Mission Impossible - Possible

6 · Introduces the controlling text and establishes its eschatological orientation: Habakkuk 2:14 describes a future reality toward which all of Scripture points

In order to understand this mission, we have to understand the mission of God in Scripture. So our guiding text is Habakkuk 2:14.

This is God's Word.

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." See, Scripture presupposes that as a reality that has not yet happened. Every page of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation points there, directs us there. The Bible is aimed there.

7 · Previews the sermon's four-part structure (creation, fall, redemption, consummation) and signals the first major section

So with Habakkuk 2:14 in the background of our minds, we will see God's mission move. We will see how it moves forward through Scripture, how it grows, how it evolves, and how it finally is accomplished.

So again, let's let Habakkuk guide our thinking. We're going to look at 4 different movements here: mission in creation, mission in the fall, mission in redemption, and finally, mission accomplished.

Through all that, we will see what God's mission is. So let's jump in to section number 1, God's Mission in Creation.

8 · Unpacks Genesis 1:28 to show that God's original blessing to humanity was a commission to fill the earth with image-bearers who would spread His glory—connecting directly to Habakkuk 2:14

See, the first thing we see in the Bible— we're going to be in Genesis, if you want to go on and turn there. Much of our time remaining will be in Genesis. And the first thing we see in the Bible is the creation of the earth and the heavens and the sea and the dry land and everything that is in them, and God gives his approval, and he says, "It's all good." And then God creates man and woman, and it's only after that, his crowning achievement, those who bear his image, that he says, "It's very good." Why is it very good?

Well, because humans being God's— special among God's creatures because of us bearing his image, God blesses us, and it's His blessing that makes things very good. We see that in Genesis 1:28, "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.'" So God blessed them. And He told them, "Fill the earth and subdue it." What does it mean to fill the earth? Well, these are God's people living in God's place under God's rule.

It means they're God's people. To fill the earth means to fill it with God's people. What does it mean to subdue the earth? Well, if they're God's people, living in God's place under God's rule, then they're for God's glory. And subduing the earth means spreading the glory of God over the whole earth.

See, right at the beginning, we see Habakkuk 2:14, right? That the knowledge of the glory of God would fill the whole earth. He's saying, "Go, spread my image." and the people who bear my name over the entire earth.

Subduing the earth means putting everything under the rule and reign of God by spreading his glory.

9 · Introduces Genesis 3:8 and sets up the often-overlooked detail that God walked in the garden with Adam and Eve before the fall

But there's another piece of God's mission in creation, and oftentimes we overlook it because we're focused on Adam and Eve and them hiding. But in Genesis 3:8, listen to this, "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden."

10 · Extracts a theological insight from Genesis 3:8: God's presence in the garden was normative, not exceptional, revealing that dwelling with His people is part of His creational design

See, we oftentimes look at this because of the sin involved there, but there's a little secret there that we often overlook. See, he was looking for them, yes.

That's not the thing that goes "pffft." The thing that was shocking to Adam and Eve was their sin and their need to hide. It wasn't a shock that God was in the garden. See, that was a normal occurrence for them. God dwelt with them in the garden. God was with them on a regular basis.

That's not what was shocking to them. The shocking thing was they had— their relationship with God had changed because of what they had done and what they had experienced after that.

And when we see these two pieces, creation and the dwelling, we can sum up God's mission in creation like this: God's mission is to bless and dwell with the people he has created for his glory.

11 · Signals the shift from creation to fall, indicating that sin introduces a new element into God's mission

Both sadly and gloriously, the story doesn't end there. It continues to move forward. It continues to change and grow and evolve. And sin adds another component to the mission of God. So let's look at mission in the fall.

12 · Traces the immediate consequences of the fall: shame, the impulse to self-cover, and the futility of human attempts to hide sin from God

When Adam and Eve sinned, they heard God walking in the garden. What did they do? They hid. They also made a covering for themselves out of fig leaves.

