Romans 1, verses 14-17.
Let's pray together.
Father, we thank you for the opportunity to come together to study your word.
And I pray, Father, that in our frailty, you will find us faithful.
Pray, Father, that both the preaching and the hearing of your word this morning will honor you.
And that the end result of that will be the proclamation of your good news to the world.
And we pray this in Christ's name. Amen.
So last week we talked about the obligation to gospel ministry that Paul had.
It's a little early. You can take that down.
We talked about the obligation to gospel ministry that Paul had to the church.
And we saw that through beginning in verse 8 and coming down through the end of 15.
So we're kind of overlapping a little bit this morning to speak of Paul's obligation to gospel ministry.
But this morning we're going to talk about his obligation to gospel ministry to the world.
So to those who did not know Christ.
And he kind of gives us some different people groups in our text here.
We see the Greeks and the barbarians.
I told you last week that those were the wise and the foolish of the world.
The Greeks were very educated.
The barbarians to the Greeks spoke in nonsensical language.
That's where they got that name.
They would make fun of them and say they sounded like they were just saying bar, bar, bar, bar.
So they became known as the barbarians.
And also to the Jews who the gospel was first brought to and presented to.
And so Paul essentially kind of restates Jesus' second stating of the Great Commission in Acts 1.8 when he says to the disciples,
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.
And what Christ was saying to them was that the Spirit of God is going to come and it's going to work in you,
and you're going to be a disciple.
You're going to be a carrier of the message of the good news of Jesus Christ to your city, to your region,
those of other ethnicities.
That's who the Sumerians were.
And to the rest of the world.
So where do we find ourselves today in the world?
I'll give you a little current statistics.
In America, we have approximately 314 million people, only 28.9% of which claim to be evangelical Christians.
And I would argue that to be a Christian at all, you must be an evangelical Christian.
And I would also argue that many of those are probably nominal Christians at best.
So 30% from a very, very positive estimate of what may actually be Christian in America today.
In the world, almost 7 billion people that exist.
60% are unreached.
And what that means is that there's less than 2% of the population of that nation, that people group,
that know Christ at all.
So 60% of the peoples are unreached.
Very conservative estimates.
That makes it 4 billion people who are unreached for the gospel of Christ.
4 billion out of the 7 billion people.
Very conservative.
So we find ourselves in a situation, as carriers of the gospel,
of this message that's been given to us to take to the world.
We've got a huge job ahead of us, don't we?
We're failing pitifully at carrying the gospel to the nations.
4 billion people, conservatively, who have never even heard the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And they are storing up for themselves the wrath of God against them.
They are already found guilty, condemned where they stand,
because of their disknowledge of God, because of their breaking of the law.
There's no excuse for them.
Because they haven't heard, there's no excuse.
They've carried the curse of Adam in their flesh,
and they will be damned to hell,
unless they hear the gospel and place their faith in that message.
So I believe that God is at work.
He is all-powerful.
He is sovereign.
He will redeem His church.
So we have this great task before us,
this 4 billion people out there.
And I believe that God is active and involved in reaching them.
But He uses His church to do so.
He uses us to accomplish that.
And He does that because He loves us.
Because God is a great treasure,
and He wants to include us in what He's doing.
He wants us to experience and to know Him more
by being involved in His mission to the world.
So the gospel must go.
People must hear it.
And God's going to carry us to do that.
Romans chapter 10, verse 14, Paul writes,
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?
And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?
And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
So we're called to be ministers of the gospel to the world.
I kind of thought of this analogy this week,
and I actually wasn't planning on using it.
But as I typically do,
because I figure it'll embarrass myself,
I can use it anyway.
We're intended to be a tool in the hand of God
in accomplishing His work.
And I have a leaf rake
that I didn't use very faithfully this year.
But that leaf rake was fashioned
for the purpose of raking leaves.
And it sits in my shed.
And when I go to get my rake leaf,
it doesn't give me any resistance at all, does it?
