We're in the dark of Christ.
Good to worship with you this morning.
My name is Sean.
For those of you who are visiting,
it's my privilege to preach God's word to you.
And before we do that, let me pray and ask for God's help.
Heavenly Father, we believe that you speak from your word today.
And we are here to listen to you.
We want to submit ourselves to you and to your word.
So I want you to address us, convict us, comfort us, assure us
of our salvation stored up in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
We're in Jeremiah 26, 1 to 24.
And according to the Wycliffe Bible translators,
there are still about 1,600 languages that still don't have any Bible translation.
And this is in spite of the fact that Bible is the single most translated work of literature
in human history.
But we here as English speakers are spoiled because according to the American Bible Society,
there are about 900 different English translations of the Bible in the world,
especially if you count both the partial and the complete translations.
And it's no wonder then that we are sometimes tempted to take the English Bibles that we have
in our hands for granted.
But this wasn't always the case.
In the early 16th century, William Tyndale attempted to translate the whole Bible into English for the
first time because he believed that, quote,
it was impossible to establish the people in any truth unless the scriptures were plainly laid before their eyes
in their mother tongue.
And it's hard to believe that such an academic and, you know,
pious pursuit would come with occupational hazards.
But it did because at the time, Roman Catholic Church held their services mostly in Latin,
which most Christians in the world no longer understood.
And the Latin translation of the Bible was only accessible to the trained clergy.
And they at the time, the Roman Catholic Church, violently opposed any attempt to translate the Bible
into the lay language of the people because they believed that doing so undermined the authority
of the Catholic Church.
So in 1536, William Tyndale was convicted of heresy and executed by strangulation.
And afterward, his body was burned at the stake as a demonstration and a warning to similarly-minded believers.
But his translation of the Bible, known as the Tyndale Bible, was completed after his death.
And it became the first mass-produced English Bible in the world.
And it spread like wildfire.
It became the basis for subsequent English translations of the Bible, including about 90% of the King James Version.
It's directly Tyndale's translation.
For this reason, many English scholars contend that William Tyndale was more influential in shaping
and enriching the English language than even William Shakespeare.
Now, Tyndale gave his life that we might have God's Word in English.
And he wasn't the first nor the last to give his life in order to make God's Word available to all people,
in order to speak God's Word even at the cost of his own life.
Because about 2,000 years before William Tyndale, we see here Prophet Jeremiah engaged in a similar struggle
and a contest to proclaim the Word of God when he was facing resistance,
even at the cost of his own life, even at the risk of his own life in this case.
And really, the main point of this passage is that we should listen to and speak the Word of the Lord
even to the point of death.
So first, in the first six verses, we'll see the Word spoken.
And then in the rest of the passage, we'll see the Word spurned by the religious leaders.
And so verse 1 tells us, read with me,
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah,
this Word came from the Lord.
We usually use the Word as an object, right?
So we say to somebody, hey, let me say a word.
Or, can I have a word with you?
But unconventionally in this verse, the Word is the subject of the sentence.
This Word came from the Lord,
as if the Word itself is a character in the story or a person with its own agency, right?
And Jeremiah did not come up with this Word, that means.
He is the messenger of this Word, but he's not the author of this Word.
This Word came from the Lord.
And this phrase, the Word of the Lord came to me,
really begins most of the major sections of this book.
And it's conveying to us something unique about God's Word.
Ever since J.L. Austin, who was a British philosopher and linguist,
wrote the book, How to Do Things with Words, in 1962,
a lot of scholarly ink had been spilled over the difference between
constative words and performative words.
So just bear with me for a second.
This is relevant.
So constative words inform us, right?
They tell us something about something, right?
So they inform us, constative words.
Performative words, they perform something.
So constative words, they say something,
but performative words, they do something.
So let me illustrate with a simple example.
When you tell someone, thank you, or I'm sorry, right?
You're not just describing that you are thankful or that you feel sorry.
You're actually thanking that person and apologizing to that person.
You're doing something with your words to that person.
Those words are performative, not merely informative.
And when someone says in response, I forgive you,
that's also performing something.
It's forgiving, dispensing forgiveness, not merely saying that,
hey, well, sure, maybe I'll think about forgiving you.
When at a wedding, for example, the emcee tells you,
well, the wedding will start promptly at 11 a.m., that's informative, right?