They knew right away something was different.

They had to cover their sin and their resulting nakedness. See, they were naked before, but they had no shame in their nakedness. Why? Because they had nothing to hide.

Yet when sin came, so did shame.

And they tried to cover it, but God could see the difference.

And then they even told God, "We hid from you because we were naked." And God could hear the difference. See, they tried to hide their sin, but it was ineffective. They tried to cover their sin, but it didn't work.

13 · Offers a theological definition of nakedness as exposure before God, establishing that only God can provide an adequate covering for sin

Now, oftentimes in the Bible nakedness is talked about as physical nakedness, but it has an underlying deeper meaning than just physical nakedness. Oftentimes it talks about— it really means to be laid bare.

Before God.

See, God can see all of our sins and faults and shortcomings even if we attempt to cover ourselves. Why? Because before him we are laid bare.

He knows it. The covering we seek can only come from God.

14 · Unpacks Genesis 3:21 to show that God Himself provided a covering for sin through the death of animals, introducing the theme of substitutionary sacrifice

That's why later In Genesis 3:21, God provides a covering for Adam and Eve.

"And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them." You see, God's mission in the fall requires that God would make a covering for sin. See, the covering was achieved through a sacrifice performed by God. Scripture doesn't say there was a sacrifice of the animals, but it's understood. You don't get skins from animals without the animals dying.

God made a covering for Adam and Eve out of animal skins. God told them they would surely die if they ate of the tree in the midst of the garden. And then what happened? A substitute died in their place to provide their covering for their sin.

It's a sacrifice made by God for God to cover sins.

15 · Links the fall to redemption, indicating that the covering provided in Genesis 3 points forward to God's redemptive work

See, the mission in the fall, though, it also closely relates to the next section, which is God's mission in redemption. And we got to look at that before we get the next piece of God's mission because we're not done with building onto God's mission yet. So God's mission and redemption.

16 · Introduces Genesis 3:15 as the first promise of redemption—the protoevangelium—showing that God's plan to defeat sin predates even the covering He provided

We have a few verses earlier the promise of redemption in verse 3:15.

We looked at this just the other day. "I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel." See, this is the promise of redemption. As soon as sin came in, before a covering was even made for their sins, God promised a way to defeat the sins completely.

17 · Traces redemptive history forward to the Abrahamic covenant, showing that God's plan to bless all nations runs through His covenant people

We see this promise of redemption worked out in the covenants, starting first with Abram in Genesis 12:1-3. Man, don't flip too quickly in Genesis, you'll pass it up.

Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse." And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. See, through Abraham, God would bring into existence his people, the Jews, through whom he would bless the families of the world, right?

18 · Traces the theme of God's dwelling presence from the exodus (pillar of cloud/fire), through the tabernacle and temple, to the incarnation (John 1:14), and finally to the indwelling Spirit

And, and then when God's people were sent into exile in Egypt, what do we see there?

We see God redeeming them from the house of slavery and bringing them to We go to a land flowing with milk and honey, a land of goodness, right? And when we get there, what do we see? We see God dwelling with them by a pillar of smoke during the day and a pillar of fire at night. And then later, what do they do? They build the tabernacle and the tabernacle is in the center of the camp, right?

And God's glory comes in and it fills the inner tabernacle, right? Physical manifestation of God dwelling in the midst of his people that he has redeemed from slavery.

And then when they're given a king and Solomon builds the temple, we see it again, the glory of the Lord filling the temple. God dwelling in the midst of his people.

Mission, it doesn't stop there. It moves through the pages of Scripture until we see God sending his Son to redeem his people fully from their sins and their slavery to sin. And what are we told about this Son in John 1:14?

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God sent His Son to dwell among us. God with us. Emmanuel. And then Jesus tells us what?

His Spirit dwells with us and will be in us. God currently dwelling with His people and in His people.

