WEBVTT

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 Amen, amen. Thank you, praise team. At this time, children, you are dismissed for children's church. You can head back with Miss Savannah to our children's room.

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! Parents, you can get them right across the hall as soon as we finish today.

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 Way back in December of 1999, back when I was a wee little lad, Clay, back many years ago, I was seven years old, December 1999.

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 I was sitting in our living room watching some Saturday morning cartoons while my mother was trying her best to get me and my three sisters ready to go to town.

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 We were likely doing some last-minute Christmas shopping, unbeknownst to us.

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 But all of a sudden, as my mother was trying to put my boots on me, my father rushes in, and he informs us that the roof of our house is on fire.

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 And he tells us to get out quickly.

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 Apparently, birds had built nests in our chimney, and it had caused that day, December 18, 1999, for our house to be burned to the ground.

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 So while the rest of the world was preparing for Christmas being a week out, and others fearing for Y2K and the end of the world as we know it,

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 our family was sifting through what remained of our worldly possessions in the ashes.

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 We are grateful that we weren't found among them.

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 We are grateful for our father that identified the urgency of the situation.

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 And out of a love and a compassion for each of us, he rushed in and shared with us the words that we needed to be brought to safety.

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 I'm reminded of another time of urgency in my life.

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 Years later, I was with my mother, and I was beginning to wrestle with my salvation.

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 I'd prayed prayers.

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 I'd walked an aisle.

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 I knew lots of things about God.

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 I was a Bible driller.

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 I knew all of my books of the Bible.

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 I knew verses of Scripture memorized.

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 I knew John 3, 16, and many others.

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 But I slowly settled into this realization that I did not have a personal relationship with God.

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 And I became very personally convicted that if I were to die during that season, that I would spend an eternity in a place called hell,

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 forever separated from a God who loved me and created me for a purpose of knowing him.

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 This time, it wasn't my father.

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 It was my mother who sensed the urgency.

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 And I have a genuine concern for my well-being.

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 And out of love, she shared with me words that would bring me to safety and rest in Christ Jesus.

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 Brothers and sisters, this morning, I feel that same sense of urgency when I think about the gospel and the Great Commission.

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 When I think about you, when I think about the work that is before us in the church today,

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 the good news and the Great Commission are things that should be of utmost importance for us in the church and as followers of Christ.

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 My prayer for each of us this morning is that in studying God's word, God may grant each of us a sense of urgency,

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 an understanding of the lost, and a desire to make disciples among the nations.

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 So if you have your Bibles, I want to encourage you to join me in Matthew chapter 28, verses 16 through 20.

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 These are the capstone verses of Matthew's account of the work of ministry, earthly, at least of Jesus.

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 And as Pastor Brett often quotes, last words are lasting words.

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 These are important verses for us.

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 And I think oftentimes when we think about Easter, we think of Easter as this big exclamation point or a period saying,

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 it is finished, but friends, I want to remind us today, I want to set the pace a little bit for the coming weeks at least,

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 that I agree with one commentator that said, Easter is less of a period and more of a comma.

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 It should cause us to pause.

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 It should cause us to reflect.

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 It should cause us to stay a bit in there.

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 But it should prompt us and push us forward as the story progresses and how God intends to use the church and how he intends to use you and me.

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 So this morning, if you have your Bibles, we'll be in Matthew chapter 28.

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 And join me as we read these verses.

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 Verse 16.

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 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

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 And when they saw him, they worshipped him.

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 But some doubted.

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 And Jesus came and said to them,

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 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

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 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,

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 baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

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 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

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 And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.

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 This morning, the first thing I want us to see from this passage is that the gospel is good news.

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 The gospel is good news.

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 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, as Jesus had instructed them to do, to the mountain Jesus had directed to them.

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 And what did they find?

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 Jesus!

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 A risen Lord and Savior.

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 He's there.

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 If that doesn't seem like startling to you or important to you, consider what happened in the previous chapters.

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 In chapter 26, Jesus had been arrested, betrayed by the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot.

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 Caiaphas, the high priest, argued for his death.

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 In chapter 27, guards threw him before Pontius Pilate, and the crowds chose to release Barabbas instead.

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 Jesus was led to be crucified.

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 He'd been whipped, beaten, marred.

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 Nails had pierced his hands and his feet.

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 A spear had pierced his side.

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 He struggled to breathe, hung his head, breathed his last breath, and died.

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 He was lowered from the cross, wrapped in a cloth, and placed in a tomb.

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 And a great stone was placed in front of the tomb.

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 Then guards were ordered to secure the tomb, to seal the tomb, and ensure that it was undisturbed.

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 Friday and Saturday passed.

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 But in Matthew 28, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary approached the tomb on Sunday morning.

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 The earth begins to rumble.

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 The stone rolls from the mouth of the tomb.

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 An angel appears as though lightning.

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 Guards fall to the ground as though dead.

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 And the angel declares, do not be afraid.

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 This crucified Jesus you seek, he's not here anymore.

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 He's risen indeed.

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 Go tell the other disciples.

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 Go tell them that he's back, and he'll meet you in Galilee.

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 They go and tell the news to the other disciples.

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 They all gather together, and they approach Galilee.

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 And what do they find when they approach the mountain?

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 Jesus, he's alive.

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 He's alive.

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 He's risen from the dead.

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 This is good news.

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 This is good news that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has laid down his life as a sacrifice,

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 as a substitute to bear the weight of sin for your sin and for mine.

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 And he's not only died, he's risen indeed.

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 This is good news, friends.

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 I don't want us to miss this.

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 In the coming weeks, you're going to be tempted to get distracted by matching outfits

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 for your family to be picture-worthy at church.

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 You're going to be trying to figure out who's bringing the green bean casserole to the family

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 potluck.

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 You're going to be trying to think through all these things on Easter, but don't miss the

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 point of it.

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 There's good news in that Jesus is alive.

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 He's alive.

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 Don't miss this or grow numb to the beauty of the resurrection.

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 He's alive.

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 In the next few weeks, there will be lots of things to distract us, but forgiveness of sins,

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 life everlasting, peace with God is possible because Jesus Christ has died and he's rose

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 again.

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 The gospel is good news.

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 And how we respond to this resurrected Jesus matters.

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 You see, when they approach Jesus, there's two different responses they have.

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 One, some of the disciples begin to see him and they worship.

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 It's the appropriate posture.

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 That's what we are created for our hearts when we see Jesus, or to bow and worship to the

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 Almighty God, yet some did what?

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 They doubted.

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 They continued to doubt.

