[0:00] Welcome to the Our Generation Summit 2011. It is our prayer that you will be challenged to take part in world evangelism in obedience to the King's command. I thank God for these young people that do so much.
[0:12] I sometimes think I've been the most blessed guy in the world. I was just sitting there thinking, there's somebody always that you can depend on, always that you count on. There are people that are just fixtures.
[0:23] You know they'll be there and they'll do their job and they carry a tremendous load. And they've got people that do the singing. But I think Kristen Pearson has probably for six years been one of those people.
[0:36] So how about a round of applause for Kristen? Never have to worry. Never have to worry. She'll be there. She'll do what needs to be done.
[0:48] Last night I walked up behind her. David said she said later that I scared her to death. She didn't see me and I just said, we're singing Our Heart, Our Desire next. And she couldn't figure out who it was.
[0:59] I told her David, he should have told her I was a Lord speaking to her. Amen. She should learn that voice a little better. I am blessed to get to serve with the people I get to serve with. I am so thrilled and honored that I get to.
[1:11] And one of the young men that God has called and is using, going to a very needy country, a country that's been known as being dangerous. Very few people. There are really small amounts of churches in the area, and that's Columbia.
[1:24] Aaron Vance is going there. A lot of times you hear about countries and you think that, you think South America has been evangelizing, but I personally have traveled around Columbia, have met the national pastors and the ministerians, and I don't know of 60 churches in the entire country that are preaching the gospel.
[1:43] We have some Colombians that have gone to the Bible college, and I'm excited that God's raising up a team. Wayne Cook and Aaron Vance and others that are going to Columbia to do a work there.
[1:54] So you pray for him as he preaches. It's such an honor to be here. Everybody here, 1 Corinthians 16? All right, that's where we're going to be at today. As Paul's finishing up his story here, I love the endings of a lot of these books, the epistles and all the greetings that go on.
[2:09] And as Paul's saying goodbye in the end of the letters, you find some of the most interesting statements in those little portions there. As Paul makes little statements like we're going to look at this morning in verse number 15, as he's closing up this book to the Corinthians, he says in 1 Corinthians 16, 15, I beseech you, brethren, you know the house of Stephanas, that is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.
[2:40] They have what? Addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. Today I want to challenge you to get involved. I think there's a great danger in coming to a conference like this and looking around and seeing your friends and thinking in your head, well, I hope they're hearing this message.
[2:55] I hope they give their life to God. I hope God does something in their life. Oh, what a blessing to meet missionaries that are going off to the field. That's great. I think we ought to all be excited about missions.
[3:07] But when we get home, nothing really changes about who we are. Maybe you're here and you make a decision to be a missionary. Maybe God's done a work in your life, and you say, I want to give my life to be a missionary.
[3:20] I don't know if you'd be in high school or middle school or maybe college. But in your mind you're thinking, okay, well, when I get older, when I graduate, after I get married, maybe after I have a couple kids, then I'll go to the mission field.
[3:35] And I'm excited about serving God on the mission field. Maybe you're in that boat. I don't know. But if God's working in your life, really in all of our lives, we ought to be challenged to get involved as soon as we get back.
[3:47] And maybe even wait before you get back. Don't wait. Get involved in the ministry. I love what they said here about the house of Stephanas. These people, just a random group of people, you don't find much about them in the scriptures.
[3:59] But what did the Bible say about them? They addicted themselves to the ministry. You know, in our church, I was privileged to be able to start and pastor a Spanish church in Georgia for just a few years.
[4:10] And we had some wonderful people come through there. The Lord brought a lot of people. A lot of people got saved and just jumped right into the ministry. You know, there was a couple that's really interesting.
[4:21] One of the first couples that got saved in our ministry, you know, they got saved. They started following up with discipleship, and they were very faithful to church. And everything that we did, they'd come to. A wonderful couple.
[4:32] But, you know, something eventually happened, and I don't know what was going on in their lives, but the husband had to work. He had to work often, and so he missed a Sunday. And I'd call him.
[4:44] I'd say, well, what happened? He said, well, I had to work. And he said, I'll try to be there next time. And then eventually he missed another Sunday and another Wednesday and then a Bible study, and then eventually he just didn't come at all.
[4:56] He didn't come at all. And I was very burdened. I'd go to visit them, and they were always really friendly. And they never came back to church after that. I don't know what happened in their life. You know what?
[5:06] We also had a Saturday soccer Bible study. That's what we called it just to make it religious. We had a soccer Bible study. We'd get together and play soccer. And you know he would miss one of those soccer times.
[5:19] And it was crazy. And he told me one time, after we'd gotten together several times, he said, you know, if somebody called me at 1 in the morning, I'd drop everything, and I'd go play soccer.
[5:30] I love soccer. I was like, wow, that's great. That's dedication there. What about church? He said, oh, well, I have to work. And you know what's crazy?
[5:42] Sometimes the teens in our church would get together, and they'd call their friends, and they'd call them up. And no matter what day it was, no matter what time it was, every time he would be at that soccer game, he would leave work.
[5:56] He owned his own business, but he would leave everything and go play soccer. He was addicted to what? To soccer. There was another lady in our church. Her name was Gloria, one of the most sweetest ladies.
[6:06] She's actually a lady from Columbia. And she told me one time, if we had services every day, and they were 10 hours long, I'd be at every one of them. She loved to do it. Every ministry that we have, she signed up for everything.
