Jesus On Mission

Jesus doesn’t wander through the Gospels hoping something good happens. He’s on a mission, and Luke 19:10 says it plainly: he comes to seek and save what is lost. The question we sit with is uncomfortable in the best way: are we on the same mission, or have we replaced it with busyness, opinions, and spiritual entertainment?

We work through Matthew 4:23 and break Jesus’ ministry into three practices that keep showing up wherever he goes: teaching, proclaiming, and healing. We talk about why teaching is more than sharing facts, how the synagogue shaped people’s understanding, and why our presuppositions can quietly run our faith if we never challenge them with Scripture. We also preview Jesus’ “you have heard… but I say” pattern in Matthew 5, because what we believe becomes the foundation for how we live.

Then we get practical about proclaiming the gospel. Not everyone is called to teach, but every believer is called to witness. Your testimony matters, and you don’t need perfect answers to point someone to Jesus. Finally, we step into healing with both expectation and sobriety: why Jesus heals, what John 20 and Isaiah 35 say about signs, and why James 5 still calls the church to pray and anoint the sick while trusting God with the outcome.

If you’re ready to stop only consuming and start living on mission, hit play, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s one step you’ll take this week: teach someone, proclaim to someone, or pray with someone?

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Transcript

Mission Of Jesus In Three Actions

Josh 0:00

But as we move into this week's message, we're going to see that Jesus is on mission. And our big idea is going to be this are we on the same mission that Jesus is on? Are we doing the same things that Jesus did? And I'll go ahead and tell you right out the gate that there's really only three things that Jesus does. If we were to look at the whole ministry of Jesus, we can break it down into three things teaching, preaching, and healing. And those are the three things that we're going to be able to look at today and go, okay, hold on. How do we stack up to what Jesus did? So I'm going to pray and then we're going to jump into that. Father, I thank you so much for your word, and I ask and I pray, God, that as we go through your word, that it be your word. That Father, it is not my thought, not my opinion, but that Father, it is your words that are powerful enough to change our hearts. Father, I pray for just that. I pray, God, that we leave today with a hunger to be on the mission that you are on. Father, we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. So if Jesus' mission is found in Luke 19, 10, and you're not going to see it up on the screen, but it is this I came to seek and save what is lost. This is how he does that. So what we're going to see here in Matthew 4 and verse 23 is this. And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. Alright, so we're going to jump right into the first thing that Matthew mentions right there, right?

Synagogue Life And Sabbath Context

Josh 1:46

The first thing was Jesus is going throughout all of Galilee teaching in their synagogues. Now, what we have to understand about synagogue, which is different than what we think, because a lot of us we look at things like temple and synagogue and church and we go, oh, these are the all like the same things. However, it was very, very different for them. For example, when it was time to go to synagogue, does anybody know when they would actually go? It wasn't Sunday morning for an hour and a half. I'm going to give you that. It was Friday night at sundown, and they did not leave until Saturday at sundown. That is the Sabbath. That was when they would go. Hey, like from sundown on Friday till sundown on Saturday, we are going to go to the synagogue. And we are going to sit there for 24 hours just preaching. Now I would love to do this because then I wouldn't get faces from people like when I've gone a little bit long, where it's like, hey, can you wrap this up? I'm kind of hungry. Because that's the other thing. They would fast from sundown Friday till sundown Saturday. They wouldn't walk more than 21 steps. They would do all of these things because they went, this is what it means to Sabbath. This is what it means to get in to worship Jesus. They didn't just go, hey, we got two songs. Then we got a short message, and then we got one more song, and then, okay, all right, I'll see you again next week. And the main thing they would do, because on days that they didn't have Sabbath, on the rest of the week, the synagogue was the place where they would go and they would learn how to do things like read. They would learn basic mathematics. They would learn what we would call school. So again, the primary reason they would do this is the same reason we see with Jesus. He goes, hey, this is where they go to learn, therefore, this is where I'm gonna go to teach.

Teaching That Rewrites Assumptions

Josh 3:52

Now, this word teaching, we need to really be specific on what it is. All teaching really means is to explain. And it's really a deeper thing than most of us think. In fact, does anybody in here actually know the difference in as far as like jujitsu goes, in the difference between what a brown belt can do and a black belt? Alright, JT, what is it?

unknown 4:21

The black belt can teach.

