On Mission

On Mission (Genesis 24:10-67)

– Eph. 2:10 (NKJV), 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

– I often reflect on if I am accomplishing these “good works” God has prepared for me to do? Am I on task? Am I “on mission”? Am I prepared for the next mission God will send me out to do…?

– You were created for a purpose: Do you know what it is? Are you prepared to walk it out?

– Your life is a “mission field” now! But sometimes God will call you to go out into the world, away from your home, to accomplish a new, “short-term mission”. Are you ready for that?

– Our story in Genesis today follows a faithful servant on his short-term mission trip, and gives us insight on how we can walk out our own calling from God. 

– In Genesis Chapter 24, Abraham sends his servant back to his homeland to find a wife for Isaac from among his family. He doesn’t want Isaac to marry a Canaanite woman from the land.

– He must bring a wife back, and not take Isaac to the homeland.

– The servant accepted the mission, and he swore to follow Abraham’s instructions.

Genesis 24:10-27 (NLT), 10 Then he loaded ten of Abraham’s camels with all kinds of expensive gifts from his master, and he traveled to distant Aram-naharaim. There he went to the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled. 11 He made the camels kneel beside a well just outside the town. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water.

12 “O Lord, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. 13 See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. 14 This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.”

15 Before he had finished praying, he saw a young woman named Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah. 16 Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough to be married, but she was still a virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. 17 Running over to her, the servant said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.” 18 “Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. 19 When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels.

21 The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the Lord had given him success in his mission. 22 Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring for her nose and two large gold bracelets for her wrists. 23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “And please tell me, would your father have any room to put us up for the night?” 24 “I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she replied. “My grandparents are Nahor and Milcah. 25 Yes, we have plenty of straw and feed for the camels, and we have room for guests.” 26 The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27 “Praise the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham,” he said. “The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.”

1. To make your short-term mission successful: Put the Lord’s plan first.

– It would be easy to second guess the plan: 

– Go to a far-off land, find a girl willing to go back with you to marry a stranger, then hope it’s someone Isaac actually wants to marry too…

– It would be easier to let Isaac pick his own wife… same outcome in the end, right?

– God has a sovereign plan, even if we don’t understand it…

– Example: My first short-term mission trip to build a house in Mexico…

– Q: Why not build houses here? Why not send money? Etc… That’s NOT God’s plan there!

– It’s not about the house or the building… it’s about the people (Missionaries AND poor)

– YWAM (HOH) mission: “Engaging a Broken World with God’s Generosity” and “Know God, and Make Him Known”… The house is a task… NOT the mission itself.

– After 10 years, I CAN see the generational change!

– It’s not about me or what I want. It’s about playing a small part in the magnificent plan of reconciliation that God has for his people. You (the servant) is not the hero of the story… Jesus is.

– I really connect with the starfish story… How can one person make a difference? (level-setting)

– The servant in our story was on mission, followed instruction, and trusted God to work it out.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV), Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV), A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

Psalm 37:5 (NKJV), Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

Genesis 24:28-49 (NLT), 28 The young woman ran home to tell her family everything that had happened. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who ran out to meet the man at the spring. 30 He had seen the nose-ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man had said. So he rushed out to the spring, where the man was still standing beside his camels. 31 Laban said to him, “Come and stay with us, you who are blessed by the Lord! Why are you standing here outside the town when I have a room all ready for you and a place prepared for the camels?”

32 So the man went home with Laban, and Laban unloaded the camels, gave him straw for their bedding, fed them, and provided water for the man and the camel drivers to wash their feet. 33 Then food was served. But Abraham’s servant said, “I don’t want to eat until I have told you why I have come.” “All right,” Laban said, “tell us.”