[6:18] She wanted to be involved in everything. She'd bring people and talk to people, disciple others. Such a blessing. But you know what? We all are addicted to something. We all are addicted. We are given.
[6:28] We are passionate. We are zealous about something. Paul said in the book of Romans, chapter 10 and verse 1, he said, My heart's desire for Israel is that they might be saved, for I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
[6:41] They even have a religious zeal. They're addicted to religion, but they're not according to knowledge. They're establishing their own righteousness, forgetting about the righteousness that is in Christ. You know what? You right now are addicted to something.
[6:54] I don't know if it's just the act of church. I don't know if it's a video game. I don't know if it's a sport, a hobby, if it's money. I don't know if you're addicted to something that brings you away from God and your family.
[7:07] But these people addicted themselves to the ministry. Something clicked inside them saying, wow, why would a king ever step out of glory and give his own life for me?
[7:19] Low down, good for nothing, peon. That's my new favorite word. Thanks, brother Gartner. I'm nothing, but God died for me. And then he gives us the opportunity to serve him.
[7:29] Not only the opportunity, but the command. You know what they said? We're not just going to take this lightly. We are going to addict ourselves to the ministry. The ministry of the saints.
[7:42] Oh, it's so exciting. I remember as an 11 year old, God started working on my heart. For mission work, for his work. I didn't know exactly what it would be, but that's when I gave my heart, my life to God.
[7:56] I said, Lord, whatever you have for me, that's what I want to do. You know, as an 11 year old, I couldn't go out. I couldn't get on a plane the next day and go to China, but I could go to my neighbor.
[8:11] I remember trying to talk to some of my neighbors there was, there was this, the ones right next to us were Nick and Nicole. The dad's name was Nicholas and the mom's name was Sarah or something. She was left out.
[8:22] A lot of Nicks in that house, but you know what? I started talking to them. We had already played a lot of times, but I said, you know, have you ever heard about Jesus? And they said, yeah, my dad says his name every time he gets mad.
[8:33] And I said, well, have you ever heard about him dying on the cross? And, and they said, well, you know, I don't know much about that. And I remember witnessing to those, those kids. And, and then they said, well, we're not allowed to believe that.
[8:45] So I told them something you should never tell somebody when you're witnessing. I was, I was upset that they wouldn't accept that message. So I said, fine, then just go to hell. I was burdened about them.
[8:56] I didn't want them to go to hell. Their mom never let them play with me again, but I remember going down to the next house and playing with my friend, Jared, and talking to him about the, about salvation, bringing him to church.
[9:09] And I remember trying to study the word of God. And, and, and, and as God started to prepare my life to be a preacher, just going through those open doors of, of ministry and service. And I look back on my life and I think I'm just a nobody.
[9:22] I'm not worthy to serve God. I don't, I don't deserve to be where I am today. I don't deserve to have been able to participate and seeing people get saved. I don't deserve to be a missionary, but it's not about me.
[9:34] It's not that I'm worthy. It's because he's worthy. Would you addict yourself to the ministry of the saints, to serving each other, to serve in the King where there is no greater thing.
[9:46] There's a couple of things about addicts and we'll be done. Number one, addicts live for their addiction. It's their life motivation. There's nothing else that drives them more than their addiction.
[9:57] If you ever meet somebody that's driven by, addicted to alcohol or, or to drugs, it's what they live for. Everything that they think, they think through that tunnel, through that, that vision of, their addiction.
[10:09] They live for their addiction. Number two, addicts are never satisfied. They always keep coming back for more and for more and for more and for more. And number three, addicts always find a way.
[10:21] Every obstacle that comes in the way will be gone. I remember my friend from the Spanish church that was addicted to soccer. It didn't matter what was going on. He would drop everything to go play soccer. That's such a small example.
[10:32] Soccer is not bad. I like soccer. I don't play enough of it, as you can tell, but I like soccer. You know what? There's so much, something so much greater than soccer for our lives. There's something so much greater than angry birds or Xbox.
[10:47] There's something so much greater than earning an extra buck at work. There's something so much greater than whatever it is you're addicted to. Let's get addicted to the ministry of the saints. Get involved.
[10:58] As soon as you get home, talk to your pastor and say, Pastor, how can I get involved? What can I do around here? Start bringing your friends to church. Start telling them about the Lord. Get prepared. If you want to go to the mission field, be active in God's work.
[11:12] Get involved. Be addicted to the ministry of the saints, because he is worthy. Well, our next preacher is going to be Trent Cornwell. I don't know of anybody that gets to work with as good a people as I do.
[11:25] I'm so blessed. Brother Trent has been a tremendous friend and a tremendous worker. Tons of the things that our church do, our church does is, is really his idea, his heart, his ministry.
[11:37] He's the director of vision, Baptist missions. He has a passion and a heart for the world. And since the first time I met him, I knew God was going to do great things with him. And I hope you'll listen as he comes to preach this message.
[11:48] Thank you, pastor. If you'll turn to Psalms chapter number one with me, you're probably wondering after two full days, are there any passages left that cover missions in the Bible? And I'll let you know, we have a whole book full of them so we can be around for a while.