Josh 4:23

The black belt teaches. As far as skill level, a brown belt and a black belt are about the same. The difference is a black belt knows it so well that they can actually teach it. See, a lot of us, we have a lot of good information, and you could probably pass a lot of different Bible tests. But do you know it to the point where you could sit down with someone and actually teach the knowledge that you have? If you're a father in here, I'm gonna go ahead and tell you the Bible lays that responsibility on you for your family to be able to sit down. We see this in Deuteronomy 6, where we're supposed to be able to sit down and teach and guide our family through Scripture. That is your role as a father, as the head of the house. But see, you have to know it well enough to be able to turn around now and explain it to other people, especially in a way that is going to make sense. If you guys think back through your school careers, you had some teachers that you knew they knew the material, but they did not have a good way of being able to explain said material. I had a college professor during one of my math classes, and if you don't know, math is one of my stronger subjects, but I couldn't understand 90% of what they were saying because their accent was so thick. And so it made it very hard to learn the concepts in that class. I don't doubt that they knew what they were talking about, but their ability to teach was severely limited by language. If we think about teaching, we all come into this place every Sunday morning to be taught. And one of the biggest things you have to keep in mind as I am preparing a sermon is we all bring different things with us. Because think about it, throughout your life, do you know what you have done? Learned. Like one of the things I tell people all the time is this you're being discipled by something, by someone. What you are being discipled by matters. But all of us, make no mistake, are being discipled. The stuff we put in is transforming our mind. It's what are we transforming our mind to? What are we trying? Remember, last week when we looked at this, that word disciple is more than just a learner. It is, I am trying to become my teacher. And this is why what we put in matters because all of us bring different things with us. That's because all of us have come from very different denominations. And let's be honest, the denomination you came from could be very drastically different from one church to another on how you view a lot of different things. Some of us we came from non-believing homes. We didn't have this wealth of information when we first stepped into a church. So this is all kind of just like brand new. Some of us, we spend way too much time online listening to all of these different things. And the very danger that comes with that is then guess what I can do? I can cherry pick the things I like. Because I'm gonna tell you. You could find a pastor out there that is gonna tell you the exact message you want to hear. And then guess what? I can go, oh, but this was a pastor. This was a church, it's biblical. He used a Bible verse or two. So why not believe this? And what we do, the the big word that all of that is, is we bring in what are called presuppositions. And that's a fun word. I love saying it because it means we're dealing with. Anyone know? Apologetics. Which honestly is like my heart. I love apologetics. I love being able to just sit down and go, hey, here's a reason for the hope found in me. Here's that defense. And what we're doing with presuppositions is this is when you come in, you already have a starting place. You could come in here a full-blown atheist, never walked into a church before in your life, and guess what? You still have a starting place. You could come in here and go, hey, I was born and raised in church, and you still have a starting place. Now, what we should do is as we go throughout life, we should be challenging where we are starting. We should be challenging our beliefs to see if our beliefs are gonna hold up to what the Bible says. And this is what teaching does. The reason Jesus starts his mission with teaching is just that. In fact, if we see in Luke, in Luke 4.20, we see the start of Jesus' mission, and here's what it does. And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And then the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him, and he began to say to them, Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. Now Jesus just read Isaiah in that passage, and what he's doing is he's telling everybody in the synagogue, hey, I am the one that Isaiah prophesized about. But that is the mark in Luke's gospel of when Jesus begins his earthly ministry. He sits here and he goes, Hey, this is who I am. And it's very important that we know that because Jesus knew all of the people he's talking to have heard very different things throughout their lives. And what he did is he went, here's the deal. We have to start here and then build everything else off of this. That way you all can be on the same mission. In fact, when we get to John 17, which is the high priestly prayer of Jesus, he's praying to the Father in the garden the night before he is going to be crucified, and his prayer is Father, make them one as we are one. And his prayer is simple. Think about it, there are some 3.3 billion people in this world who would go, hey, I'm Christian. Hey, I follow after Jesus. It's a little less than half the population of the planet right now. Well, imagine if a little less than half the population of the planet was on the same mission and viewed Jesus the same way. Do you think the planet looks different at that point? I would argue that a hundred percent. Like there's states like in Colorado, um churches came together and they went, hey, we don't like the way that the state handles foster and orphaned children. So if everyone in the church, if every church would just adopt two kids, we could eradicate this entire program. And guess what? They eradicated the entire program in the entire state. You want to know why people are so dependent upon the government? Because the church won't, we don't want to take care of you. Let the government do it. And then you wonder why people are like, no, we'd rather the government than you. Because what love do we see from you? What things do we see from you? Like you're only here to go, hey, come here and be this. Because somewhere along the line, we we lost who Jesus is. We lost the mission that Jesus was on. And Jesus knew this. This is why he starts with teaching because he's sitting here going, we all have to be on the same page doing the same mission. Yesterday you guys went and played airsoft, right? And if you have a team that's working together and you start shooting the people on your own team, can your team win? No. You're in war, right? And you have all of these, the whole purpose of what they call a field general is to make sure that that battalion is all on the same page doing the same thing to accomplish the same goal. The church is no different. The problem is, is we build everything in our life off of what we believe. Therefore, if what we believe to be true