But when two couples stand and face each other,
and before witnesses and before a duly ordained minister of the gospel,
they say to each other, I do.
That's performative.
They're making a promise, and they're taking vows upon themselves
for each other, toward each other.
And then when the minister responds and says,
I now pronounce you husband and wife, again, that's performative.
It's not just an announcement.
It's a pronouncement that affects the union of the two people
that are coming in together in marriage.
But there's something important about performative words.
It's that it's only effective, it only has performative power
when the person speaking the word has the proper authority to do so.
So if some random stranger comes up to a man and a woman that's dating and says,
I pronounce you husband and wife, it doesn't do anything, right?
When you go to court and a judge says to you, not guilty, that does something.
It acquits you of guilt, exempts you from punishment.
But when some random civilian comes to you and says, oh, not guilty, means nothing.
Why am I getting into all this?
Because God's word is not merely informative, but performative.
Because God is the creator and Lord over all things,
because he has all authority, power, and dominion.
When he speaks, when his word comes,
it always comes with performative authority and efficacy.
So when I say, let there be light, nothing happens, right?
Because I'm just a creature.
I can't create anything.
But when God says, let there be light,
light is created out of nothing.
When we say, I'll be there tomorrow,
we may or may not show up, depending on how reliable that person is,
and depending on the circumstances.
Because we are fickle and fallible creatures,
and our words often fall to the ground.
But when God says, I am with you,
always to the end of the age,
as Jesus said at the end of his great commission,
you can count on that.
That's going to happen.
It's guaranteed.
And when God, so when God renames someone in the Bible,
the meaning of that name becomes a reality in their life.
When God orders a blessing,
a real blessing is imparted.
When he orders a curse,
a real curse takes hold in the person's life.
Because when God says anything,
it happens.
Hebrews 4.12 says,
The word of God is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul and of spirit,
of joints and of marrow,
and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
The word of God is living and active.
It pierces our souls and searches our hearts.
So when we think of scripture,
we shouldn't think of it merely as this encyclopedia of spiritual knowledge.
Yes, scripture informs us,
but it also transforms us.
Scripture is not merely a record of what God has said in the past.
God speaks through his word today.
And by the power of the spirit,
the word of God reveals God to us.
It renews our minds.
It revives our hearts.
It confronts us with the God who speaks for himself.
That he is a God who speaks and not a mute God
that we can attribute whatever we want to.
Scripture, through his word, God makes promises to us.
He commands us,
comforts us,
convicts us.
So as Isaiah 55,
which we read today,
says,
for as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there,
but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth.
It shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
The word of God goes forth
and accomplishes God's purposes.
God's word is not a boring, static thing.
It's not like any other book.
It's living and active.
So when verse 1 tells us
that this word came from the Lord,
it's not a dull and dry,
this formulaic statement
because it's the word from the Lord.
It's dynamic and dramatic.
It's saying it means we better listen up
because the king is about to say something
and his word has decretive force.
This is why at the end of every scripture reading,
we say as a church,
this is the word of the Lord
to impress upon our minds this truth,
important truth.
What should this mean for us?
Is daily Bible reading for you a chore
or is it something you cherish?
Do you yawn at God's word?
Or do you tremble at God's word?
Do you come on Sunday morning
to sit under the preaching of God's word apathetically
or in eager anticipation
of what God might say to you and do in you?
So let's listen with bated breath
for what God says next.
Verses 2 to 3.
Thus says the Lord,
stand in the court of the Lord's house
and speak to all the cities of Judah
that come to worship in the house of the Lord
and speak all the words
that I command you to speak to them.
Do not hold back a word.
The historical context of this sermon
that Jeremiah is giving
as well as the content,
it's identical to the sermon
that Jeremiah was giving in chapter 7,
verses 1 to 15.
So it's likely a continuation of that time.
And here, Jeremiah is commanded repeatedly
to speak the words of the Lord.
And the word speak
is actually just the verbal form
of the word word.
It's the same.
So it's very repetitive
reading through this passage.
Speak this.
Speak these words.
Word.
Repeated 16 times in this chapter.
That's really the main idea
of this passage
to reinforce the fact
that it's God's word that is coming.
It is God who is speaking.
And because of that,
Jeremiah is not to meddle with any of it,
but to faithfully speak the word of God.
And because of this,
it says in verse 3,
speak all the words that I command, right?
