Mission

Today on Summit line with JD Greer.

What was special about know nothing. This was a God, and God said what is special about us.

Nothing we just believe God taken about his word. We believe that Jesus was serious when he said to Peter about what he would willing that any should perish but that all come. I'm your host Molly's happy Thanksgiving and we trust that you're enjoying time with family and friends celebrating the goodness of God in your life and let me start by saying you sent life would not be the same without you here so welcome and were excited to be jumping into a new teaching series today that Pastor JD originally preached a few years ago and it contains a familiar story. If you ever flip through one of those picture book Bibles for kids. One of the first stories you'll notice is nowhere in the ark with the cute little animals walking up on that this account isn't just a nice story about God saving some animals for a flat actually a powerful foreshadowing of the gospel. They Pastor JD is unpacking the biblical account of Noah's Ark is the first part in our brand-new study called all in an Pastor Katie titled today's message five weeks at five different Old Testament characters went all in on the mission of God because I want you and I want us as a church to consider what it looks like for us to go all in with the mission of God. So here's the question on what you consider over the next several weeks to consider from multiple angles.

Are you all on the mission of God with your life, not just are you committed to the church on the weekend. I don't know.

Are you all in the mission of God with the biggest parts of your life. Your sports fan probably sold the same statement that I did by Dr. John Jenkins who is the president of Notre Dame University. When they join the ACC. This is a direct quote. I'm glad I could not believe is like a copy. As I got a this I just want to say emphatically and clearly football aside, we're all in the ACC.

We are deeply committed to the ACC you're all in the ACC except for football. I mean no offense, but what else does Notre Dame actually bring to the table right behind you say, I'm always supper football right what here's a question. What is the football of your life was the football of your life and are you all in with that for some huge money for me with your time and reputation are you all in not just the weekend stuff, but with the big things.

Think of it like this. If you have a breakfast of bacon and eggs. Both the pig and the chicken contributed to your breakfast but in different ways. The chicken made a contribution to the pig was always right, to which of those two metaphors better describes you and your relationship to the kingdom of God first forgot to consider.

It's in the first book of the Bible, so it should be easy to find.

Genesis chapter 6. It is the story of Noah. Genesis chapter 6 verse five the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him to his heart to the Lord said, I will blot out man whom I created from the face of the land man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am truly sorry that I even made them. Now you know your Bible at all. You know that he did this through a worldwide flood.

By the way, it is always been amazing to me that Kim's books usually pick up this story as their favorite one to feature for four euros. The little bunnies in the furry animals and Indian animals to buy to the hippopotamus in the kangaroo and that's the kid's favorite, but this is a terrifying story of God's judgment, massive destruction dead bodies everywhere when plus is meant Noah and his family get trapped in a wooden boat for several months. With all these animals sound like anything fun about that now. So make sure you have this thing in the right category as we go into it.

Verse eight but Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord now frequent people encounter stories of judgment in the Bible like this one first questions that modern people ask is, what will. Was this really necessary only like this picture of God. I prefer the precious moments Jesus who likes to pet little children on the head and in and I kind of of God, so is this really necessary. See verse five diagnoses the problem for use as a God sold every intention of the human heart was only evil continually mention wordplay that goes on in Hebrew the word used to describe human wickedness. In verses 12 and 13. If you jump down there. The word used to describe human wickedness is the same word used to describe what God does to the wicked on the earth. The Lord is my sheet. What it means is destruction. Sinful humans are destroying God's good creation, God is going to my sheet that much eaters to destroy the destroyers so he does so out of holiness and love the same way that if you love someone who's been eaten up with cancer. You hate the cancer destroying her body, and you are willing to take radical measures like chemotherapy to eradicate their body from the cancer. That's what God is doing is that there is a cancer that is destroying his creation and creating disharmony and creating violence and create all kinds of destruction and God is about to go to radical measures to get rid of that verse six is a human wickedness grieved God into his heart. The word for greed bears the same word in Hebrew used elsewhere in the Old Testament to describe an abandoned wife what she feels when her husband leaves her soul wrenching despairing grief so a holy God of perfect love cleanse the earth of sin, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Grace undeserved kindness and God preserve Noah and his family as a representative of the human race. And through know what he would repopulate the earth. Now you say well was the solution effective around short answer is no. Noah screws up his own family within one chapter being off the ark] W chapter 9 Noah's family looked like an episode of the Jerry Springer show good on a 21 which is after all the arcing is no doubt in your margin. The author repeats that the intentions of the human heart was still only evil continually. Which tells you that a greater kind of salvation would be necessary to destroy the world through a flood and giving a wooden ark for people to get into the EE we need the salvation that we go to the core of the human heart, which is the real meaning of the story which will get to in a minute but first let me draw four points about know what I want you to see there relevant for us what Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. What was special about Noah nothing nothing special indicated in these verses we heard the voice of God, and he responded verse nine tells you he was a righteous man. Why was he righteous. Why because he responded to God's offer of salvation.

