6-To The Futility Of Mission | Series: No Longer Slaves | Rick Atchley

Welcome to the hills pastor Rick here. I'm greeting our online community that beats literally around the world and I want to thank you for being with us this morning in Texas It's probably not morning where you're watching from but wherever you are. I'm thankful that you are with us I also want to welcome any of you that might be visiting our church for the very first time whether in North Richland Hills or in our campus at West Fort Worth or in Keller or in Dallas We are wrapping up a series called no longer slaves Jesus set people free and he's teaching us how to do the same and so we'll finish that series Here in a minute, but first I want to take a moment and give a pastoral word and this is obviously a very important week in our Country, I hope like me you are so thankful that you live in a country that regularly experiences the peaceful transition of power There are hundreds of millions of people in the world that cannot imagine What it would be like to live in a place that practices that and so let me Encourage you to steward that gift. Well this week and vote I Implore you to vote and vote your Christian conscience You should take your faith to the pole Just like you should take it everywhere to your job to your finances to your hobbies and so look at the platforms and determine with your own Christian understanding which Candidates would best contribute to the flourishing of our community please vote and And When you wake up on Wednesday Some of the people you voted for will have won and some of the people you voted for will not have won But the scripture is very clear as Christians. We are to pray for and support our leaders So do that and the scripture is also clear. We are to love our neighbors Including the neighbors that did not vote for the same people that we voted for and by the way

Some of those neighbors are sitting close to you right now and one more thing Remember that Jesus is Lord that our first allegiance belongs only to him and when we wake up on Wednesday We will be able to exalt Jesus and everything we do that day just like we can today So what have I just said? I had just said that I want you to vote your conscience Pray for your leaders. Love your neighbors and give your worship only to King Jesus Now if that's controversial we're reading from a different book. Okay, so God bless that's all I'm gonna say about that But I am gonna say is that last Sunday was amazing at every campus we had healing prayer and at every surface people stood in line to be Received and prayed over by their elders and I have heard Amazing stories of how God responded to those prayers the word supernatural has to be used I have heard stories of people that received a healing I've heard stories of people that received a word from the Lord heard stories of people that received supernatural peace or Renewed grace to deal with their suffering. This should not surprise us Hebrews says that God is and that he rewards those who seek him and God is the same yesterday today and forever So we should expect God to show up and bless when we seek him so we did we will do that Again, because our God is living and active and loves to bless his people. Amen so Speaking of that. I heard a story of a freshman philosophy professor at a college Who was an atheist and felt like his students should be too. And so on the first day of class each semester he had the practice of saying I Don't believe in God, I don't believe he's real. I Don't think you should believe that either So I'm going to stand up on this platform and I'm going to give God 15 minutes to prove he exists by knocking me off And he just kept taunting God after five minutes after ten minutes here. I am God waiting

Well, there's a 250 pound linebacker from the football team walking down the hall. The door was open He heard that professor taunting God he walked in and slammed that man right into the wall The professor said why did you do that? And the football player said well God was busy. So we send me Now I don't believe God is preoccupied. I do believe God sends people To accomplish his will that in the kingdom of God Alignment comes with assignment. Now. What are you my alignment? I mean that we are to live our lives Ordered by the will of our rabbi Jesus. We are following him We put it this way the hills church exists to make it grow followers of Jesus And we do this together about being with Jesus becoming like Jesus and doing what Jesus did He's not asking us to accept him He's asking us to apprentice under him and when he invites us to be apprentices it is with the intent That we will be sent That Jesus doesn't just get us out of prison. Jesus gets us on mission So we've been talking about the ways that Jesus wants us to live free Not in bondage to the enemy and one of the greatest prison cells he wants to release us from is what I call the captivity of futility of living your life with no real goal or reason or purpose and Our rabbi is teaching us how to live differently. And by the way, he practiced what he preached Now in about a month, we're gonna set our hearts towards celebrating the incarnation of Jesus he's coming to our world as a baby, but you can't appreciate the incarnation if you don't appreciate the intention behind it He came for a reason He lived his life on Alignment with that assignment. He started his life on mission. He stayed on mission He ended his life on mission. I put it this way Jesus lived on purpose for a purpose and Because he believed his mission was critical he would not forsake it when people were Critical we have many stories about this in the Gospels. One of my favorite is Luke 19. There's a tax collector named Zacchaeus It's hard for me to give you a cultural equivalent of how much tax collectors would have been hated in Jesus day They were cheaters that took too much money from people and they were traitors that took some of that money to fund an occupying

