WEBVTT

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 in a very different setting, a very different part of the world.

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 So let us now turn to God's Word. We're going to read from Revelation.

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 Remember the call to worship was Matthew 28. Revelation 7 is our text this evening,

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 really, or it's really, I would say, two bookends. Revelation chapter 7,

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 and we're going to read there from verse 9. After this, I looked. And if you remember Revelation,

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 if you think of a theater, if you've ever been to the theater, you go to the theater and you have a

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 curtain that's down. When the house lights dim, the curtain goes up, and you see then what's behind

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 the curtain. The Apostle John is given a glimpse behind the curtain. He's able to see that which

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 is going on and able to see that which lies ahead. And he gives us that same glimpse. So what he sees,

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 we see. What he has experienced, we join in. After this, I looked. And there before me was a great

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 multitude that no one could count. From every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the

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 throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands,

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 and they cried out in a loud voice, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.

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 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures.

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 They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God saying, Amen, praise and glory and

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 wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen. Then one of the

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 elders asked me, these in white robes, who are they and where did they come from? I answered,

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 Sir, you know. And he said, these are they who have come out of the great tribulation.

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 They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before

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 the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple. And he who sits on the throne will

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 shelter them with his presence. Never again will they hunger. Never again will they thirst.

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 The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne

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 will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear

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 from their eyes. Amen. And may God bless to us this reading of his word.

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 There are some situations that seem so impossible, so improbable. The resources seem so few, the challenges

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 seem so great, as if it were absurd to consider that anything possible could happen, let alone anything

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 approaching success. The call to worship was Matthew chapter 28, which was the Great Commission.

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 Now, I know that there's a series of films, there used to be a television show, that was entitled

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 Mission Impossible. If there ever was a mission that was impossible, it was this commission that the Lord

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 Jesus gave to his disciples as they were gathered together before his return to heaven. Jesus Christ

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 is telling these eleven that he has a work for them to do. And it's quite simple in its telling,

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 that he says to these people, I want you to make disciples of all the nations. If you know the New

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 Testament, the book of Acts tells us that there were 120 gathered together in prayer at the time of,

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 just after the ascension of Jesus. So you've got the eleven, eleven of the twelve disciples left. You've got

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 120 believers. And Jesus says, I want you to make this world and its people my disciples. I want you to

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 go to the north. I want you to go to the south. I want you to go to the east. I want you to go to the west.

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 I want you to go and make disciples of all the nations. How impossible. How challenging. You know,

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 it's scarcely imaginable. Now on a personal level, I'm reminded of an illustration. You know,

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 it's a good illustration that you remember 20 years later. And the preacher was known to many of us,

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 Kenny MacDonald. And he was talking about the challenge of evangelism because the numbers seem

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 so great and the resources seem so few. And I want to, first and foremost this evening, I want to remind

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 us that the key evangelist is not you or me. That's Jesus. He does his work. But he does his work

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 through people like, no, not just people like you and me. He does his people work through you and me.

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 So Kenny used this illustration. He said the tide along a beach had receded quickly. And the beach was

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 covered in starfish. And the scene must not be Scotland because it was a scorching summer day.

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 And the tide that receded left these starfish there on the beach to shrivel and to die in the hot

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 noonday sun. And a boy was walking along the beach and he would look, he would stop, bend down,

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 pick up a starfish and throw it back into the sea. And a man was walking in the opposite direction.

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 Much wiser, of course, than this small child. And he said to the kid, what are you doing?

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 Kid said, I'm throwing starfish back into the sea. He said, you think you can throw all these starfish

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 back into the sea? Do you think you can make any difference? And the kid said, well, picked up some

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 starfish, threw it back into the sea, made a difference for that one. Now you see, sometimes

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 when we're confronted with something so big, we are tempted to give up without doing anything.

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 We are tempted to say, not me, not now, not here. This is just too broad of a commission.

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 This is too great of a challenge. We are too few. We are too small. But notice that the commission,

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 though given to people, actually is all about Jesus. He's the speaker and he is the one who speaks

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 with power and with presence. In my experience, I remember we often get visitors in HMP Edinburgh.

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 We get people that want to come in and speak to the prisoners. And it's a great privilege because

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 you get to meet all different kinds of people from all different kinds of backgrounds. One of the most

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 memorable visitors was a fellow prison chaplain. That might not sound all that exciting. But this

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 chaplain was chaplain in a particular prison. It was called Robben Island. And he was the personal

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 chaplain to one particular prisoner. And that prisoner was a Nobel Peace Prize winner named Nelson

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 Mandela. And the chaplain came in and spoke to the guys. And he said the most common quotation or phrase

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 that Nelson Mandela used was this. It always seems impossible until it is done. So what's Jesus

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 saying? First and foremost in the Great Commission, we often can focus on verse 19, go and make disciples.

