[0:00] I'm nervous. Can we pray? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I love you. Thank you for this day. Thank you for it. You're just awesome. Your grace is truly amazing. We can sing about it for 10,000 years. And Lord, help us to never get over it. Help us to see the need to spread it. Lord, help us to be in love with you and your gospel and with your son and your Holy Spirit and you, Father. I thank you for this church, what it means to me personally. I thank you how you've worked in each one of these men's lives, Lord. I thank you how you've used these men to work in my life. I thank you for my pastor, Pastor Trent. I thank you for how he loves people and how he not only wants to see people saved, but he also wants to see people grown and discipled. And he wants to get the gospel around this area and not just this area, Lord, but he cares about the whole world.
[1:02] Lord, God, I ask you to just protect them. Lord, God, I ask you to just use them in a great way. And Lord, if it's possible, make them like Andrew Fuller and use them to impact not only this continent, but also all around the world. And Lord, I thank you for allowing me to be here tonight.
[1:27] I know you have no mistakes and I know that you planned whatever went on, Lord. And I just want to say thank you for that. And I love you. And I ask that you would just use this time to encourage your sheep, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
[1:43] I'd like to say we serve a great God. And not only that, but man, we had a wonderful time at the marriage retreat this weekend.
[1:54] And if you weren't there, you missed out on an excellent, excellent, excellent, excellent time. Brother Wayne was there. And I'll tell you what, I mean, he was having you on the floor rolling and laughing and he was like taking a knife and dagging it right in your heart all the same time.
[2:09] And it was just a good time. And one of the things I like to do at marriage retreat is I like to be able to go out to eat with people, as you can tell, right? I love eating. And one of my favorite places, Brother John, is a little place called Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken. Now, if you guys have never heard about Gus's, then you probably haven't been around me for a long time. But I love Gus's world famous fried chicken. It is spicy. It is juicy. Whenever I'm around people, we're in Atlanta.
[2:37] I'm always thinking about it. And I want people to stop there and go there. And so we were there and we got to go out with Daniel and Mika and I'm just talking it up, Brother John. I am talking it up.
[2:50] And the problem was, is that before that I was talking up around other people that I took there and they looked at me and they're like, yeah, it wasn't that great. I was like, what in the world are you talking about? I mean, where else do you find a chicken breast that still has juices in it after an hour, after an hour after you bought it? I mean, where else do you find a fried chicken that has a spice and a zest to it? And I was just going through all the reasons why I love Gus's and like Olivia Penrod's like, not Penrod, I'm sorry, Olivia Graham just looked at me and she's like, yeah, it wasn't that impressive. I was like, what are you talking about? And then we're going down the road and I'm taking Daniel and Mika and I was like, okay, where are we going to eat at? I was like, I was like, what do you want Mika? Cause she's pregnant and I'm trying to think about Mika and she's like, I don't know. I don't know. And I think we kind of figured on maybe going to coffee shop. And I was like, it's a, it's 10 o'clock. Gus is still open. I've got to figure out a way to redirect this place to go back to Gus's. And so I said, how do you feel about fried chicken?
[3:42] She goes, I was like, Daniel loves it. And cause he does. And anyway, she, shut up, Robert. Mika's like, I don't like spicy chicken. And she goes, I'll just go. I'll promise I'll have a good time. And I was like, no, no, no, no, no. You can't do that. You know what I mean? If you're going to go with me, you got to love it. And she goes, Robert, you're setting your expectations way too high. Have you ever had something that you love so much and you feel like it is worthy of like praise and honor and rejoicing. And then you go and show somebody it. And then they're like, yeah, it's, it's okay. Or they reject it. How's that make you feel? Frustrates you, doesn't it? Right? You find something that you cherish. You find a place that you love and you just want to, you just want to impart what you have had happen in your life. Right? And then you do it. And then they get, they like throw a wet blanket on the fire. It probably happened when you were first born again, right? When you heard about this wonderful message, how your sins could be forgiven, how you could be made the righteousness of God, how you could have a home in heaven, how all your shame and guilt could be removed. And then you go out and then you tell somebody and they're like, yeah, I don't want that. Makes me be caustic. It makes me turn back to my rational thinking and think, well, Jesus said there's only few that accept it. So I might as well just forget them. It causes me to be like, ah, you're probably not going to like this message anyways.