is not, how can we get the correct answer in our life? Like, for instance, if you came into math class and you had been told your whole life that one plus one equals three. And then I give you a test, and on that test you see one plus one, and you're like, got it, I've known this my whole life, and you put three. You gonna get it right? No. And it's going to affect everything else because if one plus one equals three, then two plus two cannot equal four. And see, and if we start from a place of misunderstanding, how can then we correctly live out this life? How can we correctly walk with Jesus? Think about it. And this is just a preview of what's about to happen two weeks from now when we start Matthew chapter 5. But in Matthew 5, we're gonna go through a couple of verses and I'm not going to expound on all of them. I just want you to hear this. Starting in verse 21, Jesus says this, you have heard it said, you have heard that it was said to those of old. In verse 27, he says, You have heard that it was said. In verse 31, he says, it was also said. Again, in verse 33, he says, Again, you have heard that it was said of those of old. And then in verse 38, he says, You have heard that it was said. What is he doing in all of that? You don't even have to read the rest of the verses to understand what he's doing in that. Hey, this is what you've heard. This is what you're basing your life on. And in all of those verses, and like I said, we're gonna start Matthew 5 next in two weeks. Here's what he's saying, but I say. What he is doing is he's going, you do not properly understand what God had said. Like, take the 21 days. We were just talking about the Sabbath, right? So God said, You remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. The Pharisees went, here's what that means. In order to keep it holy, you're not allowed to do any work on the Sabbath. In fact, if you, and then they have to go, okay, well, what's work? Well, if you walk more than 21 steps on the Sabbath, you have committed a sin and are no longer keeping the Sabbath holy. Now, I will tell you, I've had days in my life when I look at my Apple tracker where 21 steps would have been a high day for me. It wasn't because I was trying to keep things holy, though. Alright? It was I was being lazy. Now, what Jesus does though is he comes along and he goes, Hey, you guys got some misunderstandings. You've heard that this is what it was said. You've heard that this is what is true, but just because you heard it doesn't mean that it's true. And we need to be able to challenge ourselves like that. We need to be able to go, okay, this is what I've believed X amount of time. Does that mean that it's true simply because I've believed it this long? No. In fact, when I'm teaching the Bible, one of the things I tell the kids all of the time is faith isn't saying that I understand and unknow all of this stuff. There are things that even as a pastor, I doubt. There are things that I look at and go, mmm, but science shows us this, so maybe like I've sat here and went, could the dinosaurs have been the Nephilim? Like when we really stop and think through it, I mean they're sitting in beds that are too big for any man, they eat people, like could they have been the dinosaurs? God did destroy them all. I mean, we don't have dinosaurs anymore. And if I was an ancient person, how would I describe a tyrannosaurus rex? Like this thing's just like tearing us apart, right? Like there are things like that that that we have and these thoughts that just come into our minds, and and just because I have that thought doesn't mean it's true? No. Just because I've been taught something my entire life, is that true? Like most of us in here, I'm sure you have heard at some point in your life, you better not start a fight. So we have heard that, right? But that's not what the Bible tells us. So just because I was taught that my entire life, does that make it true? No. And what Jesus does is he goes through and he's teaching in their synagogues because he's going, you need to correctly understand this. Because unless you correctly understand this, there's no way for you to live a life that is going to be pleasing to the Father. And again, how do we know what's pleasing to the Father? How do you know how to please God? Well, he's already told us, he gave us a Bible. He went, hey, here's everything you need to know about me. Now, is that everything about God? No, it's not. It is God going, This is what you need to know about me, so that you can live a life that is pleasing to me. And understand, teaching like you have to be able to challenge yourself with that. That is the whole point of what we do in here. Proverbs would say it like this: just as iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another. I have no qualms about anyone in here going, hey, I want to talk more about this. Because my whole life, this is what I've been taught. Because anytime anyone has done that, what is my first reaction to you? Okay, but what does the Bible say? Because I pray this every Sunday. I don't want this to be my words. Because if this is my words, there's no power in that. If this is my opinion, look, I get things wrong from time to time when it's my opinion. I've voted for the wrong candidate before, I've bought the wrong stocks before, I've made the wrong decisions in life. When it was my understanding. The Bible. Guys, think through this, right? Does anybody know how old the Bible is? Like in its current form that we have. Does anybody know when that was established? Nope. At the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, they came together and went, let's canonize scripture. So you were talking about almost 2,000 years. Do you know that it's the most read book in all of human history? Do you know more people have tried to prove the Bible wrong than any other book in human history? And how many times have they done it? Zero. Now, other people will make the argument, well, you can't prove that it's true either. Okay. But if you can't prove it wrong, then why couldn't I say it's true? And again, if we if we look through this, brilliant people have tried to do this. And I love, how many times have you guys heard me say, I love when science finally catches up to the Bible? Like, think about this. Like, you know the big thing in mental health right now? It's called outdoor therapy. Because science has now noted that if you spend just 10 minutes outside every day, then your mood will improve, your your uh anxiety will lower, and all it is is spending time outside. Well, hold on, what did God tell us to do in Genesis 1, 26 and 27? Go and make everything look like the garden. Be outside. Be with the creation that I have created. We have to challenge it. Because we all came in with presupposition. We all came in going, but I've heard, and I'm fine with that. That's why I put, you got questions? Ask questions. I'm all for that. I would much rather answer a thousand questions because you don't understand something. I would much rather have conversation because that's how we correct our presupposition. So he goes through all Galilee and he's teaching in their synagogues.

