Send Me

Oh, boy, we had such a great week. I gained three pounds.

I know Denise took pleasure in that. She made sure if pastor got a little bit fatter today. We had a good job. I know she means that with love. No, it was a great week.

Thank you. Last night I was a little worried. My throat started getting scratchy and so I've been eating cough drops like no tomorrow since last night. Let's pray. Father in heaven, thank you for the opportunity to be able to get together.

And as we close out our series, worship beyond the ritual. Lead and guide us. In Jesus name, Amen. There once was a tourist who traveled to a lighthouse to see not only the lighthouse, but to see beyond into the sea to see if there were any ships. When he got to the top, right below or close to where the lighthouse was shining out, he asked the keeper, why do you keep the light burning every night when most nights there are no ships nearby?

And the keeper said, the light isn't for us to decide who needs it. Our responsibility is simply to keep it shining. The sailors depend on a light that they may never see until they are in danger. I think often in churches, we think that worship only exists here in this building. But the reality is worship extends beyond these walls, out into the town, on Lakewood, on telegraph, on Paramount.

Wherever you are, we are called to worship. And worship can be an act of service. When Isaiah saw God's glory in the temple, he didn't stay there. The encounter ended, ended, ended with a commission. Here am I.

Send me worship that never leaves the sanctuary has missed part of its purpose. Genuine worship moves, always moves towards God's mission. Now I want to. Before we jump into our passages, I want to remind us of the first passage that we studied in this series, and it's Romans 12:1. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.

This is your true and proper worship. And so everything we're going to talk about today is kind of not only a reminder of what we have talked about, but also we're going to add a few more things to it so that as you go out, we're not just leaving here worshiping God, but we're worshiping God everywhere. So I'd like to go now. Here are some of the texts we're going to be looking at, but I want to first start with Isaiah 6. Isaiah 6.

As I was rereading this, I thought, you know what? Let's not read verse eight. I actually want to read, starting at verse one. Okay. Isaiah 6, verse one.

To help give context.

All right, we all there? Okay. Almost there. I see it's kind of in the middle. Slightly left.

Okay. In that year, in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne with the train of his robe filled the temple, and above him were seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces. With two, they covered their feet. And with two, they are flying.

And. And they were calling to one another, holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty. The whole earth is full of his glory. At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and the threshold shook, and the temple was filled with smoke. Woe to me, I cried.

I am ruined. For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips. And my eyes have seen the king, the Lord Almighty. What a beautiful image. Right of worship.

But yet Isaiah sees his shortcomings.

Verse 6. Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it, he touched my mouth and said, see, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for it. And then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send?

And who will go for us? And Isaiah says. And I said, here am I. Send me. So just think about this scene that is taking place.

We see Isaiah has a vision of God sitting on this wonderful, beautiful, majestic throne. And God is amazing and powerful. The whole place is filled with God's glory. And there are angels who are singing, holy, holy, holy is the Lord. And there's also a physical shaking.

The ground shook, and the smoke is filled within the temple. And Isaiah recognizes how holy, how pure, how true God is in this imagery. And as I pointed out, he's suddenly conflicted with the idea of his own shortcomings, of his own sin. And he thought, I don't belong here. I'm just simply a sinner, and my people were all sinners.

And here we see this contrast. Perfection in God. Isaiah, a sinner. And yet seeing God's own perfection helps to see how much Isaiah needed, what? Forgiveness.

And yet we see one of the tongues. The angels take tongs and takes a coal and puts it on Isaiah's lips. What an imagery. How many of you would be scared if that were to happen? How many of you have played with coals before?

They're kind of hot.

And yet, after all of this okay, so Isaiah, his shortcomings are forgiven. He's redeemed. And God calls him, who will go and speak for me? And this time, Isaiah raises his hand and says, here am I. Send me.

So we see Isaiah what he sees, who he sees, God. He sees and recognizes that he's a sinner. Do you ever sometimes feel unworthy, maybe even being unworthy to be saved? Maybe even right now, maybe some of us are feeling like I'm unworthy to be in the house of God.

I have a past. I have a lot of baggage. I'm unredeemable. Yet we know that God truly is a God, a gracious God. So God forgives.