[5:34] Or you go up on the door and you're getting ready to knock doors. If you go out and do visitation, you get ready to knock, knock doors and you get ready to knock. And then all of a sudden through your mind, just, it just goes through it. You're like, they don't want you here. This has never worked for anybody before. They don't care. They're going to reject it anyways. And it gets you kind of frustrated, doesn't it? Well, in Baptist histories during the 1700s, there's this, this, this, this, this belief, this doctrine has crept in the Baptist churches where they once were on fire and they were passionate about getting the gospel out. And they first have discovered this truth and they're probably proclaiming it and it cost them a whole bunch. Now people have, have rejected that message.
[6:16] Does that make sense? Probably not as many people has accepted as they thought they would. And so they have turned to other doctrines to try to justify what's going on. And one of those things was Calvinism. And I talked about it several, several years ago about hyper Calvinism and how that infiltrated all the Baptist churches and how people didn't care much about giving an invitation or asking people to accept Jesus as their Lord and savior. And so the churches began to decline and, and godliness was on, on a halt and people were becoming very, very lasciviousness. That means they, they just went after their flesh and they did whatever they wanted to do. And they didn't think that there was any repercussions and they just passed it all off on God. Well, God, God, God made this. God caused this. God caused this. And the churches began to decline in size and churches stopped propagating and churches stopped birthing other churches and preachers stopped going out. And all the church pastors became old and gray headed and there was no more younger pastors and people didn't really care anymore. And it crept into our churches and it's part of our past. But there was a man by the name of Andrew Fuller and he goes out and he writes a book and the book is called the gospel worthy of all acceptation. It means this, it's a message that is worthy of favorable regard. It is a message that is to be received with favor and with a kind reception. Just like I talked and kind of silly back there that was about Gus's world famous fried chicken. If you ever get it, then you'll probably feel the same way. Whenever I think about that, man, I just get so excited. And then I tell somebody,
[8:02] I know if I can just get them in those doors and if they could just have a piece of that chicken fresh off the oven, wherever it comes from or fresh out of the oil, that they'll, they'll regard it in high regards. Does that make sense? That's what we should think about with the gospel.
[8:18] That's the way we should come at it. I don't know if you guys heard it, but Lang gave his little testimony today, right? Lily was her name. Lily invited faith. And there was an event that was going on, Asian Bible Fellowship. Remember that, Trent? Mark Tolson, Jake Taube, they started it up, Brother John, right? And somebody just invited their friend to church. And then Lang hears the gospel.
[8:52] And then he accepts it. And his whole family's changed now. Even down to his grandson. Little Beckham's here now. That's pretty incredible, is it not? We realize that that gospel is worthy of all acceptation, is it not? It is to be regarded very, very highly, right? The scripture says in Romans chapter 1, verses 16. This is what Paul says. You probably already know it. It's not anything new. And I'm pretty simple when it comes to teaching. And I don't know. I probably preach. I don't know. I don't know terms. OK, but Romans 1, 16 says this. He says this, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
[9:32] Stop right there. Are you all ashamed? Does your actions show that you're ashamed? I hope not. Too often in my life it does.
[9:51] You're at that family reunion. You got those lost family friends. And you know you should be given the gospel. Just like, maybe not just preaching at them, but just like slipping it in there. You know what I mean? Just talking about how sweet and good Jesus is.
[10:06] But everyone's just talking about wickedness. It's just easy, right? It's easy to get caught up in that. With your co-workers. People that you hang out with.
[10:18] Paul says, I'm not ashamed of it. Why, Paul? Why aren't you ashamed of it? He's like, it's not my message. Whose message is it? Gospel of Christ.
[10:30] It's Christ's gospel. Somebody else's message. You ever been to the principal's office? Yeah, many times. You ever been to the principal's office to relay a message to other people?
[10:45] It's kind of scary whenever you're a kid and you get to talk to like teachers, you know what I mean? But one time, the principal asked me to come by and I was able to get the message and I had to take it back to Miss... What was it? Miss... I can see her face now.
[10:56] But anyways, I used to walk to school. Miss Guess, that's what her name was. And I got to relay one of those papers. I could walk in that room with boldness. Why? It's not Robert that's coming to you with this.