[12:01] And we'll get Psalms one and two. And I'd just like to say, I thank you, pastor, for the kind words, but if there's anything you know about me, I hope you know that I am blessed. It's the one thing you can remember. I know that I'm a blessed man.
[12:11] How many of you in here are blessed? Would you say amen? Amen. I mean, we're blessed for many reasons. I have a wonderful wife, some great kids. I know the stories of the people in that video. And that was just, it's wonderful when you know that, get involved in missionaries lives.
[12:25] I'm blessed in that way. I got a really cool shirt at the summit for $9.99. I'm blessed for that. And last night, I had the opportunity at our, at our church, feel this stuff, that video.
[12:38] I'll ask for it when I need it. All right, overachiever back there. Okay. And it was kind of scary too. I just heard this music coming on. And so we're just proud when our video works.
[12:49] If it's working, we just keep playing videos. Don't want to mess up. The last night, and all the things we get to see, and you get to see those stories. And last night in our church, we started Church in Alpharetta, praying that God would send people out around the world from there, from that community.
[13:02] not just people to come in to train, but people from that community. And last night, I had the opportunity to go to a couple of my friends, the Moriartys over there, who we saw baptized a year ago in our church, and walk up to them.
[13:14] And they said, and they stood up last night, and they'd given their lives over the servant missions. And they said, I bet you never thought this when you walked into our yard almost two years ago. And I said, no, you don't want to know what I thought when I walked into your yard.
[13:27] But man, you get to see that. What the greatest story of all. You get to be part of that. There could be a small part of something so big, and it's so wonderful to be a part. And I hope you are, every one of you.
[13:38] I hope it's your heart, your desires, as we sang in here. And those of you that may never go to a foreign field, we should be like Luther Rice, always packing your bags to go, but you just have one more job before you get there.
[13:51] I just got to do one more thing that I have here. And then I'm going to go, but I have something to do. And live your whole life like that. Just sit on go everywhere you're at. Go in your community. Go to the world.
[14:02] Serve and get involved. And as I said, I'm blessed. And I didn't know those things, but the greatest reason I'm blessed this morning, Romans 4, 8, blessed is the man on whom the Lord does not impute his sin.
[14:13] You're looking at a man whose sin is not going to be imputed to him. You're looking at a man that had a whole heap of sin that should have been imputed to him. And if what everybody believed was true about there being the scale, between good and bad, my scale would have much outweighed drastically my good.
[14:29] But King Jesus jumped on the scale and he stood in my place and he outweighs it all. And that's not going to be imputed to me. And 2012 has a lot of things on my to-do list and you should have a lot of things on your to-do list.
[14:40] But something I put on my reminder as I go into 2012 and I already have it checked off, make sure your sins are not imputed to your account. I have that checked off thanks to Jesus. And you do too.
[14:50] And with that, I have free time now because I don't go bathe in the Ganges River. I don't jump up and down like they would in Papua New Guinea. I'm not looking at the sun trying to figure out where God is. I'm not trying to pay for the sin that I did yesterday.
[15:01] I have freedom now. And with my free time, I want to share the message of Jesus Christ, the entire world and our generation and help provide a place for them that after they accept Christ, they can join with the fellowship of believers and continue that work for generation after generation.
[15:19] It's that simple. You've heard a lot of preaching and some of you say it's just too much of the process, but the message is really simple. So we're all saying the same thing over and over because the Bible says it over and over and we'll see this here in Psalm chapter number one.
[15:31] So Miss Dawana Bobo in here, she introduced me to her nephew last night and she said, this is Trent. He used to be really funny until he got old and I thought, I appreciate that and a name like Dawana Bobo, you shouldn't be making fun of anybody.
[15:43] All right? Where's she in here? Oh, she's smiling. And I told her, and so she's true. I used to be funnier, but at the thing like the summit, I don't, I just get overwhelmed.
[15:53] I don't know how to laugh and cry and I just start to feel numb. It's just too much emotion to take in. I mean, I get excited. I see the videos. I hear the testimonies. So I'm excited one minute, but then I realize we're just doing so little around the world.
[16:07] We're just scratching the surface and so the emotions go in the other direction and then I become so thankful for all of you and then I get mad at all of us and think, man, we're just a bunch of phonies. This ain't real.
[16:18] We're not sharing the gospel. We're a bunch of overweight guys on a couch watching a football game, commentating on it. We're not involved in this thing. And I get mad at myself. I get mad at all of us in here.
[16:29] I'm not saying it's right. I'm just saying it's all these emotions. So we go to the Word of God for comfort and I go to the book of Psalms and sometimes we use the Bible like it's Prozac for us. If we feel bad, we go to the verses that we like.
[16:40] Well, I turn to the book of Psalms and you know what I find in the first two chapters? I find there's two types of people. There's a blessed man who has his sins forgiven and then there's a man who isn't blessed, whose sins aren't forgiven, who's headed for destruction.
[16:52] And then in chapter number two, I find that there's a king and that he's mad at the nations because they've rebelled against them and he offers reconciliation to them and he says, if you'll trust in me, you will be blessed and have your sins forgiven.
[17:04] That's chapter one and two of Psalms. If you're not finding missions in the Bible, you're reading it backwards, upside down or something. You'd find missions if you read it backwards and so we ought to see it here as we look at it.
[17:14] So I challenge you here in 2012 as we look here at Psalms one and two just real briefly, I want to challenge you to be planted by the river.