I just pick up my rake leaf,
and off I go with my rake leaf.
If I am that rake leaf,
if it's me,
fashioned to do this certain work,
I don't tend to just be picked up
and carried out to do the work.
I tend to grab on to the shovel
and the other stuff
and the wall of the shed,
desperately clinging
to the comfort of the shed.
We're tools.
We're meant to be used.
God has made us for a purpose.
And if my rake had any soul at all,
it would be the happiest raking leaves.
That's where we find ourselves.
God has created us
for a very intent purpose.
And if we're about that work,
we'll be full of joy in doing it.
Now Paul writes in verse 16 and 17
kind of the theme
of the book of Romans.
And we talked about this
a couple of weeks ago,
but it's certainly worth repeating
as we think about these
four billion people
who the wrath of God
is being stored up for.
They have no hope
except for Christ.
And Paul was writing this
from a coming out of one worldview
where he thought he was doing
everything he could possibly do
to please God.
He was a Pharisee,
the most upright of people,
the most zealous pursuer of God
in his zeal for the law.
He thought he had it all figured out.
And it all gets flipped upside down
when he meets Christ.
And Christ says to him,
you fool,
you cannot fulfill the law.
It's impossible for you to do so.
Place your faith in me
and live in righteousness
and walk in faith.
He flips it completely over here.
And here's what he writes for us.
Verse 16,
For I am not ashamed of the gospel,
for it is the power of God
for salvation to everyone who believes,
to the Jew first
and also to the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God
is revealed from faith for faith.
As it is written,
the righteous shall live by faith.
It is the power of God,
not the law,
no good works you think you're doing,
not the church you belong to,
not the way you attend.
Your perfect attendance record
means nothing for your salvation.
The gospel itself
is the power of God
for salvation.
Matthew 28.
Oh, excuse me,
I've got to back up.
So then,
we ought to preach no other message.
Those of us who are recipients of this grace,
we ought to preach no other message
to the world
than the gospel of Christ.
Not our traditions
and those things,
but the gospel of Jesus Christ
because it is the power of God
for salvation
and He will accomplish His work.
It's also the gospel
that gives us the righteousness of God
and it's revealed from faith
for faith.
That's kind of a confusing phrase
and it simply just means,
all Paul's trying to say to us,
is that the gospel
that we place our faith in
brings us the righteousness of God.
It's not our own doing.
The gospel itself,
Christ's imputed righteousness to us
brings us righteousness
and continues that work.
So it's for faith,
from faith,
for faith.
Okay?
So from faith,
for faith.
That both our salvation,
our righteousness,
begins in Christ
and it ends in Christ.
Right?
And that's what He's saying to us.
Right?
So Matthew 28,
18-20,
it's known as the Great Commission.
Jesus came and said to them,
All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to Me.
Go therefore
and make disciples of all nations.
Not simply converts,
but disciples
of all nations.
Alright?
He said that earlier
up in verse 5,
didn't He?
To bring about the obedience
of the faith.
Baptizing them
in the name of the Father
and the Son
and the Holy Spirit.
Verse 20,
Teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you.
And behold,
I am with you always
to the end of the age.
Matthew 24, 14,
Jesus said,
And this gospel of the kingdom
will be proclaimed
throughout the whole world
as a testimony
to all nations.
And then the end will come.
So this gospel message
is going to be preached
to all nations.
And then the end will come.
That's the mission
that He has set us about.
It's fulfilling
that Great Commission work.
In a commentary
on Matthew 24, 14,
and that phrase
all nations,
George Eldon Ladd
wrote this,
God alone knows
the definition
of terms.
I cannot precisely define
who all the nations are,
but I do not need
to know.
I know only one thing.
Christ is not yet returned.
Therefore,
the task is not yet done.
When it is done,
Christ will come.
Our responsibility
is not to insist
on defining terms.
Our responsibility
is to complete
the task.
