don't know how, but I know we are going to school scored 15 points in 3 minutes, and it feels awesome. And so as I'm watching it, I'm like, 'Yes, here it comes,' right? That is the effect of seeing the multitude on us as the messengers. We don't know how the multitude will be gathered. We don't know when or where or exactly how it's going to work, but we know the scoreboard at the end of eternity is a multitude of people The people who are unlikely, far off, are gathered in worshiping and rejoicing in Jesus. And that should give us all the confidence in the world to say, 'You know what? I'm going to talk to that neighbor. He seems pretty unlikely.' But spoiler alert, a lot of unlikely people are going to be there.

20 · Ricky tells the story of Maggie, a church member who recently passed away

This week we sent out an email notification that our friend Maggie, one of the members of the church, dear members of the church, passed into eternity. She formed a relationship with the church through our neighborhood outreach team, just going to serve her, share the gospel, love on them. She and her kids came to the church and were baptized. We as a church had existed here for many years and had never formed a relationship with her, but our neighborhood outreach team went out because they knew the truth of Revelation 7. They knew that there's going to be a multitude, and we're going to go out and invite and see what the Lord will do. None of us knew— they did not know that we would have a limited time with Mackie, but they went faithfully and they invited And it is our joy now to rejoice that our sister Maggie is part of that glorious multitude. And knowing her, she loved rock and roll, and so I bet she is requesting a number of rock and roll worship songs, which I fully support. We don't know. We don't know who the Lord will gather, but we know he will gather Benny.

21 · Ricky concludes by naming the problem of 2020: our lives have shrunk, and when our mission shrinks, our souls shrink too

One of the things, friends, let me end by saying this. One of the things I think that's happened to us in 2020 is that our lives have shrunk. And I hate it, you know. I hate that, like, there's so many limits on what we can do. So often our purpose just becomes making it through the week, making it through through the day. And when our mission, when our purpose in life shrinks, our souls shrink too. But the Magi and the multitude give us, church, a glorious reminder today that we were meant to be part of something glorious. That out of all the ways that God could gather the multitude, he has chosen and privileged us with the task of sharing the message, the rule and reign, the saving purpose of Christ with others. And when we see it again, our souls expand in a glorious way. So let's look up today and remember what the Lord has done for us and what he has called us to do.

22 · Ricky transitions to the Communion portion of the service, inviting believers to participate and non-believers to observe

We're going to end by taking communion together, as you can see from the communion in front of you. So if you're a Christian, I want to invite you to join us. One of those little communion cups right now. If you're not a Christian, we just ask that you observe and you would receive what we're doing as an invitation from the Lord to you. This is him. This is not a multitude, but this is a number of folks, probably more folks than you see in any single place these days. And you can be invited to this and the great multitude through Jesus. I want you to— listen carefully. Now, today we're gonna explore a connection between the magi and communion that I think is glorious.

23 · Ricky explains the typological significance of the Magi's gifts: gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for burial

When the magi brought the gifts to Christ, one of the things we often miss is that there is a beautiful and glorious foreshadowing of how they will be brought into the multitude in the gifts that they give Jesus. First, they give him gold, which is a gift fit for a king. Then they give him frankincense, which is a priestly spice, a spice used by the priests, prefiguring Christ as the high priest making an offering for salvation. And third, they bring him myrrh, which is a burial spice. So when, just think about this, when the Magi bring these gifts to Jesus, And you think, how is it that these far-off people are gathered into the foot of Jesus? Their gifts tell the story. Their gifts tell our story that we're all far off. But the only gift that we could give, the only thing that we could give that would bridge the gap between the far-off and the near is the person and work of Jesus.

24 · Ricky leads the congregation in taking Communion, citing 1 Corinthians 11

In 1 Corinthians 11, it reminds us, Jesus says, 'This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' So if you have it, go ahead and take the bread and take the bread in your hand and take the bread. And as you do, let's thank the Lord. Lord, we thank you that your body broken bridges the gap, both for the Magi and for us, We're brought near. And then take the cup. Jesus says, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.' So go ahead and take the cup. And Father, as we take the cup, we remember Jesus' sacrifice, his bloodshed that brings us near to you.

25 · Ricky closes with a prayer asking the Lord to fill hearts with joy that we are brought near like the Magi, to remind us of those who don't know Jesus, and to restore our purpose

And would you stand and let's pray together? Lord, I pray that as we end, our hearts would be full, that we would be rejoicing that like the Magi, we who are far off are brought near because of the person and work of Jesus. Lord, it is glorious and unexpected that you would invite us into into the multitude of those who sing the salvation song of the Lamb. So, Lord, I pray that that would fill our hearts with joy today. But, Lord, I also pray that we would remember there are so many, so many who do not know the salvation and reign of Jesus in our lives and around us. And I pray, Lord, that you would restore our purpose, restore the joy of our purpose. Lord, that we this month would be looking for opportunities to point to the reign of Jesus in being kind and serving and loving and laying down our lives for others and point to the salvation of Jesus as we share the Christmas story. Pray that you would do all that and more in our hearts as we close. Amen.