[17:25] All of you in here live life on the river. That's my subject for the morning. Some of you said, how did you get a subject like life on the river? Because I made up the schedule so I changed my title, okay? So we have life on the river.
[17:36] Every one of us in here live life on the river. We are trees planted by the river, by the gospel. That's all of us in here. And can I challenge you, especially the young people in here, to be back here next year with some other people.
[17:49] But before you go and plant a church, which you should, and before your church gets involved in planting churches, you yourself need to be planted. And somebody who's blessed, who's forgiven, you already are planted, but you just need to live like it and realize where we are planted that God's going to bring fruit through our lives and do a wonderful work.
[18:06] Psalms chapter one, verses one through three. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. I've already told you who the blessed, it's forgiven. So how many of you are this blessed person we're reading here?
[18:17] Say amen. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
[18:32] Do you know our love for the word of God? He gave that to us. Most of the world doesn't appreciate this Bible. Much of the world doesn't even own a Bible. But if you have a Bible today, you thank God for it. But if you have a desire for it, that was the work of the Holy Spirit in your life to cause an appetite for this.
[18:49] And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. That's my prayer for 2012 when I write to my king in my journal, Lord, make me like a tree that will be strong by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in a season.
[19:01] His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. I want to show you a picture here of a guy. This is, you may not recognize him. I never met this guy.
[19:13] But if you go ahead and put that picture up there. You see this guy here? You can go, if you want to get a picture. I never met this man, okay? This man here, he is not, he is somebody who would walk in the way of sinners.
[19:26] He would stand with the scorners. He would do all the things that are mentioned here in this verse. I don't know this man at all. I never met this man right here.
[19:37] But you know what? This man is as lost as anybody in the world. At this time, this man would be as lost as anybody in the world in any country around the world. This man needed the gospel.
[19:48] He wasn't a blessed man. You know what's great about blessed is, I'm a blessed man? I'm still just a man. I've just been forgiven. But I'm just a man. The difference between me and this man is that he's not forgiven. I'm not better than him.
[19:59] I didn't reform. I just, I got forgiven. And this man is not forgiven. This man dies and goes to the same hell that the people in Papua New Guinea that never hear the gospel go to.
[20:10] I don't know this man. But you know, I do know a man and I know this man. Jim, would you stand up? I know that man. And that's a blessed man. That's a forgiven man. And this man right here is going to go to heaven not because he looks better and he's wearing one of his cool shirts and he does it and he's shaved his head and he put on some clothes and stops making ape-like faces.
[20:31] All right, let's get rid of that picture, please. There's small kids in here, okay? Don't leave that picture up there too long. But the Bible tells us in Psalms chapter number 14 and verse number 3 there's none that do good and that covers all of us.
[20:44] There's none of us that do good and it says that there is, so none of us do good so none of us are righteous on our own. So that's weird. We read the Bible and said none that do good.
[20:55] None of us are doing good but then it goes on to say in Psalms 14, 5 that there's a generation of the righteous. So how is that possible? That there's a generation of the righteous, there's righteous people in this world but there's also a verse that says nobody does good.
[21:07] Because righteousness means perfection and holiness. So how is it we've all done wrong but there's a group of people called righteous because as soon as the Bible starts from the Old Testament to the New Testament, righteousness never came by a performance of us.
[21:22] It came by being forgiven by Jesus Christ. Psalms 1, 6 says that he knows our ways. He knows the way of the righteous. Jim says on his ministry presentation he knows that God can save people in India because he saved that man which is him.
[21:37] You know I'm a blessed man but I'm only a man. The only thing that separates me from any man in Papua New Guinea is that I got forgiven. And you know in here every one of you say I'm a good guy and you know that I didn't earn your way to heaven but somehow you think it earned your right to hear the gospel.
[21:51] If I would have lived this nice moral life I lived and never heard the gospel it would have been just to my God to send me to hell because I've chosen to rebel against him. And we tell the story of Genesis and we can't believe Adam and Eve messed up but I have made that blatant decision to rebel against the creator knowing right and wrong and I am a rebel but he had forgave me and I have found righteousness because of this.
[22:14] In verse number 6 he says so we're talking we have two characters here then we'll see the king. So we're talking about the blessed man here in verse number 6 he says the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
[22:25] He knows our ways. He knows where he planted us. He knows that we have everything we need. He not only is the weather man but he controls the weather and what's going to happen. So we should never think we can't prosper we can't grow we're in a bad situation.
[22:39] He placed you where you're at and he is controlling the circumstances so that you can grow and you can prosper and he knows what's best and I'm so thankful to be that blessed man living on that river which is the gospel flowing through my life and the work of the Holy Spirit.
[22:58] The Matthew 5.13 now we switch to another person. These are the people that are not planted in this world and some of you are not planted like trees by the river that you do not have a strength that comes from the Holy Spirit.
[23:11] You will not find you do not have forgiveness but you will be what it says it's a chaff that is driven by the wind. Matthew 5.13 tells us here it says you are the salt I'm sorry 15.13 if you'll we'll turn there.
[23:24] Matthew 15.13 tells us but he answered and said every plant which my heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted up. There's going to come a time in this world where the stats are going to be real easy for us to figure out in this world and in this room who was planted and who was not planted.