And actually, in a symbolic act, with the tongs touching his lips cleanses him. And he's ready to what? To go and serve the Lord. There's a shift in his mind where, I've been saved, I've been forgiven. How can I go and help?

He simply made himself available.

I wonder if he was scared at that idea of wanting to go and serve God, or was he excited and committed. I think it's fair to say some of us at some point have been scared to ask God, God, go and send me to serve you, because you have no idea. And I think almost all of us are probably thinking, God, I don't know the Bible, how am I supposed to serve? But there are many ways that we can serve because God equipped Isaiah. And I think that God can also do the same.

God can equip us. So as we spend time with God in worship, he changes us, he molds us, and we simply have to be ready to go. Are you willing to say, send me to the Lord? One of the things, though, that we can also take from this message is this, that worship leads to mission. Okay.

Isaiah, seeing the majesty of who God was, was utterly blown away in his heart. He was worshiping God, which then led him to want to go out to help those see who God is. I want to go to the next verse. Okay, let's go to Second Corinthians. Okay, maybe if you're new to the Bible, it's towards the right.

Second Corinthians, chapter 5. It's a passage that we've talked about before, but I want to go back and I want to look at it, highlight a few things. 2nd Corinthians, 2nd Corinthians 5. And let's start at verse 14. It's after the Gospels, Acts, Romans, and then Corinthians.

2nd Corinthians 5, 14. Are we all ready for Christ's? Love, what compels us? What's the word compel mean? There's an action to it, right?

It moves us. Christ's love compels or moves us because we're convinced that one died for all and therefore all died. And he died for all. That those who live should no longer live for who? Themselves beyond us, but for him who died for them and was raised again.

So from now on, we regard who no one. From a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here.

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, are we the same person? No. We are forever changed. How many of you think that's awesome? Maybe you have a past and you realize I would like a clean slate or a new day, a new opportunity to move forward, to have a new identity, let go of the bad identity and have a new identity in Jesus.

Verse 18. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. God's calling us to be part of this.

We're therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making this appeal through us. We implore you, on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. So we see here that Paul, he's teaching us that, number one, okay, God loves us so much that he died for us. But the story doesn't end there.

Because God came back to life. We see that sin has tarnished this world all the way back in Genesis. And yet, did God leave us and forsake us? No, he didn't. In fact, he calls.

He's coming here, he's reconciling. And he wants us to be part of that journey, that process. And we're not just living for ourselves. As a parent, can you just simply live for yourselves and ignore your children? Number one, that would be neglect, right?

Everyone would judge you. Obviously, you love and care for your own. Did God abandon us? No. God wants to help us.

And so he's reconciling. And the Bible says that anyone who belongs to Jesus is a new creation. The old life is gone, the new life has begun. And so God is reconciling. He's fixing this relationship between God's people and himself.

But God wants us to also be part of that journey. And God's calling us, hey, I want you to go out and help change the world for me. I want you to be part of the solution. And so God calls us to be what? Ambassadors, as Paul describes.

Okay, what's an ambassador? Do they represent something? Usually we have ambassadors that go around the country. Each country has their ambassadors to serve the needs of the country in the place they're at. So for instance, we have ambassadors in France, I'm sure all over the world, same as the other countries.

They even have ambassadors here. They're preaching what their country offers or needs or to work in collaboration. Paul describes our work now as a new creation, is to go and be an ambassador for Jesus. And what does that mean? Do we reflect Jesus?

Are we kind? Are we caring? Are we loving? Do we listen? Do we stand up for others?

Do we do what's right? Do we care? And is it your desire to want to accept this invitation to be an ambassador?

So kind of recap this part again. Jesus loved us and he saved us. Jesus makes us new. Jesus sends us to share his love with others. Somebody once said, we're saved by Jesus and sent by Jesus.

We're saved by Jesus and we're sent by Jesus. Leading into though worship is now a way of life. Let's go to Hebrews. Okay, let's go over a couple books to the right. Hebrews.

Actually more than a few books, but keep going to the right of Hebrews, chapter 13.

Hebrews 13.