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 So some respond in worship, some respond with doubt, and some, many, have yet to ever even

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 hear the good news of Jesus.

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 So while the gospel is good news, it's incredible news, we're also reminded here the gospel is

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 urgent news.

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 Carl F.H.

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 Henry famously wrote, the gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.

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 We see a reality present here that not all believe the good news.

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 And some, as Jesus taught in the parable of the sower, the gospel begins to take root.

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 It begins to flourish.

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 They begin to bear fruit as a fruitful follower of Christ Jesus.

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 Yet for some, the gospel see, the gospel is heard, and they doubt.

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 Yet we may see momentary change, but the weeds of life begin to choke it out to where instead

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 of spiritual life, we see instead death.

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 Jesus would further say that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

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 There are so many in our world today that desperately need the good news of Jesus, yet there are so

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 few that are willing to actually take it to them.

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 There's a sense in which many in the church today seem to reduce the urgency of the gospel

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 message.

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 The urgency of the gospel message.

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 We forget what's at stake for those apart from Christ Jesus.

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 We forget the value of the human soul that was knit together on our mother's womb to reflect

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 the intent of our creator.

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 We forget the eternal agony that awaits for those that do not rest on the promises of God

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 and salvation.

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 William Carey, he was a missionary to India.

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 He spent most of his ministry in Sarampore, India with two other missionaries, the Sarampore

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 Trio, and they drafted what's known as the Sarampore Agreement.

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 It was a founding governing document that would dictate kind of the, it would set the pace

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 for future missionaries that'll be sent under their charge.

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 And in this Sarampore Agreement on the very first page, he writes these words, and I pray

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 that this may be something that we keep in mind today.

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 They write,

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 It becomes us to fix in our minds the awful doctrine of eternal punishment and to realize frequently

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 the inconceivably awful condition of this vast country lying in the arms of the wicked one.

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 He tells future generations of missionary that would serve in India and other places that

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 we need to keep two things at the forefront of our minds when it comes to our missionary work,

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 and that is the infinite value of the immortal soul and the awful realities of hell.

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 And this morning when we consider the good news, I want us to keep these things in mind.

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 First, each of us, Carrie argued, have an immortal soul, a soul that will last for an eternity.

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 We may have a starting point when God knit us together in our mother's womb, but we will

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 spend our lives forever in eternity somewhere.

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 We don't cease to exist.

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 We simply go elsewhere.

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 We change locations.

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 When our physical bodies begin to pass, we then spend an eternity in one of two biblical

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 realities, either with God or apart from him forever.

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 And there are many ways that we defend ourselves from these striking truths.

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 First, we forget the value of the immortal soul.

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 We forget the value of the immortal human soul.

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 We spend so much of our lives in conflict.

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 We spend so much of our lives bickering and arguing and warring against one another, and

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 Satan is greatly pleased with that which we spend our lives devoted to.

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 Satan is greatly pleased when we're distracted from this.

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 While we devote our time to bickering over political agendas or taking up arms in a plethora

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 of social issues, innumerable eternal souls are ushered into hell while we pat our backs

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 and say, we won that one.

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 Friends, at what point can we push through the conflict of the world and see that human

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 beings created in the image of God, who are created for eternal purposes, are dying without

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 the good news of Jesus?

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 So we forget the value of the immortal soul, but we also forget or reduce the eternal punishment.

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 We avoid the uncomfortable realities of hell.

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 Some argue that Jesus is love.

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 Surely his sacrifice is effective.

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 Surely a good, loving, and perfect God wouldn't actually send someone to hell.

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 Yet these universalists conveniently skip over the clear and constant teaching that hell is a

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 real place and real people will go there.

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 The apostle John writes in Revelation 20, verse 15, that if anyone's name was not written

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 in the book of life, written down in glory, then he was thrown into the lake of fire.

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 Others argue that while hell may be eternal, our suffering isn't.

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 These annihilationists believe that after a time, suffering will end as we simply cease to exist.

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 But Jesus himself stated in Mark 9, 47 and 48, if your eye causes you to sin, tear it or

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 pluck it out.

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 It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes be thrown

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 into hell.

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 And he notes this, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

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 Friends, if a worm is unable to experience the release through death, then friends, humanity

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 won't either.

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 Hell is a place for eternal suffering.

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 The rich man in Luke 19 describes it as a place of fiery agony and eternal conscious

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 torment.

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 Jesus describes it in Mark, Matthew 8, verse 12, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown

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 into the outer darkness.

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 In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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 The prophet Daniel describes it as a place of everlasting contempt.

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 Jesus calls it an eternal fire and eternal punishment.

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 And in Revelation 14, 11, 19, 3, and 20, 10, all of these passages, John describes it as

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 a place of eternal suffering and duration, stating that it lasts forever and ever.

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 It's as if forever didn't describe it enough.

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 John felt that he had to add and ever to fully help us wrap our minds around the eternal

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 natures and suffering of hell.

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 Thomas Watson, a Puritan, wrote of this truth.

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 He writes, thus it is in hell.

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 They would die, but they cannot.

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 The wicked shall be always dying, but never dead.

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 The smoke on the furnace ascends forever and ever.

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 Oh, who can endure thus to be ever upon the rack?

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 This word ever breaks the heart.

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 Friends, we cannot let wrong theology and the severe implications of the gospel help us to

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 miss that anyone created in the image of God with an invaluable human soul.

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 For those that do not know Jesus, they'll spend an eternity in a place called hell.

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 The gospel is an urgent message.

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 Verse 20 serves as an encouraging reminder that Jesus promises to be with us, but it also serves

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 as a present reminder that this age will end.

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 This age will end, and those who have not trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives will

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 forever be separated from a holy, almighty God.

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 The flames of hell await them.

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 So do we sense the urgency?

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 Do we have a compassion and a love for others that will allow us to rush towards the flames

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 and share with them the words of Jesus, the good news of the gospel, that can usher them

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 into safety of Christ Jesus?

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 Will we be a part of this?

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 The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.

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 Hudson Taylor, a missionary to China, he wrote this prayer that I hope will become ours.

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 He writes, would that God would make hell so real to us that we cannot rest.

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 Heaven so real that we must have men there.

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 Christ so real that our supreme motive and aim shall be to make the man of sorrows, the

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 man of joy by the conversion to him of many.

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 You see, some have heard the gospel and believed, but some have doubted, and some will never hear

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 unless we go and tell them.

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 So Jesus, in his divine wisdom, gives us a mission.