Army and So when Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus, he's not as big man and the people won't get out of the way to let him Because they hate him that much. He's got a climb a tree to get a glimpse But Jesus stops and says Zacchaeus. I want to have lunch at your house. Oh my goodness the gossip started He shouldn't be hanging out with those kind of people. How did he respond to criticism? He responded by reminding people he was living on Mission He said for the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost Jesus came near to find and rescue people far from God He lived with intent because he knew that's why he had been sent For God so loved the world that he gave or that he sent his only son So that whoever believes him wouldn't perish but have eternal life So another time he's at a party with tax collectors and prostitutes and again the yapping starts and the Internet's blowing up Jesus why are you hanging out with those kind of people? And again, he reminds them of his mission He said I've not come to call the righteous but sinners to repent this now You got to know people had a lot of agendas for Jesus that he could have taken up and he would have been extremely popular They would have made him king But he was never seduced by the allure of mission drift He never lost his focus on finding the loss Even when it meant he would be found on a cross Again, he stayed laser focused on the mission The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many Jesus went to the cross on purpose for a Purpose now we've been talking about how Jesus is training us to do what he did There's one thing he never trained his apprentices to do because only he could make a way to God Only he could do that Only he could offer perfect righteousness in exchange for our

Unrighteousness, so we cannot do that But what is true is that every apprentice of Jesus was trained to live on purpose like he did That every single disciple is to live a commissioned life Every gospel ends with Jesus giving his disciples commission. John ends like this, as the Father has sent me, I am sending you. This is not a burden, this is a blessing. Because Jesus is setting us free from living a life with no reason to do so. Look at what Peter said, for you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. See, Jesus isn't just giving us life after death. He's giving us life before life after death. Life that's not empty, like everyone else is living. You've heard me mention Lee Strobel many times, a well-known Christian apologist. But Lee as a young man was an ardent atheist. He had no use for God. He was into journalism as his career. He was good at it. He won a number of awards for the Chicago Tribune. His wife became a believer. She found a church called Willow Creek and she started following Jesus. And it really upset Lee. He was bound and determined to research Christianity and prove it wrong. Well, during this season he's writing for the Tribune and he needs to look up an article he wrote a year earlier. It's hard to remember this age, but it was before computers. So he had to go down to the basement where they saved all the old papers. And he told the woman what he's looking for and she took him to a file cabinet and said, I've got a drawer just for you. And she opened it and there neatly folded were all the articles she'd ever written. And he said they were already fraying on the edges and turning yellow. And in that moment, something just hit me. And I thought, this is my life. I'm killing myself for this, for a file of yellow papers. And something deep inside him said, there's got to be more than this. Look again at that verse in another translation. You were saved from that useless life. One reason the fear of dying that we talked about last week is so enslaving is because most people don't have a good reason for living. But our rabbi has freed us from the captivity of futility and he's trained us to live on purpose because we have a purpose for living. Let's talk a little more about this kind of freedom. What does it mean? Well, it means number one, that my life has meaning. Now, I've been a pastor a long time. For over four decades, I've seen people have all kinds of problems. And I've always been bewildered why people with huge problems could live with joy. And people with little problems could be totally miserable. And it finally dawned on me, it has nothing to do with

the size of the problem. That people are unhappy not because of the largeness of their problems, but because of the smallness of their goals. And when you spend your life playing trivial pursuit, you're going to lose and be miserable. There's a book in the Old Testament called Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon. Solomon set out to find what could give him joy without God. He said, I set myself out to gain wealth and I did. I was richer than anyone I knew. I set myself out to do great projects and I did them and I built them. And I decided I would gain knowledge. I don't know anyone that studied more than me. I decided I would deny myself no pleasure, no food. I would have more sex than any man alive. I did it all, he said. And here's what he decided. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired. I refused my heart, no pleasure. And when I had surveyed all that my hands had done, and what I had told to achieve, everything was meaningless. A chasing after the wind. Nothing was gained under the sun. Notice that phrase, under the sun. He's trying to live as a secularist. He's trying to live without God. And secularism's mistake is to think you can find meaning under the sun. Here's the problem with that. If we're all just matter, okay? We're all just a few billion years of evolved scum. If we're just matter, then why does anything matter? Be honest about it. I appreciate the atheist you are. One of the greatest philosophers and logicians of the last century, Bertrand Russell from UK, said unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is meaningless. I appreciate the honesty. If there is no God, then stop the nonsense of saying life has meaning. You're just an accident. You're not supposed to be here and the universe won't care when you're gone. One of the greatest scientists of the last generation was Stephen Hawking. He wrote, we're just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. That is perfect under the sun logic. So why is it so unsatisfying? Why do we not deep down in our core want to accept the obvious implication of secularism? When I was in college, I heard a preacher from Southern California who had a member in his church that taught law at the University of Southern California Law School. He taught beginning law students. First day of class, he would start this way every time. Why are you in my class? Well, because it's a sign we have to take it. What then? We'll take other classes we have to take. What then? Well, we'll try to graduate from law school. What then? Well, we'll try to pass the bar exam. What then? We'll try to get hired by a law firm. What then? Well, we'll try to succeed, maybe make partner. What then? Well, we'll try to make a lot of money. What then? Well,

