Well, good morning, everyone.
We had, the original plan was to continue our verse-by-verse exposition in the book of Romans,
! but Nathan has a really bad pneumonia and tapped out.
! And to kind of add to that, I have been kind of groggy and struggling this morning, too.
So when I saw the text, I was like, uh, you know, like, I don't have, I basically have one hour
going into this today, so let's just see how it goes.
Um, but I remember going up in Norcross, and Norcross First Baptist, and a guy came and spoke,
and he just said, um, I can't wait for you to hear the sermon this morning,
and I hardly can't wait to hear it myself, and that's kind of how I feel at the moment.
But I'm trying to, I thought, if I had another week to kind of continue Romans 9,
what would I have talked about?
And I think I would have talked about this, but in short, it's answering the question that
if God has a people out there, if he has a people that he has, um, predestined, called,
and elected into salvation.
And a long time ago, when I was introduced to this, as someone who has a passion for the
law, a passion for evangelism, my, the question was, then why evangelize?
If God has the people out there, then why do we go out and share the gospel?
Why do people go abroad to reach the nations?
Why not just back off?
And so I began just searching the scriptures, and I was able to find so many reasons there,
and that's what I would actually like to share with you today.
And, but my, my, my zeal, my passion for missions and evangelism goes back to probably when I was
saved around 18, 19, probably, early, early college time.
And just, I, I just started hunting my friends down to kind of share the gospel.
And, uh, the Lord saved one of my best friends named Dustin, and he had just a crazy life before
we knew the Lord.
And we just started just hunting people down to share Jesus with.
Um, we actually started going through the yearbook to, like, say, oh yeah, he hadn't heard yet.
Oh yeah, we need to go find this guy.
And kind of a bull in a china closet in a lot of ways.
We meant well, but didn't really know what we were doing.
And, uh, I, I, uh, so that, but my focus during that time was, this is on my shoulders,
and I have to do this.
And it's up to me to convince unbelievers that they're in error, that they need to know Christ.
And, and if they fail to come to Christ, it might be my fault.
Uh, if I, if I don't have enough arguments, if I don't have enough persuasion.
And so there's a lot that the doctrines of grace did for me when it came to understanding how it applies to evangelism.
But, simply put, I'm going to just define evangelism for you.
Define it.
And, I think this is a biblical definition.
It says, evangelism is teaching the gospel with the aim to persuade.
Alright?
Evangelism is a teaching, a proclaiming and explaining of the gospel message from God
that leads to salvation with the aim or the hope to persuade, to convince, to convert.
And, we're going to be in the book of Acts today.
So, go ahead and open up to Acts 17.
Acts 17, and then we're also just going to get, uh,
our main text today will be in Acts 18.
But, just to show you where this definition can kind of come from.
Acts 17, if you go to verse 2,
I believe, yeah.
Acts 17, Paul, uh, is doing what he normally does,
and he's going around, he goes to synagogues,
he goes to the Jews first, typically,
and then to the Gentiles following his mission.
Sorry, this is what happens when you have an hour of preparation.
You're, like, second-guessing yourself.
Hold on one second.
Alright, we're good.
Acts 17, verse 2.
It says,
And Paul went in, and as was his custom,
and on three Sabbath days,
he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
explaining and proving that it was necessary
for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead,
and saying,
This Jesus, who I proclaim to you,
is the Christ.
And some of them were persuaded,
see that,
and joined Paul and Silas,
as did a great many of devout Greeks,
and not a few of the leading women.
So, you see this idea that it is
explaining the Gospel.
It is reasoning with people from the Word of God
that Jesus, in fact, is the Savior,
with the goal,
the aim,
to persuade,
to convince.
So,
it's impossible to coerce somebody
into being a Christian.
It's impossible to trick somebody
into being a Christian.
They only can be persuaded
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
So, that's where we get our definition from.
But, in our context today,
I want you to jump down to chapter 18.
And this is when Paul is in Corinth.
And,
we see a lot here about,
I would say,
why we evangelize.
And I think I grew up,
I would say that some of my reasons
for evangelizing,
like,
weren't always the best.
And especially when you apply
God's sovereignty
in the role of evangelism.
And,
this is one of those texts,
I think,
contains
at least four different motivations
or drives for evangelism.
If we believe in God's sovereignty.