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 And we pick up in verse 18, where Jesus says to them, all authority in heaven and on earth

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 has been given to me.

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 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and

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 of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

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 And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.

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 So Jesus, in this passage, gives us the Great Commission.

00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:17.320
 And friends, the Great Commission is a big task.

00:16:17.899 --> 00:16:19.980
 The Great Commission is a big task.

00:16:20.060 --> 00:16:23.419
 There are four specific commands that we seem to be given in the Great Commission, but they

00:16:23.419 --> 00:16:26.500
 essentially can be summed up in the second one, make disciples.

00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:31.360
 If we're an English lesson for you, in the original language, go, baptize, and teach are

00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:32.379
 written as participles.

00:16:32.379 --> 00:16:35.360
 Which means that they're not really imperatives or things for us to do.

00:16:35.439 --> 00:16:38.860
 They simply describe the ways in which we are to fulfill the imperative.

00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:41.679
 So the imperative, what we're told to do is make disciples.

00:16:41.820 --> 00:16:44.879
 And we do that by going, by baptizing, by teaching.

00:16:45.299 --> 00:16:48.019
 We make disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching.

00:16:48.100 --> 00:16:51.679
 And that's a much more full command than just to go and share the gospel.

00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:55.159
 To make a disciple is a big task.

00:16:55.559 --> 00:16:59.559
 Just because there's an urgent need for the gospel doesn't mean that we treat this task

00:16:59.559 --> 00:17:03.679
 lightly or neglect the full task of making disciples.

00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:07.679
 Our task is to make disciples, not merely decisions.

00:17:08.500 --> 00:17:11.740
 To make Christ followers, not merely converts.

00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:14.480
 The Great Commission is a big task.

00:17:14.579 --> 00:17:19.779
 And not only are there obvious barriers, such as distance and culture and language and finances

00:17:19.779 --> 00:17:23.460
 and resources that make sharing the gospel initially difficult.

00:17:23.460 --> 00:17:26.620
 But further, we've been called to make disciples.

00:17:27.180 --> 00:17:31.980
 To actually baptize them and graft them into the family of God and hold each other accountable

00:17:31.980 --> 00:17:36.819
 to teach them the things of Jesus as they grow and are sanctified.

00:17:37.539 --> 00:17:39.140
 So what does this task look like for us?

00:17:39.180 --> 00:17:40.940
 Well, first, we make disciples by going.

00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:42.819
 We make disciples by going.

00:17:43.160 --> 00:17:46.720
 In fact, the word translated to go in this passage is actually in the passive sense,

00:17:46.940 --> 00:17:50.039
 which means less of us going and more that we are sent.

00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:52.940
 It's almost as if Jesus assumes that we're going to be going.

00:17:53.240 --> 00:17:55.720
 And as we are going, these are the things in which we do.

00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:59.200
 To make disciples of all nations.

00:17:59.399 --> 00:18:01.680
 That's another clarifying here, of all nations.

00:18:01.960 --> 00:18:04.359
 That phrase in the original language is panta to ethne,

00:18:04.460 --> 00:18:10.119
 which essentially can be better described as not necessarily geographical borders like countries,

00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:14.339
 but of different ethnic groups, different ethnicities.

00:18:14.339 --> 00:18:19.519
 We simply cannot make disciples of all nations without going.

00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:23.559
 I think it was Saddleback Church, a pastor by Rick Warren years ago.

00:18:23.940 --> 00:18:28.000
 They sought to fulfill the Great Commission by just simply having missionaries in every country.

00:18:28.740 --> 00:18:30.799
 But friends, it's not just getting people to every country.

00:18:30.900 --> 00:18:33.400
 It's actually reaching every ethnic group in the countries.

00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:36.139
 Every ethnic group represented in that country.

00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:40.879
 In each nation, you'll find different ethnicities, different languages, cultures, religious backgrounds.

00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:42.519
 And we know this.

00:18:43.119 --> 00:18:44.900
 This isn't some sociological class.

00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:46.059
 We know the difference here.

00:18:46.059 --> 00:18:50.480
 We know the difference between some of the mountain folk of northeast Georgia and those city folk of Atlanta.

00:18:51.079 --> 00:18:54.500
 We know the difference between those swamp people of south Georgia that say washed.

00:18:55.220 --> 00:19:00.500
 Like, we know the differences that come between different places and languages and belief sets.

00:19:00.559 --> 00:19:05.359
 And all these different things that cause differences in ethnicities, cause different ethnic groups.

00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:08.500
 And different ethnicities, they form different ethnic groups.

00:19:08.500 --> 00:19:15.660
 And because God has placed an infinite value on immortal souls, he's called us to go and make disciples in each and every one of them.

00:19:16.900 --> 00:19:19.380
 The Great Commission is a big task.

00:19:20.819 --> 00:19:22.700
 But friends, we serve a big God.

00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:35.640
 And that even in our disobedience, when we say, no, God, I'm not going to go, and we throw our hands in the air and say no to him, and we refuse to do as we've commanded, God in his absolute sovereignty will bring the nations to us.

00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:40.580
 And he'll allow us opportunities even here to be a part of the Great Commission.

00:19:40.740 --> 00:19:43.019
 God is faithful to bring the nations to us.

00:19:43.019 --> 00:19:45.139
 It's Acts 17, verses 26 and 27.

00:19:45.619 --> 00:19:45.960
 It says,

00:19:45.960 --> 00:19:51.920
 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth.

00:19:52.460 --> 00:19:53.559
 All people came from one man.

00:19:53.619 --> 00:20:01.440
 And having determined, allotted periods, times, seasons, and boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God.

00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:04.900
 And perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.

00:20:04.980 --> 00:20:07.519
 So in God's sovereign plan, he'll allow conflict.

00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:09.299
 He'll allow seasons.

00:20:09.519 --> 00:20:12.980
 He'll allow difficulty and hardships to take place in people's lives.

00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:18.819
 Well, they'll relocate to a different place, not to preach the gospel, but to hear the gospel.

00:20:19.619 --> 00:20:27.440
 That in their movement, they might be able to seek after God, feel him, and find him through us.

00:20:28.460 --> 00:20:30.799
 Friends, there are people that have relocated to Georgia.

00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:38.599
 And it may be that God has relocated them here, not so that they will preach the gospel as missionaries, but that they may receive the gospel from us.

00:20:39.099 --> 00:20:42.400
 Josh has been beginning work on the mission trip to Clarkson.

00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:43.380
 And that's not just for students.

00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:44.400
 That's for anyone in the church.