[23:41] Who will spend eternity in heaven as a blessed person because of righteous and who will spend eternity in hell. And the difference in that man you saw there and the man you see right there headed to India is that he got forgiven and he's now a blessed man.
[23:55] Verses 4-6 The ungodly are not so and are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. What a strong missions verse here. The ungodly are not so.
[24:06] The ungodly are not planted by the rivers of water. They do not delight in the law of the Lord. They are not a blessed person. They are not a forgiven person. In our American version of this verse it would say the ungodly are not so.
[24:21] So what? Just inject that there. The ungodly are not so. So what? Who cares? I don't know them. They don't impact my life. They don't change my schedule for the day.
[24:32] So the ungodly around the world that we've been talking about they are not so but they are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. And that's just a that's a hard thing to take.
[24:43] As I was in India this year and we went to the Ganges River I'm going to show a video here in a second. But as I was there and we saw all these bodies burning as they would want to be put into the Ganges River we were aware of the fact that if we could look all the way down the Ganges River on both sides 160 miles we would see 400 million people on that river larger than the population of America and almost every one of them is dead.
[25:08] There was not a solid tree down the river. There's not a solid believer standing there that loves the word that's standing there prospering. They come to the river and they never see a tree. They come to the river and they never see a Christian.
[25:20] They never see any contrast. They see dead people being burned and they see living people that are dead taking care of the dead. The dead are burying the dead all day.
[25:32] The sea of fire they've been burning over 2,000 years constantly fed by dead people. They are the chaff. They're just going to be taken away. And the ungodly are not so. So what?
[25:43] You don't know them and you'll never see that river. As my wife said sometimes I wish I'd have never seen that because I'll never get over that because they continue. I'm going to show you this river. I'm going to talk through it and then there will be some audio on here.
[25:56] Hopefully this will work. Go ahead Ian. Hit that. It'll be better. So I want to take you here. This is on the river here and they're doing that. Give me a little sound bow please. And so here we have them doing their ceremony which they do every night as they've been taking their bodies and they're putting them in the river.
[26:13] And there's just thousands of people. I mean this room would be empty compared to how they fit in into this place. We're stacked on top of each other. But this one young man catches my attention because I have a three year old son and I want him to grow up in church around these kind of people and kind of people like you.
[26:28] But this young boy right here and he's standing by maybe his father his grandfather and you see his eyes and he's trying to figure out what's going on. And he's being taught by everything around him that these people are finding their way into heaven.
[26:41] And this is all he knows and my heart would beat out of my chest as I would look at this kid and I would think about his future as he would go off to school and then he would go into his school and it would be reinforced.
[26:52] There would be no contrast. There would be no trees there. There would be nobody saying there's something different that there's another river that really makes a difference. He will not hear about it. Then he goes to the in the gate with his girlfriend and she's talking about all this philosophy that she's learned from college and she says that we don't believe in these things but we don't really know what we believe and he just wants to get this girl's attention and he just wants to follow in his family's tradition.
[27:17] He's worried about his future job. He doesn't have as much time to think about religion. He's not a little boy anymore and he only has one life to live so he's got to live it for himself. And so when somebody comes and asks them a question about Jesus they don't even understand.
[27:31] They just think this is a story that they were told one time and that they read in a book. And so when the kid is asked that little boy on the Ganges River when we get to him and we would ask him what it is that he was to do he says I am blindly told to follow and I've never been shown another option that some people talk about needing Jesus.
[27:55] But this is all I know. That's all that kid is ever going to know. Then he gets a little bit older and he works for a taxi company and then one day somebody comes to him and as we're talking to him he offers me a challenge.
[28:09] This is a real man that I'm standing inside right here and he tells me this this is what he's saying he's saying that he would give me one million dollars if I could ever find a Indian man that was either Sikh or is Muslim that ever became a Christian.