So,
I'm going to break it up for you.
We're going to just do a quick run through
of the story.
Stop and explain a little bit.
And then we're going to go to the end.
And,
kind of give some application
for why we ought
to share the gospel
if we have those convictions
that God is sovereign over salvation.
Alright?
So,
number one,
scene one,
is Paul's arrival
and initial mission.
Alright?
Scene one is Paul's arrival
and initial mission.
We see this in chapter 18.
We'll go one through four.
It says,
After this,
Paul left Athens
and went to Corinth.
He found a Jew
named Aquila,
a native of Pontus,
recently come from Italy
with his wife Priscilla,
because Claudius
had commanded
all the Jews
to leave Rome.
And he went to see them,
and because he was
one of the same trade,
he stayed with them
and worked,
for they were tent makers
by trade.
And he reasoned
in the synagogue
every Sabbath
and tried to persuade
Jews and Greeks.
So you see that
repetition of him
going to
a new place,
a new city,
and he would go
to the synagogue first
because those were the Jews
who,
they at least had some context
for what he was going
to talk about.
The scriptures,
the Messiah,
so he always started there
and he sought to persuade them.
Now,
Corinth,
if you know your geography,
is a little south of Athens,
about 46 miles south of Athens.
And it was,
again,
sort of a Roman colony.
But,
you know,
I'll spare you all
the long history lesson,
but it was a big trade center,
merchant center,
and some of you are aware
that there was a huge temple there,
the Temple of Aphrodite.
So,
sexual immorality
was rampant
and
Corinth.
And it was kind of known
as like the sin city
in one way
of the Roman Empire.
It was a very dark,
tempting
place to be
where all kind of sin
was just celebrated
out in the open
with no shame
at all.
So,
there was sin
definitely in every Roman colony
as we would be aware of,
but like,
even the Romans
had this sense of
Corinth
is really bad.
and so it was
a very hot
place to be.
But,
a critical point
where the gospel,
if Paul was able
to plant a church there,
could go all over the empire
with the sailing,
the merchants,
and all the different
commerce that came through.
So,
yeah,
but he says he met
Aquila
and Priscilla.
There's actually
an extra-biblical
Roman source
that actually says
that,
yeah,
Claudius
did expel
all the Jews
from Rome.
So,
that goes along
what we see here.
And we see that
in addition to
support raising,
Paul occasionally
stops in a place
and works,
and he was a tent maker.
We kind of can forget
that about Paul.
We just think that
people just send him
all this money
all the time.
But there were times
that he stayed
where he was
for a long time
and made money
on his own
to support himself.
So,
that's
scene one.
Paul's arrival
and initial mission.
Alright?
This is scene two.
Number two.
The arrival of Silas
and Timothy
and then Jewish
opposition.
We'll see this
in five and six.
When Silas
and Timothy
arrived from Macedonia,
Paul was occupied
with the word,
testifying to the Jews
that the Christ
was Jesus.
and when they
opposed
and reviled him,
he shook off
his garments
and said to them,
your blood
be on your own heads.
I am innocent.
From now on,
I will go
to the Gentiles.
Alright,
so let's stop there.
a lot of people
have this wrong idea
of Paul
that he was just
like the lone
ranger Christian.
He was always
just out there
on his own
doing his thing.
And I've seen
other missionaries
try to model that.
Well,
Paul was by himself.
I'm like,
yeah,
but you're not
Paul number one.
Number two,
Paul had the church
wherever he went.
And he had other
believers that tried
to go and support him.
So unless he was
like providentially
isolated by God,
he had other people
with him.
So that's important
to remember.
And so you had
Priscilla and Aquila.
They came from Rome
and they came together
to encourage one another.
And then you see
he continued
just going to
the synagogue,
reasoning with them,
trying to testify
that the Christ
was Jesus.
And at some point
they said,
no,
we're done.
They reviled him.
They attacked him.
Tried to tear him down.
All right?
So just imagine this.
Paul had a very weak
physical presence.
I don't know if y'all
are aware of that.
If you read 1 Corinthians,
you'll just kind of see.
He wasn't this big,
strong,
handsome-looking guy
who could deliver
a great speech.
He was not probably
very attractive
to the eyes.
He wasn't the most eloquent.
He says that.
So he was in there
trying to persuade them.