00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:47.580
 If you feel called to go, that's a trip and that's an opportunity for you.

00:20:48.040 --> 00:20:59.820
 Clarkson's a beautiful picture, though, of what it looks like for people from all over the world to come to a place and for people of the gospel to be faithful, to share the gospel with those people who've relocated as refugees to that area.

00:20:59.819 --> 00:21:01.419
 And it's not just in Clarkson.

00:21:01.419 --> 00:21:16.539
 Even here in Toccoa, there are people who are here from all over the world, Turks, Hispanics, and people from all over the world that desperately need the gospel, that desperately need the good news of Jesus, that will spend an eternity in hell apart from the gospel.

00:21:16.539 --> 00:21:30.339
 And God has brought them here so that because he doesn't will that anyone should die or perish, he's brought them here so that we may share the gospel with them, that they may feel their way to God through us.

00:21:30.339 --> 00:21:32.419
 So we make disciples by going.

00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:37.240
 And whether that's to a different nation or across the street, that's to be decided by God.

00:21:37.579 --> 00:21:48.639
 We must simply be faithful to do and to go wherever he has sent us, to allow ourselves to be sent wherever he may lead.

00:21:48.740 --> 00:21:49.919
 So we make disciples by going.

00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:52.740
 Further, we make disciples by baptizing.

00:21:53.419 --> 00:21:57.439
 Baptism is commanded by Jesus here, and it's an important ordinance of the church.

00:21:57.440 --> 00:22:07.860
 In Romans 6, Paul gives us the picture of baptism, and it is a public demonstration of a private reality that we are identifying in our union with Christ.

00:22:08.180 --> 00:22:13.400
 And in baptism, we are being buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life.

00:22:14.120 --> 00:22:15.759
 Baptism doesn't wash away our sins.

00:22:15.860 --> 00:22:26.519
 It doesn't save us, but it's a public declaration of a reality that's already taken place in our heart that we have been crucified with Christ and is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.

00:22:26.519 --> 00:22:31.900
 Baptism is an important part of discipleship.

00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:42.839
 For the person being baptized, they are declaring that they are new creations in Christ, that they've been born again, that their life is new, that they have a new life in him.

00:22:43.379 --> 00:22:47.220
 And in the context of the church, we're also making a declaration when someone is baptized.

00:22:47.819 --> 00:22:53.680
 We are celebrating and declaring that we recognize the difference that God has made in their lives.

00:22:53.680 --> 00:23:02.960
 We are recognizing and affirming that Christ has made them new, and we're celebrating that new life with them and committing to walk alongside them.

00:23:03.640 --> 00:23:06.820
 Baptism may not be what saves someone, but it's far from unimportant.

00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:08.480
 It's far from unimportant.

00:23:08.620 --> 00:23:10.920
 It is a command from Christ himself.

00:23:11.019 --> 00:23:18.100
 It is one of the ways in which we declare, demonstrate, and show that we identify with Jesus.

00:23:18.099 --> 00:23:25.500
 It's how we celebrate and affirm the salvific work of God in another's life.

00:23:26.639 --> 00:23:34.019
 But there's a temptation in the church that because it's not a matter of salvation, baptism seems to be optional.

00:23:34.019 --> 00:23:42.759
 Friends, how in the world can we rationalize a private commitment in our hearts to say, Jesus, you're Lord.

00:23:43.379 --> 00:23:44.920
 You're on the throne of my life.

00:23:45.019 --> 00:23:46.599
 It is you who lives in me.

00:23:46.660 --> 00:23:48.960
 God, I commit and surrender my life to you as Lord.

00:23:49.240 --> 00:23:53.720
 For us to do that, and then one of our first steps to be, but not in this.

00:23:55.099 --> 00:23:55.759
 But not in this.

00:23:55.759 --> 00:23:56.519
 Not publicly.

00:23:57.119 --> 00:23:57.859
 It's private, God.

00:23:57.879 --> 00:23:58.960
 I don't want to do it in front of everyone.

00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:00.200
 It's private.

00:24:00.500 --> 00:24:09.340
 To choose, to forsake a command of Christ is not a good place to start or walk with the Lord.

00:24:10.039 --> 00:24:13.420
 That public declaration makes us accountable one to another.

00:24:14.019 --> 00:24:19.660
 And it furthers our work in making disciples through our association and accountability one to another.

00:24:20.500 --> 00:24:25.819
 So we make disciples by going, by baptizing, and finally by teaching.

00:24:26.740 --> 00:24:27.900
 We make disciples by teaching.

00:24:27.900 --> 00:24:32.880
 I love how Paul describes it in 2 Timothy 2, verse 2, where he writes,

00:24:33.259 --> 00:24:39.220
 What you've heard and seen from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men,

00:24:39.500 --> 00:24:42.880
 who will then be able to teach others also.

00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:45.360
 Essentially, we've lived alongside each other for a while.

00:24:45.620 --> 00:24:47.000
 You've heard the gospel in me.

00:24:47.100 --> 00:24:48.720
 You've seen the gospel in me.

00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:51.060
 And in the presence of others that I've also been teaching,

00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:54.440
 Timothy, I'm entrusting this message to you to go share it with others.

00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:59.559
 To help teach others to grow in their faith, to be sanctified, to mature in their faith.

00:24:59.559 --> 00:25:02.319
 And then I want you to challenge them to go and teach others.

00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:05.440
 This is disciples that are making disciples.

00:25:05.659 --> 00:25:07.240
 It is this process of the church.

00:25:07.339 --> 00:25:08.159
 It's the great commission.

00:25:08.299 --> 00:25:10.879
 We make disciples by teaching.

00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:14.599
 And friends, if we're responsible for teaching others the things of Christ,

00:25:14.700 --> 00:25:17.819
 we better for ourselves understand the things of Christ.

00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:20.359
 We better understand the things of Christ.

00:25:20.500 --> 00:25:23.339
 Teaching is an umbrella discipline that includes a lot of things.

00:25:23.419 --> 00:25:25.859
 It can include evangelism, sharing the good news.

00:25:25.859 --> 00:25:30.899
 It's discipleship, which is teaching doctrine or practices of the Christian faith in life.

00:25:31.419 --> 00:25:34.579
 But even apologetics, where we work through the difficult questions of life.

00:25:34.619 --> 00:25:39.879
 And we seek to help someone further their walk by working through the issues that come from following Christ.

00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:43.599
 We understand the imagery of planting the seed in evangelism.

00:25:44.139 --> 00:25:45.519
 But we've got to fertilize the soil.