So long as Christ
does not return,
our work is undone.
Let us get busy
and complete our mission.
So if we're to do that,
I think we can learn
three things
from Paul's life
in order to do so.
And I think that there's
some pretty deep
indictments on us here.
Three things.
We need to be obligated
to share the gospel,
which is going to mean
a life of self-sacrifice.
We need to be eager
and we need to be unashamed.
We need to be obligated,
eager,
and unashamed.
Obligated.
We find that in verse 14.
Self-sacrificial.
We talked last week
about this obligation
that Paul felt
and that it wasn't
an obligation to God
because therefore,
grace would have ceased
to be grace.
The free gift given to him
would have been
based on works,
not on the grace of God.
It's an obligation
to his identity.
Obligation to who he is
in Christ.
This is my paraphrase
of Romans chapter 8,
9, and 10,
and then verse 12.
Anyone who does not
have the spirit of Christ
does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
we are debtors
to the spirit of Christ
within us.
We are debtors.
That's who we're obligated to,
to our own identity,
to the fact that
we are children of God.
We ought to share
the gospel, right,
with each other
and with the world.
So it means
we must be self-sacrificial.
We need to die
to ourselves,
to our flesh,
and we need to live
to the spirit
within us.
Luke chapter 9,
verse 23 and 24.
Christ says,
if anyone would come
after me,
let him deny himself
and take up his cross
daily
and follow me.
Let him deny himself
the pleasures
of this world,
those things
that our flesh
longs for
and take up our cross.
What does that mean?
That we die.
We literally die
to ourselves
every day
if we're going
to follow Christ.
Verse 24.
For whoever
will save his life
will lose it,
but whoever
loses his life
for my sake
will save it.
Luke chapter 14,
verse 27.
Whoever does not
bear his own cross
and come after me
cannot be
my disciple.
It's pretty huge,
isn't it?
Whoever does not
bear his own cross
and come after me
cannot be
my disciple.
So do you die
daily
to yourself,
the pleasures
of your flesh,
the lusts
for this world?
We need to lay
aside our comfort
and our vanity.
All of us
care too much
about how we look
and how comfortable
we are.
I try hard
to look
like I don't care.
we need to die
to our
self-promotion,
our ambition.
That's what the word
ambition means.
It means
self-promotion.
And we need to
begin promoting
Christ.
Ambition,
good,
but let's
redefine the term.
Let's make it
about promoting
Christ
and his kingdom.
we as Americans
are far
too comfortable.
I wonder
what would happen
to this room
if suddenly
Christianity
was declared
illegal
and it was
an offense
punishable
by imprisonment
and death.
How many of us
would still sit
in this room?
There are people
all over the world
this morning
meeting in underground
secret locations
for hours.
We get mad
if the service
goes past
an hour and a half.
You have
comfy padded chairs
they sit on
dirt floors
for hours
because they're
so hungry
to know
their Savior.
We're shackled
by our comfort.
I want to be
the type of Christian
that everything
could be taken
away from me
and I would still
follow Christ.
I'll give you
an example of Paul.
I want you to
turn here.
2 Corinthians
chapter 11
I believe most
of you will be
familiar with this
passage but it
certainly bears
repeating.
2 Corinthians
chapter 11
verses 24
through 27
Paul recounts
his suffering.
He says,
five times I
received at the
hands of the
Jews the
forty lashes
less one.
Three times I
was beaten
with rods.
Once I was
stoned.
Three times I
was shipwrecked.
A night and a
day I was
adrift at sea
on frequent
journeys and
dangers from
rivers,
dangers from
robbers,
dangers from
my own people,
dangers from
Gentiles,
dangers in the
city,
dangers in the
wilderness,
danger at sea,
danger from
false brothers,
in toil and
hardship through
many a
sleepless night,
in hunger and
thirst,
often without
food,
in cold and
exposure.
This was the
life that Paul
was called into.