Proclaiming The Gospel Without Intimidation

Josh 21:36

And then next we see he is proclaiming his kingdom. Lord, the kingdom of God. Now, this word proclaiming, a lot of times we use the like like you heard when I opened, right? Teaching and preaching. And that's really it's just because they rhyme. The word is actually proclaiming. Now, a lot of us look at teaching and preaching and go, those are the same things, correct? They're not at all the same things. Remember, teaching it comes from this word didasco, and it means to explain or correct. To proclaim something, this is gonna be great. Especially if you like grew up in the late 90s in church. JT, put up that taco slide. Y'all had a shirt that looks something similar like this, right? Want to talk about Jesus? Well, the company that makes these shirts, does anybody know the company name?

unknown 22:31

Kildan?

Josh 22:32

No. Is it on there? Yeah, it is. It is the one with what? The K. The K, right? It's called Caruso. And for all of you that ever had a shirt like that, Caruso is a Greek word that means proclaim. The word we just saw Jesus doing is proclaiming that the kingdom of God. But proclaiming and teaching are very different things because you could wear a shirt like this. Are you proclaiming?

unknown 23:00

No.

Josh 23:01

Yes, you are. Because anyone who reads that shirt knows what?

unknown 23:06

You want to talk all about Jesus?

Josh 23:07

You got Jesus on your shirt. You must be one of those Christian people. Right? The shirt I'm wearing right now, this is one of our new shirts, right? And on the back it says, I'm gonna go fishing, John 21.3. And underneath that it says, I'm not skipping work, I'm just trying to follow the Bible. Debbie's gonna see that shirt a lot this year. But here's what that is. John 21.3, anyone know what it says? Right off the top of your head?

unknown 23:31

Let's go fishing.