00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:47.719
 We've got to water it in discipleship.

00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:51.179
 We've got to remove obstacles like rocks and weeds and thistles and thorns.

00:25:51.180 --> 00:25:57.600
 With apologetics and remove those obstacles so that someone may grow and flourish in their faith.

00:25:57.680 --> 00:26:00.060
 And become fruit-bearing followers of Christ.

00:26:00.259 --> 00:26:02.700
 Teach as a part of making disciples.

00:26:02.900 --> 00:26:04.940
 And this is a command for all believers.

00:26:05.519 --> 00:26:06.900
 Not just the spiritually elite.

00:26:07.580 --> 00:26:12.000
 The call and the command, the commission to teach the things of Jesus,

00:26:12.360 --> 00:26:14.320
 is not just for the spiritually elite.

00:26:14.880 --> 00:26:17.560
 In Hebrews 5, which we're nearing in our study of Hebrews,

00:26:17.559 --> 00:26:20.839
 the author of Hebrews is going to chastise his audience saying,

00:26:21.059 --> 00:26:23.839
 by now many of you should be teachers, but you're not.

00:26:24.619 --> 00:26:28.000
 You should be sharing these things and teaching these things, but you're immature.

00:26:28.779 --> 00:26:34.179
 It's a mark of Christian maturity to be able to help someone grow in their faith

00:26:34.179 --> 00:26:36.460
 and teach them the things of God.

00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:42.940
 In Deuteronomy 6, parents are gifted the responsibility to teach their children the commands of God.

00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:46.740
 So whether you're a parent, whether you are a teacher,

00:26:46.740 --> 00:26:49.220
 but friends, whether you're even just a Christian,

00:26:49.940 --> 00:26:54.259
 the responsibility to teach others the things of Jesus lands with you.

00:26:55.620 --> 00:26:57.559
 Are you growing in your walk with Christ?

00:26:58.120 --> 00:27:00.079
 Are you growing in your understanding of Scripture?

00:27:00.440 --> 00:27:03.819
 Are you being faithful to share that Scripture with others and help someone,

00:27:04.140 --> 00:27:06.420
 help others to grow in their faith?

00:27:06.500 --> 00:27:08.799
 We must be willing to grow deep roots in God's Word

00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:12.240
 through the instruction of others,

00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:17.220
 so that we may in turn teach others to follow Christ.

00:27:18.180 --> 00:27:20.200
 So the Great Commission is a big task.

00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:22.039
 It's a weighty task.

00:27:22.099 --> 00:27:23.039
 It's not easy work.

00:27:23.419 --> 00:27:24.559
 It's costly work.

00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:26.259
 It's inconvenient work.

00:27:26.359 --> 00:27:27.379
 It requires time.

00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:28.619
 It requires effort.

00:27:28.740 --> 00:27:29.940
 And even in some aspects,

00:27:30.039 --> 00:27:34.440
 it requires our very lives in order to fulfill this Great Commission

00:27:34.440 --> 00:27:35.380
 and see it through.

00:27:36.940 --> 00:27:38.200
 But we can be confident

00:27:38.200 --> 00:27:41.059
 that while the Great Commission is a big task,

00:27:41.360 --> 00:27:43.779
 it will one day be a finished task.

00:27:45.259 --> 00:27:46.340
 Jesus here, He says,

00:27:46.420 --> 00:27:48.160
 all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,

00:27:48.200 --> 00:27:48.700
 and He finishes.

00:27:49.340 --> 00:27:49.620
 He says,

00:27:49.720 --> 00:27:51.559
 and behold, I am with you always

00:27:51.559 --> 00:27:54.820
 to the end of the age.

00:27:55.620 --> 00:27:57.440
 You see, this age will end.

00:27:58.100 --> 00:27:59.279
 This age will end.

00:27:59.380 --> 00:28:00.380
 Christ will return.

00:28:00.380 --> 00:28:03.500
 The righteous judge will make a lasting decision.

00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:07.140
 Mankind will spend an eternity in either heaven or hell

00:28:07.140 --> 00:28:10.000
 based on how they responded to the resurrected Jesus.

00:28:10.860 --> 00:28:11.780
 And in Revelation 7,

00:28:11.840 --> 00:28:13.600
 we see a beautiful picture of this fulfilled

00:28:13.600 --> 00:28:16.420
 where people of every tribe, nation, and tongue

00:28:16.420 --> 00:28:18.200
 are standing before the throne of God

00:28:18.200 --> 00:28:21.320
 saying salvation belongs to our God

00:28:21.320 --> 00:28:24.640
 who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.

00:28:25.420 --> 00:28:28.480
 It will be a finished task.

00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:30.960
 We can be confident in the gospel

00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:33.019
 because Jesus is alive.

00:28:33.720 --> 00:28:35.880
 And we can be confident in the Great Commission

00:28:35.880 --> 00:28:39.140
 because all authority in heaven and on earth

00:28:39.140 --> 00:28:40.120
 belongs to Him.

00:28:40.819 --> 00:28:43.640
 And He will be with us until this work is complete.

00:28:44.299 --> 00:28:45.900
 His Spirit lives in us,

00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:47.620
 empowering us to do His work.

00:28:47.900 --> 00:28:49.660
 His Spirit's at work in the lives of others,

00:28:49.779 --> 00:28:50.759
 calling them to salvation.

00:28:51.099 --> 00:28:53.240
 And we can be confident in the Great Commission

00:28:53.240 --> 00:28:55.400
 because we are not starting something new.

00:28:55.400 --> 00:28:58.759
 We are merely joining the work that Christ has already begun.

00:28:59.400 --> 00:29:00.860
 And that which He has begun,

00:29:01.240 --> 00:29:02.780
 He will see it to completion.

00:29:03.920 --> 00:29:06.019
 However, the question remains for us today.

00:29:07.060 --> 00:29:09.280
 Will we face the task that remains unfinished?

00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:12.480
 Will we face the task that remains unfinished?

00:29:13.220 --> 00:29:15.320
 I borrow that language from Keith and Kristen Getty.

00:29:15.400 --> 00:29:17.460
 They have a song called Facing a Task Unfinished.

00:29:17.560 --> 00:29:18.740
 And I want to close with these words.

00:29:19.320 --> 00:29:19.780
 They write,

00:29:19.779 --> 00:29:23.759
 Facing a task unfinished that drives us to our knees.

00:29:24.319 --> 00:29:28.639
 A need that undiminished rebukes our slothful ease.

