Send Me: Am I Willing To Go On A Mission?

There is something exciting about being sent on a mission.  Everyone wants a mission in life.  We love movies where individuals are sent on strange and adventurous tasks to accomplish something profound.  What is a mission? A special assignment given to a person or a group.  Most people do not think that they will ever be given a truly profound mission in life.  It wouldn’t surprise me if most of us thought that our lives will be anything but exciting.  That is NOT what God has in mind for us.  He has a special assignment, a mission for each and every one of us.

READ:  Isaiah 6:1-13

Just like God told Isaiah to “GO” in verse 9, God has a “mission” for each and every one of us!  He has a place and plan for all of us to be used to most effectively minister for Him in His Kingdom.  His mission for us will be exciting and deeply satisfying.  The question is, “are we willing to listen for and accept ours?”  Here are a few ways we can know that we are ready to be sent on a mission . .

 1.      We are ready for our mission when we REALIZE God’s immensity (vs. 1-4) – Have you ever tried to describe something that was indescribable?  I don’t know if I could put into words what the Grand Canyon looks like.  It is simply too immense to put into words.  I don’t think I would do Niagara Falls justice if I tried to describe it to you.  It is too immense to describe.  If you have never been to either the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls I’m sure you would not know where to begin in describing their immensity.

In Isaiah 1:1-4 Isaiah has a vision where he sees the Lord with his own eyes! In the vision there was a THRONE which represented God’s exalted rule and reign, a TRAIN which represented a king’s royal garments, there are SERAPHIM worshipping which represented those who serve Him, His voice caused an EARTHQUAKE which shook the foundations of the thresholds which represented the power of His Word, and there was SMOKE which represented God’s eternal presence.  I’m sure for Isaiah this scene was unforgettable.  Have you ever had an unforgettable experience with God?

Before we go on a mission we must have had an experience with God (1 Jn. 1:1-4)!  Prior to going on a mission we must intimately know and have experienced the One who is sending us.  We cannot speak accurately and passionately about God if we have never met or do not know Him.  We must have first hand knowledge of  God if we are going to proclaim anything accurately and convincingly about Him.  To have met and experienced GOD and to speak about Him in small, insignificant terms does not go together.  Having seen, heard, and touched God will give us something incredible to proclaim.

 2.      We are ready for our mission when we RECOGNIZE our sinfulness and have RECEIVED forgiveness (vss. 5-7) – Being in the presence of certain people causes us to recognize different things about ourselves.  Being in the presence of a friend makes us recognize how bored or unhappy we are when we are alone.  Being in the presence of someone who is sick makes us recognize how wonderful it is to be healthy and feel good.  Being in the presence of a boss makes us recognize when we are wasting time or being lazy on the job.  Being in the presence of a police officer makes us recognize when we are going over the speed limit.  

What does being in the presence of God cause us to recognize?  Being in the presence of a holy God makes us recognize our guilt and shame.  When we recognize that we are nothing without the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of God we in a position where we can be used by God.  If we do not recognize our sin we will live life and ministry with pride and arrogance.

Only a contrite individual will be effective as a missionary (Lk. 5:4-9)!  Being mission minded means admitting that only God can transform us into the people who can accomplish the mission He as for our lives.  Without God’s grace and forgiveness we are all unqualified and unequipped to carry out the mission He has planned for us.  In fact, God will not send us on a mission if we are not first of all humble enough to confess our sinfulness.  Only then are we capable of being the person that God needs us to be on our mission. 

3.      We are ready for our mission when we RESPOND to a calling (vs. 8) – Sometimes it’s nice having small children in the house because they do pretty much whatever you say.  I will quite often send Sarah or Emily on a mission to get something around the house and quite often their response is, “okay, daddy”.  There are other times though that Sarah and Emily are not quite so willing to do what they are told (i.e. nap and bedtime).  If there is something that they do not want to do then they will cry and scream and express their dissatisfaction.  We are trying to teach Sarah and Emily that when we ask them to go somewhere or do something they need to respond obediently.

We can be confident that God wants to send us somewhere (Mt. 28:19-20)!  The question for the Christian is not whether God has a mission for us or not, but rather are we willing to say YES to His calling!  God WILL invite us to go on a mission for Him.  We can be sure that at some point in our lives God will say to each and every one of us, “whom shall I send? And who will go?”  We need to be ready to respond by obediently saying, “YES!”

 4.      We are ready for our mission when we RELATE a message from God (vss. 9-13) – Probably one of the most annoying groups of people on a mission are telemarketers.  When they call they are determined to tell you their “speel” no matter whether you want to hear it or not.  Even after you’ve told them that you are interested in the message that they want to tell you they have some response to keep you on the line and potentially listen to what they have to say.  Christians on a mission have a vitally important message.

We are supposed to GO and TELL the good news (1 Pet. 3:15)!  Wherever we are sent on a mission the message will be the same . . . Jesus Christ.  There is not a person on the planet whom God does not want to hear the good news of the Son that He has sent.  He wants everyone to have the opportunity to hear the Word. 

 Conclusion:

The greatest missionary in history when He accepted His assignment was Jesus Christ (John 3:16).  God sent Jesus to leave heaven and come to the world where He revealed Himself as the One who could save the world from their sins.  Because Christ accepted His mission we are saved. 

You and I can be sent in much the same way.  If Christ was willing to be sent on our behalf then we should be willing to be sent on behalf of those who do not know.  There are people who are lost and need to hear to gospel of Jesus Christ and God wants to use us to reveal Jesus Christ to the world.  When God calls, our response must simply be, “SEND ME!”