Where this fits

Recent preaching context

The three sermons immediately preceding this one in the preaching schedule.

Nov 1, 2020

Theology of a Storm

It is the object of our faith—Jesus Christ—that saves us, not the strength of our faith, and Jesus reveals himself in the storm as the sovereign Lord who is with us, over the chaos, substitutionary in his suffering, and ultimately bringing peace.

Mark 4:35-41

Nov 8, 2020

Fighting the Right Enemy

The church must recognize that our true enemy is not political opponents, ethnic groups, or cultural adversaries, but Satan and demonic forces, and we fight this enemy not through political activism or division but through the chain-breaking power of the gospel proclaimed.

Mark 5:1-20

Nov 22, 2020

The Waiting, the Wolves and the Good Shepherd

The thing we are most waiting for in our seasons of longing and uncertainty is not changed circumstances but God himself, who has already come to us in Jesus Christ and will one day close the remaining gap when he returns.

Isaiah 40:9-11

December 6 · This sermon

Born to Those Far Off

Christ was born for those far off, and the church is called to be faithful messengers who carry the gospel to unlikely people, confident that God will gather a glorious multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language.

Revelation 7:9-10

Take it further

Discuss · apply · pray

Small groups

6 discussion questions

In Matthew 2, the Magi travel from the east to worship Jesus. What does their presence in the nativity story tell us about who Christ came f…

Daily readings

5-day reading plan

This week we follow the arc from the Magi's discovery of Christ for the far off, through the ecclesiology of the gathered multitude, to the urgency of our own moment as messengers—learning that the gospel moves outward, not inward.

Prayer

Prayer for the Far Off and the Multitude

Father, we worship you for your heart toward the nations. You sent your Son not for the near alone, but for those far off—across every bound…

Family table

The Magi and the Multitude

This prompt anchors your family in the two key images from the sermon: the Magi traveling from far away to meet Jesus, and the massive crowd…

Couples

Christ for the Far Off—and Us Together

What part of Ricky's message about the Magi and the multitude stirred something in your own heart this week? Where did you feel invited or c…

Memorize

Revelation 7:9-10

This is the culmination of the sermon's entire arc—the vision that orients the church's mission in the present. Ricky uses Revelation 7 to answer the question 'Why should we carry the gospel to the far off?' The answer is: because we've been shown the end already. The multitude gathered from every nation, tribe, people, and language is God's promise and our confidence that the mission matters eternally.

Small-group discussion

6 questions for your group this week

In Matthew 2, the Magi travel from the east to worship Jesus. What does their presence in the nativity story tell us about who Christ came for? Why do you think Matthew included them?

Matthew 2:1-2

→ How does their inclusion challenge any tendency we might have to think of Jesus as coming only for a particular group or nation?
Read Revelation 7:9-10 together. Describe what John sees in this vision. What details stand out to you about the multitude he describes?

Revelation 7:9-10

→ What do you notice about what unites this crowd—what is the common thread that binds them together?
Ricky said we live in a unique moment—a dot on the line of eternity—between the Magi and the multitude. What does he mean by that, and what responsibility does that position give us?
The sermon emphasized that 2020 has shrunk our worlds to our homes. When you think about 'those far off'—people around you who don't know Christ—who comes to mind? What makes them feel far off?

Romans 10:13-15

→ What would it look like for you to be a faithful messenger to one or two people in your actual neighborhood or workplace?
According to Romans 10:13-15, people can only call on Jesus if they believe in Him, and they can only believe if they hear, and they can only hear if someone tells them. How does this passage increase the weight of our responsibility as messengers?

Romans 10:13-15

→ What fear or hesitation keeps you from being that messenger to someone you know?
Communion reminds us that Christ's blood was shed for those far off, bringing them near to God. As you prepare to take Communion this week, how might remembering the Magi, the multitude, and your own calling to mission reshape what that bread and cup mean to you personally?

1 Corinthians 11:23-25

Draft · pending review

Daily readings · Monday–Friday

5-day reading plan

Monday Matthew 2:1-2

The Magi—gentile outsiders, far from Jerusalem—are among the first to worship the newborn King. Their presence in Matthew's Gospel is not incidental; it announces from the cradle that Christ came for those beyond the ethnic and political boundaries of Israel. This is the foundation of our mission: if Christ was born for the far off, we are called to carry that good news outward, not merely to sit with it inwardly.

Tuesday Isaiah 60:1-3

Isaiah saw this vision centuries before: nations and kings drawn to the light of God's glory, streaming toward Him from every direction. What unites them is not ethnicity, wealth, or power, but their recognition of God's kingship and their hunger for His light. When we carry the gospel to those far off, we are not building a club of the like-minded; we are gathering a multitude whose only common ground is Jesus.