God says,
not and don't hold back a word, right?
The phrase not holding back a word
is particularly vivid
because the word holding back
literally means here
to shave or to trim.
So God's telling Jeremiah,
don't clip off any of it.
Don't you trim any of my words.
Don't leave any of it out.
And I think God knows
that Jeremiah is entering
into a hostile crowd.
Jeremiah knew well
that his audience
could reject his word
and punish him.
That God's word
may not be received favorably.
He was likely aware
that there could be severe,
even fatal consequences
for speaking God's word.
And even then,
God tells him,
you are not at liberty
to leave out any of my words
because they are my words.
He was to speak every single word
that God commands.
And this is a recurring command
throughout scripture.
For example,
after relaying the commandments of God,
Moses wrote this in Deuteronomy 4.2,
you shall not add to the word
that I command you,
nor take from it
that you may keep the commandments
of the Lord your God
that I command you.
We are,
as God's people,
not at liberty
to ignore the parts of God's word
that we don't like.
Do you take God at his word?
It's tempting to trim God's word
to make it fit our expectations.
It's tempting to cherry pick God's word
and turn only to the passages
that seem to corroborate our opinions,
not contradict us.
It's tempting to shave off God's word
to slid it.
It doesn't offend our cultural sensitivities
or sensibilities.
It's tempting to search God's word
for reflections of ourselves
rather than the reflection
of the glory of God.
But we must never yield
to such temptations.
We must listen to all of it.
We must speak all of it,
obey all of it.
We must not shrink
from declaring the whole counsel
of God.
And that's why,
as a church,
we make it our practice
to alternate
between the Old and New Testaments
and preach through the entire books
of the Bible at a time.
And it's partly because
I don't trust myself.
If we jump from one place to another
intentionally or not,
we end up self-selecting parts
of scripture
that we naturally gravitate toward.
Parts that are familiar to us.
Parts that are easier
to preach and accept.
Parts that we think
better suits our needs.
And there is a time and place
for such topical teaching
from scripture.
But if that becomes
our predominant
or exclusive diet,
scripture will only speak
to our perceived needs,
which are not necessarily
our real needs.
it's like a sick person
self-diagnosing himself,
his disease,
with his limited medical knowledge
using Google or whatnot.
Instead of letting a trained
and qualified doctor
methodically question
and thoroughly examine him
for an accurate diagnosis.
God doesn't waste his words.
We need all of God's word
to address us.
So likewise,
Jeremiah is to speak
all of God's words
without holding any of it back.
And the goal
of Jeremiah's proclamation
is that Judah might listen.
In the same way
that the word speak
is repeated throughout
this passage,
the word listen
or hear,
which also means obey,
is repeated 11 times
throughout this chapter.
God speaks
through his prophets
and God's people
are to listen and obey.
So God says,
read with me,
verses 3 to 6.
It may be they will listen
and everyone turn
from his evil way
that I may relent
of the disaster
that I intend to do to them
because of their evil deeds.
You shall say to them,
thus says the Lord,
if you will not listen to me
to walk in my law
that I have set before you
and to listen
to the words of my servants,
the prophets
whom I sent to you urgently,
though you have not listened,
then I will make this house
like Shiloh
and I will make this city
a curse for all the nations
of the earth.
If they heed God's words
and turn from their evil ways,
then they will be spared
and evil will not come unto them.
Disaster will not come on them.
But if they don't,
it will fall on them
like Shiloh.
Shiloh was the place
where the tabernacle of God
was formally set up,
the housing for God.
But due to Israel's disobedience,
God abandoned Shiloh
and the place
was subsequently reduced
to a heap of ruins.
And that's what God
is saying here,
that this will happen
to Jerusalem also.
So that's the word spoken.
And from verse 7 and onward,
we see how these religious leaders,
the priests and the prophets
and all the people
who are Jeremiah
speaking these words
in the temple,
how they spurned the word of God.
It's the word spurned.
It says in verses 8 to 9,
And when Jeremiah
had finished speaking
all that the Lord
had commanded him to speak
to all the people,
then the priests
and the prophets
and all the people
laid hold of him,
saying,
You shall die.
Why have you prophesied
in the name of the Lord,
saying,
This house shall be like Shiloh,
and this city shall be desolate
without inhabitant?
And all the people
gathered around Jeremiah
in the house of the Lord.