Josh 23:32

Simon Peter said, I'm going fishing. But when you see that, you immediately know three things, right? He's going fishing, so he must be an outdoors person. He knows that there's a Bible verse on there. He must be a Christian. That's proclaiming. And that's all proclaiming is. Is it sitting here going, I'm not trying to teach you, I'm just trying to get information to you. Really, all proclaiming is, is, let's be honest, social media. Because you're not trying to teach on social media. You're just proclaiming, here's who I am, and here's the things that I'm into. Now we have to understand that there's a huge difference between this because if we look at James 3:1, what does the Bible tell us? That many of us should not be teachers. Teaching is a gift. And it is a gift that not all of us are gifted with. What about proclaiming, though? What does the Bible tell us about proclaiming? Well, in Acts 1.8, we see very clearly, right? When Jesus says this, when you receive the Spirit, you will have the power to be my witnesses. What that means is anyone who has the Spirit of God within them is a witness to who Jesus is. Which means it is every single believer's responsibility. You can come in. It is everybody's, every single believer's responsibility to proclaim the gospel, to not be ashamed of the gospel, to tell people about the gospel. You are to proclaim that Jesus was born, that he lived, that he died, that he was buried, and that he rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. And if you can say everything I just said, that's 1 Corinthians 15, 3 and 4. So now you've even memorized a Bible verse. You may not be called to sit here and break apart verses. You may not be called to sit here and go, I'm gonna pull out and exegete all of these verses in the Bible. Some of you might be called to that, but we are all called to proclaim who Jesus is and tell people what he has done. Every single person who goes, I follow Jesus, is called to that. To go, this is who Jesus is, and this is what he has done, and not just in history, in your very own life. Because listen to me. If you claim to follow Jesus, you know what you have? A testimony. Yours is gonna look different than mine and different than whoever. But all of us have one. All of us, if you have met Jesus, you have something to sit here and go, hey, I used to and now I. And all proclaiming Jesus is is telling other people that story. That's it. See, some of us we get way too intimidated because we're like, well, what if they ask questions? Let them ask questions. And if you don't have the answer for it, here, listen, you ready? Go, I don't know. Don't try to come up with an answer. Because if you don't know, then just go, I don't know. I can put you in contact with someone who might. Like you can come with me on Sunday and you can talk to the pastor. He might know. But listen, if I don't know, guess what I'm gonna tell him? I don't know. I'll find out for you. I'll research it. But I'm not just gonna give you an answer to give you an answer. But see, it's all of our jobs to sit there and proclaim. You don't have to know Greek or Hebrew. You don't have to be like, well, you know, in 325 AD at the Council of Nicaea, like you don't have to know all of that stuff. Here's all you have to be able to do. Here's who Jesus is. Here's how he found me. Don't tell people you found him, okay? Because let's be honest. Jesus was never lost. Right? He created the cosmos, he knows where he was. However, I was lost. I was blind, but now I see. And all you gotta do is tell people how Jesus gave you that vision. It's not hard. Hey, I was driving in the car one day, and I was listening to Practically Christian podcast, and the Spirit of the Lord hit me, and I broke down in tears, and I gave my life right then and there. Hey, I was at church with this guy who like seems to yell at just awkward positions, and sometimes he goes a little long, but whatever he was saying that day, it just did something inside my spirit, and I went, I need to surrender right here. Like, is that too hard for us to do? Is it too hard to sit here and go, hey, here's the goodness of God in my own life? I used to be dependent upon fill in the blank. Alcohol, sex, drugs, whatever it is. But then I met Jesus. And I am no longer dependent upon all of this. I am wholly dependent upon Jesus. That's all proclaiming is. You're not sitting here getting into, well, what about predestination and free will? What about it? That's not part of proclaiming. All proclaiming is is going, this is who Jesus is, this is what he means to me, this is what he has done in my life. It's telling a story. And except for like two of you in here, I know all of us can tell a story. Because that's all we've done our whole life. Think about it, we have apps now that are designed so that you can tell the world your story. What story are you telling them though? Like you're sitting here going, oh, I'm a whatever. Like, if let's be honest, you look at mine, what is it? It's mission sent, mission sent outdoors. Oh, look at this fish I caught. Like that, that's the only stories I have. Not going on there putting out, oh, like today me and Debbie got into a huge argument. Like, just for anyone who might be going through the same thing, here's how my wife was right again. Like, that's not what happens, right? So hopefully we can see that there's a huge difference between teaching and proclaiming, and now we're gonna move into the last part of Jesus'

Why Jesus Heals And Why We Pray

Josh 30:13

mission. And this is where all my recovering Pentecostals are about to blow the roof off this place while the rest of us get very, very, very uncomfortable, and that is this healing. Matthew finishes this verse by saying this, and he was healing every disease and every affliction among the people. Yes, healing is part of those three part missions that we see Jesus do. But before we talk about what this means for us today, we do need to look at and go, okay, but why was Jesus healing people? Like, why is this part of Jesus' mission? Okay? And there's a lot of verses we can talk about, but I'm gonna focus on two primarily. Number one is this, it's John 20, 30 and 31. It's John's mission, like thesis for why he writes his gospel. Okay? And in it, it says, now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book. In other words, the Bible doesn't have every single thing that Jesus did. In fact, we only know of one thing that he did between the ages of like three and thirty. He went to temple and he astonished the Pharisees. Other than that, we have no idea what he was doing with that time, right? But verse 31 says this, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. So why did Jesus heal? So that we may believe. Because someone that can go around and heal, you you at least gotta stop and go, how'd they do that? Okay, and then following that, because we can't just understand that, we need to look at Isaiah. Isaiah 35, 5 and 6 says this. He's prophesying about the coming Messiah. Isaiah is known as the Messianic prophet because he he gives more prophecy about the coming Messiah than any other prophet in the Old Testament. So, one of those things that he's talking about when the Messiah comes, then the eyes of the blind shall be open, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. So why did Jesus heal? One, because prophecy said this is what he's going to do. Did Jesus open blind eyes? Literally? Yeah, the man at the pool by Beth Setter, right? Spits into the mud, puts mud on his eyes, the dude can see. Right? Paul was blind, but now sees. Okay, Jesus literally did these things. Did he metaphorically do these things? Yes. Do you believe? Then guess what? Your eyes were opened. Because the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 3 that all of us with unveiled eyes behold the glory are being transformed from one degree of glory to the next. This is why you could tell two people the same gospel message, and one person goes, Hey, I want to give my life, and the other person goes, You're full of crap, and walk away. Because God opens their eyes, not us. Our job is just to proclaim, right? Like that's it. Just proclaim, proclaim, proclaim, proclaim. You proclaim enough, guess what? People are gonna start coming to you and going, hey Stephen, can we talk about this? I know you're into this kind of stuff. My life's falling apart. I don't know what else to do. Right? How many of you, you you are that person in people's lives that you're the one they come talk to? How many of us are you're that person in someone's life where they're like, that is the last person in the world I want to go talk to? Some of us are giggling because we know we're either that person or our spouses. But see, regardless of how we feel about healing, and I'm gonna tell you I have my own personal feelings about this, right? We're not gonna get into them because they're my personal feelings, and I told you that has no power or bait or uh weight on what I preach. But regardless of how we feel, the primary reason Jesus heals is that we may know who Jesus is. Because again, there were during the time of Jesus. Does anybody know like about how many other people were walking around going, hey, I'm the Messiah?