Wednesday Romans 10:13-15

Paul's urgent questions—*How will they hear? How will they believe? How will messengers come?*—frame our present moment as critical. We are not living in a waiting room; we are living in the harvest. Those around us, far from God, are answering the call or closing the door based on whether they hear the gospel. Our faithfulness as messengers has eternal weight, and the time to speak is now.

Thursday 1 Corinthians 11:23-25

In Communion, we remember Christ's body broken for us—a gift received at the table. But that same gift, the same Lamb, was born to draw the far off near. Every time we eat and drink, we are reminded not only of grace given to us, but of grace meant for those we have yet to reach. Communion is both a table of gratitude and a commissioning table.

Friday Revelation 7:9-10

John's vision anchors our hope: a vast crowd from every nation, tribe, people, and language stands before the throne, worshiping the Lamb. This is not a small victory; this is a glorious multitude. When we are tempted to think that reaching the far off is futile, or that those we encounter are too hardened or too far away, we look to this vision and take courage. God will gather many. Our task is to be faithful messengers in this moment, knowing the outcome is secure.

Draft · pending review

Pray together this week

Prayer for the Far Off and the Multitude

Father, we worship you for your heart toward the nations. You sent your Son not for the near alone, but for those far off—across every boundary of nation, tribe, people, and language. We marvel that the Magi, strangers from distant lands, were among the first to bow before the Lamb. You have always meant for your gospel to reach the unlikely, the distant, the overlooked.

We confess that our world has grown smaller this year, and with it, our vision for mission. We have retreated inward when you call us outward. We have forgotten that we live in the thin place between the Magi and the multitude—a sacred moment where eternal destinies are decided. We have been timid messengers when you have given us the greatest news. Forgive us for building walls when you have torn them down through the blood of Christ (Revelation 7:14).

We receive afresh the gospel that Christ was born for those far off. His blood has made near what was far. The multitude we will see in heaven—robed in white, washed clean, united under the Lamb—includes people we never expected, from places we never imagined. This is your promise and our confidence (Revelation 7:9-10).

Grant us courage to be faithful messengers in this moment. Give us eyes to see those around us as the far off whom Christ loves. Break our small concerns and expand our hearts toward the nations, the neighborhoods, the coworkers, the families who do not yet know that Christ was born for them. As we remember his death and resurrection in Communion, remind us that the same Lamb welcomes the far off home. We pray all this in the name of Jesus, who came that we might be gathered at last into the multitude of the redeemed. Amen.

Draft · pending review

Sunday-evening family table

The Magi and the Multitude

For the parent

This prompt anchors your family in the two key images from the sermon: the Magi traveling from far away to meet Jesus, and the massive crowd from every nation worshiping the Lamb in heaven. The goal is to help kids see that Jesus came for people who seem far away or different—and that we get to tell them about Him.

In the sermon, Pastor Ricky talked about the Magi—these wise men from far away who traveled a long distance to find Jesus. Then he showed us a picture from Revelation of a huge crowd of people from every nation, tribe, and language worshiping Jesus together. If the Magi had to travel far to find Jesus, and now there's going to be a multitude of people from all over the world worshiping Him, who are some people in your life or in our city who might feel far away from Jesus right now? And how could we be like the Magi—travelers bringing good news—to them?

Works for ages 7+; younger kids can listen and name one person, while older kids can think through barriers and how to share faith.

Draft · pending review

Couples · three questions over coffee

Christ for the Far Off—and Us Together

What part of Ricky's message about the Magi and the multitude stirred something in your own heart this week? Where did you feel invited or challenged?
As a couple, how are we living like we believe Christ came for those far off? What does it look like for us to carry the gospel together—not just in our home, but to the people around us who feel distant from God or from the church?
Who is one person in your life—maybe someone from a different background, belief, or circumstance—that you could pray for together this week, trusting that God gathers unlikely people into His kingdom?

Draft · pending review

Memory verse this week

Revelation 7:9-10

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'

Why this verse: This is the culmination of the sermon's entire arc—the vision that orients the church's mission in the present. Ricky uses Revelation 7 to answer the question 'Why should we carry the gospel to the far off?' The answer is: because we've been shown the end already. The multitude gathered from every nation, tribe, people, and language is God's promise and our confidence that the mission matters eternally.

Draft · pending review

Where this was preached

About the church

Cross of Grace Church

About us · What we believe

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# Cross of Grace Church

A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible.

## Sermons
- [Theology of a Storm (Mark 4:35-41, 2020-11-01)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2020/11/theology-of-a-storm)
- [Fighting the Right Enemy (Mark 5:1-20, 2020-11-08)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2020/11/fighting-the-right-enemy)
- [The Waiting, the Wolves and the Good Shepherd (Isaiah 40:9-11, 2020-11-22)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2020/11/the-waiting-the-wolves-and-the-good-shepherd)
- [Born to Those Far Off (Revelation 7:9-10, 2020-12-06)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2020/12/born-to-those-far-off)

## About
- [About the church](/about)
- [Plan a visit](/visit)

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