NOVO 2023: Why we are
Let’s recap what we’ve done so far. We’ve covered two of the five solae already, and we’re tackling two more today.
Day 1: solus Christus. We are imperfect people, but God has redeemed us by Christ alone.
Day 2: sola gratia. Who we are is not determined by us, but by God’s grace alone, most clearly given in baptism.
Today, we’re thinking about why we exist as human beings and as God’s people. What are we doing here? Why has God made us his people? Why did he make us in the first place?
ChatGPT is always a good place to start.
Why do humans exist?
The question of why humans exist is a complex and multifaceted one, and there is no single answer that can fully capture the depth and diversity of human experience and existence.
…
Overall, the question of why humans exist is a complex and multifaceted one that can be approached from many different perspectives, each offering unique insights into the human experience.
No, thanks. That gives us nothing. I think ChatGBC is a way better place to go.
Why do humans exist?
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:17b–20 (NIV)
Let’s just take a step back for a second and think about a simpler question. First, the leaders, and then the campers.
Leaders: Why did you come on NOVO this year?
Campers: Why did you come on NOVO this year?
I’ll tell you why I came on NOVO this year:
I was invited to
I wanted to reconnect with young people from around the state
I feel that because of my study and ministry experience, God might use me to teach you something useful
We are all disciples of Jesus. Whether you’ve just heard about Him and still not quite sure, or whether you’ve been a Christian your whole life, you are here because you have some desire to follow Jesus and be his disciple.
A disciple is someone who learns. In Jesus’ day, every Jewish rabbi had his own group of students, or disciples. They would follow the rabbi around, watching how he lived and listening to what he said about living as God’s people.
We are disciples of Jesus. We follow him around by looking at the example he sets for us and listening to what He says about living as God’s people. That’s all the Twelve disciples did during Jesus’ ministry. Well, that’s all they did until Jesus made them apostles.
Some Greek words for you!
μαθητής (mathētēs) disciple; someone who seeks to learn from another
ἀπόστολος (apostolos) apostle; a messenger or delegate
Jesus’s disciples became apostles when he sent them. Sent to do what? To make more disciples.
Jesus said:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:17b–20 (NIV)
Jesus spoke these words the Eleven (Twelve minus Judas) as he was about to ascend into heaven. He was leaving them, but he was leaving them with a job to do.
That job—to make more disciples—applies to us, too. We are here at NOVO because we want to make friends and have fun, but we’re also here to learn from Jesus and grow in our faith. Really, God has brought us here to help each of us grow as his disciples together.
How do we grow as disciples of Jesus? We have two solae to help us:
Sola fide (“by faith alone”)
Sola scriptura (“by Scripture alone”)
We’ve already said that Christ alone saves us from sin. We can’t save ourselves—He saves us out of his grace alone.
Faith comes in when the going gets tough.
Now, this might be controversial, but I have to admit that I am a Port Adelaide fan.
On their socials, they often refer to their fans as “true believers.” We’re talking about a sport, but as a fan of a team, I have faith that my team will win premierships and I’ll get to enjoy being a part of that as a fan.
The thing is, Port Adelaide has only ever won one premiership. In 2004, I was only 6 years old, so I hardly remember it. I keep supporting them as my team—I am a “true believer”—but my faith in my footy club is constantly disappointed when we fail to win the premiership each year. Even worse, we lost the Showdown this year…
My faith in my footy team is constantly let down, so it’s not really faith but a very weak hope. In the end, it’s just sport.
True faith is about being absolutely convinced of something. Faith in a footy team, or any sporting club, can only ever be so strong because it’s constantly let down. Our faith in Jesus isn’t like that at all. St Paul says,
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 5:1–5 (NIV)
Our faith and hope in Jesus never lets us down. Why? Because God’s love has already been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
Usually, faith and hope are about something in the future. “I hope my team will win. I have faith in my ability to pass this subject.”
With God, faith and hope are about what has already happened, what is happening right now, and what He promises will happen soon.
Remember when we talked about baptism. It’s an event that happens. You can’t change history. You can have absolute certainty in something that’s already happened.
Jesus has already been crucified for the sin of the world. It really happened. You can’t change history. You can have absolute certainty and sure faith that He has saved you.
We’re not always very good at keeping our faith in Jesus strong. That’s why he gave us the Holy Spirit. He is our helper, guide, and advocate. When we go out to make more disciples, it’s the Holy Spirit that gives us the words to say, and the faith to carry on.
By His Holy Spirit, God is with you every day of your life, and every step of the way. Sometimes you’ll know He is there and sometimes you’ll completely forget and get on with your own thing. But God keeps His promises. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Js 1:5). Jesus said that He will be with us to the very end of the age. In other words, forever.
So, Jesus sends us out to make more disciples, but He doesn’t send us out alone. We have one other for encouragement and support, but we also have the Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith and guide our words and actions.
Today’s two solae are sola fide (“by faith alone”) and sola scriptura (“by Scripture alone”). It’s all well and good to have faith, but we need something to base our faith on: Scripture alone.
The Bible is the only place we can go for solid, reliable, permanent truth. The world around us changes, but God’s Word never changes. It’s a good book—I recommend it.
So, that’s the bigger picture of why we are.
The three points for today are:
Disciples make more disciples
We grow in faith together
God is with us by his Holy Spirit