00:29:29.220 --> 00:29:31.019
 We who rejoice to know You,

00:29:31.399 --> 00:29:33.139
 renew before Your throne

00:29:33.139 --> 00:29:36.839
 the solemn pledge we owe You to go and make You known.

00:29:37.559 --> 00:29:39.299
 Where other lords beside You

00:29:39.299 --> 00:29:41.019
 hold their unhindered sway,

00:29:41.420 --> 00:29:43.299
 where forces that defied You

00:29:43.299 --> 00:29:44.879
 defy You still today,

00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:47.620
 with none to heed their crying

00:29:47.620 --> 00:29:50.020
 for life and love and light.

00:29:50.840 --> 00:29:53.280
 Unnumbered souls are dying

00:29:53.280 --> 00:29:55.440
 and pass into the night.

00:29:56.220 --> 00:29:58.460
 We bear the torch that flaming fell

00:29:58.460 --> 00:30:00.500
 from the hands of those

00:30:00.500 --> 00:30:03.000
 who gave their lives proclaiming

00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:05.520
 that Jesus died and rose.

00:30:06.180 --> 00:30:07.600
 Ours is the same commission,

00:30:08.060 --> 00:30:09.420
 the same glad message,

00:30:09.560 --> 00:30:09.940
 ours.

00:30:10.320 --> 00:30:12.380
 Fired by the same ambition

00:30:12.380 --> 00:30:14.900
 to You we yield our powers.

00:30:15.580 --> 00:30:17.240
 O Father who sustained them,

00:30:17.800 --> 00:30:19.240
 O Spirit who inspired,

00:30:20.020 --> 00:30:22.320
 Savior whose love constrained them

00:30:22.320 --> 00:30:24.580
 to toil with zeal untired.

00:30:25.280 --> 00:30:26.980
 From cowardice defend us,

00:30:27.400 --> 00:30:28.980
 from lethargy awake,

00:30:29.520 --> 00:30:32.320
 forth on Your errands send us

00:30:32.320 --> 00:30:34.600
 to labor for Your sake.

00:30:35.580 --> 00:30:37.120
 This morning, if you're sitting here today

00:30:37.120 --> 00:30:39.940
 and you've never given your life to Jesus,

00:30:40.640 --> 00:30:41.600
 then I want to encourage you,

00:30:41.599 --> 00:30:42.519
 that's your first step.

00:30:43.079 --> 00:30:44.179
 Romans 10, 9 says that

00:30:44.179 --> 00:30:45.099
 if you confess with your mouth

00:30:45.099 --> 00:30:46.000
 that Jesus is Lord

00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:47.259
 and believe in your heart

00:30:47.259 --> 00:30:48.559
 that God raised Him from the dead,

00:30:48.639 --> 00:30:50.599
 you will be saved.

00:30:50.679 --> 00:30:51.539
 That is something you can do

00:30:51.539 --> 00:30:52.339
 and take care of today

00:30:52.339 --> 00:30:53.119
 and I want to encourage you

00:30:53.119 --> 00:30:53.799
 during the invitation.

00:30:54.199 --> 00:30:55.099
 If that is something you feel

00:30:55.099 --> 00:30:55.619
 you need to do,

00:30:55.699 --> 00:30:56.879
 come and please speak with me

00:30:56.879 --> 00:30:58.379
 then or after the service.

00:30:58.539 --> 00:30:59.939
 But for the rest of us,

00:31:00.480 --> 00:31:02.799
 will we join the cause of Christ

00:31:02.799 --> 00:31:04.679
 to make Him known?

00:31:05.480 --> 00:31:06.179
 In the weeks ahead,

00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:07.179
 you'll have opportunities

00:31:07.179 --> 00:31:08.219
 to support mission work

00:31:08.219 --> 00:31:09.079
 through the Annie Armstrong

00:31:09.079 --> 00:31:09.879
 Easter offering

00:31:09.880 --> 00:31:11.600
 that's supporting missionaries

00:31:11.600 --> 00:31:13.500
 all around our nation and Canada.

00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:15.020
 You'll have a missions auction

00:31:15.020 --> 00:31:16.040
 in April 19th

00:31:16.040 --> 00:31:17.480
 that supports short-term missions

00:31:17.480 --> 00:31:18.160
 through our church.

00:31:18.580 --> 00:31:19.240
 So you'll have opportunities

00:31:19.240 --> 00:31:20.840
 to financially give to this,

00:31:20.900 --> 00:31:22.260
 but we have a special opportunity

00:31:22.260 --> 00:31:23.160
 with Easter approaching

00:31:23.160 --> 00:31:24.840
 to make Jesus known

00:31:24.840 --> 00:31:25.900
 even in our own community.

00:31:26.460 --> 00:31:27.220
 As you came in,

00:31:27.260 --> 00:31:28.000
 you likely received

00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:29.120
 one of these invite cards.

00:31:29.240 --> 00:31:30.120
 We just made these simply

00:31:30.120 --> 00:31:31.980
 to be a resource for you.

00:31:32.440 --> 00:31:33.880
 Maybe you don't feel as though

00:31:33.880 --> 00:31:35.020
 you're the best person

00:31:35.020 --> 00:31:35.620
 for the job

00:31:35.620 --> 00:31:36.500
 of taking the gospel

00:31:36.500 --> 00:31:37.320
 to the ends of the earth,

00:31:37.319 --> 00:31:38.000
 but you can take this

00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:38.700
 to your workplace.

00:31:39.399 --> 00:31:39.859
 You can take this

00:31:39.859 --> 00:31:40.659
 to your neighbor and say,

00:31:40.759 --> 00:31:41.879
 hey, I know you don't go to church.

00:31:41.939 --> 00:31:42.419
 I want to invite you

00:31:42.419 --> 00:31:43.000
 to come with me.

00:31:43.659 --> 00:31:44.639
 I'll come pick you up.

00:31:44.679 --> 00:31:45.439
 You can come sit with me.

00:31:45.500 --> 00:31:46.039
 You can go to lunch

00:31:46.039 --> 00:31:46.720
 with us afterwards,

00:31:46.720 --> 00:31:48.299
 but invite someone to church

00:31:48.299 --> 00:31:49.559
 this Easter Sunday.

00:31:49.659 --> 00:31:50.720
 That's a small way

00:31:50.720 --> 00:31:51.799
 that you can be a part

00:31:51.799 --> 00:31:52.619
 of the Great Commission.

00:31:53.039 --> 00:31:54.039
 And if you didn't receive these

00:31:54.039 --> 00:31:54.679
 when you came in

00:31:54.679 --> 00:31:55.619
 or if you want more of these,

00:31:55.659 --> 00:31:56.519
 there's more back there.

