Joyfully Engaging the Mission of God

Exodus 19:1-9

Rev. Juvenal Cervantes, Pastor
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Greeley, Colorado
January 30, 2022

Exodus 19:1-9

On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.

Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

Have you ever had your identity stolen?

Each year over ten million a year have their identity stolen in the United States. People spend a great amount of money to protect their identity and other suffer great inconvenience.

The church has experienced the threat of identity theft.

-      Because of our carelessness.

-      The world has always resisted the church, but the church has always tried to maintained its identity, but has succumbed to identity threat.

-      In our generation the world has not sought to eliminate the church, but assimilate the church thus reducing the identity of the church.

-      There are organizations that claim to be the church, but these resemble very little the essence of church.

-      We live in an era of consumerism, giving people what they want, not the true meaning of church.

-      The word “church” has ceased to mean what it should be: a Spirit-filled group of believers banded together to fulfill the mission of God.

-      The church has become just a place to join, like joining the gym. We say, “I joined the church.”

-      We refer to the church as a building. We say, “I left the bible in the church.”

-      We refer to the church is a place of worship. We say, “I didn’t see you at church on Sunday. I missed you.”

-      We refer to the church as a group of people such as staff and lay leaders. We say, “I wonder what they’re doing at the church.”

-      We have given up on the word church and we’ve let the world give us a new name such as “Evangelicals,” at one time this was a perfectly theological term, a part of Christendom with theological commitment, authority of scriptures but now it has been high jacked, co-opted to mean a political voting bloc, no longer means what it is supposed to mean.

Our identity has been stolen at a high cost and it has become confusing to the world. Growing up in Sunday School we were told that the church was a group of baptized believers, a part of an organized body. Wow! Who wants to give their lives to that? I don’t want to be a part of religious institution.

The book of Acts tells us that the church is an intentional, Spirit-filled, community of followers of Jesus Christ who are pursing the mission of God together.

We become a Christian by committing our lives to Jesus Christ. We become a part of the church by committing to each other as we carry out the mission of Christ in the world.

How do we protect our identity?

1.           By returning to the word of God.

We are a part of that ancient story. We are the church in the gospels and in the book of Acts

The questions of identity became a question of the wilderness people. For 400 years, the people of God found their identity as slaves of pharaoh, whatever the pharaoh wanted, and demanded, that’s what the people were to do.

Then Moses delivered the people of God, God with His outstretched arm opened the red sea so that His people would be free.

The identity question is also our question when we’ve lost a marriage, a child, a friendship, a job, a position. Who are we? Who am I?

So God speaks to the people at Ms. Sinai and Mt. Horeb. God chose to reveal himself to the Israelites and says, “I have chosen you to reflect my ways, my character, to bear witness to his love

-      You are my treasured possession

-      You are my priestly kingdom: you are to be the mediating nation to bear witness of me, go before kings and queens and others and let them know who I am, let them know the good news

-      You are a chosen nation, through which the savior will come to the earth. And Paul says, “In the fullness of time God sent Jesus.” Jesus selected his 12 disciples, to share the good news to all the nations. Then Simon Peter was writing to the gentiles in Asia minor. Peter who had a problem accepting the gentiles according to Acts 11-15. He writes to the gentiles and borrows the words from Exodus and tells them in 1 Pt. 2:9-10,

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

2.           By guarding the mission of the church.

Our identity is not wrapped up on being saved, but that we are sent.

The mission defines us.

-As fire exists by burning so the church exists by mission. A theologian once said, “When the fire stops burning all you have is ashes and dying ambers, the light, the heat is diminished.

- It’s worship becomes empty. Emotionalism takes over or cold formalism.

- Fellowship becomes superficial.

- Teaching becomes dull doctrine.

- We lose the ability to address the lost.

What is the mission of God in the world? God is wishing to gather a people to himself who love him wholeheartedly and love each other unselfishly.

-      Pay attention to your church. How does your personal budget, calendar, and priority line up with your church?

-      See who is engaging the mission? We are all called to engage the mission of the church.

-      Keep a close eye on the congregation. Who is doing the mission? Are a few people sharing the load or are people stepping forward to help?

-      Is generosity and sacrificial giving

something that is shared by all or only a few?

Where is the mission being pursued?

-      The mission cannot be contained in the building. We’re called to go to a broken world and rescue the perishing.

How is the mission of the church done?

-      The heart of God is to a hurting world.

-      Peter left Joppa to Caesarea to the Centurion- to Cornelius.

-      Are the hearts of the people less fearful, and do we suspend judgment or do we reflect the values, prejudices of our culture?

Are we using our abilities and gifts to engage the mission of the church?

Only the church is given the task to declare God. We must protect the identity of the church and this can be a full time job.

-Detect suspicious activity.

-Find its threat.

-Avoid asking, “What is in it for me?”

Peter said, “You are a chosen people.”

After Moses reported to the people regarding God, the people said, “We will do everything God wants us to do.” Thus God gave them the ten commandments to seal the covenant.

In Exodus 24 Moses gathered the people, sacrificed an animal and sprinkled blood on the people and on the tablets and said this is the blood of the covenant.

Unfortunately, the story goes downhill. There were 6 centuries of God’s faithfulness and the people’s compromise of identity.

One prophet was raised and his name was Jeremiah who said, “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. Jeremiah 31:31.

Our God has given to us our Lord Jesus Christ as our new covenant. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit goes before us as we engage the mission of God in our community and in our world.