So Jeremiah is delivering
this prophecy
in the temple precinct,
so it's not surprising
that the priests
and the prophets
were in the audience.
But all the other people
that are also there
are probably there
to worship
because they're at the temple.
The worshipers
that are gathered
around the temple.
And after Jeremiah
gives the sermon,
it must have caused
quite the stir
and the commotion
because people are now
thronging around him.
And the result,
it says,
All the people
gathered around Jeremiah
in the house of the Lord.
And the word gathered,
the word is interesting here
because it's a neutral word
that could refer
either to a good crowd,
for example,
a congregation gathered
for worship,
but it's also used
sometimes in Scripture
to refer to a mob
that has hostile intentions.
So in this case,
the congregation of worship,
people who had gathered
to worship God,
now is degenerating
into this hostile mob
that's beginning
to throng around Jeremiah
and he's feeling threatened
because they say to him,
you shall die.
The verdict of the public
was that Jeremiah
was a blasphemer,
someone who spoke
what is false
in the name of the Lord
and the blasphemer
is because they threatened
the very foundation
of Israel
which was a society,
it's a theocratic nation
founded on worship
of the true God
and because of that,
it was punishable by death,
blasphemy was
in the Old Testament.
And fortunately for Jeremiah,
the court officials
are also at hand
to restore order
and initiate
a proper legal procedure
and so he says
in verse 10,
when the officials
of Judah heard
these things,
they came up
from the king's house
to the house of the Lord
and took their seat
in the entry
of the new gate
of the house of the Lord.
The commotion
has reached
the king's palace
and so the rulers
of the nation
came down to the temple
and took their seat.
That's a formal way
of saying that
they took the seat
for rendering judgment.
The court is now
in session.
And in verse 11,
the prosecution
presents their case.
This man deserves
the sentence of death
because he has prophesied
against the city
as you have heard
with your own ears.
Notice how they are
more concerned
with Jeremiah
prophesying harm
against the city
rather than with
whether or not
he is truly speaking
the word of the Lord.
Because the real issue
at hand is not
whether Jeremiah's prophecy
bodes well or ill
for Jerusalem.
The real issue
is whether Jeremiah
is speaking God's word.
Because if God
sent Jeremiah
to speak this prophecy
against Jerusalem
then he's done
nothing wrong.
Isn't that often
how we come to
scripture as well?
We're more upset
that it tells us
not to do something
that we want to do
rather than
being concerned
with whether it's
truly the word
of the Lord
that this is
what God
asks of us.
Jeremiah knows this
and so he gets
right to the heart
of the issue
in verses 12 to 13
when he as the defendant
presents his case.
The Lord sent me
to prophesy
against this house
and this city
all the words
you have heard.
Now therefore
mend your ways
and your deeds
and obey the voice
of the Lord your God
and the Lord
will relent
of the disaster
that he has
pronounced against you.
Jeremiah does not
recant anything.
Instead he doubles
down on his prophecy
and declares God's word
once again
even while he's
being tried
for blasphemy
and his very life
is unaligned.
So Jeremiah
faithfully fulfills
his prophetic role
and calls the people
to repentance.
And Jeremiah
was not unaware
of the possible
consequences
of his bold testimony
because look at
verses 14 to 15.
But as for me
behold
I am in your hands
do with me
as seems good
and right to you
only know
for certain
that if you
put me to death
you will bring
innocent blood
upon yourselves
and upon this city
and its inhabitants
for in truth
the Lord
sent me to you
to speak
all these words
in your ears.
The people
at this point
are swayed
by Jeremiah's defense
but we know
that they don't
actually repent later
so probably
they're swayed
by Jeremiah's defense
not because
of their faith
but because
of their fear
of bringing
innocent blood
upon themselves.
But regardless
they support
the official's verdict
in verse 16.
This man does not
deserve the sentence
of death
for he has spoken
to us
in the name
of the Lord
our God.
And after this verdict
is given by the officials
then we hear
the elders
kind of approval
expression of approval
in verses 18 to 19.
Micah of Moresheth
prophesied in the days
of Hezekiah king of Judah
and said to all
the people of Judah
thus says the Lord
of hosts
Zion shall be plowed
as a field
Jerusalem shall become
a heap of ruins
and the mountain
of the house
a wooded height.
Did Hezekiah king of Judah
and all Judah
put him to death?