This was the
guy that in
Philippians 1.21
says,
for to me to
live is Christ
and to die is
gain.
This is the
man who found
his joy in the
supremacy of
Christ greater
than the
circumstances of
the world.
This is not
us.
This sounds like
a horrible
camping trip
to me.
Number two,
we can learn
from Paul,
we need to
be eager.
We'll see that
in verse 15.
We need to be
eager.
How is it that
you're eager to
share the
gospel?
I believe that
if you value
Christ as
supreme,
if you treasure
him above all
else,
you will be
eager,
you will be
desirous to
talk about what
you love and
to experience
more of him
in sharing
your faith.
He is active.
He is at
work.
His spirit is
moving throughout
this world.
The gospel is
advancing.
We've been
invited to
join him in
that.
We ought to
want that.
We ought to
be eager to
be involved,
to experience
him deeper and
to know him
more in his
work.
Turn to
Philippians
chapter 3.
We're going
to start in
verse 7.
Paul has
just completed
giving his
religious pedigree.
He's
compadding the
Judaizers,
those who
would have
the Philippians
be circumcised.
He's saying,
hey,
listen,
if it
matters,
if outward
appearance,
if outward
stuff matters
at all,
if it's not
about a
change in
heart
regeneration,
the statement
that we read
this morning,
then I was
the best.
I had it
all sorted
out.
He's just
finished saying
that.
And then
verse 7,
he says,
but whatever
gain I had,
I counted
as loss
for the sake
of Christ.
Whatever
gain I had,
I counted
it as loss
for the sake
of Christ.
Indeed,
I count
everything
as loss
because of
the surpassing
worth of
knowing Christ
Jesus my
Lord.
Pause
there.
everything,
I count
it all
as loss
because of
the surpassing
greatness
of knowing
Christ Jesus
my Lord.
For his
sake,
I have
suffered the
loss of
all things
and count
them as
rubbish
in order
that I
may gain
Christ.
I count
them as
rubbish
in order
that I
may gain
Christ.
This
word in
Greek
is a
foul
word.
It
means
excrement,
human
excrement.
Not
wadded up
paper
rubbish.
vile.
And what
he does
to us
here,
understand
what he's
saying,
that if
you don't
have the
same mind
as him,
if you
value the
things of
this world
more than
Christ,
if you
do that,
what you're
doing is
you're playing
with your
own
excrement.
What he's
saying,
you love
it.
You want
to live
in it.
That's the
indictment on
us there.
We love
the things of
this world
more than
Christ
to plan
with our
excrement.
You're
welcome,
parents.
I'm trying
to use
big words
for you.
All right.
Verse
9.
In order
that I may
gain Christ,
verse 9,
and be
found in
him,
not having
a righteousness
of my own
that comes
from the
law,
but that
which comes
through
faith in
Christ,
the
righteousness
from
God
that
depends
on
faith,
that I
may know
him and
the power
of his
resurrection
and may
share in
his
sufferings,
becoming
like him
in his
death,
that by
any means
possible I
may attain
the resurrection
from the
dead,
not that I
have already
obtained this
or am
already
perfect,
but I
press on
to make
it my
own,
because
Christ
Jesus
has made
me his
own.
I press
on to
make my
perfection,
my
perfection
which will
come through
suffering,
see what
he's saying
there,
and I
may share
in his
suffering,
becoming
like him
in his
death,
I press
on,
I am
eager to
arrive at
it,
because Christ
Jesus has
made me
his own.
Verse 13,
brothers,
I do not
consider that I
have made it
my own,
but one
thing I do,
forgetting what
lies behind
all those
things,
all those
things he's
counted as
loss,
and straining
forward to
what lies
ahead,
I press on
toward the
goal for the
prize of the
upward call of
God in
Christ Jesus,
and what's
the prize?
It's Christ
himself,
Christ himself,
so we
ought to be
eager to
share our
faith with
the world.