That was it. Number two, Noah was chosen to be a channel of salvation to others. Noah was not only selected for personal salvation.

He was chosen to build an ark that would be hate vehicle for salvation to whoever would listen now that would end up being only his family but the point is that God's grace toward him was never intended for him only he was to be eight channel of grace toward other people. He was given grace, so that through him. Grace could come to those who listen to number three.

Noah had to dramatically rearrange his priorities in light of God's grace toward him.

After this announcement he could not go on with life's usual make a few tweaks was lie prayed after 10 minutes in the morning during his quiet time give a little, you know that wherever he went to worship the difference from this point on. Imagine the difference after God said this to Noah how he sold the world everybody that no one knew would either be saved on the ark were destroyed in the coming flood required a radical reorientation of his life. Number four. Noah was grateful too fast for the story to begin after God sent the flood and God save Noah and his family. Noah exits the ark, and the first thing that Noah dies as he offers a sacrifice of banks giving to God you'll interesting text will note here, this is the first thing in the Noah story that he does of his own volition. If you go back and you read it you do this and maybe this week you'll see that that what characterizes characterizes Noah's interaction with God is God commands Noah does cartels and build the ark. He tells him how big you make it.

He tells them where it went to get on when to get off the sacrifice, however, was Noah's idea. It was his initiative. He overflows with gratefulness and wants to say thank you to God. God, why did you choose me to show grace to God, why did you save my family now and more righteous than everybody else will. Because I was better in cheese because I was a great carpenter you chose it. Why, I don't know but I'm just going to respond with gratefulness and a sacrifice to come from the deepest places of my heart. We Summit church we I believe in a place very similar to Noah and the one we as a church have been selected for grace. I don't know why I really don't.

But we can look all around us and see that the evidences of that grace are everywhere over the last three weeks God allowed us to baptize 414 people born in 14 I was the final Praise God that that's not just a stat is made up of people like like this for me to review some letters I have received here, one came and said this am I to tell you that my baptism is baptisms actually discusses this past spring. Baptism is past spring is been the best decision of my entire life. When you give a call to be baptized.

I hesitated because I was making excuses in my head.

I ride with a friend and his wife the church and I don't want to keep them too long afterwards nor did I have a change of clothes. Well that you mentioned that we had a change of clothes for me.

Tells everything I could possibly need.

Then you asked everyone in the audience or they would raise their hand. Of drove somebody here and they were not willing to wait. I looked out of the corner of the I admire the people that were driven the hands without a beer like nobody's hands were in the air. Well, I was a lot of excuses by that point, but I still had that hesitation.

Finally, right before we were dismissed. My friend lean over to me and said man if you want to go I'll go with you. I'll go with you, and in support since my baptism. I've made a large change in my life that a huge drinking problem, which I thought was okay because I was a college student, but I realize drinking every night wasn't a fund that I once thought it was. I had originally started drinking to try to pick up girls. I'm not totally sure. The logic here but there is but now I was drinking because I was depressed and I was missing something or someone in my life after my baptism. This is not the last time I had a drink, was the Friday before Easter this guy was say to baptize on Easter Sunday. That same night I attempted to take my life. That evening, but I had this rush of ideas and maybe I was here for something else. I came to the summit church that Sunday, God saved my life in every possible way that Sunday and I was baptized attending this church is when you realize that the pain that I've been feeling was loneliness because for a time I turn my back on Jesus and it's hard to be close to God. But I'm in pain and I'm lonely. I'm so happy that I joined the summit family because they are supportive and they are loving in every way. I wake up every morning and thank Jesus for dying for my sins and saving my life and I want to do everything I can serve you. I joined a small group with my friend and his wife, although I'm the only single person in the group they still welcome me with loving arms. Every time we get together. I've been told by many people that I am so much happier since I stopped drinking and started to put my trust in Jesus Christ. I have genuinely been saved an amazing or how about this when I am 39 years old divorced father of two girls, now teenagers in 2000 I was destroyed by my sin, a double life of homosexuality. Fast forward I'm convincing his letter here fast for 12 years, two months ago, I was happily living my gay life while driving.