[28:29] One million dollars. You know why he believes that? Because as a little boy he went down to the Ganges River and his grandfather and his father said see all these people this is what we believe this is the Ganges this is life this is truth and then he went to school and that was reinforced and then he went off to college and all his friends who didn't believe anything and so he gets older and he gets older and the cares of the world don't even allow him to think about these things anymore and that he knows the only truth he's ever been taught and then he just gets older and he waits to die hoping that what he was told is true and as he gets older he will prepare the die and these people will take this man and take him to the river and when they put his body and they burn it and they put it into the river there will be another young man standing there and it will happen again that's the story of 400 million people today that's the truth for 400 million people today because when they go down to the river they don't see a tree they don't see anybody that lives by a different source of strength they don't see anybody that lives by a different set of truth they don't see anybody that's been redeemed and blessed and forgiven by Jesus Christ but they're just living all they know to be true
[29:39] Psalms chapter number 1 verse number 4 the ungodly are not so but they are the chaff which the wind driveth away read with me in Psalms chapter 2 why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing in India they place millions of gods on top of this throne they have gods they just don't have Jesus why do they do this the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying let us break the bands asunder and cast away their cords from us he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision then shall he speak unto them his wrath and vex them and soar displeasure now listen to this we just heard about the rebellion we just heard about the reaction regardless of what's going on Psalm chapter number 2 we see it happening time and time again we find rebellion we see the reaction of God but then we also see reconciliation offered yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion it doesn't have to be like that for that kid he doesn't have to be like those 400 million people he doesn't have to live angering God and then suffering the consequences for all eternity the last verse of Psalms 2 says kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little blessed are they that put their trust in him kiss the son that's the offer being given to him somebody go to that little kid there he's standing on the bank so this is all he's ever going to know and come up to him and say kiss the son there's yet a king that sits upon the throne he is the God of all gods that this Ganges is nothing and that you don't have to live your life believing everything out of it you don't have to bathe out of it you know why they love the river because it provides life for them because they don't know abundant life all they know is this life 400 million people like that on the Ganges but as I stand in here today in a forest of trees as we stand here connected to a river that will never run dry that is not nasty and dirty like the Ganges which is only takes and takes and takes but we have a God all the world says and when we say he is the way the truth and the life that's a hard message
[31:49] I don't think there's anything hard when God said I came in the flesh and I made that way that's the most loving message in the way you're right there's only one way but he laid his life down to be that way we know that we're trees we're standing here God's working at us you saw this whole stage of people and nobody did that but God God did that you have stories in your church where things are happening and we could show video of that going on you didn't do that you're a tree and he's working through you and fruits coming off of it but fruit that these people will never see there's not rivers on the banks of the Ganges and there's nobody standing there to show them that there's anything else but I stand in a forest today and we see each other and we argue about fruit and color and we argue about all the things that are fun to argue about here in America and we have trees and people see that but there's no contrast because in Psalm only time that there's a wicked sinner unforgiven and that there's a righteous person is in our Bible and Psalms warned but it isn't going to be on Sunday and you're seeing the man beside you there's no contrast there contrast makes it beautiful you need this we need to take some of these trees and we need to go along the Ganges River and we need to take some of those people who aren't trees that are dying and bring them inside of our church
[33:01] God's in landscaping he wants this place to look different he wants to change some things he wants this world of worship and I'm asking you as I beg as much as I can and I know and it can only be a response to God's word that would somebody go and take the Bible when I went there February this young man came up to me and took me to the river I told this to camp and he said come and see that this is beautiful he said come and see but no my Jesus is beautiful somebody that's standing there that knows his language and say no young man that is not the river you need to live on let me show you the gospel that's the river you can grow and you can be strong can I ask you today as I talk about us being a wood we're being a forest that you know that you're planted here and you're not supposed to be that you're supposed to take yourself and move and go stand on the banks of the Ganges or go to Latin America go to Africa go to one of the countries we haven't even mentioned it would make sense mathematically that this many trees that this much salt is not supposed to stay on top of itself that we're supposed to spread it around this world and we must be obedient to him
[34:06] Heavenly Father I ask that you'll be with response Lord in the heart Lord may never see it but I pray that we will Lord take us Lord I pray that somebody will plant their lives Lord on the banks of the Ganges and that they will live of another water source which is the gospel and that these people in India and all around the world will see a different type of life Lord that they will see trees planted Lord that they will see something different that they won't just grow up their whole lives from childhood to teenage years to their middle life and die only hearing one message and one truth and only wondering if there was another option and I pray that there will be a constant testimony of your strength by people standing in front of them like trees growing and prospering in a desert place in your son's name we pray with your heads bowed and your eyes closed I don't know if God's spoken to you or not but I don't know how we hear that message without somebody knowing God talked to you maybe about India maybe about another part of the world maybe it's time to surrender your life maybe it's time to leave the place you're comfortable maybe it's time to pack up and go
[35:23] India needs the gospel I don't know how anyone could have said it any clearer or any better I believe the Holy Spirit is dealing with hearts it would be a fantastic thing today if God called five or six people and told them to go to India it would be a fantastic thing if some people responded and said I'll go to India it would be a fantastic thing if some that haven't responded yet would also while your heads are bowed and eyes are closed some of you might not be saved and you're not planted by that river of life you also are going to die and go to hell you're in the same shape Jim was before he was saved the same shape I was in before I was saved in the same shape of those people in India that you can be saved today he loves you you know that you've sinned you know that you've failed God you've been answering those questions you've been making up excuses you've been countering every question that's asked with a smart answer but you're not really saved and you know you're not you're not going to go to heaven and you know it