we'll retire and have a nice easy life. What then? And frustrated student would always say, well, we'll die. And this brilliant professor would say, what then? What then? Something deep inside us wants an answer to that question. What then? And here's why. Solomon said, God has planted eternity in the human heart. Meaning can only be found above the sun. If in fact we are divinely created creatures, then only our creator can tell us what we were created for. Colossians says, for in him all things were created. All things have been created through him and for him. So we exist for the glory and the mission of God. And we find our meaning when we live in alignment with that assignment. That's why Jesus said, seek the kingdom of God above all else. Let nothing in your life be more important. Get in alignment with the kingdom of God. That's why you were created. And here's why people are so frustrated. They want to live for their own kingdoms. We've bought the false narrative of self-sovereignty. And I am going to live my life, building my empire. And you're going to be frustrated because 8 billion other people are trying to do the same thing. And ultimately the universe doesn't recognize your empire. It doesn't recognize the legitimacy of your reign. You and I don't own a kingdom. And spending our lives trying to build one is just going to be depressingly futile. Here's the reality. You can try to glorify your name and bring honor to yourself and amass and acquire all you want. But your empire is going to start to crumble and deteriorate and be dismissed before the mud on your burial plot is dry. You don't own a kingdom. But I know who does. And what gives life meaning is when I know I can invest it in a mission and in a kingdom that can never be frustrated or eliminated. Here's the big idea. That no other kingdom can surpass or usurp the reign of Christ. And when Jesus says, follow me, He's inviting His apprentices to believe in the future of Jesus' kingdom with so much passion and conviction you will tie your own future to it. But here's why that can be hard. There's this mystery that God is allowing. And the mystery is this. God is allowing at this present time opposition to the reign of Christ. And so what we see is all these other kingdoms out there and they're getting a lot more publicity. And the people building them are getting a lot more applause. See Jesus said, my kingdom is like a mustard seed. And what we have to decide is did everything Jesus say about His kingdom and what it's going to become, is that true? Or should I just give myself to these other kingdoms? Most of you aren't old enough to remember the Watergate scandal. Some of us are. And one of the key players was a man named Charles Coulson. He worked in the Nixon administration.

He got arrested. He went to prison. He became a believer in Christ and started one of the greatest prison ministries all over the world. Great man. This is after he was a Christian. After he was out of prison. He was in Rome. And he was visiting the sites there and he took this picture of what is the ruins of where the Roman Senate used to meet. These guys would come in their togas, the most powerful men of the most powerful empire the world had ever seen in that most powerful place. And it brought his memory back to when he worked in the White House. He said every morning we would meet in the Roosevelt room right across the hall from the Oval Office. Our serious expressions reflected in the mahogany table and Secretary of State Henry Kisscher would walk in and he would say the decisions we're going to make today will shape the future course of human history. And we believed it. We were so arrogant we really believed we were shaping human history. Just like those Roman senators. And now their meeting place is just rubble and tourist site. And he thought how much of the Roosevelt room will be around in 200 years much less 2000. Listen the future of all other kingdoms was determined the day that Jesus came out of the tomb. Paul put it like this Christ was first to be raised and when he comes again those who belong to him will be raised to life and then the end will come. At that time Christ will destroy all rulers authorities and powers and he'll hand over the kingdom to God the Father. Christ must rule until he puts all enemies under his control. Right now it's a mustard seed. That's what it's becoming. You got to decide which kingdom am I going to give my life to. I've never been on a cruise out to sea. I know a lot of you have. I understand they're pretty fun and I understand there's a lot of things you could do on a cruise. A lot of fun things a lot of healthy wholesome things. I suspect also there's a lot of wicked sinful things you could do if you wanted to on a cruise. Here's what I know. You don't decide where the boat's going. The captain has decided what the destination of that boat is going to be and he's going to take it where he intends. Now on the way you can make good choices you can make bad choices but the captain has determined where the ship is going. Now this universe has a captain and he's guiding it. Now on the way you can make good choices you can make bad choices but this universe is headed to the acknowledgement of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That's where it's going. Now currently other kingdoms are getting all the headlines and all the press but only the kingdom of God will be standing at the end. What Jesus