unknown 34:33

50.

Josh 34:34

About 50 at least during the time of Jesus. There were about 50 other people walking around going, hey, I am the Son of God, I am the promised one. Why? Well, I think Creed from the office sums it up the best. I've been a part of many cults. You have more fun as a follower, you make more money as a leader. So if I can get people to think that I'm the Messiah and they follow me, what are they gonna give to me? Everything. Look at what David Cresh got people to do. I mean, and we could go, I'm sure JT could come up here and give you hundreds of other cults. I'm not as versed in that. I'm bringing up stuff from the 90s because that's stuff I knew about. I don't research all of that. But Jesus isn't the only one going around on the Messiah. But you know how many people are going around giving the blind their sight? You know how many people are like making the lame walk? One. That's it. So primarily he heals so that we can believe in him. However, there are other reasons behind this healing. In fact, in Matthew 14, 14, we see that Jesus, when he went ashore, saw a great crowd and had compassion on them, so he healed their sick. So in this case, why was Jesus healing? Because he felt bad. He had compassion. He went, you know what? That sucks. Here. Primarily, yes, it's so that we may know, but Jesus's motivations aren't just sitting here going, hey, I want you to just know I'm the Son of God, boom, here's your sight. He's literally looking at his creation. He's looking at his children and he's going, I hurt for you. John tells us the shortest verse in the Bible, which is Jesus wept. He knew Lazarus was gonna get raised, he knew what he was about to go do, but he's still looking at his children and he's going, I hurt for you. And so, because I hurt for you, we just sang it, right? You're a good, good father. Now, does that mean that Jesus is gonna heal every affliction because he feels bad? No, he's not. Sometimes he's gonna just let it ride. Why? Because it's gonna make you dependent upon him. And ultimately that's his goal. It's for us to see him for who he is. Not just so we can have the best life here and now. Because listen to me, I don't care if you live to be. Does anybody know like the age the Bible tells us that we're gonna max out at? 120, good job. You guys are nailed that one. I don't care if you live to be 120 years. That's a long time to us. But what is that in like per in light of eternity? I forget who said it, but in trying to describe eternity, they went, think about it this way. If you could take one grain of sand and walk it to the moon, by the time you empty all the world's beaches, eternity still hasn't started yet. Like we can't wrap our minds around something so vast. But why would our concern just be right here and now? Jesus's isn't. Paul says that I count the present sufferings of this world as worthless in comparison to the glory that will be revealed to me. The reason I can have hope is that I can sit here and go, this ain't it. This ain't everything. The reason I can have hope is I can sit here and go, hey, you know what? For the past almost five years, my dad's been catching snook after snook after snook on the new earth. Maybe he doesn't even need to use a fishing pole. Maybe they just jump in the boat because it's the new earth and you have dominion over them. I hope not because I enjoy the fight, but maybe. So we see that Jesus is motivated by compassion then. So why is the primary reason for healing for us to believe? Why do I want to focus on that? Because of what it means for us today. See, it's super easy for us to get wrapped up in the supernatural. It's super easy, like, for like the sensational view that comes with certain churches, and all of you in here know them. Like it's super easy if Gabby came in in a wheelchair and you watch, and I'm like, be healed, and she rises up out of the wheelchair. It's really easy for us to go, and we love that. Here's the thing though. If I had the power to do that, I'm not gonna waste my time sitting in this room with a bunch of people who are okay. What am I gonna do? I'm just gonna go right down the street, hit up the hospital, and just walk through. And when I get down there, I'll ride out to Daytona and hit up Halifax. And then when I get down there, I'll just hit all those little emergency rooms that seem to pop up like dollar stores now. And I'll just heal everything everywhere I go. But we don't have the power for that. See, and it's very easy for us to get wrapped up in the supernatural and then like kind of push off to the back teaching and proclaiming. Like, there's a reason why Matthew went, hey, he's teaching and proclaiming and healing. Teaching and proclaiming are gonna be far more valuable than just the supernatural gifts of healing. Now, do I say all of that because I believe that the Bible has pointed out that miracles have stopped? What do we open with? Anybody? What do we open every single service with? Prayer. I don't believe miracles have stopped. Now, next week are you gonna see a giant tent in the parking lot?

