I. Jesus and you have a mission to open people’s eyes to see Jesus.
A. Isaiah 42:1 is a prophecy about a coming servant. Who is this servant? We find out when Jesus is baptized in Matthew 3:16-17: “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
B. What kind of mission is the servant Jesus given in Isaiah 42: 6-7? He will be “a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” This is the same mission that Jesus gave to Paul – and by extension to us – in Acts 26:18. What is true of Jesus is now true of Paul and us. Jesus had a mission. And we have a mission to open people’s eyes to see the identity of Jesus.
II. Jesus and you have a mission to turn people from darkness to light.
A. Acts 26:17 tells us of the danger of sharing His mission. Jesus says that He would be “delivering (Paul) from your people and from the Gentiles.” In fact, in Acts 26 the imprisoned Paul was giving testimony to King Agrippa about his role in starting a riot in Jerusalem. It’s not surprising that our mission is dangerous. Satan does not want anyone to worship Jesus. So, Satan overpowers the human race, spins a web of lies, and blinds people with his deceit.
B. So, what does Jesus do to fight Satan? Revelation 12:11: “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” Satan loses because Christ’s blood has brought forgiveness of sins. And Satan loses because of your story of what God has done to completely change your life. God can use your story to bring other people from darkness to light.
III. Jesus and you have a mission to offer people forgiveness for sins.
A. Our greatest need as human beings is for forgiveness from God. And it is our mission to offer this forgiveness to people (Acts 26:18). We are forgiven by faith. We trust in Jesus. We trust not that our good works can bring us forgiveness but that Christ died for our sins. The Gospel of Jesus is not just good news for sinners of forgiveness. The Gospel is also a call to repent. And without repentance, there is no gospel. Forgiveness changes you. You no longer want to sin. You no longer live a chronic lifestyle of sin.
Application:
Complete the mission God has given us to tell others how God has changed our lives.
Sources:
The Bible
Commentaries by G.K. Beale, Darrell Bock, Al Mohler, David Peterson & Eckhard Schnabel.
Sermon Discussion Questions
1) What is your God story? How has God changed your life? If you have never repented – turned away from your sin – and trusted that Christ died for your sins, why not do so now in prayer?
2) When was the last time you thanked God for saving a sinner like you? Paul did that regularly in telling his God story to others. Can you humbly thank God for His mercy?
3) Is there a way that you need to start performing deeds in keeping with repentance and faith to show that God has changed your life? Ask God for His help.