launched has started minutely it will end massively and when he returns there's not going to be any elections and there's not going to be any coups. The powers that be will become the powers that were and the whole earth will declare the church's only creed Jesus is Lord. And what John saw in his vision will become true the world has now become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign forever and ever. When Rabbi Jesus comes back only one king will be standing and every creature will be kneeling. And because we know that day is coming we can't be leaving our assignment for lesser missions. If you know that day is coming what can you be doing with your life that is more important than staying in alignment with where the future is headed. You see wisdom knows the difference between what is futile and what is final. Let me tell you something about your enemy. He would like for you to give up your religion but if you won't he'll settle for giving up your relevance. He wants you to put your life on autopilot and play trivial pursuit and spend your life chasing what is eternally irrelevant. To join everybody else in the captivity of futility. call it normal but if you spend your life chasing what can only deteriorate and depreciate when you come to the end of your life you will come to Solomon's conclusion I had one life to live and I spin it chasing the wind when Jesus comes back the scripture says that a fire is going to consume the earth not to destroy the earth to purge the earth to cleanse the earth so that Jesus can set up the new heavens and the new earth and when I stand before God and he says what did you do with that life I gave you I don't want to say well God I would love to show you but it all incinerated everything I spent my life doing it it burned up and Jesus own assessment is if all you do in your life is build a bigger barn you lived like a fool wise know that the only thing that lasts is what we do for Jesus it could be as small as sharing a cup of cold water but you will receive your reward and so Paul could say always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted stay on mission I know this is crazy talk to all the people that only live under the Sun but if his kingdom is the future then you're crazy not to get in on it right now so we've been asking the question what did Jesus do what does

he want us to do with his apprentices he wants us to stay in alignment with our assignment we need to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God and we need to reclaim people who are in bondage to false kingdoms and it's not an easy mission as we've already heard people go to prison for this mission people get martyred for this mission but it's so meaningful it's living your life outside the cell of irrelevance and we must approach it with urgency last summer my wife and I visited church planters in Connecticut and we were driving to see church planters in New Hampshire and we said let's spend half a day and stop in Boston and walk the famous freedom trail and one of the places we stopped in front of is the famous Park Street Church very important things happen at that historic church maybe the most was many say it's where the abolition movement was really launched the movement to rid this nation of the stench of slavery and there was a speaker on July 4th 1829 named William Lloyd Garrison that gave us talk that called people to action and he said since the cause of emancipation must progress heavily and it must meet with much unhallowed opposition why delay the work what are you waiting for people need to be set free we need to live with intent to be sent we're supposed to look like Jesus and we do that by looking for the people he looked for what do we do we invest in freedom ministry in Jesus name that's how we spend our lives the way we spend our time the way we use our talents and yes the way we invest our money next week we're gonna have a harvest offering with that monies we're going to support 29 missionaries and many of them are not on our website because they are living in countries where you can get thrown in jail for naming Jesus but that's how they're spending their life and they will tell you I am spending my life on purpose for a purpose and I wouldn't trade it we're going to support 18 church planters in some of the most unreached cities in our country it is hard hard work and they would tell you it's so worth it I'm giving my life to so that matters. Because every knee is going to bow to King Jesus. Our mission is to see as many as possible do so right now. And so next week whether you give

hundreds or you give thousands you can know this, everything you give will be there when Jesus comes back. Because you invested in the one kingdom that is eternal. So I read a book by a well-known pastor named Rick Warren a few years back. And in that book he tells a story of being with his dad when his father died. His father was a pastor, mainly little churches. He loved to travel overseas and build church buildings. He built over a hundred and fifty churches in other countries around the world. But his father's in bed. He's about to die. Rick and his wife were with him. And he got real agitated. He was trying to get up out of bed. And he couldn't and he shouldn't. And they were trying to calm him down. And his wife, Rick's wife said, Jimmy what's the matter? And he said, I've got to save one more for Jesus. I've got to save one more for Jesus. And they calmed him down and he laid down. And he looked at his son Rick Warren. And he put his hand on Rick's head like he was commissioning him. And he said, save one more for Jesus. Save one more for Jesus. A story is in the book you may have heard of called The Purpose Driven Life. That's how Jesus lived. On purpose. Listen to me. Every headline and every social media post and every news item is trying to get you off mission. To live for other kingdoms. Don't let it happen. There's only one kingdom worth living for. We have brothers and sisters around the world that would say there's only one kingdom worth dying for. And we will. Jesus lived a purpose driven life. And you can too. So pray with me please. So God we do pray in Jesus powerful name that we can be free from the seduction of a culture that's going to make a big deal about stuff that's such a small deal. We don't want to live our lives pursuing trivia. Building kingdoms that are just going to crumble and be forgotten. We don't want to spend our lives investing in that which is eternally worthless. So give us greater vision God. For the eternal kingdom. For the reign of Jesus Christ. And give us passion and courage to live for it. Now. Because it will be forever. Keep our eyes especially this week on King Jesus. We pray in His name. Amen.