And they basically said,
you know,
get out of here.
And he responds
very strongly.
And he says,
look at that,
verse 6,
your blood be on
your own heads.
I am innocent.
From now on,
I will go to the Gentiles.
Okay?
So,
excuse me,
we have this idea,
right,
that if God is
sovereign in salvation,
that that kind of
frees man of his
responsibility to go
and to share the gospel.
Very clearly,
right here,
this is the same man
who wrote Romans 9,
by the way.
He understands
that there's some weight
and responsibility
on him
to go and be that
instrument to share
the gospel.
And he kind of
gives us
a recollection
of a prophet,
Ezekiel.
If you want to,
I'll save us some time,
but write this down.
Ezekiel 33,
1 through 9.
And this is
the picture
of the watchman
on the wall.
Okay?
And,
so back in ancient times,
cities were fortified.
They always were
under threat of attack.
And there would be
guards or watchmen
posted on the walls
day and night.
And,
if they saw an enemy
coming,
they saw danger coming,
it was their responsibility
to blow the trumpet
and to warn people,
warn the city,
that enemies
were approaching.
Alright?
And if he blew the trumpet
and they ignored him,
then,
he says in Ezekiel,
that their blood
will be on their own heads.
Right?
And,
but if the watchman
fell asleep
or was derelict
in his duty
and the enemy came,
then their blood,
the city's blood,
will be on the watchman's head.
So,
pretty,
pretty serious stuff.
Right?
And,
so what we see
in Ezekiel
was God was telling him,
impending judgment
is coming.
I want you to warn
the people
that judgment
is coming.
You are a watchman
on the wall
and if you fail
to do this,
then their blood
will be on your head.
And,
and if they fail
to listen to you
and repent,
then the blood
will be on their head.
So,
we see
that imagery here
of Paul
going in
and he's pleading
with them.
He's reasoning
with them.
You know what?
And then he gets
to that point
and he goes,
you know what?
Blood be on
your own head.
I am free
of my weightiness
to that.
Very,
very much so.
Responsibility
of us to go
and share
is clearly seen here.
Right?
So we get to
first,
or excuse me,
I just threw this
together in an hour.
This isn't something
I've had together
before.
or so.
Scene three.
Number three.
We see
conversion
and empowerment.
Alright?
Conversion
and empowerment.
Verse seven.
He left there
and went to the house
of a man named
Titius Justice,
a worshiper of God.
His house
was next door
to the synagogue.
Crispus,
the ruler
of the synagogue,
believed in the Lord.
together with all,
with his entire
household.
And many of the
Corinthians
hearing Paul
believed and were
baptized.
And the Lord
said to Paul
one night
in a vision,
Do not be afraid,
but go on speaking
and do not be silent,
for I am with you
and you are my people.
And he stayed
a year and six months
teaching the word
of God.
Failed to do this
with the title
of today's message
is
there are many
in this city
who are my people.
That's the message here.
And
so what we're going
to take from this
that said was
there was conversion
and empowerment.
So as soon as
Paul is rejected
from the synagogue,
like we,
you know,
leave,
he says,
alright,
blood be on your own heads.
He goes to the next,
the house,
the next door.
And
what's amazing
is
he converts
namely the pastor
of that synagogue
converts to leader
of that synagogue.
And
just the irony
of that.
And so
so
then
the guy's household
is baptized
and other
Corinthians
as well.
You just have to
put yourself
in the place
of Paul.
This has been
a hard place
so far,
but in a vision
one night
God came to him
and he encouraged
him to stay there.
Alright,
don't leave,
stay there.
I have purpose
for you being there.
This is not
by accident.
Remain in Corinth.
Alright,
so
so if you think
about it now,
that synagogue
is without a leader.
So they have to
find another leader
because that leader
just became
a follower
of Christ.
So that leads us
to seem
four.
This is
persecution,
compassion,
and conversion.
Alright?
Verse 12,
but when Galio,
who is proconsul
of Achaia,
the Jews
made a united
attack on Paul
and brought him
before the tribunal,
so this is like
the Gentile
Roman rulers,
saying,
this man
is persuading
people to worship
God contrary
to our law.
But when Paul
was about to
open his mouth,
Galio said
to the Jews,
if it were
a matter of
wrongdoing
or vicious crime,
O Jews,
I have a reason
to accept
your complaint.