19 · Synthesizes the first three movements (creation, fall, redemption) into a cumulative statement of God's mission, while teasing that the story continues beyond redemption

If that doesn't amaze you, I don't know what will, because that is amazing. God is currently dwelling in and among his people, his redeemed people. And that adds the next part to the mission of God, which now we can sum up as God's mission is to bless and dwell with a people he has created and redeemed. For His glory.

And I'm the type of guy, I'm like, "Man, that would be good enough. If God just did that, that would be good enough. That's pretty good." It's never good enough for God. He goes further than that.

20 · Reads Revelation 21:1-6 in full to show the consummation of God's mission: a new creation where God dwells with His redeemed and renewed people forever

So let's look at the mission of God accomplished.

Flip all the way to the end of your Bibles, Revelation 21. If you go too far, you're going to end up in the concordance like I just did.

Revelation 21, verses 1 through 6.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new.

Also he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. And he said to me, It is It is done.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment."

21 · Ties Habakkuk 2:14 directly to Revelation 21, showing that the new creation is the fulfillment of the promise that God's glory will fill the earth

That's it. Mission is over. Mission accomplished. Victory won.

Enemies defeated and cast down. Mission impossible made possible.

See, one day Habakkuk 2:14 will transition from prophecy to prophecy fulfilled. On the day of Revelation 21:1-6, it will become prophecy fulfilled and the knowledge of the glory of God will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. See, this gives us this last piece of the mission of God. God's mission is to bless and dwell with a people He has created, redeemed, and renewed for His glory.

And I wish I could take credit for that. Ian McConnell. Has pinned that phrase.

22 · Issues a direct call to the congregation to join God's mission, while delaying the 'how' to build anticipation and prepare for further exposition

And along with that phrase comes a charge from God.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join my mission." It's what God is saying. Will you join him? Won't you join him?

And you may be asking, how do I, Vince? How do I join him? And that's a good question. But we're going to wait before we answer that.

Because we've got to answer a few more questions before we see how to join God in his mission.

23 · Confronts the congregation's potential complacency by contrasting superficial churchgoing and self-directed agendas with the high stakes of joining God's eternal mission

So are you satisfied? Satisfied with playing church, with coming to church and saying, "Hey, how you doing?" and acting like we've got it all figured out? Sadly, I do that too often.

Are we satisfied with having God sanctify our plans by bringing them to him and saying, "God, this is what I want to do. Will you bless it?" Is that what we want to do this year? Is that what we want to do with our lives?

Or do we want to do something that really matters?

Do we want to do something where the stakes are really high? They may be eternal stakes. They are eternal stakes. Do we want to— get involved there. If you want to do something that really matters, then let's join God in his mission.

24 · Provides the practical answer to 'how do I join God's mission': by discerning where God is already at work in your life and spheres of influence, then laboring there with Him

And you do that— it's simple and profound— you do that by seeing where God is at work in your life, in your spheres of influence, in the people that he brings you around. Where is he working? Join him there. Join him there.

And he's always working everywhere at all times. We may not see it. Why? Because we're oftentimes busy with our own plans and our own work and our own agenda, and we're trying to do our stuff.

But Jesus said in John 4:35-38, Do you not say, "There are yet 4 months, then comes the harvest"? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, One sows and another reaps.

I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored and you have entered into their labor.

Who are these others that have labored?

It's God the Father. It's God the Son. It's God the Spirit. It is God who has been laboring, who has been working, who has been working his plan of salvation ever since Genesis all the way till right now, and he will continue working until the day of Revelation 21:6. He is always working.

Find out where he's working and do that. That's how you join him. It's how we join him.

25 · Asserts that conversion itself is already enlistment in God's mission—the question is obedience, not initial acceptance

And the crazy thing is, if you're a Christian, you've already joined him.