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 But if you focus on verse 19 without 18 or 20, you're going to be lost. Jesus came to them and said,

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 all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Now when Jesus says all, he means all. He

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 doesn't mean some. He doesn't mean most. He doesn't mean almost all. It means that all authority and power

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 is vested in him. He has plenipotentiary power. There is no one with that kind of power. Every power

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 on earth is by definition limited. President of the United States is often described as the most

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 powerful person on the planet. Yes and no. That person's power is limited. Four years, eight years,

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 presidents eventually die. The power and authority that Jesus has is what he says it is. It is absolutely

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 unlimited. So unlimited power, unlimited authority vested in one person and not only do we have power,

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 but we have a character here that is remarkable. I think it was Lord Acton, the historian in the 19th

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 century who famously said, power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Yes, with one exception.

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 Jesus Christ has absolute power and absolute authority and his character is absolutely conformed to the

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 character of God because he is God. There is nothing in his exercise of power that in any way contradicts or

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 conflicts with his character and with his nature. So ultimate power, ultimate authority and notice in verse 20,

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 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.

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 So this is the sandwich around which circles the commission that's given to God's people.

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 The power of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and the presence of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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 Powerful and present. So therefore we never do anything alone. So this evening I'm speaking right now and in a sense it feels very much isolated.

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 I'm doing something and you're listening but I'm told that if I am presenting God's word that he accompanies the proclamation of his word

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 with his presence, with his blessing and with his promise so that what I appear to be doing on my own,

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 I do not do on my own, not my own wisdom, not my own strength, not my own message.

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 And that's a wonderful encouragement. So whether you go out with the caravan on a Tuesday night,

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 whether you share the gospel with your friend over a cup of coffee, whether you invite a friend to church,

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 whatever it might be, you never serve alone. You never serve in your strength.

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 You never serve with your power or with your authority.

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 So Matthew chapter 28, this great commission, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

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 Now statistics are difficult.

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 But what I've heard and what I think to be true is the first 19 centuries of the Christian church,

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 first 1900 years, the Christian church had approximately 2.5% of the world's population.

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 Now 2.5% is a small percentage but if you're dealing with a big number, it's still a big number of people.

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 So 19 centuries to get 2.5%.

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 I'm told that it took only 70 years to double that from 1900 to 1970 and probably another 30 years to double that.

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 Missiologists think roughly that we're dealing with 12.5% to 15% of the world's population is Christian today.

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 Again, big numbers, growing numbers.

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 But it gives you a sense that this impossible mission is being fulfilled in our day and in our age even if we don't see it.

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 Even if we don't perceive it.

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 You see, God is faithful.

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 He's faithful to his word.

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 He's faithful to his promise.

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 And what he plans and purposes, he delivers.

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 So the Great Commission, Matthew 28, is mission impossible.

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 And we turned to Revelation chapter 7 very briefly.

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 Mission accomplished.

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 Verse 9,

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 Go and make disciples of all the nations.

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 What is a disciple?

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 A disciple is a learner.

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 Jesus is the teacher.

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 A disciple is a worshiper.

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 Jesus is the object of worship.

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 And what do we see in glory?

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 We see a multitude.

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 And it's so big that we can't count.

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 I've worked in an accounting firm.

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 I've dealt with large numbers.

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 There are people who deal with very large budgets.

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 Budgets that have eight zeros or nine zeros or ten zeros.

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 So there's big numbers out there, people.

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 And we're told that the number of those that are in heaven are so multitude, so many, that they cannot be counted.

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 And notice the diversity.

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 Every nation.

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 Every tribe.

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 Every people.

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 Every language.

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 Mission accomplished.

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 John wants us to see that the commission will one day be fully and completely accomplished.

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 Yes, through the instruments of you and me, God's people.

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 The prayers that we pray.

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 The words that we speak.

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 The money that we give.

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 Yes.

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 But ultimately, the one who gave the commission is the one that guarantees the commission.

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 The one with all power and authority in heaven on earth.

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 And the one who is present now until the end of the age will be present at the end of the age.

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 And he will be the object of worship.

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 And he will be the object of praise.

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 And notice that the diversity is there.

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 And I love this because it's hard.

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 When we look at the world, when it says, go and make disciples of all the nations.

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 Do we think of political states?

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 Do we think of members of the United Nations?

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 Do we think of those countries that send people to the Olympics?

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 Because those numbers are relatively small.

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 Roughly 200-ish nation states that exist.

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 Or do we think of much smaller units?

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 There are about 16,000 or 17,000 people groups in the world.

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 And I think what we have here is a much more diverse number.

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 Because it's not just, let's say, the nation of India or Brazil.

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 These large nations that contain many indigenous people groups.

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 But it seems as if every language group is represented.

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 It seems as if every tribe is represented.

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 It seems as if every people group is represented.

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 So that it can be said that in those places in the world today where Jesus is not known, he will be known.

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 And those places and tribes and language groups in this world where Jesus is not yet worshipped, he will be worshipped.

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 Hudson Taylor, the great missionary pioneer to China.

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 He said there are three stages to every great work of God.

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 First, it is impossible.

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 Then, it is difficult.

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 Then, it is done.

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 Taylor had a vision of reaching China.

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 And when he embarked and eventually founded the China Inland Mission, there was work.

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 Work had been done in China.

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 A very early Christian missionary, Robert Morrison of Canton, had established a Chinese-English dictionary.