Did he not fear the Lord
and entreat the favor
of the Lord?
And did not the Lord
relent of the disaster
that he had pronounced
against him?
But we are about
to bring great disaster
upon ourselves.
They are quoting here
from Micah chapter 3
verse 12.
Prophet Micah
like Jeremiah
had prophesied judgment
and doom
against Jerusalem
and at that point
the king and the nation
repented of their evil ways
so that God relented
of his judgment
so should they not
also do the same
is what the elders
are saying
the leaders of
the people.
It's what if Jeremiah
really is speaking
God's word
putting him to death
would bring great disaster
upon ourselves.
But lest we
mistakenly think
that the people
of Judah
and their leaders
were always
this reasonable
and sensible
Jeremiah
adds another incident
when things
didn't turn out
so well
for the prophet
of the Lord
in verses 20
to 23
there was another man
who prophesied
in the name of the Lord
Uriah the son of Shemaiah
from Kiriath-Jerim
he prophesied
against this city
and against this land
in words like
those of Jeremiah
and when King Jehoiakim
he's the present king
at the time of Jeremiah
speaking
with all his warriors
and all the officials
heard his words
the king sought
to put him to death
but when Uriah
heard of it
he was afraid
and fled
and escaped to Egypt
then King Jehoiakim
sent to Egypt
certain men
Elnathan
the son of Akbar
and others with him
and they took Uriah
from Egypt
and brought him
to King Jehoiakim
who struck him
down with the sword
and dumped his dead body
into the burial place
of the common people
this is a contemporary
of his
of Jeremiah's
another prophet
and it happened
under the same king's reign
of Jehoiakim
so even though
Jeremiah went free
this time
it didn't always
happen this way
for the Lord's prophets
because Uriah
who also prophesied
in the same way
Jeremiah did
was put to death
by King Jehoiakim
so the narrator
whether it's Jeremiah
himself
or later scribe
who organized
and put together
his prophecies
thematically
is including
this story here
to make sure
we understand
the mortal danger
that Jeremiah
put himself in
by speaking
the word of the Lord
but Jeremiah
faced a different outcome
why
verse 24
tells us
the hand
of Ahicham
the son of Shaphan
was with Jeremiah
so that he
was not given over
to the people
to be put to death
it's a wonderful
story about this family
because Shaphan
was the secretary
of King Josiah
during his reforms
Josiah was
a pious king
he loved the Lord
wanted to reform
the nation
in true worship
of God
and so Shaphan
was the secretary
to Josiah
as mentioned
in 2 Kings 22
and his family
whole family
and his sons
appear to have been
godly faithful people
because they are seen
over and over again
leveraging their political power
to shield Jeremiah
so for example
later in Jeremiah
chapter 36
another one
of Shaphan's sons
Gemariah
urges Jehoiakim
not to burn
Jeremiah's scroll
he does it anyway
but at least
he tried
right
and in chapter 39
and chapter 40
yet another one
of Shaphan's sons
Gedaliah
takes charge
of Jeremiah
and ensures
his survival
after Jerusalem
has fallen
and here
it's because
of another one
of Shaphan's sons
Ahichem
and his influence
over the official's
decision
that Jeremiah
was not handed
over to the people
to be put to death
it's not such a cool story
I wish
God give us families
like that
earlier in verse 14
remember what Jeremiah
said to the officials
behold
I am in your hands
do with me
as seems good
and right to you
but in truth
Jeremiah was never
given up
to the hands
of the mob
he was always
in God's hands
which is why
the hand of Ahichem
the son of Shaphan
was with Jeremiah
this is a fulfillment
of the promise
that God had made
to Jeremiah
at the very beginning
of his prophetic calling
in chapter 1
verses 18 to 19
God had said to him
and I
behold I
make you this day
a fortified city
in iron pillar
and bronze walls
against the whole land
against the kings of Judah
its officials
its priests
and the people of the land
they will fight against you
but they shall not prevail
against you
for
I am with you
declares the Lord
to deliver
you
the Lord
God was with Jeremiah
to deliver him
his mighty sovereign hand
was protecting
and guiding Jeremiah
so that even though
it appeared to him
as though he was