00:31:56.559 --> 00:31:57.339
 But others of you,

00:31:57.679 --> 00:31:58.259
 perhaps,

00:31:58.859 --> 00:31:59.980
 feel a pressing urge

00:31:59.980 --> 00:32:00.819
 to serve as a missionary.

00:32:01.619 --> 00:32:02.799
 I was sitting with Forrest Shell

00:32:02.799 --> 00:32:03.939
 at a soccer game

00:32:03.939 --> 00:32:05.059
 a few weeks back.

00:32:05.579 --> 00:32:06.359
 I was watching my wife

00:32:06.359 --> 00:32:07.699
 coach soccer in the girls' play.

00:32:08.339 --> 00:32:08.819
 The Forrest,

00:32:09.119 --> 00:32:09.979
 he simply asked me,

00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:11.059
 he's part of the

00:32:11.059 --> 00:32:11.979
 Global Missions Department

00:32:11.979 --> 00:32:12.559
 at TFC,

00:32:13.019 --> 00:32:13.619
 and he just asked me,

00:32:13.679 --> 00:32:13.959
 so Evan,

00:32:14.039 --> 00:32:14.719
 what's the goal

00:32:14.719 --> 00:32:16.199
 of short-term missionaries

00:32:16.199 --> 00:32:17.079
 at First Baptist?

00:32:17.699 --> 00:32:18.599
 And I don't get to talk

00:32:18.599 --> 00:32:19.599
 missiology with people,

00:32:19.699 --> 00:32:20.240
 so I was like,

00:32:20.319 --> 00:32:21.219
 okay, someone asked me

00:32:21.219 --> 00:32:21.839
 a good question.

00:32:22.019 --> 00:32:23.579
 I get to talk about this stuff.

00:32:23.819 --> 00:32:24.719
 And then it hit me,

00:32:25.059 --> 00:32:26.679
 he had to ask.

00:32:28.359 --> 00:32:29.919
 I haven't been clear on this.

00:32:30.819 --> 00:32:31.519
 So let me make

00:32:31.519 --> 00:32:32.339
 something else clear.

00:32:32.479 --> 00:32:33.439
 If you, perhaps,

00:32:33.559 --> 00:32:34.240
 feel as though God

00:32:34.240 --> 00:32:34.819
 is calling you

00:32:34.819 --> 00:32:35.740
 to serve as a missionary,

00:32:36.440 --> 00:32:37.559
 whether short-term

00:32:37.559 --> 00:32:38.440
 on a mission trip

00:32:38.440 --> 00:32:39.059
 through our church

00:32:39.059 --> 00:32:40.460
 or even perhaps long-term,

00:32:41.059 --> 00:32:42.559
 our goal with short-term missions

00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:44.819
 is to spur in your heart

00:32:44.819 --> 00:32:46.000
 a desire for God

00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:46.519
 to be made known

00:32:46.519 --> 00:32:47.259
 among the nations

00:32:47.259 --> 00:32:48.279
 and that you may take

00:32:48.279 --> 00:32:49.599
 that same desire elsewhere

00:32:49.599 --> 00:32:50.480
 and bring it here

00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:51.400
 in your everyday life.

00:32:51.880 --> 00:32:52.519
 But secondly,

00:32:52.700 --> 00:32:53.440
 maybe you go on

00:32:53.440 --> 00:32:54.079
 one of these trips

00:32:54.079 --> 00:32:55.240
 or take one of these opportunities

00:32:55.240 --> 00:32:56.500
 and you feel convicted

00:32:56.500 --> 00:32:58.059
 to serve as a missionary elsewhere

00:32:58.059 --> 00:32:59.279
 for a longer period,

00:32:59.400 --> 00:32:59.880
 for a summer,

00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:00.620
 for a year,

00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:01.539
 for more years.

00:33:02.120 --> 00:33:03.319
 Then that's the goal.

00:33:04.019 --> 00:33:05.759
 The goal is to take the gospel

00:33:05.759 --> 00:33:07.359
 to make disciples

00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:08.819
 of all nations.

00:33:09.899 --> 00:33:10.359
 And friends,

00:33:10.419 --> 00:33:11.079
 in the coming weeks

00:33:11.079 --> 00:33:11.740
 and years ahead,

00:33:11.799 --> 00:33:12.519
 I want to encourage you

00:33:12.519 --> 00:33:13.599
 to take every opportunity

00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:14.119
 you get,

00:33:14.599 --> 00:33:15.579
 whether it's through

00:33:15.579 --> 00:33:16.819
 inviting someone to church,

00:33:16.980 --> 00:33:18.399
 giving to a missions program

00:33:18.399 --> 00:33:18.960
 or offering,

00:33:19.139 --> 00:33:20.960
 or taking up the gospel

00:33:20.960 --> 00:33:21.700
 for yourself

00:33:21.700 --> 00:33:22.579
 and going to where

00:33:22.579 --> 00:33:23.319
 it's not yet known.

00:33:23.659 --> 00:33:23.899
 Friends,

00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:24.700
 that is our call.

00:33:25.399 --> 00:33:26.179
 That is the work.

00:33:26.319 --> 00:33:27.419
 That is the good news

00:33:27.419 --> 00:33:28.700
 that Jesus is alive.

00:33:28.819 --> 00:33:29.099
 But friends,

00:33:29.099 --> 00:33:30.000
 we've got a big task

00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:30.599
 ahead of us

00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:32.779
 that will be finished one day,

00:33:33.500 --> 00:33:34.539
 but it'll be through the works

00:33:34.539 --> 00:33:35.980
 of you and me.

00:33:36.740 --> 00:33:37.159
 Let's pray.

00:33:37.299 --> 00:33:37.539
 Father,

00:33:37.619 --> 00:33:38.099
 we want to thank you

00:33:38.099 --> 00:33:38.839
 so much for this day.

00:33:39.579 --> 00:33:39.779
 Lord,

00:33:39.819 --> 00:33:41.619
 I pray that you may be with us today.

00:33:41.740 --> 00:33:41.939
 Lord,

00:33:42.339 --> 00:33:43.799
 the realities that are set

00:33:43.799 --> 00:33:44.740
 before us in Scripture,

00:33:44.919 --> 00:33:45.059
 Lord,

00:33:45.139 --> 00:33:46.839
 you love every single human being

00:33:46.839 --> 00:33:47.619
 in this room today.