I'll give
you another
Pauline
example,
Acts 9,
20,
after his
conversion in
Damascus,
verse 9,
20 says,
and immediately
he proclaimed
Jesus in the
sin of God,
saying,
he is the
son of God.
So this
Jew of
Jews,
the man,
the great
Pharisee,
who was
going to
Damascus to
drag the
Christians out,
to take
them back,
to have
them imprisoned
and stoned
like Stephen,
went to the
very same
places he
was headed
to,
to those
synagogues,
and proclaimed
he is the
son of
God.
Number
three,
we should
be unashamed
when we see
this in
verse 16.
We need
to be bold
and courageous.
Isaiah
chapter 6,
verse 8.
Isaiah
is just
seeing this
vision of
heaven.
And he
records,
I heard the
voice of the
Lord saying,
whom shall I
send and
who will go
for us?
Then I
said,
and you
got to
notice the
punctuation
in this,
here am I,
send me.
here am I,
send me.
He was
bold.
God
said,
there is a
great message
I have to
carry to
my people.
Who
will go
for me?
Isaiah
was bold.
Here
am I,
send me.
We need
to be
courageous
as well.
Psalm 40,
verse 9
and 10,
David wrote,
I have told
the glad
news of
deliverance
in the
great
congregation.
Behold,
I have
not restrained
my lips,
as you
know,
O Lord.
I have
not hidden
your
deliverance
within my
heart.
I have
spoken of
your
faithfulness
and your
salvation.
I have
not concealed
your steadfast
love and
your faithfulness
from the
great
congregation.
So we
have this
great news
and we
tend to
keep it
all hidden,
like it's
a little
secret for
us.
We need
to be
courageous
in sharing
it.
I'm going
to use a
term I
don't love.
I need
to get
out of our
comfort
zone.
I learned
this this
week.
Did you
know that
if you have
a goose
and you
put it on
a concrete
and you
draw a
white circle
around it
with chalk
and it
won't cross
the circle?
Did you
know that?
It's
phenomenal.
Maybe that's
not the
truth.
But it's
actually afraid
of crossing
over that
line.
So if you
draw it in
a circle,
it won't
cross over
that line.
I can't
wait to go
to the
park and
test this
out.
If some
goose proves
me wrong,
it's still
a good
analogy.
Supposedly,
a goose
will not
cross this
line,
will not
go outside
of this
because it's
afraid of
going outside
of it.
There is
no doubt,
there is
no doubt
that you
will find
ridicule in
this world
if you
share your
faith.
None
whatsoever.
It will
happen.
You will
be persecuted
for your
faith.
And that
doesn't
necessarily
mean you're
going to
be beaten
or shot
or imprisoned
here in
America.
It may
mean that
in other
places.
But you'll
be made
fun of.
The
gospel is
foolishness
to those
who are
perishing.
It doesn't
make any
sense to
them at
all.
But we
ought to
continue to
share our
faith in
the hope
that we
find the
one that
will place
their faith
in Christ.
We have
a hundred
sheep and
one wanders
away.
Let's go
get him.
The rest of the
sheep probably
think we're
foolish for
doing so.
Go find
that one.
It will
happen.
Why should
we care?
We care too
much about
being cool
and fitting
in.
Since we
all live in
the southeast,
we don't want
to be associated
with all the
dorky Christians.
I'm in there.
I'm summer
camp kids with
their sandals
and their
white socks
and their
testaments
and all
that stuff,
all that
Christendom
stuff.
I do not
want to be
associated with
it.
Right?
I don't want
to hand out
tracts because
I don't want
to be a
tract hander
out.
I don't
want to be
that person.
The gospel
is contained
in there.
It's a good
message.
We ought to
want to share
it.
And when I'm
in moments
where I
share my
faith and
I'm more
concerned about
how cool
I am,
then the
soul sitting
across the
table from
me or
serving me
or shameful,
absolutely
shameful.
I've got
another example
of Paul in
Acts chapter
14.
