Title: Jesus Sending / John 20:19-23
1. Jesus Calling and Sending
"Sending Jesus" This is the title of this morning's sermon. There are two stages to the life of faith. The first step is to be called. "Saul, Sacchaeus, Samaritan woman, Mary Magdalene!" This is what Jesus calls us. The first step is to be called and come to Jesus. Jesus is still calling us. “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden.” "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink." "Follow me." You are people who have been called by the Lord and come to the Lord. Blessed people.
The second stage is the stage of being sent. This is the stage where you are sent to the world. After calling us, Jesus sends us out into the world. He commands you to go out into the world. “As the Father has sent me, so am I sending you.” “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
2. Purpose of calling and sending
The purpose of Jesus calling us to come to Him is to give us the forgiveness of sins and the blessing of salvation. "Son, your sins are forgiven." He said this to the paralytic who had come to him. “Take heart, daughter, for your faith has saved you.” He said this to the woman who had been suffering from bleeding for twelve years who had come close to him. Anyone who receives the Lord's call and comes to Jesus and believes in Him will receive the forgiveness of sins and the blessing of salvation. You are the people who received the Lord's call and came to the Lord to receive forgiveness of sins and salvation. Blessed people.
Jesus has a purpose in sending us out into the world. It is to give you the joy of participating in the work of the Lord. The joy of receiving forgiveness and salvation is great, but the joy of participating in the work of the Lord is even greater. The purpose of Jesus sending us out into the world is so that we can follow in His footsteps. Because Jesus was sent into the world first. “As the Father has sent me, so am I sending you.” Jesus was sent first and came into the world. Therefore, when we are sent to go into the world, we follow the path that Jesus took first and become like Jesus. There is nothing else in the world that is more joyful and rewarding than participating in the work of Jesus and being like Jesus.
There is work to be done after being sent into the world. It is doing what Jesus did. That is, preaching the gospel of salvation and practicing love. The two are not separate. By practicing love, you can preach the gospel of salvation, or you can practice love while preaching the gospel of salvation. There is nothing in this world that is more valuable and rewarding than being sent by the Lord to preach the gospel and practice love. There is nothing more blessed than that. The world is a place that needs the Gospel and love. So the world could be China, it could be North Korea, it could be Seoul. In the case of Butler Jeong Myung-im, the world is Harbin, China.
Talent Hyeja Kim has been appointed as an ambassador for Sun Myunghoe from several years ago, and has been sent to Cambodia to Somalia and recently to North Korea to deliver food, medicine and love to countless people who are dying of starvation and sickness. Kim Hye-ja will probably feel more rewarding and joy in her work as a public relations ambassador for Sung Myung-hoe than she does as a talent. Youngja Yang, the national player of table tennis, was sent as a missionary to Mongolia and is sharing the gospel of the cross with table tennis to the youth there. Yang Young-ja will also feel more rewarding and joy in the missionary work in Molgol than in the life of a table tennis player. Our Deacon Lee Yong-hwan will be sent to Yanji University of Science and Technology from August to teach business administration to Chinese and Joseon people and preach the gospel of salvation. Deacon Lee Yong-hwan will also find great rewards and joys that he has never seen before. The purpose of the Lord sending us into the world is to give us the joy of participating in His work.
3. Qualifications and Privileges of the Sent
Let me tell you about the qualifications and privileges of those who are sent. The qualifications of those who are sent are to meet the Lord, rejoice, and enjoy peace. “He showed his hands and his side, and when the disciples saw the Lord, they rejoiced.” Those who meet the Lord can be sent, and those who meet and rejoice in the Lord can be sent. It is not enough to meet once long ago. Will we meet again, will we meet again? And you must have peace. Those who possess the peace that the Lord gives can be sent.
The privilege of those who are sent is to receive the Holy Spirit. "He breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit." The Lord pours out His Spirit on those He sends. He pours out the Holy Spirit on those who preach the gospel. This is the privilege of those who are sent. Another privilege is that the forgiveness of sins and the blessing of salvation come to many people because of me, the one who was sent. "If you forgive anyone's sins, they will be forgiven you." These words do not imply priestly privileges. This means that when anyone preaches the gospel, if they receive the gospel that he preached, repent, and believe in Jesus, they will receive forgiveness of sins and salvation.
Now we close the word. The Lord calls us and sends us again. It is a blessing to be called and come to the Lord, but to go to the world after being sent by the Lord is a greater blessing. The Lord is still calling us. “And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” I hope you will answer the Lord's call. "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, ask the master of the harvest to send workers to the harvest." May the Lord send you, especially the youth of our church, into the world.