One day the Holy Spirit, said to me in my car. It's a lie for the first time in years.

My heart actually heard it, not just my head. My brother pointed me to your church, you have no idea how the sermon last week and we can't believe series on the sexual captive pierced my heart. I still cannot stop thinking about a statement that you made that Jesus's last words on the cross were not go fix yourself. His last words on the cross where it is finished. I've always thought I had to clean up to come to Jesus, tortured by past mistakes and sin which are really only the lies of the enemy through the ministries of your church. I found the gospel and I'm just writing to say thank you and amazing is not somebody that's hearing something that's entertaining and engaging to him. This is something that exudes the power of God. I don't know why God chose to select us for that for the past four years we've been in the top 25,000 growing churches in the nation. We run by nearly a thousand people each year for the past four years, made up of many people like like those God has allowed us not just to reach them, but to train them up and send them out. You heard me say several times probably that we just sent a team of people out to him Southeast Asia team of eight who all people who came to Christ when they moved here and got involved in our church were seven on eight of them.

At least they were saved here at our church and are now taking the gospel around the world, or church planting pastor tells me that as we gather this weekend at the summit church to worship there will be about 7000 people here in the triangle that will attend the summit church this weekend, but while we gather over 2000 people are worshiping in churches that we planted around the country around the United States places like Murfreesboro Nashville and Greensboro in Denver. One of the guys are sent out. Brian Varley was our bar planter in Denver summit Denver, they chose to make them think I'm summit but they chose it because he said we have to have mountains and then run on what you think and endure them, but he said he's a really exciting baptize three people this past month was most exciting about those three is that none of them were brought to Christ by the people that the summit set out here.

These people are brought to Christ by people we've reached our influence in the city just keeps multiplying this past fall we had 19 schools contact us about launching a mentoring and tutoring program in the public schools summit members going in these public schools during the school day to serve at-risk students and their teachers on a weekly basis.

The sun this summer we put 2500 volunteers on the street in one week. The server city probably most fulfilling to me with this. I visited somebody's different projects at our church was involved in what I saw were not people who were doing a one-time project within a come in to get involved with somebody who's got down the locket and rushed back to the car for two hours and no pure elder hands and go away and think about it again next year. What I saw were people that this was their their year-long project to date.

This is become a partner like their small group now consist of people that are from these groups that that we are doing ministry that were doing ministry among what was special about Noah nothing is listen to God and God said what is special about us. Nothing we just believe God and taken him at his word. We believe that Jesus was serious when he said to Peter about anyone willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance. We believe him when he said that he would do exceedingly abundantly through us about anything we can ask or think, or even imagine. We believe them when he said that if you would call on my name and you asked me I would do great things for you that you probably could not even describe somebody.

It is believed it was like no is believed that God was serious and God's grace began to flow through us. Number two we been given a very clear mission would be given a very clear mission like no we been given a very clear description of what we should be doing. Jesus summarize our mission, which will shortly type Matthew 2818 make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that I commanded of you here the church we've interpreted that primarily in three ways that will 333 got up ways we focus on making disciples. One is our families. We believe that our families are our first mission field, and we are committed to discipling those we went to Jesus that starts with our families because we want them to grow up strong in God's kingdom that is very personal to me.

You been around here. You probably herby share this before but it's personal me because in 1975 winning Carol Greer moved to a new city and they just had a son. I was two years old.and they moved her sitting I thought I was a first summit that we need to buy back about the church people development have kids like, well, you gotta quit messing around I get series in a church somewhere so they heard about a church that was was exciting.

It was growing at a pastor.

Golder bites attention and they went. God save my mom and dad because this church was committed to not just seeing people respond in coming to baptize put their name on a list somewhere and report them to some agency that counts comedy people you baptize the owner that is good you because it miss church wouldn't that there were content with that, they were committed to discipling my mom and dad. It's of my I have the privilege of growing up at all. Mom and dad walk with Jesus and love Jesus and got me to do the same now because of the church was committed to discipling families.