completely at the mercy
of the mob
at their hands
in reality
he was under the care
of the sovereign God
because Jeremiah
was sent by the Lord
the Lord himself
took charge of his welfare
and nothing will happen
to him outside
of God's oversight
the Lord himself
ensures that his word
will go forth
let this truth
be a comfort to you
even when you feel
you are
completely
at the mercy
of other people
in your life
whether it's your
professor
or boss
or parent
or spouse
ultimately
those who belong
to God
are under his
provident care
even when you feel
that the proclamation
of God's word
when you share
the gospel
with someone
and that it's
not going anywhere
that it's jeopardized
that it's threatened
God's word
will go forth
and accomplish
his purposes
it cannot be thwarted
and it will never
return void
but of course
that doesn't
necessarily mean
that things
will always turn out
the way
we want
right
because God's
will is not
necessarily identical
to ours
as you can see
in the contrasting
examples of Uriah
and Jeremiah
sometimes prophets
of the Lord
were put to death
other times
prophets of the Lord
were preserved
from harm
the point
that Jeremiah
is driving home
in this passage
is that we should
listen to
and speak
the word
of the Lord
even to the
point of death
Jeremiah preached
even at the risk
of his own life
because he knew
that speaking
God's word
could mean
the life
or death
of the people
of his nation
and if he
didn't warn them
of God's judgment
they would not
repent
and they would
surely perish
and in this sense
Jeremiah was
a type
of the Messiah
that was to come
his prophetic role
pointed to
and was ultimately
fulfilled by
Jesus Christ
and Hebrews 1
1-2 says this
long ago
at many times
and in many ways
God spoke to our fathers
by the prophets
but in these last days
he has spoken to us
by his son
whom he appointed
the heir of all things
through whom also
he created
the world
Jesus
the son of God
is the prophet
par excellence
he is the ultimate prophet
that all the Old Testament
prophets were pointing to
and he faithfully
speaks
the words
of God
and that's why
in John 12
Jesus says to us
the one
who rejects me
and does not receive my words
has a judge
the word that I have spoken
will judge him
on the last day
for I have not spoken
on my own authority
but the father
who sent me
has himself
given me a commandment
what to say
and what to speak
and I know
that his commandment
is eternal life
what I say
therefore
I say
as the father
has told me
Jesus spoke
what he heard
from the father
and he did not
hold back
a word
but Jesus
is more than
a prophet
he doesn't merely
declare the word
of God
he is
the word
of God
as John 1
describes
he is the word
made flesh
he is more than
a messenger
who announces
the good news
of salvation
he is himself
the embodiment
of the good news
of salvation
because Jeremiah
was a great prophet
he was a faithful prophet
and he warned
the people of Judah
about God's impending judgment
but when the people
refused
to repent
there was nothing
Jeremiah could do
to save him
but say
I warned you
but Jesus
he warns
of God's judgment
but not only that
he himself
even when
even sinners
who resist
God's will
he makes a way
for them
to return
to the Father
and be reconciled
to him
by dying
on the cross
for their
own sins
so that he
can say
for Jesus
when people
sin
and are all
yielding
and stubborn
in their sins
his response
isn't too bad
I told you already
he says
no I made a way
for you
follow me
I died
for your sins
trust in me
and I can save
you
that's
what Jesus
does
and this
is not
like
if you
are not
yet a
follower
of Jesus
Christ
I urge you
this morning
to give
your life
to him
today
to the one
who gave
his life
to save
you
and this
is not
a commitment
to take
lightly
it requires
aligning
all of your
purposes
and priorities
with God
it means
listening to
God's word
and obeying
it at all
costs
it means
losing your
life
in order
to find
it
it means
no longer
living for
yourself
but living
wholly for
God
but it's
worth it
all
and this
is an
important
reminder
for those
of us
who have
put
their faith
in Jesus
Christ
for salvation
remember
that this
is not
a casual
commitment
it's not
one thing
on your
to-do list
among many
rather
it's the
one thing
that occupies
all that