I want you
to read
this one
with me.
Acts chapter
14.
It's a
story about
Paul being
stoned at
Lystra,
which he
referred to
earlier in
2 Corinthians.
Acts 14
verse 19
to 22.
But Jews
came from
Antioch and
Iconium,
and having
persuaded the
crowds,
they stoned
Paul and
dragged him
out of the
city,
supposing that
he was
dead.
So they
had stoned
him enough
that he
seemed like
he was
dead.
Verse 20.
But when
the disciples
gathered about
him,
he rose up
and entered
into the
city.
And on
the next
day he
went on
with Barnabas
to Derbe,
I'm going to
guess,
when they
had preached
the gospel
to that
city and
had made
many disciples,
they returned
to Lystra and
to Iconium and
to Antioch,
strengthening the
souls of the
disciples,
encouraging them
to continue in
the faith,
and saying that
through many
tribulations we
must enter the
kingdom of
God.
Now,
let's go back
to the story
again.
So he's in a
town called
Lystra,
and Jews
come from two
other towns.
They come from
Antioch and
Iconium,
and they come
to Lystra,
and they convince
everybody there
that they should
stone him.
And they drag
him outside the
city,
which is what
they did with
dead people.
When the
disciples came,
he rises up,
and what does
he do?
In verse 20,
he goes back
into the city.
To the people
who had just
stoned him and
dragged him out
of the city,
dead,
he goes back
into the city.
And on the
next day,
he goes to
another city,
he goes to
Derbe.
When they
preached the
gospel there,
and made
many disciples,
what does
he do?
Verse 21,
he returns,
and goes to
the two cities
where the Jews
had come from.
He goes to
Lystra and
Iconium.
He went back
into the
lion's den,
back to the
place where
people hated
him and were
trying to
kill him.
He went right
back there
because he
was courageous,
because he
had a message
that must be
taken to
these people.
And he
strengthened the
souls of the
disciples,
saying that
through many
tribulations,
we must enter
the kingdom of
God.
Don't worry
about me,
guys.
This is the
life of a
Christian.
It's cool that
they stoned me.
It's not a
problem at all.
I expected it
to happen,
because the
world is
hostile towards
Christianity.
Okay,
that's all I
can go up
there now.
I wanted to
show you this.
This was a
carving in
stone of a
tablet that was
discovered in
Rome.
There's some
debate about
when it dates
to.
Most agree
the third
century.
Kind of
an interesting
piece.
I got this
pen for
Christmas.
I never
ever thought
I would
use it,
but I got
it out of
the box
and put
batteries in
it because
it's got a
pointer in
it.
So I just
want to show
you what this
actually is,
what it's
depicting.
This is a
cross with a
human body
with the head
of a donkey
on it,
which was
mocking
Christ.
And here you
have a man
raising his
hand.
We would
assume in
worship,
and his
name is
Alexa
Manos.
The inscription
here,
Alexa
Manos
worships
his God.
It says,
Alexa
Manos
worships
his God.
It's a
hero of
mine,
Alexa
Manos.
He was
ridiculed
for his
faith in
the third
century,
depicted in
his piece
of art,
a sign of
the culture
and the
times.
We're not
in a
different
place now
at all.
Another
one of my
Christian heroes
is a man
named
Polycarp.
And I
wish he
had a
better name
because I
would have
named my
next son
Polycarp,
but I'm
not going
to do
that to
him.
I've
read,
most of
you have
probably
heard me
read this
before,
but I
think it
should be
read again.
Polycarp
was a
first century
Jew,
and he
was taken,
excuse me,
Christian,
and he
was taken
before the
pro-council.
He was
going to be
killed for
his faith.
And the
pro-council
then urged
him,
saying,
swear,
and I
will release
thee,
reproach
Christ.
Polycarp
answered,
eighty and
six years
have I
served him,
and he
never once
wronged me.
How then
shall I
blaspheme
my king
who hath
saved me?