I just get reported by Pearson to report on a list somewhere, but my attorney is different sore, my children's eternities now because of the faithfulness of that church to discipling families. That's what we are committed to. We are what we are committed to discipling the nations.

When Jesus says, going all the nations use the term F day which means it it it's what we now call unreached people group that have a have a language and it's a people group that is no gospel witness their 6640 unreached people groups in our world today. We are committed to be the church it raises people up and send them out, that the gospel with the gospel not know Matt also was very personal to me because when God called me into ministry. I was in college I was not headed toward ministry was headed toward wall what God did as he called me to the ministry by calling me to the mission field. That's where I originally thought I was headed. God is never relinquish that coliform I like to mission ability to show me the way that I will serve the mission field is as a pastor in a church here in the United States for the USAID's got started my call to ministry by calling the mission field. The lamp, a film I called mission builders as a pastor is what we talk about this a lot because we believe this is what the great commission is all about the world talk about semi I know not everybody forcibly probably going to go there but I know a lot of us are. And a lot of us are sure to be and be involved in sending which is why I'm so very grateful to be here in Raleigh-Durham because honestly this is not rhetoric.

I cannot think of a better place in the country to be more strategic for raising people up and sitting in them right where we live.

I didn't want to pastor a church in Raleigh-Durham would play a pastor church in Fort Lauderdale.

That's not a joke.

I had I had a piece of property picked out to build church on had started a lot of sponsors why Fort Lauderdale because God he lost people are everywhere. But the beaches in Fort Lauderdale.

That's my mentality when they can Raleigh-Durham but now just in the sovereignty of God that this was the place that we could most effectively raise people up and send them out this weekend. We had 160 of our members. Members who are living overseas or the church. 20 pages one out of every 20 summit members lived overseas on church planting we say we say our families receive the nations we say our neighbors as we know our presence in the city is not incidental. We love our city. We are committed to this city.

We love her college campuses with a lot of challenges for us.

Ministry is looking over our attendance records are lasting years of the day and just like one season where we just exploded in growth and I will also get a will want to work in. Ms. Ludwell was a seasonal college is our attendance tripled in like three months in our weekly given went up $13.18 average is so there's a lot of challenges with that but that that's that that's our field. These are workplaces that the research Triangle Park Place here in the driveway of our neighborhoods or arsenals, especially the broken parts we consider them to be ours for Jesus is hardwood a band. That's why we identify the home was born with a prisoner of the unwed mother, the average child.

The drawback here because these and we are responsible for them.

We want to take care of. This is our sitting we interpret that make the church show green. We do that by meeting people right where they are. You know wasn't special. He simply listened to me that's something that we will continue with the first message in our new series called all in your listening to pastor JD Greer and Summit life.

Today's message was titled mission and you can listen again or download the message transcript@jdgreer.com about this Thanksgiving. Our team here at Summit life.

Thankful for you have a special message that pastor JD wanted to share with all of you listening today all you know. Unfortunately, this year has not been quite the dramatic shift from 2020 that I think we all hope it's been a tough year and yet you are Summit life audience you you have made this ministry possible.

Again and again and I would argue the need for ministries and outlets for the word preach like this one are more important now than ever because because so many people are still unable to get out and go about life the way that they are in for many of them. This is still their primary way of hearing the word of God taught and got himself spiritually enriched.

We get story after story and letter after letter of people that God is using this and especially during this difficult time.

And so that everybody who is given anything at all this year. I just want to say safe in the bottom of my heart.

Thank you ministry that your generosity is made possible. Something I don't take for granted for one second and I want to say a special thank you to those of you to join what we call the gospel partner team by committing to monthly giving your generosity. What you're giving it it's translating into tangible ways for hearing the message and believing in the life-changing here Summit life.

A lot of times you like to say that you don't give two Summit life is much as you give through Summit life.

So thank you thank you and thanks for making it possible for us to have an even happier Thanksgiving. We really think phone is a token of our thanks to those who give today we would like to send you pastor JD's newest study guide many of the same themes as our message today and finding your monthly gospel partner. When you make a one-time donation of $25 or more, I think I 24.

You can get online. I'm only so glad you doing today tomorrow that he had no Friday