[11:09] It's who? Miss Principal Orwell. She gave me this message, Miss Guess. I can interrupt your class. Right? You all realize what you have?
[11:21] You realize what you have? You realize what you've been entrusted with? You realize what you've been given? You've been given the message of Christ. Don't be ashamed of it. Don't be ashamed of it.
[11:32] It's Christ's message. Not only does he say that, but he says what? It's the power of God. It's not only Christ's message, but it's God's power. It works. It works. Everywhere God does something.
[11:44] I mean, does God make anything ineffective? No. I mean, he speaks and it happens, right? That's why Paul says when he came to Corinth, he didn't come in wisdom of words.
[11:55] He wasn't worried about how well he spoke. He wasn't worried about how big his pedigree was. He didn't worry about what people called about him. He just said, hey, I came to you in power.
[12:06] I came in power. I just preached this gospel message. I preached Jesus Christ crucified. That's all I did. That's 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and 2, is it not? Do you realize what you have?
[12:19] You have Christ's message. You have the power of God to salvation, the only way people can be saved. And it's to everyone.
[12:31] That means this. You can't go wrong and tell them the gospel to people. And you can't tell the wrong person. So don't be ashamed of it.
[12:45] Andrew Fuller realized that he had been given the good news. That's what the gospel means, right? He's been given the good news of Jesus. And he was living during a time of staunch Calvinism that stopped the church from going forward, it seemed like.
[13:03] But the stirrings of revival was recovered because of the writings and the mind and God working in the man and the pastor that Kettering, his name was Andrew Fuller.
[13:15] You see, this man in February 6, 1754, he was born the youngest of Robert Fuller. And both of Andrew Fuller's parents were dissenters.
[13:27] Dissenters. You know what that means? They were ones that separated from the government church. They lived in a time when it actually cost them something to be a Christian.
[13:41] I feel like sometimes here in the South, we forget that being a Christian should cost us. Y'all get that?
[13:53] It should cost us something. Listen, you realize, I grew up in a little small town, Loudounville, Ohio, right? When I told people I was a Baptist and I believed in Jesus, they made fun of me.
[14:06] It was a predominantly Catholic town. And if you're not Catholic, you were part of the Lutheran church. And they said, well, what part of Baptist are you today? You're independent Baptist, you're Southern Baptist.
[14:17] And I had teachers mock me. I had teachers mock me. Can I tell you, that was nothing what these people were facing. We talked about what happened.
[14:27] There was actually physical abuse going on. But these people, his parents, lived in a time when few Baptist churches owned their own building. Praise God that we own this building, right?
[14:39] Praise God we're paying for it. We got the money for it. But they often met in rented halls. They had long terms. They met in homes or even outdoors. And the ones that did own buildings, get this, the ones that did own buildings, they were often modest.
[14:53] And later observers thought that the Baptist buildings were unattractive and uncomfortable. That's what the first Baptist, the dissenters, were back in the 1700s.
[15:05] Baptists were often found in concealed places. Their buildings were found not on the main street, but down some little small road. Why? They were trying to avoid observation of the enemies.
[15:22] And they were built in obscure situations. Why? Because following Christ costs. And when you really believe a message, when you believe the gospel is worthy of all acceptation, then you're willing to pay the price.
[15:39] Jesus said this in Matthew chapter 13, verses 44 through 46. And he said, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field, that which when a man hath found, he hideth.
[15:52] And he goeth for joy, and he selleth all that he has. And he buys that field. Why does he buy that field? Well, he sells all that he has because he's found that one pearl of great price.
[16:05] Do you realize what we have? Do you realize what we have? Do you realize what the message we have, right? What does that cause us to do?
[16:18] It should cause us, it should move us to do something great, shouldn't it? It should cost us, should it not? It should put away our wants and our comforts and our own likes.
[16:29] And we say, we've got to figure out whatever he wants us to do. We've got to buy this thing. And that's what happened in the first century, and that's what happened with the original Baptist. Now, Mr. Andrew Fuller, he was saved at 16 years old.
[16:44] And get this, he was preaching within a year. In November 1771, I just got this story. This was great, Brother Wayne. He's just like a, he's, so he was 16 years old.
