This idea helps set the stage for the new sermon series, Sent, which highlights the mission of God revealed at Christmas. Jesus summarized that mission in John 20:21 when He said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” Christmas celebrates a Savior who was sent to seek and save. Because of that mission, the church also lives as a sent people.
Moreover, this new series begins in an unexpected book, Exodus. At first glance, Exodus may not appear connected to the nativity story, yet it provides one of Scripture’s richest portraits of God’s rescue and redemption. In many ways, Exodus gives the church a preview of the Christmas story long before Bethlehem. The book reveals God’s heart to deliver His people, raise a mediator, and bring light into the midst of darkness.
Starting this series in Exodus shows that the Christmas theme deepens the church’s understanding of God’s mission. Exodus prepares believers to see Jesus more clearly and to embrace the calling He places on His people. During this season, the church reflects on the God who sent His Son and now sends His people into the world. Through every message, the truth of Christmas in Exodus helps believers celebrate Christ’s coming and participate in His mission.
1. God’s Mission Is Motivated by His Compassion
When we turn from Genesis to Exodus, Israel has multiplied in Egypt, and a new Pharaoh enslaves them. In Exodus 3:7-8, God declares:
“I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out… I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians.“
Notice four key verbs: God observed, heard, knew, and came down. His mission begins with compassion. God’s actions are free, not forced. He moves because He chooses to, not because He must.
Christmas reflects this same compassion. Jesus’ ministry overflowed with mercy. Matthew 9:35-38 tells us He was moved with compassion for the crowds and called His disciples to pray for workers in the harvest.
The question for us is: Do we share God’s heart? Words aren’t enough. Our hearts must translate into action. Start small: set a daily reminder at 9:38 to pray for God’s compassion to move through you. This aligns your heart with His mission and prepares you to partner with Him.
2. God Accomplishes His Mission Through Human Partners
Exodus 3:9-10 says: “Therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people out of Egypt.”
God could have delivered Israel without Moses. But He chose a human partner to display His glory and transform a reluctant man into a leader. Moses starts afraid and unsure, but as he says yes, God molds his will, thoughts, and actions to align with His own.
Jesus models a perfect partnership. His life was a continual yes to the Father. By the same Spirit, we are invited to step into God’s mission, not as spectators, but as active participants. Reluctance is typical; boldness grows through obedience.
Christmas reminds us that God’s extraordinary work often flows through ordinary people; our yes matters.
3. God’s Mission Is to Save Through an Act of Deliverance and Judgment
Exodus shows God confronting Pharaoh and dismantling rival kingdoms. The ten plagues, culminating in the death of the firstborn (Exodus 12:12-13), reveal that salvation and judgment go hand in hand. The blood of the lamb rescues Israel; a substitute dies so they live.
The New Testament maps this to Jesus, the better Moses. He confronts sin and death, offers deliverance, and provides a way of salvation for all under threat. Christmas is the time to reckon with our need for rescue and take shelter under the blood of the Lamb.
Salvation doesn’t end at deliverance. The story culminates in worship, as God’s people recognize His faithfulness and respond.
4. The End Goal of God’s Mission Is Worship. So Offer Your Life as Worship
Exodus 15 shows Israel’s response at the Red Sea: fear, belief, and song. Worship is the ultimate goal of God’s mission. Freedom is not the finish line; relationship and surrender are.
Christmas reflects this same truth: angels, shepherds, and wise men respond with praise. John Piper writes, “Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Seeking the worship of the nations is fueled by the joy of our own worship.”
Our lives, offered in obedience and praise, become worship. This is why God sends us His mission leads to prayer.
Conclusion
Church, the story of Exodus, like the story of Christmas, reveals the heart of God’s mission and invites us to participate. His mission is motivated by compassion. He sees, hears, and acts to rescue His people, and He calls us to share that same heart with the world. God accomplishes His mission through human partners; just as Moses and ultimately Jesus said yes to God’s call, we are invited to step in and participate, not as spectators but as active participants in His work.
God saves through acts of deliverance and judgment, confronting sin and death so that we might live under the protection of His grace. And the ultimate goal of His mission is to worship our lives offered fully in surrender and praise.
This Christmas season, we are reminded that God is on mission, we are sent, and the world needs our obedience. As we step into what He is doing, our lives can become a witness to His rescue, a song of worship, and a tangible reflection of His love.