unknown 40:29

Yes, sir.

Josh 40:31

I mean, we just got a bunch of like picnic tables. Like, I mean, we do have places for people to sit outside now. No, you're probably not gonna pull in. You're you're probably not gonna get a flyer this coming week advertising a healing service. And here's why. Because the Holy Spirit has not laid upon my heart to go, hey, here's what you're going to go do. That's why. Do I believe Jesus could do? Absolutely 100%. Do I believe that Jesus is choosing next week to go do that? No, I don't. Now, that being said, some of you, hey, listen, after service, come talk to me. Because we do believe in the miraculous. We do believe in Jesus is not done healing. But I also believe that it is led by the Spirit. And here's why I believe this. Here's why I believe that I don't think that this is ended. In Mark 16, 17, and 18. Jesus finishes, or Mark finishes his gospel with this. And these signs will accompany those who believe in my name. In other words, you believe in my name. Here's the things that should be going along with that. They will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues, they will pick up serpents with their hands. We're never ever gonna do that one. Okay? I believe in Jesus' name and we can do the other ones, but not that one. I hate snakes. And if they drink any deadly poi, we're not doing that either, okay? Not doing that part. It will not hurt them. They will lay their hands on the sick and they will recover. Now, some people, especially if you're a biblical scholar in here, you'll your first thing should be, well, yeah, but right before Mark 16, it says these last verses were not included in the oldest transcripts we have of the Gospel of Mark. And I go, you're right. It does say that. And chances are that could have been a scribe that added that years later. Okay, that is a possibility. However, in James 5, it also says this is anyone among you sick, let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with the oil in the name of the Lord. Guess what? Even if we throw out Mark, because hey, that might not have been written by Mark. But James, we know was written by James. And what's he say? You're sick? Go. This is why every Sunday, no, we don't do altar calls here. But this is why every Sunday I go, hey, if you need me, I am here for you. I am here to serve you. That is my whole function here. Now it exists in a lot of different ways. Like right now, I'm serving you by teaching. But after this, if you're sitting here going, hey, I'm sick, listen to me very carefully. I am sure that Debbie has an oil somewhere on her at any given time. And I don't know if it has to be a special oil, because this isn't my area of expertise, but I'm gonna go with probably not. And I have no problem going, yeah, you need prayer? Let's anoint you, let's lay hands on you, and let's pray on you. Because here's the reason we start every service with this I believe prayer works. Otherwise, why am I praying? If I don't believe that God's gonna hear the words coming out of my mouth, now that doesn't mean that I'm gonna control God. Just like I can guarantee you, because it happens every single day, at some point between now and dinner time, one of my kids is gonna go, What are we having for dinner? And it always shocks me because I go, have we ever missed dinner? I'm not saying we've never fasted. I'm not saying sometimes it hasn't gotten too late and we decided not to eat, but has there ever been a time where I've not fed you? No. Then why are you asking? Obviously, you're gonna eat something. Do my kids need to come to me and ask me for food? No, they don't. Because I'm their father, and I go, part of taking care of you is making sure you have food to eat. Do I need to ask Jesus? No, I don't. He already knows my requests before I even make them. However, I'm going to make those requests because the Bible tells me to. Because the Bible goes, hey, yeah, anoint, lay hands, pray over. So should we be on the mission and teach? Oh, 100%. Not all of us. But if God is calling you to teach, guess what you should be doing? Teaching. Should we be on mission to proclaim? Until he returns. That was the mantra of the disciples, just so you know. They always went, Jesus is returning soon. And so, because they believe that, their mantra was until he returns. Should we be proclaiming? 100%. Should we be on the mission of healing? Yep, we should. If there are people that are sick among us, if there are people who are oppressed among us, if there are people who are struggling among us, guess what? We should be on the mission of going, hey, can you anoint me? Can you lay hands on me? And can you pray for me? Because listen, there's power in that. Sometimes your healing may come from you went to the doctor. That is God's common grace of going, hey, I have blessed this individual to know how your body works, and they're going to give you stuff that's going to make you feel better. And sometimes God's going to go, hey, you know what? Because you need to believe that I am who I am, go to so-and-so, let them lay hands on you and let them pray for you so that you may believe. Does that make sense? So please don't come in next week expecting me to do a full-on healing service because that's not what I'm talking about. Unless your price is right, right? Isn't that how they do it? You seed into it? Then you can buy your blessing. That ain't what's gonna happen. However, you're sitting here going, hey, I need healing. You know what? You should come see me. Because that's what the Bible says to do.