The
pro-council
again urged
him,
swear by
the fortune
of Caesar.
Polycarp
replied,
since you
still vainly
strive to
make me
swear by
the fortune
of Caesar
as you
express it,
affecting
ignorance
of my
real character,
hear me
frankly
declaring
what I
am.
I
am a
Christian,
and if
you desire
to learn
the Christian
doctrine,
assign me
a day,
and you
shall
hear.
It's
response.
Love it.
Hereupon the
pro-council
said,
I have
wild beasts,
and I
will expose
you to
them unless
you repent.
Call for
them,
replied
Polycarp,
for repentance
with us is a
wicked thing if
it is to be a
change from
the better to
the worse,
but a good
thing if it
is to be a
change from
evil to
good.
I will
tame thee
with fire,
said the
pro-council,
since you
despise the
wild beasts
unless you
repent.
Then said
Polycarp,
you threaten
me with fire
which burns
for an hour
and is soon
extinguished,
but the
fire of the
future judgment
and of
eternal punishment
reserved for
the ungodly
you are
ignorant of.
But why
do you
delay,
do whatever
you please?
So there's a
little more
banter back
and forth.
They finally
take him
out into
the stadium
and put
him on a
burning pile
of wood.
When they
would have
fastened him
to the stake,
he said,
leave me as
I am,
for he who
giveth me
strength to
sustain the
fire will
enable me also
without your
securing me
with nails to
remain without
flinching in
the pile.
So he said,
don't tie me
up.
God strengthens
me to
withstand the
fire.
I can stand
here.
Upon which
they bound
him without
nailing him.
So he said,
thus,
O Father,
I bless thee
that thou
hast counted
me worthy
to receive
my portion
among the
number of
martyrs.
As soon as
he had uttered
the word
Amen,
the officers
lighted the
fire,
the flame
forming the
appearance of
an ark
as the
sail of a
vessel filled
with wind
surrounded as
with a wall
the body
of the
martyr.
Fire doesn't
do that,
right?
It's like,
made like a
force field
around him.
Around the
body of the
martyr which
was in the
midst,
not as
burning flesh,
but as
gold and
silver refining
in the
furnace.
We received
also in our
nostrils such
a fragrance
as proceeds
from
frankincense
or some
other precious
perfume.
At length,
the wicked
people,
observing that
his body
could not be
consumed with
fire,
ordered the
confectioner to
approach and
to plunge his
sword into
the body.
So,
they're all
sitting around
waiting for him
to be consumed
and he's not.
He's glowing
like gold
being refined
and there's a
sweet smell
coming out of
it.
So,
the confector
comes,
plunges the
sword into
his side.
Upon this,
such a
quantity of
blood gushed
out that the
fire was
extinguished.
Polycarp,
a great man
who died
for his
faith.
For the
gospel to
advance to
this four
billion people,
it's got to
go to dangerous
places.
It has to.
There are
people who
are hostile
toward the
gospel.
They will
not just
make fun
of us,
but will
kill us
for the
gospel.
Some of
you may
have a
call to
go to
countries like
that.
And I
think we
need to
be willing,
whatever our
walk of
life is,
to do so.
My son's
name is
Cademan
Danger
Rainer.
He has
the middle
name Danger
because I
want him
to be
willing to
be dangerous
for the
gospel.
And I
want to
be a
dad who's
willing to
let him
go and
be dangerous
for the
gospel.
We need
young people
who are
willing to
rise up
and to
do this,
to carry
this message
out to
the world.
We're going
to be
obligated
and eager
and unashamed
of the
gospel of
Jesus
Christ.
Because it
is the
power of
God for
salvation to
those who
will believe
in it.
It's the
power to
live righteous
lives to the
end.
I pray that
God will be
honored with
the lives,
both individually
and corporately,
of Christ's
family church.
church.
I want to
challenge you.
I grew up
with cheesy
youth group
challenges,
but I think
it's in
order here.