But since
it is a matter
of questions
about words
and names
and your own law,
see to it yourselves.
I refuse to be
a judge of these things.
And he drove
them from the tribunal.
And they seized
Sosthenes,
the ruler
of the synagogue
and beat him
in front of the tribunal.
But Galio
paid no attention
to any of this.
Alright?
So,
to paraphrase
this story,
so,
if you want
to think about it,
like,
the new pastor,
the interim pastor
of this synagogue,
got all the Jews
riled up
and said,
let's go get them.
Let's go get them
punished.
This kind of
worked for Jesus.
Let's see if this
will work for Paul.
And so,
they dragged Paul
to Galio,
who was the Roman
leader that was there,
the proconsul.
And they said,
hey,
he's stirring up
a bunch of trouble.
He's causing people
to worship God
that's contrary
to our laws.
And this was actually
pretty common.
Like,
Pilate actually did
the same thing.
He was like,
this is just stuff
that has to do
with your own religion.
As long as he's not
breaking our law,
we don't really care.
Just like what
a lot of their
response was
for a long time
from the Gentile
rulers.
So they were like,
just quit causing
a fuss.
And Paul was actually
about to make his
defense,
and that proconsul
cut him off
and said,
this is ridiculous.
Like,
just get out of here.
Like,
I'm throwing out
the charges.
You know,
please leave.
Get out.
And drove them
out from the
tribunal.
Right?
So Paul's just
sort of like,
so imagine Paul
being outside this
place.
Alright?
So he's been
acquitted,
in essence.
And he looks over
and he sees
the new pastor
of this synagogue.
I'm just paraphrasing.
The new leader
of the synagogue.
They turn on him
and they beat him.
That's pretty wild,
right?
So,
don't ever do that
to a new pastor
in your church.
Unless he's
preaching heresy.
So then,
I want you to think
about Paul.
Like,
put yourself
in Paul's
mind.
What would you
be thinking
at that moment?
Like,
serves you right.
Mess with God's
messenger,
that's what happens.
You could be
vengeful about it.
You could be
spiteful.
Like,
yeah,
you led an attack
on me and boy
did that backfire.
Now instead of me
getting beaten,
you're getting
beaten.
You could have
that approach.
I think my
sinful flesh,
if any of you
know me,
would probably be
tempted to feel
that way
sometimes.
But,
what happens?
It doesn't
really say
right here in
Acts,
but,
what I like
to think
was that
Paul saw
this man
and
was broken
for him,
was broken
for Sosthenes,
was moved
by compassion
to go and
help him
after being,
you know,
beaten and rejected
by his own
people.
That Paul said,
hey,
you know,
come with me
and began
sharing the
gospel with
him.
I can take
a wild guess
at that
because if you
look at,
turn over to
1 Corinthians
really quickly.
1 Corinthians
chapter 1.
So Paul is
in Corinth
in which
eventually a
church is
planted.
If you look
at 1 Corinthians,
the first
letter he
wrote to
that church,
look at
verse 1.
It says,
Paul,
called by
the will
of God
to be an
apostle of
Christ Jesus
and our
brother
Sosthenes.
Pretty
cool.
Pretty sure
this is the
same guy,
but that's
why I think
like Paul
has moved
to not
mock this
guy,
but to
show him
compassion
and to
share the
gospel with
him.
And eventually
he went
from being
a leader
in the
synagogue
to being
a leader
in the
church,
which is
why he
was
addressed
right at
the beginning
of 1 Corinthians.
So you
can flip
back over.
Alright,
so there's
a lot in
all this
stuff,
but from
this text,
I'm going
to try to
give you
four reasons
that drive
me personally
to share
the gospel
as someone
who believes
in God's
election,
God's
choosing,
God's
sovereignty
over salvation.
And
some of
you,
you know,
we love
reading good
books,
we love
listening to
good sermons,
most people
in this
church.
But isn't
it special
when you
just sit
down and
dive into
the word
on a
particular
thing and
you see
so many
things on
your own
without any
kind of
aid or
help?
This was
this for
me many
years ago.
I began
just putting
this together.
So why
evangelize?
Reason number
one,
alright,
is seen
in verses
5 and
6.
This idea
of rescuing
them.