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 He had translated the New and the Old Testament into Chinese.

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 And there were outposts, particularly along the coasts.

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 But there was very little work inland.

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 So, China Inland Mission.

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 By the time of 1949, when a political change of significant magnitude occurred in the nation of China,

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 it was estimated that there were one million Chinese believers.

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 Now, the rationale of a new regime was Christianity is a Western religion.

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 Christianity is funded by the West.

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 And Christianity is propagated by Western leaders.

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 Let's get rid of the Western missionaries.

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 Let's get rid of the Western organizations.

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 And we'll get rid of the Western religion.

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 And, in a sense, it worked.

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 Because a church of one million Chinese believers in 1949 no longer exists.

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 It seems that the Chinese people are far better at evangelizing Chinese people than Westerners were.

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 And the church of one million is probably a hundred.

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 It's impossible to estimate.

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 But a hundred million?

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 More than a hundred million?

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 You see, God has a way of using adverse circumstances to his advantage.

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 Doesn't seem to make sense, does it?

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 Get rid of the money.

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 Get rid of the missionaries.

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 Get rid of the organization.

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 Get rid of the church.

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 Get rid of the Christian faith.

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 And, actually, that's a catalyst for multiplication.

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 God has a way of doing strange things in strange ways to achieve his perfect purposes.

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 And notice that not only is there a number there, a huge number, but notice what isn't there.

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 And this comes at the end of the passage.

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 This is just really a whistle-stop tour because I could spend much more time on every part of Revelation chapter 7.

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 Notice who's there.

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 Great multitude, every language, nation, tribe, and tongue.

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 But notice what isn't there.

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 Verse 16.

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 Never again will they hunger.

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 Never again will they thirst.

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 The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat.

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 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd.

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 He will lead them to springs of living water.

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 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

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 In this world, there are those who have no shelter.

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 Those who have no food.

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 Those who have no sustainable source of water.

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 Those who are exposed to the elements.

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 Those who have danger and tears at every turn.

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 On that day, the tears will be wiped away.

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 On that day, the scorching sun will no longer beat.

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 On that day, the hunger and the thirst will disappear.

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 Why?

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 Because they are in the presence of the one who is the source of springs of living water.

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 In a previous generation, God raised up a group of preachers who were on fire.

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 They were called enthusiasts.

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 And that term, enthusiast, was not a compliment.

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 And enthusiasts for religion seemed to be a bit low class.

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 That's not what you expected.

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 You expected something somber.

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 You expected something measured.

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 And these enthusiasts, by and large, were barred from the churches of that time.

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 You see, the religious authorities said, these men get a bit too excited when they preach.

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 These men preach to a congregation and ask them to, and command them to be born again.

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 It wasn't very seemly.

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 So the best way of kind of finishing or stifling this movement was, well, the only place where you can preach, of course, is in a pulpit.

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 So if you cut the pulpits off from people like George Whitefield and John Wesley, then this movement will quickly come to an end.

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 Yes and no.

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 It didn't come to an end.

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 It actually was multiplied because these men felt if we cannot preach in church, well, there's large parks in London.

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 They're filled with people.

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 Let's go there.

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 The first time George Whitefield preached in the open air, this was the journal note that he had on the 29th of April.

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 Preached in the morning at Moorfields to an exceeding great multitude.

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 Being weakened by my morning's preaching in the afternoon, I refreshed myself with a little sleep.

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 That's the one thing that George Whitefield and I shared.

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 I refreshed myself this afternoon with the same remedy.

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 And at five went and preached at Kennington Common, about two miles from London, where no less than 30,000 people were supposed to be present.

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 The wind being for me carried the voice to the extremist part of the audience.

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 All stood attentive and joined in the psalm and the Lord's prayer most regularly.

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 I scarce ever preached more quietly in any church.

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 The word came with power.

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 The people were much affected and expressed their love to me in many ways.

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 All agreed it was never seen on this wise before.

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 Oh, what need have all God's people to rejoice and give thanks.

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 I hope a good inroad has been made into the devil's kingdom today.

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 It always seems impossible, Nelson Mandela said, until it's done.

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 These men were dangerous.

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 You cut the pulpit off from them and four or five hundred people would be limited in their ability to hear Wesley or to hear Whitefield.

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 But what God had in store was much bigger.

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 Whatever our plans are, God's plans are bigger.

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 Whatever our vision is, God's vision is bigger.

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 And we are reminded in Revelation 7 as we are reminded in Matthew chapter 28.

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 God has a plan and a purpose for all the nations, all the tribes, and all the tongues.

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 And he has a 100% success rate.

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 What he purposes, he achieves.

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 What he plans, he accomplishes because of who he is.

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 Isn't it a great privilege that he calls people like us, he calls us in that service.

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 And when we pray, and when we serve, and when we speak, and when we give, we are a small part of a big plan.

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 And a big plan that is guaranteed success.

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 Mission impossible became mission accomplished.

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 Amen.

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 We are now going to sing the Psalm 84.

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 And we're going to sing that together.

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 I've mentioned that at the, I'm going to pray briefly after we sing.

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 And I'll...

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