As many of
you are going
to go off
for the
summer,
we'll have
no idea
where you'll
be and
what you'll
be doing.
I want to
challenge you
to pray
and look for
opportunities to
share your
faith.
They are out
there.
If you make
yourself available
to God,
He will use
you to spread
the gospel.
I promise.
It's going
to happen.
Wake up in
the morning,
die to
yourself,
treasure Christ,
and ask
Him to
move you
to share
your faith
throughout
your day.
So here's
what I want
to do over
the next
couple of
weeks.
We're going
to begin
talking the
next two
weeks about
the wrath
of God
being poured
out on the
unrighteous.
It ought to
be a reminder
to us to be
sharing our
faith.
We have a
message that
will save
people from
that.
We ought
to want to
do so.
So here's
what I want
you to do.
Alex,
if you can
put that
up there
for me.
I want to
encourage you
as I'm
sharing my
faith,
and I want
you to
encourage me
as you're
sharing your
faith as we
carry the
gospel message.
And here's
how I want
to do that.
So Twitter
slide.
We're going
to use some
technology.
We're going
to redeem
technology today.
Back there's a
slide called
Twitter.
There we go.
If you don't
know how to
use Twitter,
it's really
simple to
do.
Go to
twitter.com,
trade an
account.
As simple
as that.
But here's
what you've
got to do
next.
I want you
to follow
Christ Family
Church.
It's
Christ Fam
Church.
That's how
you search
for it.
You click
follow.
And here's
how you tweet.
Very simple.
I guess it's
called a tweet.
That's official
language.
You tweet
at Christ Fam
Church and
then you
share your
story.
You're limited
to 140
characters,
which will
be very
interesting,
since at
Christ Fam
Church is
going to
take up
quite a
few of
them.
But what
I want you
to do is
just quickly
say,
met a guy
at the gas
station,
shared my
faith.
Simply,
just like
that.
At
Christ Fam
Church.
And what
that does
is it'll
send that
message to
Christ Family
Church,
and then
Chris,
who manages
that account,
will retweet
it.
Yes,
that is
official.
So that
we can
all see
it.
So if
you're
following
Christ Family
Church,
that's
going to
pop up
in your
feed,
and you'll
be encouraged,
I hope,
to do so.
We need
to be doing
it,
and we need
to be
encouraging
each other,
we need
to be
spurring
each other
on to
good works.
We need
to be
about doing
that,
and I
believe this
is a
way that
we can
accomplish
that.
So we'll
remind you
next week,
I hope
you don't
forget
this week,
but set
yourself
about this
work this
afternoon,
set
yourself
about this
work of
sharing the
gospel with
the world.
Now to
wrap this
all up,
remember
Paul's
obligation to
gospel ministry.
We talked
about it
last week,
we talked
about it
this week,
part one
and part
two,
Paul's
obligation
to gospel
ministry.
It should
be present
all the
time in
our lives.
It ought
to be
what we
are about.
We come
together and
we minister
to each
other with
the gospel
so that
we can
go out
and minister
to the
world
with the
gospel.
So let's
get busy
about that.
I'm going
to take
the Lord's
Supper.
I think
that some
repentance
is in
order,
that Christ
didn't break
his body
and shed
his blood
for us to
just be
happy Christians
in our little
happy Christian
world,
did he?
And if
that's where
you find
yourself this
morning,
I just pray
that you'll
repent,
that you
will place
your faith
in him
again,
that you
will see
that his
righteousness
is your
righteousness,
and that
you'll forget
what lies
behind,
and you'll
strain toward
what lies
ahead.
Take the
elements
whenever you're
ready to do
so.
But I just
ask that this
be a serious
time as
Wes plays
some music
for us,
and that you'll
really reflect
and see if
you need to
get anything
sorted out.
So let's
pray together
and we'll
continue our
worship with
the
Lord's
Supper.
Let's
Thank you.