00:33:48.219 --> 00:33:49.219
 There is not a soul

00:33:49.219 --> 00:33:49.859
 in this room

00:33:49.859 --> 00:33:51.179
 that you do not love.

00:33:51.259 --> 00:33:51.399
 Lord,

00:33:51.459 --> 00:33:52.359
 that your son

00:33:52.359 --> 00:33:53.839
 did not come to die

00:33:53.839 --> 00:33:54.419
 and pay the debt

00:33:54.419 --> 00:33:55.459
 for their sin for.

00:33:55.559 --> 00:33:55.699
 Lord,

00:33:55.839 --> 00:33:56.779
 you love each of us,

00:33:56.839 --> 00:33:57.139
 but Lord,

00:33:57.140 --> 00:33:58.440
 there is a responsibility

00:33:58.440 --> 00:33:59.520
 on our hearts

00:33:59.520 --> 00:34:01.900
 to respond when we see you,

00:34:02.560 --> 00:34:03.580
 when we hear the gospel.

00:34:04.360 --> 00:34:04.580
 Lord,

00:34:04.640 --> 00:34:05.700
 I pray if there's anyone here today

00:34:05.700 --> 00:34:06.920
 that does not know you,

00:34:07.020 --> 00:34:07.759
 may you allow them

00:34:07.759 --> 00:34:08.900
 to take that step today.

00:34:09.200 --> 00:34:10.900
 Not out of a fear of hell,

00:34:11.019 --> 00:34:12.200
 though hell is fearsome,

00:34:12.780 --> 00:34:13.140
 but Lord,

00:34:13.180 --> 00:34:14.280
 out of a love for you

00:34:14.280 --> 00:34:16.320
 and a desire to make you known.

00:34:16.440 --> 00:34:16.559
 Lord,

00:34:16.599 --> 00:34:17.599
 I pray that your gospel

00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:18.780
 may sit heavy

00:34:18.780 --> 00:34:19.980
 in the hearts of some today

00:34:19.980 --> 00:34:22.200
 that may give their lives to you.

00:34:23.059 --> 00:34:23.400
 But Lord,

00:34:23.460 --> 00:34:24.260
 I pray that the gospel

00:34:24.260 --> 00:34:24.940
 may sit heavy

00:34:24.940 --> 00:34:25.760
 for the rest of us.

00:34:26.360 --> 00:34:26.500
 Lord,

00:34:26.500 --> 00:34:28.019
 the gospel is not the ABCs

00:34:28.019 --> 00:34:28.539
 of salvation,

00:34:28.699 --> 00:34:29.559
 it's the A through Z.

00:34:30.099 --> 00:34:31.199
 It's not the diving board

00:34:31.199 --> 00:34:31.880
 into Christianity.

00:34:32.139 --> 00:34:32.219
 Lord,

00:34:32.280 --> 00:34:33.239
 the gospel is the pool

00:34:33.239 --> 00:34:33.900
 we dive into.

00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:34.719
 Lord,

00:34:34.780 --> 00:34:35.960
 help us to grow further

00:34:35.960 --> 00:34:37.039
 in our love for you,

00:34:37.599 --> 00:34:37.960
 but Lord,

00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:39.239
 also in our love for others.

00:34:39.760 --> 00:34:40.119
 And Lord,

00:34:40.179 --> 00:34:41.800
 may you use us

00:34:41.800 --> 00:34:43.360
 to take the gospel

00:34:43.360 --> 00:34:45.199
 to those who desperately need it.

00:34:46.119 --> 00:34:47.000
 May we be faithful

00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:47.760
 to be sent,

00:34:48.679 --> 00:34:48.800
 Lord,

00:34:48.840 --> 00:34:49.699
 to our workplaces,

00:34:50.199 --> 00:34:51.340
 to our family,

00:34:52.059 --> 00:34:52.940
 to our neighbors,

00:34:54.019 --> 00:34:54.219
 Lord,

00:34:54.260 --> 00:34:55.079
 across the street

00:34:55.079 --> 00:34:56.300
 and perhaps across the world.

00:34:57.300 --> 00:34:57.579
 Lord,

00:34:57.639 --> 00:34:58.400
 may you provoke

00:34:58.400 --> 00:35:00.099
 a desire in our hearts

00:35:00.099 --> 00:35:01.860
 to make you known,

00:35:02.659 --> 00:35:03.719
 to further your kingdom,

00:35:04.300 --> 00:35:05.420
 to play our part

00:35:05.420 --> 00:35:06.920
 in the calls of Christ.

00:35:07.639 --> 00:35:07.980
 Lord,

00:35:08.039 --> 00:35:08.539
 we love you.

00:35:08.980 --> 00:35:09.719
 And it's in your holy name

00:35:09.719 --> 00:35:10.059
 we pray.

00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:10.539
 Amen.

00:35:10.920 --> 00:35:11.920
 We're going to stand together

00:35:11.920 --> 00:35:12.960
 in a verse of invitation

00:35:12.960 --> 00:35:13.800
 during this time.

00:35:14.019 --> 00:35:15.039
 I would invite you to come.

00:35:15.099 --> 00:35:15.719
 If there's a need

00:35:15.719 --> 00:35:16.440
 that you have

00:35:16.440 --> 00:35:17.619
 a response to this message,

00:35:17.860 --> 00:35:18.619
 maybe you feel as though

00:35:18.619 --> 00:35:19.480
 you need to give your life

00:35:19.480 --> 00:35:19.960
 to Jesus

00:35:19.960 --> 00:35:20.960
 and start a relationship

00:35:20.960 --> 00:35:21.480
 with him.

00:35:21.699 --> 00:35:22.280
 Maybe you feel

00:35:22.280 --> 00:35:23.099
 that you need to be baptized

00:35:23.099 --> 00:35:24.299
 or join this church

00:35:24.299 --> 00:35:24.799
 as a member.

00:35:25.119 --> 00:35:25.739
 I want to encourage you

00:35:25.739 --> 00:35:26.239
 to come forward

00:35:26.239 --> 00:35:26.799
 and speak to me

00:35:26.799 --> 00:35:27.420
 during this time

00:35:27.420 --> 00:35:28.799
 or see me after the service.

00:35:28.880 --> 00:35:29.599
 But as we sing,

00:35:29.799 --> 00:35:30.659
 I invite you to come.

00:35:30.659 --> 00:35:31.500
 Amen.

00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:31.500


00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:31.500


00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:31.500


00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:31.500


00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:31.500


00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:31.500


00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:31.500


00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:31.500


00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:31.500


00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:31.500


00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:31.500


00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:31.500