If we
remember Romans
9 verses
1 through
5 where
Paul said
that he
wishes that
he was
accursed,
his fellow
Jews could
be saved.
But if
we are
truly converted,
if we truly
have the
Holy Spirit
in us,
that comes
with new
affections and
new desires
for God that
we did not
have before.
And one of
those is,
we can't just
look around at
the broken and
lost world
around us and
unbelievers and
just say,
eh, no big
deal.
It weighs
on us
that we
see their
brokenness and
their pain and
their suffering
around us with
a life without
God.
And God's
people should
desire to go
and rescue
them.
Alright?
The Scripture
says in Proverbs
24 verse 11,
rescue those
who are being
taken away to
death.
Hold back
those who
are stumbling
towards
slaughter.
Jude 1,
22 and
23,
have mercy
on those
who doubt
and save
others by
snatching them
from the
fire.
That's
command,
right?
And some
of you may
feel this for
lost loved
ones,
may feel this
for lost
friends,
and all
that's in
you is just
pleading with
them,
right?
To come and
be reconciled
to God.
But if we
have no desire
for others to
be saved,
that tells us
something about
the gospel
that we claim
to believe.
It exposes
our conviction,
alright?
What we
actually believe.
We can't be
quiet about it.
So that's
just one reason.
This is a
big one.
Point number
two,
why evangelize.
It's a means
to the greatest
ends.
Okay?
It's a means
to the greatest
ends.
Submissions
and evangelism
are commanded
by God
because He's
chosen the
preaching of
the gospel
to be the
means to
bring salvation
to His
people scattered
abroad.
This is His
design.
Alright?
And
where I'm
going with
this is
that
God's
election
ensures that
our efforts
and missions
and evangelism
are not just
left to chance
to coincidence
that Christ's
blood was not
spilt needlessly.
It emboldens
Christians knowing
that God has
a people
out there
that He is
going to use
that messenger,
that evangelist,
whoever it is,
to reach them
to bring them
in.
Alright?
Now we see
this in our
text in
verses 9-11.
Look at it
again.
That vision
that Paul had.
Do not be
afraid,
God said,
but go on
speaking.
Do not be
silent,
for I am
with you
and no one
will attack
you to harm
you.
For I have
many in
this city
who are
my people.
And He
stayed a year
and six months
teaching the
word of God
among them.
Alright,
big question.
Is there
a church
in Corinth
already?
Are we
aware of
a church
in Corinth?
Nope.
Paul just
arrived.
He just
got there.
There is
no church.
There is
no established
church,
no Christians.
So why
would God
say,
I have
many in
this city
who are
my people?
Alright?
And again,
Paul was
discouraged.
Paul was
frustrated.
And I
know I
can speak
for the
Andersons
because I
know Caleb
very,
very well.
It's a
personal drive
to know
that God
has a
people in
Southeast Asia
that He's
going to
use them
to reach.
It's not
just like,
well,
coincidence,
I hope so.
It's not
wishful thinking.
It drives
us to
share the
gospel.
Now,
let me give
you some
other verses
that support
this.
In John
10,
16,
Jesus says,
I have
other sheep
that are
not of
this fold.
He means
Israel.
Right?
I must
bring them
in also,
and they
will listen
to my
voice,
so there
will be
one flock
with one
shepherd.
So meaning
that there
are a
people scattered
abroad that
need to be
brought in
to the
full number
of God's
flock.
John
11,
51 and
52,
where
Caiaphas
prophesies
about the
death of
Jesus.
Now,
it says,
he did not
say this
on his own
accord,
but being
the high
priest that
year,
he prophesied
that Jesus
would die
for the
nation.
Then John
inserts this
interpretation
of that event.
He says,
and not for
the nation
only,
but also
to gather
into one
the children
of God
who were
scattered
abroad.
Right?
So meaning
that God
has a
people out
there,
and this
drove Paul.
Like,
he says
in 2 Timothy
2,
10,
Paul says,
why does
Paul go
through all
that he
goes through?
Good question.
Why is he
beaten?
Why is he
forsaken?
Why is he
starved?
Why does
he lose
everything for
Jesus?
And then he
says it right
here.
He says,
I endure
everything for
the sake
of the
elect,
that they
also may
obtain the
salvation.