[36:33] I'd love to help you right now if you step out of your seat and come forward here I'll have a missionary or somebody take the Bible and show you right now how to be saved is God dealing with your heart is God dealing with your heart would you let somebody show you how to be saved just hold your hand up I'll send somebody to your side we'll open the Bible and show you how to know for sure you go to heaven is there anybody here like that is there anybody else that God is dealing with your heart you can pray in your seat or you can pray here at the altar I hope you made a decision today I hope you really have let God do a work in your heart I hope God is hope you're for sure you're saved I hope you know you're going to go to heaven I hope you will decide where God would plant you around the world that you might be used to carry the gospel message that God's spirit has been here and he has been working if he's not working in your life I'd really be checking up on why would you stand together we'll sing a song and then after this we're going to have Will Hill Will is a missionary to Japan he and his family are going to go there to a country that is unreached with the gospel and I would challenge you to listen as he comes to preach right after this song
[37:42] I taught you a little bit this morning about the kingdom mindset and just to go ahead and tell you what that is is that simply no matter the circumstance no matter the situation we obey the king let me say that again regardless of the situation regardless of the circumstance we obey the king and some of you this morning are still facing a question this sign here says will you obey the king's command that's where some of you are at it's still a question for you you're still wondering will I obey the king's command can I show you something why not instead of will you obey the king's command why don't you take out the question mark and just say I will obey the king's command how long is it going to be a question for you how long are you going to worry about the things that are in your mind
[38:50] God's spoken to you it's very clear to most of you what God would have you to do and you have questions about where you're going to go you have questions about what you'll say you have questions about your ability you have questions about if God can use you you have questions about what you'll eat what you'll do what you'll say where you'll get trained where you go to college you have all these questions why don't you just say I will obey God's command is that you this morning you're still at that question point and you're still wondering can I do it that's where I was God made it very clear to me what he wanted me to do and I gave him every thought I had so many questions about what I could be used up to do and all I could think of was Philippians 4 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me so why don't you take the question mark out of the question and why in
[39:57] Romans chapter 1 if you look in verse 10 Paul says making request if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you and here's Paul he's wanting to go to Rome and if you think about Rome at that point you would think man you're really wanting to go to a difficult place aren't you it's the capital of the known world it's where everything was it was the political center of the world the financial center of the world it was full of idolatry emperors that persecuted Christians and Paul is saying I am desiring to come to you that are in Rome and if you look in verse 16 he says for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation and also to the Greek Paul wasn't ashamed to take the gospel and if you think about people that could be ashamed or might be set back because of what they've suffered for the gospel sake if you turn over to 2nd
[41:04] Corinthians 11 verse 23 it says are they ministers of Christ I speak as a fool I am more and labor is more abundant and stripes above measure and prisons more deaths oft of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one thrice was I beaten with rods once was I stoned thrice I suffered shipwreck a night and a day I have been in the deep and journey in perils of water and perils of robbers and perils by my own country men and perils by the heathen and perils in the sea and perils in the wilderness and perils among false brethren and weariness and painfulness and watchings often and hunger and thirst and fasting often and cold and nakedness one man could say I'm kind of done with this gospel thing I think it could be Paul he suffered a lot but you know what he said
[42:05] I'm not ashamed of the gospel and wherever God wants me to go I will obey the king's command and why does he say he will obey the king's command why does he say he is not ashamed of the gospel because in verse 16 in that second part he says for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth and it is so evident in so many of your lives that the power of God is real and it changed you and it changed Jim Roberts take the gospel to the world if you would just obey the king's command he could use you why don't you get rid of the question mark why don't you just go why don't you just obey it's a clear message this morning why don't you just obey it's been stated multiple times over these past couple days go into all the world and preach the gospel how long is it going to be a question for you how long why don't you say
[43:13] I will I will obey because you would God will use you because the gospel is the power of God into salvation and if you would say I'm afraid of things I don't know what will happen to me can I remind you of your king that bore sin of the cross that suffered persecution and wrath for you when you didn't love him when you didn't seek after him he loved you and he wouldn't quit on you how long will you have that question why don't you just go just obey take the question mark out and obey the king's command take your bibles if you would and turn to Jonah chapter four in
[44:14] Jonah chapter four Jonah complains to the king about the king and I think his complaint is probably very different than what you would have expected his complaint to be he's not complaining that God made him go he's complaining because God is good look if you would with me in Jonah chapter four and verse one the Bible says it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry and he prayed unto the Lord and said I pray thee oh Lord is this not what I told you when you called me that's why I ran to Tarshish because I know you some of you don't know him but look what he says about God I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful and slow to anger and of great kindness and repentance thee of evil that's why
[45:17] I didn't want to come I'm angry because you're good I'm angry because you want to save people Jonah did not want to see God show mercy on that city he wanted to see them die they were his enemy maybe like you feel about Muslims or Arabic people they attack us we should attack them when God called Jonah Jonah knew exactly what kind of God he was I wish you knew that some of you have been listening to some Bible scholars and you found out how mean God is Jonah hadn't heard your favorite internet preacher Jonah knew a God who was gracious merciful and slow to anger and of great kindness that didn't like to see people get hurt would you notice his character we're talking about world evangelism would you notice his character he's a gracious
[46:26] God a giving God a God that looks past sin and gives to man what he doesn't deserve he's a merciful God a forgiving God man should be punished he doesn't want that to happen he doesn't want to give man what he deserves he's merciful he's slow to anger someone made you think that he's looking for who he can get mad at you think that he has a handful of arrows ready to strike men down at a minute's notice but Jonah said I knew that's not how you were did you know Jonah could see past even what he was told to say Jonah said God you told me to go tell him he be dead in 40 days and I knew you didn't mean it when you said it I would be glad to hell Jonah would have loved that message and he said basically that's the message you've given me to tell him but