[16:54] So he's almost 17 years old. And get this, this is what he wrote in his diary or his journal. I guess guys have journals. But anyways, this is what he says. He was writing outside, he was writing out on business one Saturday morning to a neighboring village.
[17:07] He says, my mind fell into a train of interesting and affecting thoughts from the passage of Scripture. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Believe that's Psalms 30 verse 5.
[17:18] I could be wrong. I've never felt such freedom in my mind thinking on such a divine subject before. Nor do I ever, nor do I recollect having ever thought of ministry. But then, but I then felt as if I could preach from it.
[17:32] And I did preach in a manner as I rode along. He's on a horse. He's thinking about something he read in his devotions. And he begins to preach to himself. Have you ever done that? I hope you do.
[17:43] I thought no more of it. However, but when I returned home and I had done my business, and that afternoon, the same day, I went to meet my mother, who had been in London to see her mother, who was very unwell.
[17:57] And as we rode a few miles together, she told me that she had been thinking much about me a while in town. And she added, my dear, you have too often, you have often expressed your wish for a trade.
[18:08] I have talked with your uncle in Kingston about it. And he has procured a good place in the city where instead of paying a premium, you may, if you give satisfaction, in a little time, receive wages and learn a trade or learn a business.
[18:23] He says, As she said that, I thought, that as we had not, I thought, she continued, that as we had now lost the gospel, and perhaps it shall never happen again, you could have no other reasons for wishing to continue here.
[18:42] In London, you can hear the gospel in its purity. That which my mother suggested as very true. I had always been inclined to trade, but how it was, I cannot tell.
[18:55] My heart revolted at the proposal at this time. It was not from any desire or thought of ministry, nor anything else in particular, unless it was a fling towards a little sacred society of which I was a member, a kind lingering to see what would become of the city.
[19:12] I said but a little to my mother, but seemed to wish for time to consider it. That was Saturday evening. The next morning, I was walking by myself to the meeting, to church meeting, expecting to hear the brethren pray, and to hear my friend, Joseph Driver, expound from the scriptures.
[19:29] I was met by one of the members whom he had requested to see me, who said, Brother Diver has been in an accident. He's sprained his ankle. He can't be at the meeting today.
[19:41] He wishes me to say to you that he hopes the Lord will be with you. The Lord will be with me, I thought. What does Brother Diver mean by this? He cannot suppose that I would take his place, seeing I've never attempted anything of the kind, nor have been asked to do so.
[19:59] It then occurred to me, however, that I had an interesting train of thought the day before. And I had imagined at the time I could speak it, if I were called to it.
[20:14] But though I had repeatedly engaged in prayer publicly, I've never been requested at any time further, and therefore I'm not going to take more thought of it. We walked on to the meeting, we took our places, then after the seating, one of the brethren went to prayer, after which the eldest deacon asked me if I would read some part of Scripture.
[20:33] And get this, and if I found liberty, drop any remarks as I went on, which might occur. At first I was startled, but conscious of what had passed my mind in that day before, I thought as Brother Diver was absent, it might be my duty to try.
[20:50] And therefore making no objections, which as it appeared to me, would have been mere affliction. I rose and spoke from Psalms 30, verse 5, for about a half an hour, with considerable freedom.
[21:06] After this I was invited again by Brother Diver to speak, and I did so. On goes Andrew Fuller to becoming one of the biggest pastors that ever influenced Europe and America during his day.
[21:24] Think about this. Think about this. There was a church that was willing to take a young man and hear him speak. Y'all get that?
[21:37] And from there, Andrew Fuller's birthed. So why do I bring this up? Well, he grew up in a hyper-Calvinistic church.
[21:50] And after he began to preach, his fight against hyper-Calvinism began to flow. I gotta hustle up. He meets with people like Dan Taylor. We spoke about him earlier. And he realizes that Christ died for all mankind.
[22:04] And so he writes this book called The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation in 1785. He fights against hyper-Calvinism.
[22:15] He develops an invitation during preaching time which people can accept Jesus Christ. He ends up influencing many, many, many Bible colleges. When the particular Baptists elsewhere sank into hyper-Calvinism, one historian says, Bristol graduates continued their evangelical preaching.