Some of you
have heard
this analogy,
so oh well,
if you've
heard it
before,
I'm going
to share
it again.
But when
I was in
college at
North Georgia,
my senior
year,
this was
probably
2006,
maybe,
Wes
Shonat and
I were
asked by
a club
on campus
called the
Gay
Straight
Alliance.
So it's
like homosexuals
and straight
people who
are trying to
hang out and
like get to
understand each
other,
kind of club.
It still
exists today,
it's under a
different name,
I just found
out.
But we were
asked to come
and share about
what the Bible
says about
homosexuality.
me and Wes
were like,
okay.
And so
we got
there on
campus and
this room
was packed,
I mean,
there was a
lot of
people in
this room.
For those
students who
were here,
it's in
Newton Oaks,
the classroom
that has
little decks
that go up.
We're in the
very back,
we just got
there late,
we're in the
very back.
And so
basically,
you know,
we're walking
there pretty
nervous.
I do most
of the talking,
if y'all know
Wes,
like Wes,
whatever Wes
says is just
like,
you know,
he doesn't say
a lot,
but when he
does,
it's just like
he just nails
it.
So he was
like picking
up my
messes as
I went.
But I
want you to
put your
stuff in my
position for a
minute,
right?
I feel like
you're walking
into the
lion's den,
sort of.
And,
but I
prayed on
the way
there a
lot,
and even
while I
was there.
But I
want you to
just imagine
this.
Imagine I
pray and I
think,
do you,
what's going
to happen?
Like,
Lord,
I'm nervous,
like what's
going to
happen?
How would
it make you
feel if God
replied,
I don't
know.
I'll be
sure to do
a good job
of sharing
the gospel.
Don't mess
it up.
Like,
hopefully,
me and
Jesus and
the Holy
Spirit will
keep our
fingers crossed
and hopefully
somebody will
listen to you
and give their
life to Jesus.
But I have
no idea.
I go,
oh,
it would be
like a
really scary
prospect.
But,
thankfully,
that's not
how it is.
Right?
Now,
I'll give you
the other
scenario.
God answers
instead,
hey,
I know
you're scared,
I know
you're nervous,
people are
going to
make fun
of you,
people are
going to
mock you,
but stick
with it.
I'm going
to be there
and I'm
going to
help you.
I'm going
to use
the words
that come
out of
your mouth
to save
three people
in that
room.
Like,
if I knew
that God
was going
to work,
it would
drive me
to go.
Does that
make sense?
It gives
you confidence
to go.
It doesn't
discourage you
to go.
This means
that his
mission,
the blood
of Christ,
is not
spilt by
accident.
It's not
wasted.
He has a
people that
he's going
to save.
He said
three times
in John
17,
those whom
you have
given me
out of the
world,
he says
that to
the Father,
my sheep
hear my
voice.
Right?
And so
God was
saying,
I have
many in
this city
who are
my people.
Go.
Proclaim.
Don't be
afraid.
I'm going
to use
what you
say,
the gospel
coming out
of your
mouth,
to bring
them to
faith.
And that's
why Paul
says,
I endure
all things
for the
sake of
the elect.
Right?
So that's
a huge
one.
It's the
means to
the greatest
end.
God has
ordained
the ends,
which is
the salvation
of souls.
He's also
ordained the
way that
is to
happen.
So we
see there,
you know,
Romans 10,
like,
we must
send people.
This is
what drives
us to
go.
All right?
Thirdly,
that was the
longest one.
Thirdly,
the proclamation
of God's
glory in
the gospel.
All right?
If you look
at verse 5,
he says that
Paul was
bearing witness,
he was
testifying that
Jesus was
the Christ,
the Christ
was Jesus.
All right?
And so the
gospel is a
heralding
thing.
You go and
you proclaim
the greatness
and glory
of God
and salvation.
You put
his glory
on display
when you
share the
gospel.
You talk
about his
grace.
You talk
about redemption,
the forgiveness
we have
because of
what Christ
has accomplished
by the
shedding of
his blood.
And God
desires to
save a
people from
every tribe,
language,
and nation.
And he
will do it.
It's not like
we hope
he will.
He will.
He has
bought these
people with
his blood.
So it is
about proclaiming
the greatness
and glory of
God in the
gospel.