So after one second, Thessalonians, Titus, Philemon, and then Hebrews towards the end, right before James 13, verse 15. 13 through 15.

Sorry. Chapter 13, verse 15 and 16. All right, we all there. Okay. Therefore, Jesus.

Sorry through Jesus. Therefore, let us continually offer to gain. Sorry. Offer to God a sacrifice of what? Of praise.

Hmm, interesting. Okay. The fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others. For with such sacrifices, God is pleased.

And we see that Hebrews is taking this idea from the Old Testament and says, hey, number one, don't forget to do good, but also may you praise God. May worship not be just at the church or just in your home, but wherever you go, may you honor God with your lips and praise. Openly profess his name.

Simply speaking about God to someone else and thanking Jesus is something we could do. Helping someone or sharing what you have isn't just something though that you do, you do after worship. But. But it's good There is no difference. Worshiping isn't just singing songs here in the sanctuary or at home, but also there's also, we're not living separately where we live from Sunday to Friday.

And then we're somebody completely different on Sabbath. The two are the same. We are the same person. We should be the same person as we are Sabbath, as we are Sunday through Friday. And so everything that we do, service, being kind and generous to others, aren't just something that we have to do, but we want to do.

In many ways, we're replicating the devotion and the care that Jesus exhibited here on earth. Amen. So can we replicate that?

And when you step out into your community, in your neighborhood, in your home, at the store, the post office, the DMV as you go, how can you worship and be a representative, an ambassador for Jesus?

But as we're making worshiping a way of life, worship sees the big picture. Worship sees the big picture. Psalm 96:1 3 says, Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord all the earth, Sing to the Lord, Praise his name, Proclaim his Son salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples, just a few people, all people.

We see that. Psalm 96 talks about this idea of singing a brand new song to God. And it's not just for a small group of people or maybe for just your friends, but wherever you go, asking the whole world to join in singing.

The psalm connects worshiping God by sharing God with others. Reminding people that God is loving and is powerful is saving. When you have something so beautiful and precious, do you want to keep it in Hogwarts for yourself? You can do that. You can be greedy.

Or do you want to share it with others?

How can you share it with others? Again, it's not something that we have to do, but because we want to do. I take out the trash. I don't let Lisa take the trash out. Not because she can't, she can.

But anytime she takes the trash out, I berate myself because how could I let her do that? I know she's fully capable, but I don't want her to have to do that. That is an act of love on my part. I hope, I hope she appreciates it, but it's something that I love to do. I don't want her to have to carry a heavy bag out there.

It's something that I want to do. It's one of the ways that I serve my wife. Okay, the same thing. When you truly love God, share it with others. How can you serve others?

Worship is not something that is forced, but it naturally overflows. It goes beyond the minimum because you want to. And here worship is not just some private moment between you and God, but it's collective with all of us. So as we head towards the last part of our time together is as we've. We've gone through.

Worship leads the mission. Worship is a way of life. Worship sees the bigger picture. And the last part is this. Live the message.

Live the message. Don't just think about, but live the message. Let's go to our last verse, First Peter. Okay, again. It's to the right again.

First Peter, chapter two. Okay, one Peter, Chapter two. If you've gone to John or Revelation, you've gone too far. First Peter 2, 9. We'll read from 9 to 12, verse 9.

We all there. Okay. If this is so, then the Lord. Sorry, am I getting mixed up? I'm in Second Peter.

Okay, but you are a chosen what? A people, A royal priesthood, a holy nation. God's special possession that you may declare the praises of him who. 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 no mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to abstain from sinful desires which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your goods and glorify God on the day he what visits us, be a faithful disciple or a follower of Jesus. That even though you may be fun of now, you may be thinking, those people are weird, they're different. But maybe that difference is why does that person not get upset or frightened or anxious when something bad happens?

Why are they continually kind when they've been mistreated? Why do they do this? Why do they do that when it goes against the grain, their kindness and compassion there is no equal.

Why do they try to do good when they're made fun of?

In these times, it seems like what God is calling us to do goes against the grain. Right?