you do
Jesus
said
if anyone
would come
after me
let him
deny
himself
and take
up his
cross
and follow
me
for whoever
would save
his life
will lose
it
but whoever
loses
his life
for my
sake
and the
gospels
will save
it
do you
believe
in Jesus
Christ
enough
to stake
your entire
life
on it
to go
all in
to forsake
all
selfish
pursuits
and pursue
Jesus
only
if you try
to save
your life
if you try
to keep
some aspects
of your
life
to yourself
instead of
giving it
up to God
you will
lose it
what is
your life
about
is it
about God
or is it
about yourself
are you
working
who are you
working for
studying
for
living
for
and if
you really
believe
the gospel
of Jesus
Christ
that it
is the
power
of God
unto
salvation
then are
you willing
to risk
your life
to share
it
Boston
is one
of the
least
churched
and least
bible minded
cities
in the
US
there is
need
for the
gospel
here
that's
why we
started
this
church
here
but even
here
if people
want
to learn
about
Christ
they could
find
other
churches
that
faithfully
proclaim
the gospel
of Jesus
Christ
but there
are places
in the
world
where people
have no
way
of hearing
this gospel
preached
and some
of those
places
if you
preach the
gospel
and people
convert
it could
be their
death
it could
be your
death
are you
willing
to risk
your life
to tell
people about
Jesus
who need
to hear
it
are you
willing
to risk
your
reputation
and embarrass
yourself
sharing
the gospel
of Jesus
Christ
down the
block
with a
neighbor
or with
a co-worker
apart from
the saving
message of
Jesus
there is
no salvation
there's no
eternal life
and people
all around us
are perishing
without knowledge
of it
our own
neighbors
and friends
and family
members
and co-workers
do you
share
this good
news
of
Jesus
with
others
or do
you
keep
it
to
yourself
do
you
hold
back
the
word
maybe a
third of
you have
heard me
tell this
story a
couple
years
back
but
there's
one of my
favorite
missionary
stories
this is
Robert
Germain
Thomas
who was
a
Welsh
missionary
in
China
he
had
a
burning
desire
to
share
the
gospel
he
did
it
faithfully
in
China
but
he
also
had
a
desire
to
share
the
gospel
with
the
neighboring
nation
of
Korea
which
at
the
time
was
known
as
the
hermit
nation
and
did
not
have
gospel
witness
so he
started
studying
Korean
on his
own
in
1866
Thomas
learned
that
an
American
boat
the
German
Sherman
the
General
Sherman
was
going
to
try
to
establish
trade
relations
with
Korea
and
the
U.S.
and
so he
offered
to
accompany
the
boat
as
an
interpreter
in
exchange
for
a
chance
to
spread
the
gospel
and
as
the
ship
approached
the
coast
of
Korea
Robert
tossed
gospel
tracks
onto
the
river
bank
but
Korea
having
observed
how
some
westerners
had
mistreated
China
they were
leery of
foreigners
and so
when they
saw
this
ship
the
Korean
officials
ordered
the
American
boat
to
leave
whether
it's
through
miscommunication
or
just
stubbornness
they
didn't
leave
they defied
the
warning
and
consequently
they
were
attacked
by the
Koreans
killed
them
but
true
to
his
mission
and
counting
even
his
survival
as
secondary
to
sharing
the
gospel
Robert
Jermaine
Thomas
instead
of
running
away
left
from
the
boat
carrying
Bibles
in his
hands
and
yelling
Jesus
as
he
was
throwing
Chinese
Bibles
to
these
Korean
people
because
a lot
of
the
Koreans
spoke
Chinese
at
the
time
and
there
were
no
Korean
translations
of
the
Bible
but
sadly
he
was
promptly
beheaded
with
a
machete
that's
all
he
got
to
do
yell
Jesus
throw
some
Bibles
down
but
God
worked
in the
heart
of the
man
who
killed
Robert
Jermaine
Thomas
convinced
by
Robert's
beaming
face
at the
time
of
his
death
he
kept
one
of
the
Bibles
that
he
had
thrown
and
then
he
ripped
it
apart
to
use
it
as
wallpaper
and
God's
unstoppable
word
began
to
do
its
work
people
came
from
far
and
near
to
read
its
words
a
church
grew
and
Robert's
nephew
the
killer
the
Robert's
killer's
nephew
became
the
pastor
of
the
church
and
today
150
years
later
30%
of
South
Koreans
14
million
people
call
themselves
Christians
whoever
loses
his
life
for
Christ's
sake
and
the
gospel
sake
will
save
it
let's
be
a
church
that
listens
to
and
speaks
the
word
of
the
Lord
even
to
the
point
of
death
close
your
eyes
with
me
reflect
on
this
message
this
passage
for
a few
moments
and
we
will
pray
together
as a
church
corporately
in
response