You may be being disobedient to that joining, but you've joined him because that's how it works. You see, in the garden, God went seeking his people. And then after the garden, God sends His Son to seek His people. And now the Son sends His people to seek more of His people with the gospel of grace, the gospel of salvation for our sins through the name of Jesus Christ. That's how it works.

And that's what we've been sent to do.

26 · Acknowledges the congregation's likely objection or discouragement: the cultural and political climate makes mission feel impossible

And you may be thinking, Man, it's hard out there. Look at where we're at as a society— societally, culturally, politically, epidemiologically. There's all this stuff that, man, no one really— it's hard to even talk to people.

27 · Uses the Narnia reference to illustrate that God is on the move even in a bleak cultural landscape, just as Aslan was on the move in Narnia's winter

Well, in the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, we see a winter wasteland, not a wonderland. It's always winter and never Christmas. See, things are bleak, frozen, dead, and hopeless.

And against that backdrop, Mr. Beaver says, "They say Aslan is on the move, perhaps already landed." Things may look hopeless and bleak around us. But God is already on the move, and he has already landed. He has already landed in the person of his Son who died on the cross to pay for the sins of his people and then rose from the dead. And guess what? He's on the move now through us.

Where are you going to land? Where is he going to land you?

Where is he going to land you?

28 · Transitions from the sermon proper to the communion liturgy, reframing communion as a celebration of being swept into God's mission

We're about to take communion and celebrate these— the amazing truth that God is on mission and that we have now been swept up with him in this mission.

To seek and to save the lost. We don't save them, no. God saves them, but he works through us to do so.

And if you're not a Christian today, I would ask that you just observe us and our family feast. This is a family moment. It's a family feast. If you've put your hope in Christ to forgive your sins and believe that he died to pay for them and then rose from the dead, you are welcome to take part in this feast.

29 · Explains the threefold function of communion (remember, proclaim, hope) and adds a fourth dimension specific to this sermon: a commitment to join God's mission

Church, we will remember Jesus' death on the cross to purchase forgiveness.

We will proclaim the gospel that he lived a perfect life, died a death in our place, and rose from the dead 3 days later. And we will look forward to the day Christ returns and makes all things new and finishes the mission for which he was sent from the Father.

That's how communion functions.

But today let it mark another occasion. The day when we say to God, "God, reveal to me Where you are working so that I might join you.

30 · Opening prayer invoking the Spirit's presence and asking for spiritual transformation in the congregation

I'm going to pray and then we'll get into the sermon. Lord, help us by your Spirit. Lord, we are grateful that your Spirit is here with us.

He is always with your people, but he is with us in a special way when we gather together. So, Lord, change hearts, open up, soften, bring life to dead hearts, open blind eyes, and unstop deaf ears that we may see and behold your Son. It's in his name we pray. Amen.

31 · Administers the elements of communion with liturgical reading from 1 Corinthians 11 and brief prayers of thanksgiving

So let's take our cups.

And if you're online, I went invisible again because I did not come prepared the second time today.

Let's open the bread.

We'll take it together here in a second, but let's remember proclaim and hope in the Lord and the gospel of grace. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul says, "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and he said, 'This is my body, which is for you.'" Do this in remembrance of me. Lord, thank you for sending your Son, the bread of life, to come and die in our place. Church, let's take the bread.

Let's go on and open the juice.

Paul continues, "In the same way also He took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death." until he comes. Lord, thank you for sending your Son to shed his blood to ransom us from sin. Church, let us take the cup.

32 · Closes the sermon with a synthesizing charge: just as God invited us to His table by grace, He invites us into His mission by grace—our response is grateful obedience

As the Lord has invited us to his table in grace, He also invites us into his mission in grace. Our response should be joining him gratefully out of thanksgiving. Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you that you are a God who is on mission, that your mission is the most important mission in creation. We thank you, Lord, that you have swept us up into your mission along with you. Lord, reveal to us those places where you're at work in our lives. Give us the strength and the courage to join where we see you working. We ask all this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Church, would you stand as we sing together?