[22:34] They were like Andrew Gifford. Bristol graduates and a former teacher. That's Andrew Gifford. Who would offer Christ to sinners. No doubt, the Bristol College was one of the factors during the rise of Fullerism.
[22:48] And some even suggest direct influence by Mr. Fuller himself. So what happens with Mr. Andrew Fuller? Well, like I said, he wrote the gospel worthy of all's acceptation.
[23:01] It influences a man named John Elliott who was a missionary to the Indians in America and David Brainerd and many more. He ends up starting the Baptist Irish Society in a London tavern on April 19, 1814.
[23:18] And the sole purpose was for the propagation of the gospel in Ireland. He was going to use preachers as itinerant preachers to go out throughout all Ireland and preach the gospel, establish schools and distribute Bibles and tracts.
[23:32] He also partners in this little formation of a Baptist Mission Society called the Baptist Mission Society which would go on and send out William Carey. He would spend up to 10 hours a day in correspondence and reporting for the Baptist Missionary Society.
[23:49] Get this, Fuller gives up his life because this gospel is worthy to be accepted among all men. You guys believe that?
[24:02] So questions that I have for you as we close. How much does this message worth to you? Think about it.
[24:13] How much is the gospel worth to you? Have you believed in it? Has it saved your soul?
[24:25] Has it changed your family? Let me ask you a question. Are you willing to incur? That means bring something upon yourself.
[24:36] Are you willing to incur enemies for it? the first century church did? Romans 11.28 Paul says that. Do you seek to proclaim it fully?
[24:49] Paul said he strived to do that in Romans 15.19. He says this. He strives to preach the gospel. Do you not use those words strive in Romans 15.20?
[25:00] What does strive mean? In that passage it means to have one's ambition. Consider it an honor. Aspire. Paul says when he thinks about the gospel he strives to preach it where no man has ever preached it before.
[25:16] I strive to preach it where Christ is not named. Can I ask you? How much is this message worth to you? How much is this message worth to you?
[25:28] You believe it's worthy of all acceptation? Do you believe it changes people's lives? Do you believe when you tell it to somebody that they should have high regards to it?
[25:42] Do you believe it could change their life? Do you believe it could change the trajectory of their family? Do you believe it can change the entire country?
[25:55] If it does then your whole life changes. Your ambitions change. Your affections change. Paul says I'm seeking to have this gospel preached in regions beyond.
[26:10] 2 Corinthians 11-16 Are your feet shod with the gospel of peace when you leave in the morning when you go to work? Are you fellowshipping in it?
[26:22] You know what fellowship means? I feel like we forget definitions of terms. Fellowship means like I am getting underneath the load.
[26:39] And as much as somebody else is preaching it I've got my whole heart in it. My whole life is screaming it. Is it worthy of all acceptation? That's what I'm asking you today.
[26:49] Can you see it in your life? Can I tell you according to 1 Thessalonians 2-8 this gospel has been imparted to this church.
[27:02] I believe the gospel has been imparted to us. The question is this do you see it's worth? Serious.
[27:17] Andrew Fuller just a little farm boy middle class struggled with salvation ever since he was a kid but 16 he got it.
[27:33] And then his whole life changes from that point on. He strives to preach he writes he goes hand in hand with William Carey as he goes down into the mine does he not?
[27:47] He gives his life to get the gospel around his community and to his country. Guys is it worthy? Is it worthy to be received well?
[28:01] Can I tell you the only way we're going to find out in your life is at the end. I believe wholeheartedly this church thinks it's worthy.
[28:17] But I want to ask you individually not corporately because so many times we just like we piggyback off the workings of other people don't we?
[28:29] But what about you? we've got Levi's luau and Lang and Trent said it so perfectly today. Y'all have an opportunity to invite and seek out lost sinners.
[28:48] Is it worthy? Is it worthy? If it is this room should be filled up. I can't say that.
[29:00] we should at least give an effort that would try to fill it up, right? I can't change a man's heart but we should all at least try.
[29:12] Right? Amen brothers? We should all give an effort. Give our life. Be willing to be an enemy. Be willing to strive and set one's ambition because I truly believe it's worthy of all acceptation.
[29:27] Thank you. Белй тот assiminant