34 “I am Abraham’s servant,” he explained. 35 “And the Lord has greatly blessed my master; he has become a wealthy man. The Lord has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys. 36 “When Sarah, my master’s wife, was very old, she gave birth to my master’s son, and my master has given him everything he owns. 37 And my master made me take an oath. He said, ‘Do not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. 38 Go instead to my father’s house, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son.’ 39 “But I said to my master, ‘What if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to go back with me?’ 40 He responded, ‘The Lord, in whose presence I have lived, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. Yes, you must find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 41 Then you will have fulfilled your obligation. But if you go to my relatives and they refuse to let her go with you, you will be free from my oath.’ 42 “So today when I came to the spring, I prayed this prayer: ‘O Lord, God of my master, Abraham, please give me success on this mission. 43 See, I am standing here beside this spring. This is my request. When a young woman comes to draw water, I will say to her, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.” 44 If she says, “Yes, have a drink, and I will draw water for your camels, too,” let her be the one you have selected to be the wife of my master’s son.’ 45 “Before I had finished praying in my heart, I saw Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’ So I drank, and then she watered the camels. 47 “Then I asked, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, and my grandparents are Nahor and Milcah.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists. 48 “Then I bowed low and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, because he had led me straight to my master’s niece to be his son’s wife. 49 So tell me—will you or won’t you show unfailing love and faithfulness to my master? Please tell me yes or no, and then I’ll know what to do next.”

2. To make your short-term mission successful: Stay mission focused.

– The servant knew his parameters and what success was going to look like. He didn’t even want to eat until he knew that he had confirmed he had the right girl… he was on the right track.

– God was blessing his path, but he was still engaged in doing the work!

– By the grace of God, he was able to find Isaac’s wife very quickly… Sometimes our Short-term mission seems to be taking longer than we ever expected.

– Gal 6:9 (NKJV), And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

– There are many parts to God’s plan, many people are a part of it… focus on what God has called you to do, and don’t get distracted by all the noise. God is bigger than all this! He is in charge!

Genesis 24:50-61 (NLT), 50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The Lord has obviously brought you here, so there is nothing we can say. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go. Yes, let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.” 52 When Abraham’s servant heard their answer, he bowed down to the ground and worshiped the Lord. 53 Then he brought out silver and gold jewelry and clothing and presented them to Rebekah. He also gave expensive presents to her brother and mother. 54 Then they ate their meal, and the servant and the men with him stayed there overnight. 

But early the next morning, Abraham’s servant said, “Send me back to my master.” 55 “But we want Rebekah to stay with us at least ten days,” her brother and mother said. “Then she can go.” 56 But he said, “Don’t delay me. The Lord has made my mission successful; now send me back so I can return to my master.”

57 “Well,” they said, “we’ll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks.” 58 So they called Rebekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?” they asked her. And she replied, “Yes, I will go.” 59 So they said good-bye to Rebekah and sent her away with Abraham’s servant and his men. The woman who had been Rebekah’s childhood nurse went along with her. 60 They gave her this blessing as she parted:

“Our sister, may you become the mother of many millions! May your descendants be strong
    and conquer the cities of their enemies.”

61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels and followed the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and went on his way.

3. To make your short-term mission successful: Finish Strong.

– It has been a long journey, he just got there last night, found the wife… now, immediately wants to return home. Not hang out a few more days, not rest, not drag his feet… NOT BE DELAYED!

– It is easy, at the end, to let off the gas and be satisfied with “good enough”. Sometimes we simply get in our own way, and get discouraged. God isn’t done with you yet!

– Phil 1:6 (NKJV), being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; 

– Finishing strong is not something we do on our own; it is God working in us to bring His purpose to completion. Trusting in His plan gives us the strength to endure.

– Col 3:23-24 (NKJV), And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 

Genesis 24:62-67, 62 Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi. 63 One evening as he was walking and meditating in the fields, he looked up and saw the camels coming. 64 When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel. 65 “Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?” she asked the servant. And he replied, “It is my master.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil. 66 Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done.

67 And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife. He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

– Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah ensured that God’s plan would continue into the next generation. God showed covenant faithfulness by working through his faithful people. (Big Picture!)

*The servant faithfully carried out the mission, and he glorified God for bringing all the details together. God sovereignly worked behind the scenes to accomplish His will through the circumstances of those acting responsibly in faith. 

– You we created for a purpose: Do you know what that is? Be in prayer, trusting God that he will reveal it to you.

– Be ready for the next “short-term mission” God calls you on, and be successful by…

– Putting the Lord’s plans before your own.

– Staying mission focused.

– And pushing through to finish strong for the glory of God!

– Eph. 2:10 (NKJV), 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

– prayer –