That God
desires that
praise from
every nation,
every group,
every tongue,
so that the
children of God
will one day
come together
and proclaim
his glory in
heaven.
All right?
I'll back that
up.
Psalm 67,
2 and 4.
that your
way may be
known on
the earth,
your saving
power among
the nations.
Let the
peoples praise
you,
O God.
Let all the
peoples praise
you.
Let the
nations be
glad and
sing for
joy,
for you
judge the
peoples with
equity.
And in the
most well-known
Revelation 7,
right?
I looked and
behold a great
multitude that
no one could
number from
every nation,
from all the
tribes and
peoples and
languages,
standing before
the throne and
before the
Lamb,
clothed in
white robes,
with palm
branches in
their hands,
and crying out
with a loud
voice,
salvation belongs
to our God
who sits on
the throne and
to the Lamb.
That's the
goal.
We're bringing
in these people
from all the
nations,
to gather
before the
throne.
Livingston,
a missionary
into Africa,
he wrote to
his wife,
I know that
you wish as
ardently as
I that the
whole earth
will be filled
with the
glory of
the Lord.
That is
our drive.
And then
the last
apple,
well,
joy
inexpressible.
All right?
God has
given us the
privilege of
being his
messengers,
the privilege.
John Newton
said that he
was shocked
that not only
God would
save him,
but then he
would give
him the
privilege of
being the
messenger of
the same
gospel that
saved him.
Like that is
something that
ought to try
to accord with
us.
That we are
messengers of
that message
that saved
us.
And that our
hearts should be
filled with
such love and
joy and
gratitude for
God and what
he's done for
us that it
spills out onto
other people who
are around us.
If it's just
simply a duty
and a command,
you'll quit.
It'll get
boring, it'll get
old, it won't
be worth it.
But guess
what?
We talk about
what we love.
Pretty simple.
We spend our
money on it, we
spend our time
on it, and we
talk about what
we love.
We talk about
sports.
We talk about
other hobbies.
And we talk
about the stuff
that is near and
dear to us.
It comes out of
our mouth.
We talk about
the people that
we love.
Right?
If you don't
talk about the
Lord, there's just
something there.
I'm not making
any kind of
hard line
inference.
But Jesus
says, I'm
the overflow
of the heart.
The mouth
speaks.
So what do
you talk
about?
And if
Christ is the
love of our
life, if he is
all to us, we
will talk about
him.
And we'll talk
about him
indiscriminately
around people.
I love this in
Jeremiah
verse 20, I
mean chapter 20
verse 9.
Jeremiah says,
if I will
say, it is in
my heart as it
were a burning
fire shut up in
my bones, and I
am weary of
holding it in, and
indeed I cannot.
You feel that
way?
Or you think
about James and
Peter and John
when they were
dragged before the
synagogue in Acts
4.
And they say,
stop talking about
Jesus.
And they say,
well, whether it's
right in the sight
of God for us to
listen to you
rather than to
God, you must
judge.
But for we cannot
help to speak
what we have seen
and heard.
They have to.
They're compelled
to speak about it.
So it overflows
from us.
It completes our
joy to talk about
the one that we
love.
So those reasons,
one of those
reasons alone will
be enough.
But I've given you
four.
Right?
So God has a
people that we
ought to go and
reach.
And this isn't
for just people
who do full-time
marriage like me,
Nathan, Josh in
the back.
Like, we are all
meant to be heralds
of the good news.
We have different
time.
We have different
capacities.
But there's people
that you're around
that I will never
see.
Right?
And we are meant
to bear witness to
them about the
Son of God.
In what capacity
God has given you
to do that?
To be faithful to
that.
Be prayerful.
So in
clothing,
I want to just
challenge us to
think about how
the Lord saved
our soul.
I occasionally
like to do this.
Maybe reach out
with somebody this
week that was
instrumental in
bringing you to
know the Lord.
A parent, a
friend, a loved
one, a teacher,
a coach, whoever
it is.
And just thank
them for being
faithful to share
with you.
And I hope that
this has been
encouraging.
I hope that this
has given you a
desire to go with
confidence to go
and fulfill God's
mission.
He will do it.
He's going to do
it with or without
you.
Alright?
So why not be
faithful and be a
partaker of that
mission and experience
the joy of that
mission and have
eternal reward with
the Lord one day.
Let's pray together.