Peter is encouraging us to take on this new identity, to love and live such good lives that as he says, even among the pagans, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God. When Peter's writing about the pagans, I don't think he's trying to be disparaging. What he's trying to say is that they don't know any better or they don't know anything about what we're talking. Much like when Jesus talks about in Matthew 18, when somebody. You've tried to talk to them, you've tried to influence them, you tried to help them change their mind or try to come to some reconciliation, but they just don't get it.

What does Jesus tell them to do? Treat them as a pagan, Start from the very beginning and go through and help them learn and grow. We may be misunderstood, but one thing that I hope and pray is that we'll be known as somebody that says, I can trust and I know I am loved and I'm safe with those who are from the Downey Church. Amen. So live the message.

God didn't give the believers some new status so they could feel like they're number one or special. He gave it to them for a purpose, to show who God is. When God calls believers foreigners or travelers in this world, what's that saying? Do we live and hold the values of the world or do we live and show the values of the kingdom?

Living a life that kind of seems separate from everyone else, it can be challenging. But also, though there's this quiet confidence and joy knowing that when we're doing God's word and doing the right thing, though, we don't have to worry about the past. We don't have to worry about people trying to cause slander, because in our hearts we know we have done the right thing.

So live. Worship. Identity. Somebody says identity comes first. God chose us out of grace and mercy, not because we earned it.

Loving him and serving others comes from the gratitude that we experience, not guilt. We don't have to, we want to. Actions as well. I think everybody can say actions speak louder than what words. You can say all you want, but if your life is not reflective of what you're saying, people know.

So don't just preach the message with your mouth. Preach it with your life. Be kind. Live with integrity. Let people see what God is actually like.

But sometimes that might mean standing out, but there's a purpose to that. Being different isn't necessarily a punishment or a penalty. It's the very thing that makes a Christian's life attractive and that others may believe. There's a famous quote that I've attributed to. I think it's St. Francis of Assisi.

If I got it wrong, I'm sorry. But preach the gospel, and if you have to. What? Use words. Preach the gospel.

And if you have to, use words. The moon tonight. I want you to look at it. The moon. Does it have its own light that shoots out.

It's not why. Where does that light come from? It's a reflection of the sun. Every bit of light that we see on that moon is coming from the actual sun. And on a clear night, the moon can illuminate what, an entire landscape.

Not because of its power, but because it remains where it's positioned, reflecting from the sun. And as Christians, as followers of Jesus, we are called to do the same thing. We're not called to manufacture Christ's character. We're simply a reflection. We're an instrument being used by God.

And to do so, we have to know, we have to stay close. We have to spend our time in personal worship, but also gain strength from worshiping together as a community. But from the very beginning, are you willing to serve the Lord with everything?

At home, at work, at school, in the conversations that you have with people in real life? Maybe online.

Someone once said the world may never read the Bible this week, but they will read our lives. As you leave today, okay? As you leave today, as you're leaving, or maybe tonight when you go down to bed, don't just ask, did I worship? But did I reflect Jesus? And that's actually the reflection for this week.

The reflection is, if the only sermon people heard this week was the way that I lived or you lived, what would they learn about Jesus from me? Oh, that's a dangerous reflection, right? Whoa, that's potent. If the only sermon people heard this week was the way I lived, what would they learn about Jesus from me? Your challenge this week, I want you.

This week, I want you to pray each morning. This prayer. Lord, help me reveal your character in this area today. When you think about the character of God, what are the characteristics you love and may be challenged by? And I want you to pray deeply and ask God to reveal and give you the ability to help develop that character and reflect it.

Just as the moon reflects the sun, may you reflect that character with others. Can we do that? Amen. Let's close this series out. Lord, we thank you.

The fact that you are a good God who is loving and kind, but doesn't just want to be worshiped, but truly wants to be part of our lives. So we ask, Lord, lead and guide us, give us courage, help us in all that we do. And just like the moon reflects the sun, may we also reflect you. Give us opportunities to serve, though. But Lord, help us not to be afraid.

Let's take those opportunities with joy and confidence and courage in you and be a representative of you that others may know who you are and desire to also follow you. In Jesus name we pray. Everybody said amen, Grace and peace, everyone.