Faith That Produces Action

Josh 47:05

So these three things have been how Jesus has been on mission his entire earthly ministry. You ready for the hard part? Do you believe? Do you believe that this is the mission of Jesus? Because if you're sitting here and you're gonna go, yep, I believe, then you know what you need to do? Put works to your faith. Going back to the book of James, right? Faith without works is dead. That doesn't mean you're gonna earn your salvation. Because you can't earn something that is freely given. Like if I just went into my pocket right now and gave Stephen a dollar, did he earn that dollar? No. I gave it to him. That is your salvation. However, because I believe, I will have works. That's why James says, show me your faith apart from your works. You can sit here all day long and go, I believe, I believe, I believe, I believe, but until you put work into that, you don't believe. Because your belief will always cause your actions. So I ask, do you believe that Jesus is done? Do you believe Jesus is done saving people? Do you believe Jesus is done transforming minds by the power of his word? Do you believe that Jesus is done healing people? Then my question is very simple: why aren't we doing any of this? Why is the church, why is this not our primary focus as we go throughout our week? As we go from day to day, and that's our challenge this week, be on mission. Teach someone, proclaim to someone, pray with someone. One of those three things. Because that's what we're called to do. Because when we start doing this stuff, here's what Jesus does: He draws to himself. You know when he doesn't do this? When we spend all of our time doing other things. That's great. I can go to work and I can make money. And I'm not saying don't do that. Let he who not work not eat. What I am saying, though, is your primary function while you are at work is not to make money. Your primary function, regardless of where you go, is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. Stop being afraid of uh or being ashamed of the gospel. Don't worry about if Jesus is going to answer the prayer or not. Because listen, he's going to answer it. It may not be the answer we want, but it is going to be an answer. All we're required to do is pray. So again, as we close this week, what is it that you need from me? You're sitting here going, oh, I can't teach because I don't know. Cool. I'll do a weekly Bible stuff. I'll call you every morning, not morning because summer. Let's be honest. If I'm up in the morning, I'm on the boat. I'm definitely not calling you then. Oh, that's a lie because I've talked to people on the boat before. But only after the fish stop biting. Now that being said, though, that was all a joke, and if you need me and I'm on the boat, I will talk to you. That being said, we have resources. You want to go deeper? There are plenty of resources. All you have to do is go to Mission Media. That's it. Go on missioncent.org, go to Mission Media. All of our resources are now on one page. There's devotions there, there's podcasts there. Everything exists right here on this one page so you can easily get to it. You need your logo subscription? Come see me before you leave. Give me your email address. Text me your email, and I'll send you your subscription. It's free. It's nothing out of your pocket. You can go deeper with that. They have their own devotions on there. You need like courage and faith? Come talk to me before you leave. We'll pray, and you, I can guarantee you will have the boldness to step out of your comfort zone this week and go, I'm gonna proclaim. I'm gonna proclaim that Jesus is who we claim to be and here's what he's done in my life. But we got to start doing things. We gotta stop consuming and start producing. So, Father, I ask and I pray that Father, as we move from this moment, that we see the mission you were on, and that, Father, we join on that mission. That Father, we come alongside the Spirit, and even though you could do it better, faster, and easier without us, but that God, we come alongside your spirit and that Father, we pursue it. That Father, we we we put aside all of our presuppositions and we we actually look at your word and we challenge our faith and your word. Father, I pray for healing. I pray, God, that you give boldness. I pray, Father, for those in here who you are calling to teach, I pray, Father, that you give them the opportunities too. I pray that as we move throughout this week, that God, we just see your goodness and that we are just so overcome with your goodness that we can't help but talk about what we have seen and heard. And Father, if there is any in here that are sitting here going, I need that healing, Father, I ask and I pray so that they may believe in the power of your name that Father, you just give them that healing. Father, we ask and we pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.