Sermon Summary — "Why Are We Here?" (Our Mission Statement)
Date: September 6, 2026 (weekend of Sept 6–7)
Church: Grace Church
Length: ~28 minutes
Text focus: Matthew 28:18–20, with Isaiah 43:7; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Acts 1:8; Revelation 7:9–10
Big Idea
The church doesn’t have to guess why it exists — God has already said so in His Word, and the church’s mission statement simply crystallizes that calling:
"We exist to glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ across the street and around the world."
It’s not a slogan. It’s a battle cry, a compass, and a task to fulfill. The sermon walks through the statement phrase by phrase and then calls the congregation to move "from statement to movement."
1. Our ultimate purpose: to glorify God
- We were created for God’s glory (Isaiah 43:7; Romans 11:36).
- To glorify God means to reflect His greatness, honor His authority, and reveal His goodness to the world — to "make much of God" and help people think rightly about who He is.
- We don’t add to God — He is already perfect and full of glory. We’re a mirror reflecting His light, and a telescope that magnifies a star (not by enlarging it, but by helping people see how great it already is).
- Illustrations: you glorify a beautiful painting by enjoying and talking about it, not by trying to improve it; you glorify a great meal by eating and thanking the cook, not by adding your own seasoning.
- Glorifying God is an all-encompassing life endeavor — "whether you eat or drink… do all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). It happens in ordinary, everyday moments.
- As a church: every song, sermon, dollar given, and hour served has one target — God’s glory. Do a thousand good things but fail to glorify God, and we’ve missed the bullseye.
2. Our shared mission: making disciples
- The church receives its mission from Scripture — it does not invent it. Matthew 28:18–20 gives five parts:
- Authority behind the mission — "all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me."
- Command of the mission — "make disciples."
- Scope of the mission — "of all nations."
- Process of the mission — going, baptizing, teaching them to obey everything Christ commanded.
- Promise sustaining the mission — "I am with you always, to the end of the age."
- The mission is not to fill seats. Attendance isn’t the finish line. "It’s not about our seating capacity; it’s about our sending capacity."
- What is a disciple? Someone who has trusted in Jesus alone for salvation, who follows, imitates, learns from, and increasingly obeys Him — and who can point to someone else they are leading along in the faith.
- Discipleship isn’t merely accumulating knowledge; you gain knowledge so you can pass it on.
- The goal isn’t getting someone to say "yes" to Jesus and then being done — it’s helping people follow Jesus for a lifetime and help others do the same. A "chain reaction of grace" meant to be replicated.
- Start at home. Personal example: Pastor Troy disciples his youngest son, Drake (playing basketball in Latvia, 8 hours ahead), by FaceTiming through Philippians line by line — the aim being real growth in Christ that overflows to others.
3. Our scope: across the street and around the world
- "Here, near, and far away." One day the phrase may change to "every day and everywhere."
- Both/and, not either/or: true biblical mission needs a local heart for your actual neighbors and a global heart for the nations. It’s easy to love "let’s change the world" while ignoring the neighbor next door.
- "Across the street" = the people right in front of you — neighbors, friends, coworkers, people at the game, concert, or school. Mission starts where your feet are planted — but it can’t stop at the city limits.
- Church history: Grace Church was once Edina Baptist Church (met at 53rd & France in the 1970s). The name was changed to "Grace Church" to signal a heart for neighbors and nations — not just one city, not just Baptists but lost people — "saved by grace… we want to extend God’s grace."
- God empowers the mission: Acts 1:8 — Holy Spirit power to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth, all simultaneously. A healthy church has local gospel intentionality and a map of the world in its head and heart.
- Three snapshots: Matthew 28 = the command; Acts 1 = the power; Revelation 7:9–10 = the finish-line picture — a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language before the throne, crying "Salvation belongs to our God."
The warning: consumers vs. participants
Without a clear mission, we drift into consuming church ("What does this church offer me?") instead of joining Christ’s mission ("How do I contribute?"). We must move from mission statement to movement.
A mission statement is either a blueprint or an indictment:
- A blueprint if we build our lives around it — shaping our living, giving, and going.
- An indictment if we write it down and preach about it but don’t live it — it will stand as a verdict against us on judgment day (e.g., claiming to care about the world but not putting the phone down to talk to a neighbor).
Self-assessment: three questions
- Does my life make much of God? Is there any area right now that reflects poorly on Christ?
- Who am I helping follow Jesus? Who is growing closer to Jesus because God is using me?
- Where am I engaged in the mission? Who is the one person God has already placed in my everyday life who needs the gospel — and how am I making Christ known beyond my own community?
The call to action
- The congregation stood and looked around — including up at the balcony — to see the church not as "a crowd of random individuals" but as "a family of brothers and sisters on assignment."
- To anyone thinking a large church doesn’t need them: not true. "God brought you here because we have a weakness that you can shore up. We want you to jump in and serve."
- The best way to change culture is to make disciples. The math: if ~15,000 people at Grace (in person and online) each disciple one person → 30,000 → 60,000 → 120,000 — it spreads like wildfire, changing homes, neighborhoods, communities, and the state, one person at a time.
- Discipleship is messy — it means walking with people and encouraging them.
- Fall kickoff: get connected in a Bible study; more opportunities are coming. Grow in the Word so that you can make disciples — starting in your home.
Closing prayer (themes)
Confession that it’s easy to sing about God’s glory but hard to live for it; repentance for choosing comfort over the Great Commission and for apathy. Asking God for courage to cross the street, boldness to open our homes, and protection from becoming consumers rather than disciples. Prayer for neighbors, coworkers, family members, global partners and missionaries, friends, and "our Nepalese brothers and sisters" — for protection, strength, and hope. "We don’t ask for an easy life, but a faithful one… may Grace Church be a movement that impacts eternity."
Refrain: "Neighbors and nations. Neighbors and nations. Neighbors and nations."
Scripture referenced
| Reference | Use in the sermon |
|---|---|
| Isaiah 43:7 | We were created for God’s glory |
| Romans 11:36 | "From Him and through Him and to Him are all things — to Him be glory forever" |
| 1 Corinthians 10:31 | Glorifying God as an all-encompassing life endeavor |
| Matthew 28:18–20 | The Great Commission — five parts of the mission |
| Acts 1:8 | Holy Spirit power to be witnesses locally and globally, simultaneously |
| Revelation 7:9–10 | The finish line — every nation before the throne |