[47:31] I know what really happens you don't want them to go to hell you're not willing that any should perish you are of great kindness he was full of great kindness super gentle super nice super kind think of the most tender and kind person or act that you can multiply it by a few billion and you have great kindness that our God has he doesn't want to see people hurt he doesn't want bad things to happen he stands ready to forgive and not punish he loves so much he took our punishment on him amazing how many of us today do not understand the character of our God and we're more like this pouting prophet obviously God can use you even if you he doesn't want anything to do with them in fact is he would rather be dead than see them get saved verse three therefore now oh
[49:02] Lord oh Lord take I beseech you I beg you take my life it is better for me to die than to live Jonah is a quitter when things don't go his way he wants to die God I don't know how to say this to you and I've only got a few minutes before you're going and I know your mind's probably checked up and your heart already but let me just tell you God loves the world God loves people our God's heart breaks as a Gengis river flows down and there's no tree standing there our God's heart breaks he's a good God Jonah gets angry verse four God says aren't you foolish to be angry then said the Lord does thou well to be angry is it good that you would be angry and if you'll read verse five he said so
[50:09] Jonah went out of the city and he sat on the east side of the city and there made him a booth and sat under until he might see what would become of the city he still wants God to be mean to his enemies he's a racist he's a nationalist he's like an American so wrapped up in his own color his own language and his own flag that he forgets that there's a world that needs to hear the gospel message so God wants to see how foolish he is so in verse six God prepares a gourd and he makes the gourd come up and give him shade read verse six and the Lord God prepared a gourd and made it to come up over Jonah that it might be a shadow over his head to deliver him from his grief so Jonah was exceeding glad oh God I like my gourd I'd like to see them burn but I'm loving this gourd so
[51:11] God made a worm and he sent a worm to eat the gourd verse seven God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day and he smote the gourd and it withered and so the worm kills the gourd the gourd falls down and God sends a scorching hot wind verse eight and it came to pass when the sun did arise that God prepared a beheminent east wind and the sun beat upon his head and he fainted and he wished himself to die I mean this guy likes to die want to die on the boat going and buddy you take his gourd he wants to die save people he wants to die I mean this guy has got a death wish God gave the gourd God took the gourd now God sends unbearable heat so God comes back to him in verse nine he said are you right to be angry over a gourd is it right that a plant is that interesting to you that your comfort is that well that good to you and Jonah's answer is yep I am right
[52:12] I do well to be angry I'm angry to death and I do well Jonah loves his comfort more than God's will or souls verse 10 the Lord said you have pity over a gourd that you didn't plant and you didn't make grow and you didn't labor on it and it came up at a night and it died in a night and you're more worried about that than you are people that word pity kind of goes along with those attributes that God had about people kind and gentle and merciful and gracious God cares about the people and the animals Jonah cares about his comfort and a plant a gourd Jonah is out and out selfish and the heart of every problem in this room is your heart look at verse 11
[53:15] God shows his true heart of compassion and should not I spare Nineveh you're worried about a gourd and you don't think I ought to be worried about a city that has 120 thousand children that haven't reached the age of accountability and you don't think I ought to be worried about them you think it's okay to be worried about a plant and I shouldn't even be worried about people God cared about the animals even the animals the dogs the cats and the sheep he cared about them and Jonah said I want my gourd back wouldn't God be right to forgive and save so I have some questions for you to end the time here Jonah does God's will here but he does it in a bad attitude and God uses him anyway but I'd like to ask you what's your attitude how many serve
[54:21] Jesus because you love him I've been married to the most sweet and wonderful lady that could be on this planet for a long time now and you know every morning every morning she fixes me breakfast and every morning she walks that breakfast out she doesn't throw that plate at me she doesn't slam that plate down she doesn't prepare that like she doesn't care and if she's extremely tired and I'll say I don't need anything for breakfast she says no I want to fix you some breakfast you need your breakfast and I have to argue with her if I don't want my breakfast she loves me and she could fix my breakfast they do that for me in restaurants but you know it's a whole lot different the way they fix breakfast for me at a restaurant Betty knows exactly how the bacon is supposed to be I like it good and crispy and hard
[55:22] Betty knows that at IHOP I go there regularly they can't get it right yet God wants you to serve him with the right attitude and a right heart let me give you some questions to test your character today what makes you happy what makes you angry what makes you want to give up if you'll answer that question you'll know where you are maybe your name is Jonah maybe you're more worried about your gourd maybe you don't understand the character of God and buddy could I say this to some of you because you are on so many so many lists and you're listening to so many preachers that want you to think God doesn't want everybody saved maybe you ought to read Jonah it's an inspired book and Jonah was like they ain't Jews and so I know you don't care about them but
[56:24] I knew I was wrong when I said it are you a spectator are you going to sit down and watch people and see what happens are you out in the middle of it are you more concerned about your comfort than his heart are you a powder do you allow every little annoyance to hinder your walk with God and ministry and I'll be honest with you this is it it's not always easy to be in a ministry at a conference like this it can seem so romantic but when Jason Holtz out passing out gospel literature he's walking down the street and a guy walks up and throws a knife up at his throat and says give me all your valuables and he he God doesn't look down and say oh sorry oops didn't mean that to happen that's just life and when they break into Jeff's house and put a gun to Mindy's head I'll tell you there are tough things about serving
[57:24] God there's tough things about living where you are I'd far rather be serving God when things go wrong than in the condition I find you in I'd far rather have things going wrong and know God was behind them and was going to take care of me than I would that I was in my sin and allowing it to mess me up I just ask you what are you going to do there'll be no invitation now you've been invitation out I mean and here if you don't know that God has a plan for your life I don't know what we could do to get that across but our God loves people and our God loves you and our God has a plan for you and I want to challenge you give him your life let him work in you father bless your name thank you for all you've done bless these people in
[58:26] Jesus name this event is organized by baptists committed to world evangelism committed to training men and women to take part in the king's command for more information log on to www.bcwe.org to find out how you can be involved in the king's command